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Old 01-11-2020, 11:15 AM   #541
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2079 Season (9/28 – 10/1)

Pittsburgh Steelers (88-70, .557, 1st NL East) @ Miami United (80-78, .506, 3rd NL East)
We end our first regular-season as a Miami-based ballclub against Tom Franzone and the NL East Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. I would’ve preferred nearly any other National League club – as a decidedly so-so ballclub who’ve clinched a spot in the playoffs unexpectantly, that’s riding a wave of confidence as we close out the 2079 campaign, the last thing we need, right before the playoffs get underway, is to have our confidence shattered by the club that is nearly a lock to represent the NL East the National League Championship Series. On the bright side – we’ve been nearly unbeatable lately… 9-1 in our last 10, riding a 4-game winning streak, and, really, looking like an actual baseball team – we’ve certainly heated up at the right time and just need to keep the campfire going as long as possible so we don’t get cold overnight…

159 of 162: Beau Skrivan (7-7, 3.35) @ Thomas Deane (7-13, 5.16)
Loss, 7-5
. We were riding high until a late Pittsburgh rally saw them put 4 runs on the board in the 8th & 9th. Deane had one of his better performances of recent memory – he fanned 10 batsmen and only allowed 2 runs in 7 innings of work, and Reuben Johnson, our backup 3rd baseman, hit a 3-run jack in the bottom of the 3rd where we scored a total of 5 runs as a team. We had that one good inning – that’s it. After that, the Steelers stole this one from us with piston-like precision.

Elsewhere: Frodo Gonzales (SEA) went 3 for 4 with a 3-run homer, and a walk in Seattle’s brilliant 8-0 victory over the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are the only club to win over 100 games in 2079 and they’ve been on something of a magical roll throughout the entirety of the 2079 campaign – though, it is nice to see Seattle, who is battling with Toronto and New York to secure one of two remaining WC slots in the American League, get the win here as they make their closing remarks on the season. The Playoffs have been set in the Bush League – Mississippi will face Gainesville for the right to face Beaumont in the 2nd round, while Nolanville will face Naperville for the right to battle Dearborn.

106 of 162: Gregory Morgan (14-11, 3.96) @ Ricky Reyman (0-0, 2.38)
Loss, 5-0
. Two things…. 1. Suddenly we are a ho-hum, pedestrian ballclub that struggles with its mastery of the most basic of baseball fundamentals, and 2. We lost Magee Ives for two weeks due to a foot contusion. There really isn’t much more to say about this one…

Elsewhere: Heathcote Kinton (PDX) went 3 for 4 with THREE HOME RUNS, 5 RBIs and 3 runs in the Timbers’ 8-1 win over the Dallas Cowboys. With the effort, Kinton moves into 3rd overall on the HR table with 42 - only Aitor Cubas (43) and Jo Jo Jackson (46) have been more successful in putting balls out of the park this season. Interestingly, even with 3 jacks, his game score topped out at 91 which ties him for the 20th best individual game score of the season so far. Also – Toronto and Seattle clinched the final WC spots in the American League with the New York Jets on the outside looking in.

161 of 162: Kurt Miller (10-13, 4.20) @ Rad Taylor (6-5, 4.11)
Loss, 9-5
. Oof. Tom Franzone gave us the business – 2 for 4, a HR (#40), 2 RBIs, and 3 runs, and Kurt Miller held us far enough back in an 8.1 inning, 4 K, 5 ER performance… we’ve lost 3 in a row now folks. Not ideal. Not really that fun. And, not exactly the kind of stretch you want to hang your hat on as you head into the postseason. We are now sitting at 80-81 and may earn the dubious distinction of being one of a handful of clubs that have made the postseason on a losing record.

Elsewhere: The Gainesville Gamecocks defeated the Mississippi Hound Dogs by a score of 3-0 and will advance to face the Beaumont Bullies in a 5-game series. And the Naperville Nibblers defeated the Nolanville ‘Nauts by that same score, 3-0, to earn the right to head up to Dearborn for a 5-game series against the Dilly’s.

162 of 162: Roydrick Luedtke (5-4, 3.93) @ Radoslav Borovsky (11-9, 3.46)
Win, 12-9
. The team really rallied together and got it done in this one – in a critical game of undue import. Homer went 3 for 4 with 2 runs and an RBI, Scharmer finished at 2 for 4 with a 3-run ding dong, and we won despite Franzone putting his 41st jack on the board. Headed to the playoffs on an 81-81 record, and, because of the win, I should avoid most of the, “how does it feel to be the only team of the decade to enter the playoffs with a sub .500 record”, questions from the media. We’ve done the not-so-impossible and took a new club in a new town who was picked to finish last in the NL East all the way to the promised land where we will face the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1st round.

Elsewhere: Jo Jo Jackson (DAL) went 4 for 5 with 2 HRs, 4 RBIs, and 2 runs in the Cowboys’ 8-2 victory over the Portland Timbers. Jackson, who leads the league in K’s at 242 (39 more than the next guy) will become the 1st player to lead in that category and HRs where his 48 secured the 1st place slot by a 5 HR margin. Of note: Tom Franzone managed to finish 4th on the HR table despite missing 5-weeks of the regular season. Oh, and Angry Eloy Delando, of the Mississippi Hound Dogs, led the BL in HRs with 43 and WAR at 6.1 for the season.
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Old 01-12-2020, 01:46 AM   #542
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2079 Playoffs (10/4 – 10/8)

Miami United (0-0, 0.00) @ Philadelphia 76ers (0-0, 0.00)
We’ll play our first-ever playoff game as a Miami-based ball club in Philadelphia against a team we went 8-12 against in the regular season. We’ve actually played them tough, recently, and could surprise a lot of folks here... the only problem, of course, is that they have Palmer Parker, an odds-on favorite to win the NL Boyce, and we, most assuredly, do not. But, given our format, if we can land something sturdy on them in game one, we’ll be in the unlikely position of closing out this 3-game series at home - now is as good a time as any to overachieve.

NLDS 1 of 3: Kordell Littles (0-0, 0.00) @ Grimm McGowan (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 1-0
. We didn’t put a bad one on the 76ers, Kordell did. Littles pitched a complete game, 2-hit shutout with 7 K’s and only 1 walk and Aris Anaconda hit the game-winning, run-scoring double in the top of the FIRST. Palmer Parker did nothing of value for Philly, he hit into a double play in the bottom of the 6th, and K’d twice. Early Felger’s steal in the top of the 1st was a critical one – it put him in a position to make it home on Anaconda’s double… at this stage of the game, it’s the little things. Legendary performance from Kordell – wow… incredible post-season debut.

Elsewhere: The Final Four is all set in the International League – In the Republic League, the Hartford defeated Louisville in 6 games and will advance to face the Huntington Beach Bombers who took down the Long Beach Titans in 7 games. Meanwhile, in the Democratic League, the Compton Raiders defeated the Seattle Supersonics in 5 games and will move on to face the Austin Grackles, who dispatched the Nashville Picks in 6 games.

NLDS 2 of 3: Wilson Pena (0-0, 0.00) @ Radoslav Borovsky (0-0, 0.00)
Loss, 3-2
. Radoslav was good, just not quite good enough – he went a scant 6.1 innings and allowed 7 hits, a run, and a walk before handing it off to the pen – Harvey Allen gave up a solo HR in the top of the 10th to Palmer parker to earn the loss. Felger stole his second bag, OH HONG treated the fans to a monumentally bad fielding flub at 1st, and we left 5 runners stranded during the contest. Philly exacts a small measure of revenge and, as a result, I have to board a plane headed to Pennsylvania. That doesn’t make me happy.

Elsewhere: The LA Kings were bounced from the playoffs by the Chargers on a 7-2 loss in San Diego. Dontrell Gay looked good in a 3 for 4 performance with a 2-run HR and a walk – everyone else, however, was suspect. 3B Gino Carr, of the Beaumont Bullies, went 3 for 4 with a GRAND SLAM and 2 runs in his clubs’ series-clinching 13-2 win over the Gainesville Gamecocks. The Bullies will advance to the Bush League Championship Series largely due to his efforts. The former Duke stand-out, and member of 3 MLB clubs (LAK, GSW, and CAR) is now in his second season of Bush League play. He joined Beaumont in the offseason after spending a year in Quincy. He hit .233 with 16 HRs and 64 RBIs in Beaumont during the regular season. Also – Toronto advances to the second round after bouncing the Carolina Panthers from the dance in 3 games on a 4-3 road win, and Portland earned bragging rights over the Seattle Sounders after their 5-4 win at home served to eliminate the Emerald City based club from the bracket.

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NLDS 3 of 3: Rad Taylor (0-0, 0.00) @ Vin Uhlman (0-0, 0.00)
Loss, 5-0
. Rad Taylor’s first taste of the post-season was nothing to write home about – it was no night out at the Olive Garden – he gave us 6.2 hard-scrabble innings of work but gave up 5 runs on 6 hits and only fanned 5 batters in the effort. Vin Uhlman, by contrast, pulled a bootleg-Kordell in a complete game, 4-hit shutout that included NO walks and 8 Ks. Palmer Parker went 1 for 3 with a 3-run homer and a walk in the win. If he doesn’t win the NL Boyce, we riot.

And that closes the book on our first campaign in Miami – sort of anti-climactic, right? Up next – we’ll finish off the 2079 Playoffs (nothing fancy – just a quick who won, what sort of recap… and then, as always, I’ll probably make a few random changes to my leagues and motor through the offseason. I have a lot of changes in mind for 2080 – hopefully, I’ll have the wherewithal to complete them before getting tired of the clerical work and moving on to the business of building a winner in Miami.

Some previews of what I’m thinking… realignment of my minor leagues (teams changing affiliation, I want the clubs relatively close to their main club), 6 new teams in the Bush League, and several franchise relocations… a tall order, sure, and one that I am unlikely to complete – but we dream…. I have an incessant need to spruce things up around here - so, any suggestions on that front will be given their due.
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Old 01-12-2020, 10:24 AM   #543
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2079 Playoffs

When Golden State & Phoenix were both ousted during the 2nd round of the playoffs, it looked like Pittsburgh would have most of the remaining routes to victory. They were, as the baseball pundits put it, the best of what was left. The Cinderella story belonged to San Diego who swept the Kings and dispatched the Suns in 7 hard-fought games… the consensus was that they had crashed the party and would be thrown out by the Steelers soon enough. Portland managed to get some ink – they were given the label of dark horse because, with Heathcote Kinton in the lineup, anything was possible. And, Chicago, was sort of forgotten – there was nothing sexy about the Fire… solid everywhere, persistent, and dependable – they’d been a top club during the regular season, their level of consistency almost boring. When they shutout the Timbers in the first game of the ALCS, behind a complete-game shutout from Theodore Junkersfeld, it wasn’t enough to stir the imagination of the press corps. After losing the second game, at home, to the Timbers there was a pivot… suddenly the baseball prognosticators were all-in on the Timbers – and when Chicago survived a 3 for 5, 2 HR, 3 RBI performance from Heathcote Kinton in the 3rd game to go up in the series, 2-1, it was treated as a blip on the radar. The press, it turned out, was right as the Portland Timbers, seemingly peaking at the right time, won the next three games to secure their spot on the homecoming court. They’d face the San Diego Chargers – Cinderella in the flesh – in the 2079 Fall Classic – an 89-win club (PDX) facing an 87-win club (SDC) for all the marbles. Stranger things have happened in Strangeverse, sure, but not many.

The series was a flop – it failed to draw eyeballs, Heathcote failed in his pursuit of, what would have been his 1st WS Ring, and Boogie Barnett had his coming out party, on our biggest stage, probably 1-2 years too early. San Diego, that also ran from paradise, came out of nowhere and took down the whole enchilada. SP Peter Garcia, a so-so guy in a league full of them, took home MVP honors and the bikini-clad, roller-skate wearing, sushi-loving citizenry of San Diego took to the Mission Beach Boardwalk to celebrate the World Series victory of a club they barely care about over designer cocktails and ceviche nachos. It was a scene that I can only describe as… well, surreal.

Elsewhere: Beaumont won the Bush League Title over the Naperville Nibblers in 7 games, and the COMPTON RAIDERS lost the IL Series to the Huntington Beach Bombers after going up 3-0… that’s right, they lost four straight – yikes!
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Old 01-12-2020, 12:22 PM   #544
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2080 Off Season

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…

Bush League Expansion: This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while as I have a lot of players that just languish in the background after college as they fail to get drafted, make a minor league team, and have no options to sign elsewhere… so, I’m hoping this will lead to more players playing and less of me having to go in and delete characters who just sort of hang around for 5 years after college on the periphery without ever signing to play anywhere. The six new clubs will form a new BL division called the ‘Freedom Division’, and will include the following clubs: Tallahassee Tomcats, Kalamazoo Kraken, Roanoke Racoons, Birmingham Billy’s, Bowling Green Lickers, and the Gulfport Swallows. The league will continue to begin play on May 1st and will have a 132-game schedule (instead of the previous 140-game schedule).

MLB Relocations & Rebrands: Originally, I wanted to rebrand the San Diego Chargers as the San Diego Clippers, but, due to their improbable World Series win, I can’t really do that… so, instead, I moved the Green Bay Packers to Atlanta where they have been rechristened as the Atlanta Falcons, and Shawna’s Minnesota North Stars are moving to Denver where they will be called the Miners. Houston is no longer the Dynamo… they are now known as the Texans and have, in my humble opinion, much better caps, and, lastly, the Montreal Wanderers will henceforth be known as the Montreal Alouettes which is an improvement if you ask me – the Wanderers concept just wasn’t cutting it for me.

Minor League Restructuring: Well, I wasn’t feeling it this morning, so, maybe, I’ll dial that one in next season (I mean, the one after 2080).

Early Offseason Miami Silliness:
Travis Scharmer has given in to greed – he’s voided the last year of his contract with the Flim Flams and will test the free agency market. Punk. Elvira has increased our budget by $4M… we’ll now have a budget of $200M with about $170M of that set aside for the team payroll. Interestingly, my personal petty cash budget has been drastically reduced and I’ve been told that Gentlemen’s clubs are not an approved petty cash expense. Yan is working out my options on that one… Also, she extended my contract for an additional year, but no word on that extension will include usage of the houseboat in my final year. Radoslav, OH HONG, and Kyle Weaver are all eligible for Salary Arbitration – that sounds costly. Thomas Deane, Saul Guzman, Travis Scharmer, Rico Sosa, and Homer Wingard are all pending free agency without compensation – also, yucky.

2079 Awards:
American League Silver Sluggers: The list includes some of my faves – 1B Pablo Madera (CAR), SS Heathcote Kinton (PDX), and LF Aitor Cubas (SEA). American League Gold Gloves: the list includes former Los Angeles Laker, 2B Sammie Fregoso, who, by the way, is 36-years old, which makes him the most ancient guy on the list. National League Silver Sluggers: 1B Tom Franzone (PIT), 3B Dontrell Gay (LAK), SS Ray Gerhold (PHX), and LF Palmer Parker (PHI) are the highlights. National League Gold Gloves: C Dominic Cooke (LAK), 3B Dontrell Gay (LAK), LF Aris Anaconda (MIA), and Kyle Weaver (MIA) round out the notables here.

2079 AL Boyce Rigg: Aitor Cubas (SEA) - .330/43/122… Heathcote Kinton (PDX) – 2nd, Pablo Madera (CAR) – 3rd.
2079 NL Boyce Rigg: Palmer Parker (PHI) - .381/34/127… Ray Gerhold (PHX) – 2nd, Tom Franzone (PIT) – 3rd.
2079 AL Pacheco: Tristan Hutchison (CAR) – 20-8, 2.47
2079 NL Pacheco: Logan Maldanado (PHI) – 17-8, 3.09

And… CL Harvey Allen (MIA) won the Kingston Cashmore (top reliever) award. That’s cool.

Oh, and one more thing… I signed OH HONG to a 3-year, $16M extension – the fans were cool with it.

Some free agents I’d like to get (but won’t)… CF Ethan Mullens, previously with Seattle, wants $35M, LF Palmer Parker, a Philly mainstay, wants $50M, 3B Pepper Grant, who played in LA last season, wants $6M, and 1B Arnold Webster, who has some much-needed pop, wants $9M.
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Old 01-12-2020, 03:29 PM   #545
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Free Agency Notes:

Free Agency Notes:
  • The Vancouver Giants finalized a deal with Ethan Mullens earlier today, making the center fielder a very happy man. He'll be making an estimated $31,500,000 a year for 3 years. In his career, Mullens is batting .287 with 1107 hits, 198 doubles, 29 triples, and 134 home runs.
  • Landon Sampson took the Warriors up on their lucrative $66,000,000 deal today, ending speculation on which baseball metropolis he would call home next year. But the signing came at too high a price, say longtime fans who think the club is too focused on players whose prime years have passed them by.
  • As speculation mounted into the morning, rumors over a final agreement between Homer Wingard and San Francisco became a reality, with the star opting for a $66,400,000 deal over 3 years. Our fans are livid… but, whatever, the guy isn’t that good.
  • As speculation mounted into the morning, rumors over a final agreement between Tommy Mathieu and Atlanta became a reality, with the star opting for a $30,700,000 deal over 2 years.
  • The Dallas Cowboys finalized a deal with Telma Taveras earlier today, making the second baseman a very happy man. He'll be making an estimated $19,400,000 a year for 3 years.
  • SP Julen Morales and St. Louis finalized a deal that will pay the former all-star $12.1M per over two years… he’s not what he used to be, I think they overpaid.
  • CL Rudolf the Ruiner signed with the Atlanta Falcons for $7.4M per over 2 years. He was terrible in Houston last year… 3-3, 5.40 ERA. Not sure what this move is all about in ATL.
  • Carolina signed RF Jonah Dove to a 1-year, $16M contract – their fans dig it.
  • Miami signed SS Hamza McDonnell for $63M over 3-years… what was Yan thinking, Hamza fleeced us. We also signed RP Johnny Dial for $5M per year for 2-years.
  • Word of a huge deal between Scott Kaszuba and New York broke on BNN only minutes before it was officially announced. The second baseman will join the Jets for an estimated $17,900,000 per year over 2 years. Kaszuba has shown he is capable of putting together big money campaigns, which is exactly what Jets ownership was looking for.
  • The Timbers today announced that they have come to terms with Burt McElheny, a 33-year-old starting pitcher they've been scouting for a while. McElheny will earn $26,400,000 a year over 3 years and is expected to play a key role with the club.
  • Mustafa Boltz and Houston put the finishing touches on a $6,900,000-a-year deal that will keep the 33-year-old in a Houston uniform for 2 years. Team officials reportedly held their breath at the last moment, since Boltz had second thoughts mulling over other offers.
  • Norton Manning and Miami put the finishing touches on a $4,840,000-a-year deal that will keep the 29-year-old in a Miami uniform for 2 years. Team officials reportedly held their breath at the last moment, since Manning had second thoughts mulling over other offers.
  • SS Donny Jeter signed a 1-year contract worth $750K with the Gainesville Gamecocks… the contract was purchased by the Houston Texans the next day.
  • 1B Arnold Webster signed a 2-year, $18.2M contract with the Columbia Blowfish… again, Houston swooped in and purchased the contract.
  • Chicago Fire: Signed free agent 1B Jacob Wells, formerly with the Phoenix Suns, to a 3-year contract worth a total of $47,400,000.
  • Philadelphia 76ers: Signed free agent LF Otis Murry, formerly with MIN/CAR, to a 1-year contract worth a total of $20,600,000.
  • Dallas Cowboys: Signed free agent C Laz Braun, formerly with the Vancouver Giants, to a 3-year contract worth a total of $61,200,000.
  • Philadelphia 76ers: Purchased the contract of SS Nehemiah Jenkins from the Beaumont Bullies of the Bush League. Nehemiah signed a 2-year, $24.1M contract with the Bullies prior to the buyout. He spent the bulk of 2079 with the Montreal Wanderers.
  • St. Louis Rams: Signed free agent SP John Aivazian to a 3-year contract worth a total of $49,200,000. Aivazian spent the last three seasons in Green Bay.
  • New York Jets: Signed free agent SP Oswaldo Flores to a 1-year contract worth a total of $4,760,000.
  • New York Jets: Purchased the contract of SS Shifty Culp from the Nolanville 'Nauts of the Bush League.
  • Los Angeles Galaxy: Purchased the contract of SS Chandler Bosquez from the San Marcos Supremos of the Bush League.
  • Dallas Cowboys: Purchased the contract of CF Smith Wells from the Nolanville 'Nauts of the Bush League.
  • Carolina Panthers: Purchased the contract of SP Lucas Brandt from the Hagerstown Hummers of the Bush League. Brandt played in Miami during the 2079 season.
  • Portland Timbers: Signed free agent SP Thomas Deane to a 1-year contract worth a total of $1,960,000. Goodbye, Thomas – we barely knew ye.
  • Atlanta Falcons: Signed free agent 2B Jaden Utley to a 2-year contract worth a total of $28,000,000.
  • Houston Texans: Signed free agent 1B Benjamin Compton to a 2-year contract worth a total of $26,000,000.
  • Seattle Sounders: Signed free agent RP Saul Guzman to a 1-year contract worth a total of $950,000.
  • Sunday, January 21st, 2080
  • Los Angeles Galaxy: Signed free agent 3B Pepper Grant to a 2-year contract worth a total of $15,200,000.
  • San Francisco Seals: Signed free agent 1B Quinn Charvat to a 2-year contract worth a total of $57,600,000.
  • Dallas Cowboys: Purchased the contract of LF Jerry Landowski from the San Marcos Supremos of the Bush League.
  • San Francisco Seals: Signed free agent SP Max Harrington to a 2-year contract worth a total of $50,200,000.
  • Chicago Fire: Purchased the contract of SP Josiah Kawka from the Naperville Nibblers of the Bush League.
  • New York Jets: Signed free agent SP Nat Millard to a 1-year contract worth a total of $16,600,000.
  • San Diego Chargers: Purchased the contract of 2B Sammie Fregoso from the Beaumont Bullies of the Bush League.
  • Los Angeles Galaxy: Signed free agent C Rico Sosa to a minor league contract. Another OG ‘Mingo bites the dust!
  • Philadelphia 76ers: Purchased the contract of SP Cliff Slavinski from the Coney Island Footlongs of the Bush League.
  • The Miami United traded 31-year-old center fielder Donavon Taylor to the Golden State Warriors, getting 25-year-old center fielder Ned Saucerman in return. Ned is both better at baseball and has a cooler name than Donavan.
  • Jacksonville Jaguars: Signed free agent 1B Ruben Zarate to a 2-year contract worth a total of $19,400,000.
  • The Pittsburgh Steelers traded 25-year-old minor league center fielder Mick Miller and 24-year-old minor league left fielder Lucas Spoon to the Philadelphia 76ers, getting 30-year-old starting pitcher Vin Uhlman, retaining 45% in return.

Note: Palmer Parker remains unsigned and today is opening day... Yan has been given the green light to pursue him. I was hoping he would've signed elsewhere because I'd feel weird signing him - but, if no one else is going to pursue the guy, drastic measures must be taken.

Up next… our opening day, a day after the official opening day – against Pittsburgh, at home. Picking up right where we left off it seems…
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Old 01-12-2020, 04:10 PM   #546
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Wow... Palmer Parker to Seattle!

Well, I guess that's that.

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Old 01-13-2020, 04:06 PM   #547
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Valiant effort by your Miami United. Getting to the playoffs was a good start. Now to advance further in the post-season next year.

And hey, Denver Miners. Hurrah!

Also happy to see Oh Hong extended a few more years.
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Old 01-13-2020, 08:53 PM   #548
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BirdWatcher View Post
Valiant effort by your Miami United. Getting to the playoffs was a good start. Now to advance further in the post-season next year.

And hey, Denver Miners. Hurrah!

Also happy to see Oh Hong extended a few more years.
I like to mix things up - sometimes these are rash decisions, but so far I'm happy with the changes...
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Old 01-13-2020, 09:20 PM   #549
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2080 Season (April 1 – 15)

April 1st, 2080
Opening Day in Major League Baseball – basically a national holiday… only, this year, it will commence without and appearance from Miami as we are set to open our 2080 campaign, on the road, on the 2nd…

2B Sammie Fregoso, 2079 Gold Glove recipient and newest member of the defending champion San Diego Chargers, made his presence felt during his first game in the baby blue and canary yellow – he finished 4 for 4 with a solo-HR, 2 runs, and 2 walks in San Diego’s 6-5 loss against the San Francisco Seals. 3B Dontrell Gay helped his Los Angeles Kings get off to a solid start to their 2080 campaign with a 3 for 5 day that included a 3-run homer, 4 total RBIs and 2 runs in a 7-5 win over the newly relocated Denver Miners – you can take the club out of Minnesota, but you can’t take the Minnesota out of the club.

April 2nd – April 3rd, 2080
Philadelphia 76ers (0-0, .000, t-1st NL East) @ Miami United (0-0, .000, t-1st)

We’ll start 2080 off at home against the Palmer-free Philadelphia 76ers who, despite signing Otis Murry in the offseason, don’t seem like the same club without Parker in the lineup. Even without Parker, the baseball punditry has the 76ers penciled in as the likeliest team to win our division… not sure what kind of witchcraft math they had to do to come up with that prediction.

1 of 162: Cliff Slavinski (0-0, 0.00) @ Rad Taylor (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 4-2
. Rad allows only 2 runs over 8 innings, fans 5, and new guy, Hamza McDonnell, finished 3 for 4 at the plate with an RBI and a run.

Elsewhere: Shawna’s Denver-based ballclub sure looks a lot like her Minnesota-based ballclub so far… the have fallen to 0-2 after SP Trevor Dotson went the distance against them for L.A., allowing only two runs and fanning 10 batters. LF Lloyd Daniels went off for the Kings – 4 for 4, 2 doubles, a HR, 3 RBIs, and 3 runs for the 29-year old former Bulldog from Fresno State. It’s early and therefore meaningless, but LA looks good at the start of 2080 – they will be a formidable contender it seems.

2 of 162: Grimm McGowan (0-0, 0.00) @ Kordell Littles (0-0, 0.00)
Loss, 4-2
. Kordell was iffy in giving up 4 runs over 7.1 innings of work and Philadelphia’s RF Rayon Tierney was the difference-maker in the top of the 4th when he batted the go-ahead run in on a single.

April 4th – April 7th, 2080
St. Louis Rams (0-2, .000, 6th NL East) @ Miami United (1-1, .500, 4th NL East)

The Rams made some low-key power moves in the offseason with regards to their pitching staff – it now has the look of a top-five unit. Unfortunately, they completely ignored their offense and it looks, well, trashy. Dumpster fire-ish. Smart money says they finish 5th in the NL East again.

3 of 162: John Aivazian (0-0, 0.00) @ Radoslav Borovsky (0-0, 0.00)
Loss, 3-1
. Not ideal. We scored a run in the bottom of the 1st but Aivazian held us in check for the rest of the way. Radoslav goes 6 innings, let’s three runners make it home.

Elsewhere: SP Michael Brisk, still plying his trade in the Bay Area, hurled 7 shutout innings in Golden State’s 4-0 win over the Vancouver Giants – he also fanned 9 batters and his bullpen, obviously, managed to preserve the shutout. CF Ethan Mullens went 1 for 4 in the loss – he is hitting .313 with 4 RBIs so far though. Also, 3B Pepper Grant, hit a solo-HR in the top of the 13th inning to put the Los Angeles Galaxy up for good in their 4-3 win over the Portland Timbers – he also struck out 4 times in the game – but, who cares about that?!?

4 of 162: Cosmo Puente (0-0, 0.00) @ Mirko Samsonenko (0-0, 0.00)
Loss, 5-4
. Rueben Johnson hit a 2-run homer, Mirko got teed off on, and, now, we are off to an inauspicious start in 2080. It’s a bummer.

Elsewhere: CF Norris Flaherty hit 2 jacks in the New York Jets 6-2 win over the Atlanta Falcons, 1B Benjamin Compton hit two of his own in Houston’s 7-1 win over the San Francisco Seals, and Tom Franzone hit his first ding dong of the year in Pittsburgh’s 10-5 loss, at home, to the Brooklyn Citizens. You can’t win them all. Oh, and file under: it’s early, but… Tony Voorhis already has three HRs in 2080 and his Phoenix Suns are running roughshod over the competition at 3-1 so far this year. That his third homer came in today’s loss to the Los Angeles Kings is of little consequence… what was consequential, however, is the Otto Isaac went 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs, 2 runs, and 2 walks in LA’s 9-6 victory.

5 of 162: Alan Barrientos (0-0, 0.00) @ Murray Wagner (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 7-2
. Finally. Wagner went 7, allowed 2, and fanned 5, and Anaconda came alive in a 2 for 3 performance with 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, and 2 runs.

6 of 162: Austin Joshua (0-0, 0.00) @ Rad Taylor (1-0, 2.25)
Loss, 7-4
. Damn. 1-3 against these guys, at home, and we lost the last game in extras… Rad allowed 12 hits and 4 runs over 8 innings of work, OH HONG went 3 for 3 with an RBI, and Hamza went 4 for 6 with a double, an RBI, and a run… and we still lost.

April 8th – April 10th
Brooklyn Citizens (4-3, .571, 2nd NL East) @ Miami United (2-4, .333, 6th NL East)

It’s always a pleasure when Brooklyn comes to town – except when we mired in an early-season funk and they are playing some rip-roaring, lights-out baseball. The general pre-season consensus was that Brooklyn, in aggregate, would end up being the worst of the NL East – but, we’re not there yet, and, right now, they are better than we are – plain & simple. We need to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start throwing some haymakers.

Elsewhere: CF Page Sommers, of the Jacksonville Jaguars, was named PoTW in the American League – he hit .542 with 3 jacks and 7 riblets, and LF Tony Voorhis, despite flexing the eggplant purple and burnt orange, was named PoTW in the National League – he hit .500 for the Suns with 4 homers and 13 RBIs. We were ranked 20th in the first edition of the weekly power ranking. Seems generous.

7 of 162: Matthew Krebs (0-1, 3.98) @ Kordell Littles (0-1, 4.91)
Win, 8-1
. Kordell was better in his 2nd appearance – 7.2 innings, 1 earned, and 6 K’s, and Anaconda went 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs and a run that came on a suicide squeeze.

Elsewhere: 1B Frodo Gonzales (SEA) hit a GRAND SLAM in the top of the 8th that tied things up for Seattle at 7-up and Palmer Parker hit a run-scoring single in the next frame that put them up for good in their 10-7 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy… Seattle is 3-4 so far this year – with Palmer Parker and Aitor Cubas in the lineup… that’s bananas.

8 of 162: Hunter Larson (0-1, 8.44) @ Radoslav Borovsky (0-1, 4.50)
Win, 3-1
. Radoslav was serviceable over 6 innings of work and racked up 5 K’s while OH HONG busied himself by going 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI. He also pulled his hamstring and will miss 3-weeks while he recovers on the IL. SMH.

9 of 162: Les Trost (1-0, 4.50) @ Mirko Samsonenko (0-1, 9.64)
Loss, 8-3
. We got Mirko’d… again. Saucerman went 1 for 2 with a 2-run homer… everyone else sucked.

April 12th – April 14th
Miami United (4-5, .444, 6th NL East) @ Montreal Alouettes (5-5, .500, 2nd NL East)

Already 9 games into the season, sitting idle at 4-5, and headed to Montreal for our first road trip of the season. Here we’ll be donning the pink tops for the first time of the season against the new-look Alouettes as we desperately try to keep our head above water during the early stages of the 2080 campaign. Montreal was picked to finish ahead of us in the NL East, so, on somebody’s piece of paper, they’re better than we are. I’m of the opinion that the baseball punditry was influenced by Montreal’s new uniforms… and not by their collection of talent. I guess we’re about to find out.

10 of 162: Murray Wagner (1-0, 2.57) @ Hudson Dorsch (0-2, 4.61)
Win, 10-5
. Aris continues to stay hot – he gave us a 2 for 3 day with another HR, 3 RBIs, and 2 runs, and Norton Manning, our new Catcher, hit 2 doubles and drove in 3 runs. Murray only made it through 4.2 innings in this one and was lifted during the 5th frame after doling out his 6th free pass of the day.

11 of 162: Rad Taylor (1-0, 3.38) @ Joseph Grace (0-1, 2.51)
Loss, 2-1
. Ugh… Rad was stellar – 8 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 6 K’s – but our offense was not. We got doubles from Weaver and Magee, a SAC FLY from Magee drove in our only run, and Hamza got caught with his hand in the honey pot. When we get performances like these from our starter – we gotta get the W.

Elsewhere: Phoenix received a bit of good news today as their left fielder Tony Voorhis accepted a $26,400,000-a-year offer that will keep him in the burnt orange and eggplant purple for 3 years. So far this season, Voorhis has recorded a .436 batting average with 17 hits, 4 home runs, 14 RBIs, 10 runs scored and a .500 OBP.

12 of 162: Kordell Littles (1-1, 3.00) @ Elijah Rizzuto (1-0, 3.75)
Win, 2-0
. Kordell went 8, allowed none, and fanned 3, Aris went 4 for 4 with 2 riblets, and Harvey Allen picked up his 3rd save of the season… all in a day’s work. We head out to Pittsburgh next to find out if the Pink Tops will bring us the same type of luck we got out of them in Montreal.

Note: Okay, so, at 6-6 it’s not the best start in the world… but, we’ll take it. Because, well, we don’t really have a choice – the results have been recorded into our permanent record so they’re there to stay. Kordell is leading the team with 2 wins and a 1.96 ERA, Hamza is hitting .415, and Aris Anaconda is hitting .326 with 3 bombs and 15 RBIs… and, we’re sitting in 3rd on the NL East table behind Pittsburgh & Brooklyn who are at 7-5 & 7-6 respectively. So far, and, yes, I know it’s early, Golden State and Carolina are the class of the AL – both are gunning to be the first team to record 10 wins, and the San Francisco Seals have jumped out to a surprising 8-3 start – they’re first in the NL West with LA a game behind and Phoenix at 3 games back… Otto Isaac is back – he’s leading the league in HRs at 6, is hitting .294, and has 15 RBIs… good news for L.A. and the league as he won the NL PoTW honors for the first time in what feels like years... And, we are now sitting at 11th on the weekly power ranking after back-to-back series wins over Brooklyn and Montreal.
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Old 01-16-2020, 08:45 AM   #550
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2079 Season (4/16 – 4/18)

Miami United (6-6, .500, 3rd NL East) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5, .583, 1st NL East)
Their offense is humming already, though they could get on base a bit more (currently 9th in OBP), with RF Remildo Puente already hot (.385/5/15) and Tom Franzone starting to get up to temp (.311/3/8). Pitching hasn’t come all the way around yet – they are in the lower half in starters ERA and bullpen ERA, Ace Robby Garret has been uneven (1-1, 5.15), and SP Beau Skrivan has only managed to average 5 IP per start with a 7.16 ERA so far… he has racked up 27 K’s in those starts though and leads the league in K/9 at 14.9 - but, the K or HRA routine hasn’t served his team well. Really, the Steelers just need a few hurlers to come around, to get on the same page as Franzone and Puente, and to start playing a more cohesive brand of baseball. With the way the rest of us in the NL East have hobbled out of the gate they have a low-key opportunity to run up a nice little lead on the Division.

13 of 162: Radoslav Borovsky (1-1, 2.92) @ PJ Edmonds (2-0, 2.02)
Win, 5-2
. Another better-than-solid effort from Radoslav – only 2 earned over 7.2 innings of work – and Early Felger went 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs, a run, and a walk. 4th save for Harvey Allen and another good game from Anaconda who went 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs and a run of his own.

14 of 162: Mirko Samsonenko (0-2, 7.20) @ Kurt Miller (0-1, 6.30)
Loss, 8-7
. 2 more RBIs for Anaconda and two each from Weaver & Magee weren’t enough to overcome another poor start from Mirko. 4.1 innings, 6 hits, 5 earned, 3 walks, 2 K’s, and a HRA. Not sure what I’m going to do about him – put him in the pen, send him to Havana… decisions, decisions.

Elsewhere: SP Bradley Hughes (HOU) pitched a 1-hitter with 10 K’s for the Houston Texans as they crushed the defending champion San Diego Chargers by a score of 8-0. Injuries have taken their toll on the 3-time Pacheco winner, but Bradley confirmed that he still has a little something in the tank with that performance. Sad news out of Atlanta… RP Rudolf the Ruiner will miss the rest of the season with a torn UCL – it should take him ~14 months to heal up. So far, Rudolf had made 5 relief appearances, recorded a save, and posted a 2.25 ERA.

15 of 162: Murray Wagner (1-0, 3.86) @ Vin Uhlman (1-1, 4.15)
Loss, 11-1
. Oof. Despite donning the pink tops, we got destroyed. Uhlman went the distance and only gave up one run, Jayce Van Vorst went 3 for 5 with 2 doubles, a homer, an RBI, and 3 runs, and Tom Franzone put his 4th dinger out of the park. Wagner gave up 6 in 4.2, RP Randy Kline gave up 5 in 3.1, and our only run came as a result of CF Ned Saucerman’s SAC FLY.

Notes: Honestly, I expected more out of the club on this trip to Pittsburgh. At the very least, I thought we’d be good for a series win. Instead, we went 1-2, dropped into 5th on the NL East table, and continue to be up and down at the start of the season. Elsewhere… Carolina became the first club to reach 10 wins, at 11-4 they have the best record in the league. Palmer Parker (SEA) is hitting .423 so far in Seattle but has yet to hit with power consistently and has only 2 jacks so far. For our part, we’ll make a quick jaunt home to meet the Panthers for a 3-game set – it’s always nice to lose against the best baseball team in the league at home, so we’re looking forward to that – before heading out on an early 10-game road trip with stops in Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles.
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Old 01-17-2020, 08:35 AM   #551
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2080 Season (4/19 – 4/21)

Carolina Panthers (11-4, .733, 1st AL East) @ Miami United (7-8, 4.67, 5th NL East)
The Carolina Panthers are, so far in 2080, the best hitting baseball club in the league – they hit for average (.321, 1st AL) and get on base (.376, 1st AL) at an impressive clip, are capable wreckers of the base paths (+4.9, 1st AL), and score a lot of runs (92, 2nd AL). Their pitching is equally impressive despite being held back, statistically, by one starter who has an outrageous ERA of 23+ - the rest of their rotation is as good as it gets. This is the type of early-season form that inspires fans and baseball pundits alike to make unfounded declarations – labels like ‘championship-caliber’ and ‘the best team in baseball’ have been bandied about with a gleeful & reckless abandon and all the major sports sites have dedicated a disproportionate amount of content to all things Carolina… service up copious amounts of click-bait for the impatient baseball fan. Look, Carolina is, at worst, a rock-solid baseball club, and, it is possible that they can manage to hold onto their current form for the long haul on their way to immortality – stranger things have happened – but, what I’m saying is… hey, let’s take a step back and acknowledge that we have only managed to get through 15 games so far in 2080, let’s give credence to the fact that baseball is a fickle mistress, and let us not forget that, in baseball, form – good, bad, or indifferent – is fleeting and that ours is a world full of temporary things.

16 of 162: Tristan Hutchison (3-0, 2.31) @ Rad Taylor (1-1, 3.00)
Loss, 3-1
. We manage to waste another solid effort from Rad here as our offense is held in check by Carolina’s tip-top pitching staff… Their starter, Hutchison, gave us the business for 7 innings and, when he was done, their bullpen toyed with us for a couple more. Our only run was unearned, we committed three errors, and hit into two double plays… I’d like to lay the blame at the feet of my club, but, if I’m being honest – the Panther's fierce form had a lot more to do with this result than our poor play did.

17 of 162: Matt Martin (3-0, 1.50) @ Kordell Littles (2-1, 1.96)
Loss, 6-1
. Carolina’s starter, Matt Martin, didn’t require any help from his friends in this one – he did it all himself over 9 innings of work where he only allowed 4 hits and 1 run. Our only run came due to an errant pitch – Ned Saucerman stole 2nd after drawing a walk, stole 3rd two pitches later, and found his way home on a wild pitch. Kordell allowed 8 hits, three of those hits were HRs, and there really isn’t anything else to say about that… we did get into a fight in this one though – our only highlight (or, lowlight) outside of Ned’s work on the base paths, which resulted in a 4-game suspension for RP Cullen Craig. You can’t win for losing.

18 of 162: Lee Myers (2-1, 2.61) @ Radoslav Borovsky (2-1, 2.70)
Loss, 9-5
. Clockwork. We did some good things in this one – I won’t list them here because Carolina tied this one up in the top of the 9th and then banged out 4 more runs to win it in the top of the 12th… so, what’s the point. Two more errors, we got caught stealing three times and hit into three double plays. Are we this bad or are they this good? Does it matter? What have I done with my life?

Notes: Carolina, it turns out, is every bit as good as they say… 14 wins in the books and looking every bit the world-beater people have them penciled in as. This is not how you want to leave home to embark on a 10-game road trip – like leaving your girlfriend for the summer after an argument that you shouldn’t have pursued because it was an argument you couldn’t win. We’ll start the trip in Chicago (a so-so club built in our mold) before heading to Houston (a poor club that we should beat handily) – so, we’ll have an opportunity to get on solid footing. After that, it’s off to visit LA where we’ll face a good club that is looking to recapture their greatness behind a resurgent Otto Isaac who is bent on getting his revenge on the league who wouldn’t accept his guru and on the doctor's who told him he was too hurt to play. On a positive note, or not depending on your perspective, we're a much better road team (3-3) than we are at home (4-8).
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Old 01-18-2020, 10:51 AM   #552
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2080 Season (4/22 – 4/24)

Miami United (7-11, .389, 6th NL East) @ Chicago Fire (7-12, .368, 6th AL East)
If Miami is a sunny place for shady people, what does that make Chicago? Just shady? Here’s a club that added 5 WAR in Free Agency – they lost 4 guys, a couple of whom were solid or a little better and added 3… two tip-top relievers and a former blue-chipper in Jacob Wells. So, what gives? The offense is humming, up to temp, good oil viscosity, with the torque required to outpace most clubs in the American League – the pitching and defense, however, is suspect. They’re leaking like a sieve (10th in Runs Against), their Starters have been bad (11th in Starters ERA), and their bullpen not much better (9th Bullpen ERA). Their Ace, Theo Junkersfeld, has been getting destroyed and the bottom of their rotation looks particularly bad… all hanging curveballs and poorly located heat. As we head into Chicago, I’d like to say that we have a great opportunity to tune up our own ride, change out the plugs, and get the wiper fluid replenished, but, in reality (where we live), that’s probably not in the cards – we’ve been their opposite. Our offense in shambles while our pitching seems sturdy… this could be a war of attrition or we could hand them their 3rd series win on a silver platter – hell, we could very well get swept in Chi-Town unceremoniously as we did during our last set at home. Nothing to it but to do it, I suppose, and so we engage in the battle of the 20th ranked Chicago Fire against the 22nd ranked Miami United – on the Brightside, not many folks will be watching.

19 of 162: Mirko Samsonenko (0-2, 8.16) @ Matheo Trachtenburg (0-1, 5.50)
Loss, 7-5
. Mirko was better than he has been – but, his ability to pitch deep into a game is still nonexistent and he’s still walking too many batters (5.1 innings and 4 free passes today). We hit 3 doubles, stole three bags, and got a well-hit SAC FLY from Kyle Weaver – it wouldn’t match Chicago’s 4 homers though… you can’t win if you can’t keep the ball in the park.

Elsewhere: RF King Disney, of the Austin Grackles (a Dallas affiliate), continued to stay hot after winning last weeks PoTW honors in the International League – he went 2 for 2 with a 3-run jack, 3 RBIs, 2 runs, and 3 walks in Austin’s 7-3 win over the Salem Silverbacks. King was the 115th overall pick out of Villanova in 2076 and has spent every season since in Austin with the occasional cup of coffee with the big club – but, at 25-years old, he’s making his case here and looking to become an everyday glue guy on the big club.

20 of 162: Murray Wagner (1-1, 6.06) @ Theo Junkersfeld (1-2, 6.20)
Win, 11-3
. Murray’s effort went a long way towards securing the win – he gave us 9 innings of work and only allowed 3 runners to score despite allowing 7 hits and handing out 6 free passes, and Aris Anaconda went 3 for 4 with TWO HOMERS, 5 RBIs, 3 runs, and a walk in another superb performance for the surging youngster. 3B Rueben Johnson went heavy on the sauerkraut with a bases-clearing double and 4 total RBIs for the game. Good stuff from the Pink Tops here, back to being a .500 club on the road.

Elsewhere: Rad’s kin, Houston SP Pete Taylor, fanned 11 batters over 8.1 shutout innings for the Texans in a 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy… He improved to 1-1 with a 2.41 ERA and was the main factor in securing Houston’s improbable 6th win of the season.

21 of 162: Rad Taylor (1-2, 3.00) @ Bentley Hawkins (1-1, 4.26)
Win, 6-4
. Rad has been stellar for us so far in 2080 – his stuff is gnarly, his endurance has been top flight, and his command, well, it’s been something to behold… but, before tonight, after losing in his last 3 appearances, I was starting to think that the rank and file didn’t like the guy… not here though, he gave us 8 innings of work, allowed 4 runs, and K’d three batters while giving the pen some breathing room. Reuben Johnson was at it again – he has all the 1000 island dressing at his disposal right now – with a 2 for 5, HR, 2 RBI, and R performance, and Ned Saucerman, the best BBQer on the team (his briskets are really something to behold), went 3 for 5 with a double, an RBI, and a run. Anaconda hit his 6th double, we got three swiped bags (Felger, Saucerman, and Hamza), and Harvey Allen finally secured his 5th save of the season.

Elsewhere: LF Jace Hollenquest, of the Tallahassee Tomcats, went 3 for 4 with a triple, 2 dingers, 4 riblets, 2 runs, and a walk in his clubs 6-5 win over the Dearborn Dilly’s. Sill hanging on at 38-years old, and with 12+ years of Major League Service, Jace has been a Bush League mainstay for the last 6 years with stints in Shreveport, Naperville, Nolanville, and Hagerstown before joining the expansion Tallahassee based ballclub. After being drafted in 2063 out of BYU by the Chicago Fire, Jace spent time in Montreal, Orlando, and New York before beginning his second career in the BL. Known to kick back with some BBQ and a few beers, the Austin, TX born and bred Hollenquest is well-liked by his teammates. And, should a donnybrook break out, it’s been said that your boy is pretty good in the pocket.

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Notes: After losing 4-straight contests, it sure felt good to string together a couple of wins and with a trip out to Houston next on the docket, we’ll have an opportunity to keep it rolling… Around the league, the Carolina Panthers & Golden State Warriors continue to outclass the rest of us, and in the NL West, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles are all bunched up at the top with only a scant ½ game separating the three of them. In other, unlikely news – our own Aris Anaconda, who, as you may well know, has been on something of a tear lately, is leading the NL in Batter WAR, RBIs, and is second to Otto on the HR table at 7… that is, um, unexpected. Good news for OH HONG – looks like he’ll be out for ~6 more days… we’ll likely get him back after this road trip when we welcome the Montreal Alouettes to Miami.
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Old 01-18-2020, 02:01 PM   #553
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2080 Season (4/25 – 4/28)

Miami United (9-12, .429, 6th NL East) @ Houston Texans (6-14, .300, 5th NL West)
Already injury-depleted and with an offense that is suspect even at their best, the Houston Texans have come out of the gate looking hobbled, uncoordinated, and slow. Their roster is filled with crusty old vets whose only real value is in their name and whose glory days have long since passed… 1B Ben Compton has acquitted himself nicely so far at the plate with a .321 average and 12 RBIs, but everyone else, including the 34-year old former BA, Mustafa Boltz, are looking road-weary and wearing their age like a poorly fitted corduroy suit. If it holds, and if history has its way with them, then this will mark the 8th consecutive season of futility in Houston – a stretch where they’ve topped out at a .494 winning percentage once while hitting their low watermark of .426 three times. We want to be good stewards of this unfortunate legacy, we want to do our part – so, our intent here, as it ever was, will be to sweep these clowns before our trip to L.A. where I fully expect the Kings to big brother us for three straight games.

22 of 162: Kordell Littles (2-2, 3.10) @ Adrian Hollyfield (0-0, 0.00)
Win, 6-4
. Kordell was supreme – 8 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K’s – he’ll get credited with his 3rd win of the season, Hamza went 4 for 5 with two, two-baggers, a solo ding dong, and 2 runs, and Saucerman went 2 for 3 with a 2-run dinger and 2 runs. 6th Save for Harvey and Anaconda secured 3 hits and 2 RBI’s as well – the Constrictor, as our fanbase likes to call him, continues to put the pressure on opposing pitchers.

Elsewhere: Angry Eloy, in his 3rd BL season and now plying his trade for the Shreveport Sashimi Samurai’s, is, only a year removed from winning the BL MVP Award, once again leading in HR’s at 8 dingers so far this season. The Second Life of Eloy Delando has not been televised – but, if you care to listen in, local radio stations in towns like Tupelo, Decatur, and Kalamazoo often broadcast Bush League tilts to the unsuspecting masses. This, to me, has been one of the more enjoyable recent developments of the Strangeverse – for some conspicuous and unenjoyable news… Otto Isaac pulled his hamstring running the bases a couple of days ago and will miss 4-5 weeks. That is, how you say, SUCKY.

23 of 162: Cullen Craig (0-0, 2.08) @ Abe Meinecke (1-2, 8.57)
Loss, 5-4
. We skipped Mirko in the rotation this week – Cheech and I decided that watching another one of his meltdowns on the mound was undesirable – but, it did not have the desired effect as, Cullen Craig, in his first start of the year, gave up 5 runs in 5 innings… how very Mirko-ish of him. Mirko, strangely enough, pitched 2.2 innings in relief and rung up 3 while surrendering only 2 hits and no runs… what to do, what to do…

Elsewhere: 3B Jason Spears (PHI) went 4 for 5 with two, 2-run two-baggers in a 12-4 win over the Phoenix Suns. Notable for the statistical synergy… and, say that three times fast – two, 2-run two-baggers… and, in Collegiate news, LF Cameron Walczyk, went 5 for 5 with a double and 6 runs for the Miami Hurricanes in a 15-1 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks, which begs the question, “how do you go 5 for 5 without driving any runs in”?

Trade-Alert: Because patience is not a virtue of mine, nor is it one of Yan’s redeeming qualities, we’ve traded Mirko for a really good reliever in LHP Ardolph Goldberg, and pitching prospect in RHP Corbin Betancourt, and SS Donny Jeter. We then flipped Jeter to the Kings for SS Mario Marshburn and a 24-year old pitching prospect of ill repute in RHP Asher Rule. Certainly not our best work, but we did it anyway. As a result, SS Steve Green was sent down to Havana and Harvey Allen was moved into the Starting Rotation.

24 of 162: Radoslav Borovsky (2-1, 3.29) @ Shawn Duc (1-3, 4.01)
Win, 4-0
. Radoslav, Funky Martin, and Johnny Dial combined their efforts to secure a well-timed shutout and Kyle Weaver hit a double and scored a run. We got two 2-out RBIs, 1 each from Felger and Weaver, Magee hit a SAC FLY, and Anaconda went 0 for 5. Okay, that last one was hardly a highlight – so, I’ll leave you with this: We burgled 4 bags today as well – 2 for Felger and 1 each for Saucerman and Hamza.

Elsewhere: SP Jeremy Wyatt, of the Salem Silverbacks in Portland’s development system, pitched a complete-game, 1-hitter that featured only 2 walks and, dig this, NINETEEN STRIKEOUTS. That it came at the expense of my Havana Sugar Kings is a bummer, for sure, but… WOW. I can’t recall seeing that many strikeouts in this save for a long time – if ever. The only Sugar King to not get rung up was 1B Hetereki Ailani, our Soloman Islander that we claimed off the waiver wire this season despite the fact that he’s not really that good. Could you imagine what Wyatt could do if he had consistent control?

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25 of 162: Rad Taylor (2-2, 3.29) @ Pete Taylor (1-1, 2.41)
Loss, 1-0
. Oof. The Taylor Half-Bros were both in prime form here – but our offense, seemingly anemic when Rad takes the bump, couldn’t be bothered to help out as Pete gets his 1st H2H win against Rad in three tries. Pete pitched a CG, 3-hit shutout, and Rad pitched an 8 inning, 3-hit, near shutout. Offensively, we sucked.

Notes: Splitting a 4-game road series is, while not ideal, not the end of the world – unless you do it against Houston, which we did, and lose the last one by getting shut out, which we also did… Heading to LA now where we will, fortunately for us (unfortunately for baseball fans), not have to deal with Otto Isaac at the plate.. even still, without one of the best in the game, the Kings are formidable and should, really, have little difficulty with the type of resistance we are capable of. In other news… we’ve climbed all the way up to 17th on the Weekly Power Rankings – our progress will be measured in baby steps it seems.
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Old 01-18-2020, 06:03 PM   #554
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2079 Season (4/29 – 5/1)

Miami United (11-14, .440, 5th NL East) @ Los Angeles Kings (15-10, .600, 2nd NL West)
Los Angeles is a true-to-life, land-of-plenty - more milk than honey, with most of the good bits out of reach for the Everyman, it’s where dreamers descend to the trailhead that leads to the Hollywood sign and where most bail out before reaching its apex. Instead of untold riches and mind-blowing degrees of fame, they begin careers in the service industry and shuffle along until going back home is the only option. For a ball club like ours, though, Los Angeles is none of these things - sure, there’s an opportunity to rise above our station, but, like dreams left behind by would-be movie stars, it only represents an imminent failure on the grandest of scales. We’ll play the part of the poker player who went all-in on a suspect hand in hopes that he will catch something on the river, and they’ll play Johnny Chan... with their top-tiered, if slightly underpowered (1st in HRs, without Otto… not so much), offense and superbly constructed staff. Odds are such that we should get trucked in this one, summarily dismissed, and chased out of town by a parade of taco trucks, sushi chefs, and starry-eyed waitstaff.

26 of 162: Kordell Littles (3-2, 3.41) @ Aiden Jensen (2-1, 3.66)
Loss, 4-3
. This one was something of a low-key pitcher’s duel with Kordell giving us 7+ with 3 earned and 4 walks, and Aiden giving them 8 strong innings of 7-hit, 3-run ball. Murray Wagner was saddled with the loss – he gave up the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 8th, Dontrell Gay’s solo HR in that frame sealed the deal for LA (and tied him with Otto at 9 so far this season), and the Anaconda cold-streak continued with an 0 for 3 day at the plate. Close but no cigar…

27 of 162: Harvey Allen (0-1, 3.27) @ Trevor Dotson (2-0, 3.78)
Win, 7-4
. Harvey got the job done – he allowed 4 to plate in eight innings of work – and Johnny Dial picked up his first save of the season – all good things, but it was the offense that really shined in this one. Early Felger went 4 for 4 with a solo homer and 2 runs, Magee his a 2-run bomb and scored twice, and Kyle Weaver went 4 for 5 with an RBI double. Anaconda hit one out with two runners already retired, Hamza laid down a perfectly placed SAC BUNT, and we managed to swipe 4 bags as a team (Felger x2, Magee, Saucerman). Good stuff from the pink tops tonight – giving us an opportunity to take a series off my old club, on their turf, when we have no reasonable expectation of doing so.

Elsewhere:
SS Jingqi Dong, of the Birmingham Billy’s, went 2 for 3 with 2 HRs, 7 RBIs, and 2 runs in his clubs 9-2 win over the Roanoke Racoons in Bush League action… the former Oklahoma Sooner signed with the 76ers as a free agent after going undrafted, spent three years in their development program, one of which was wasted on the IL, and, after washing out, signed a 1-year agreement worth $396K with Birmingham during the offseason. Had the Bush League not expanded, this guy would have languished on the sideline, resorted to taking a desk job, or worse, would’ve tried his luck at earning a spot in the PBA. I don’t like to toot my own horn, but had I not pulled the trigger on my aggressive expansion, none of this last paragraph would’ve been possible… so – toot, toot! And, as to the question of whether that is a good thing or not… well, the jury’s still out on that one, folks.

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28 of 162: Cullen Craig (0-1, 5.59) @ Newton Weiser (2-2, 3.54)
Win, 7-4
. Cullen gave up 10 hits and walked a guy – but, he only allowed 4 runs while we scored seven. Not Newton’s fault though… 7 innings of work, 2 runners scored. We’d punch our ticket late after Newton had handed it off to LA’s bullpen when Early Felger hit a bases-clearing triple in the top of the 8th. Saucerman hit a two-bagger, we got 2-out RBIs from Hamza, Early, and Ethan Loy, stole two bags as a club, and turned a critical Craig-McDonnell-Ives double play in the bottom of the 9th to put this one in the books. The flight to Miami from Los Angeles is a long one, fraught with boredom, and short on good food options – but, it’ll go down a little easier after taking a set off of my old club, in their house, when the smart money said we should’ve been swept.

Notes: After our unlikely series win in LA, we’ve improved to 9-7 on the road, are now 3rd on the NL East table, and expect to have Oh Hong back in the lineup after he buttons up his post-injury rehab in Havana – we’ll probably see him in the 3rd game of our next set at home against the Alouettes or in Pittsburgh after that. San Francisco has inexplicably joined Golden State and Carolina in the upper echelon of contenders – most pundits don’t see them remaining a member of the exclusive club, so enjoy it while you can Seals fans. And, with Otto out on the IL, LA’s Dontrell Gay has taken the top spot on the HR rankings with 10… he’s the first player in the majors to reach double digits so far this season.
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Old 01-18-2020, 07:45 PM   #555
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Originally Posted by pauwoo View Post
[B]

Elsewhere: SP Jeremy Wyatt, of the Salem Silverbacks in Portland’s development system, pitched a complete-game, 1-hitter that featured only 2 walks and, dig this, NINETEEN STRIKEOUTS. That it came at the expense of my Havana Sugar Kings is a bummer, for sure, but… WOW. I can’t recall seeing that many strikeouts in this save for a long time – if ever. The only Sugar King to not get rung up was 1B Hetereki Ailani, our Soloman Islander that we claimed off the waiver wire this season despite the fact that he’s not really that good. Could you imagine what Wyatt could do if he had consistent control?

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Ha, this guy will be fun to watch with 3 killer pitches in his arsenal.
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Old 01-19-2020, 10:13 AM   #556
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Ha, this guy will be fun to watch with 3 killer pitches in his arsenal.
If he doesn't develop some control, I worry that he might kill somebody! Ha!
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Old 01-19-2020, 10:17 AM   #557
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2080 Season (5/3 – 5/5)

Montreal Alouettes (11-17, .393, 6th NL East) @ Miami United (13-15, .464, 4th NL East)
With the first full month of the season in the rearview, Montreal doesn’t have a lot to show for it. Their pitching has been middling, serviceable – they aren’t blowing the doors off teams and they aren’t getting destroyed – it’s a comfortable middle-class existence defensively. The offense, however, has been dreadful – dead last in every important category with Home Runs (t-5th in the NL) being the only outlier. So, it would seem that their 2080 charter is a nothing or gonzo approach at the plate paired with a middle-of-the-road pitching staff – hardly an award-winning Maple Baked Beans recipe. So, there’s not a lot here to give you pause, nothing that really requires a closer look – their roster and the results it has produced so far looks a lot like a golden opportunity, a fortuitous rap on the door. And, here we are, waiting for them to visit us on our turf, coming off a successful trip into hostile territory – we feel good, confident – hell, we’re excited about this set. Our belief is that we will get back on track at home, where we have been poor (especially against right-handed pitching) so far at 4-8. See – that’s the part that gives me pause – our inability to win at home in April has eroded trust amongst the hometown faithful, we’re not selling tickets at a major league clip, and that pressure, to give our fans a show, can fold a club up like a lawn chair regardless of the level of competition taking up residence in the visitors’ clubhouse.

29 of 162: Dylan Bauer (1-2, 4.19) @ Radoslav Borovsky (3-1, 2.67)
Loss, 8-5
. We make bad offenses look good – shine on you crazy whiffers, you’ll be safe here in our bosom, just rest your head & close your eyes… A disastrous top of the 7th did Radoslav in and our offense, working against Montreal’s ho-hum staff, was unable to turn the tide in the bottom of the 9th where we’d score one of the 4 runs needed to tie this one up. Saucerman hit a 2-run homer, Anaconda hit a double and a homer – driving in 3 for the game – but, it was 1B Archie Imanov’s GRAND SLAM off Borovsky, who our skipper left high & dry on the mound in a fit of managerial malfeasance, in the top of the 7th that closed the book on this one. Tough day at the home office – we’re the traveling salesman who spends all his money on the road and can’t afford the hook required to hang his hat at the door in his place of residence.

Elsewhere: SP Michael Brisk (GSW) has made six appearances so far in 2080 and is 4-0 with a 2.70 ERA as a result – he’s left with a tie or better in every start, and, most recently (like last night), gave the Los Angeles Galaxy the business for 7 innings in their park – he was able to get them to hit 11 grounders that were gobbled up by his defense, only allowed 3 runs, and K’d 8 during the performance. In 2080, so far, Brisky has only allowed 2 homers – he’s throwing heavy, with a gnarly spin rate, and guys haven’t been able to put the bat on his pitches at the angle required to lift them into the stratosphere, up up and away, and out of the park. You know – Brisky only made the all-star team once in his career, he’s never really been in the Pacheco conversation – nah, he’s not that guy. His legend has been built in the margins, on the strength of his gnarly ‘stache, nasty knuckle-curve, and party boy personality. All hail the king of the good time boys… we will miss him when he’s gone.

30 of 162: Mikhail Poppen (1-1, 3.64) @ Rad Taylor (2-3, 2.94)
Win, 5-1
. Rad’s stellar start to the 2080 campaign continues… we’d get a complete game from our ace complete with 9 Ks and only one run scored. Offensively, as per usual when Rad is on the mound, our regulars would stumble a bit with only Hamza and Anaconda able to get a runner across… but, our new backup utility man, Mario Marshburn, who we peeled off of Los Angeles for the rights to SS Donny Jeter, went 1 for 4 with a 3-run dinger that came in the bottom of the 8th and put this one out of Montreal’s reach.

31 of 162: Hudson Dorsch (2-3, 4.62) @ Kordell Littles (3-2, 3.45)
Loss, 5-1
. SMH… good grief. I mean, I’m disgusted – I don’t even know what to say. We are completely inept in our ballpark, Kordell got styled on by our leagues worst offense, our own offense stumbled against its most average pitching staff, and our fans, if you can call them that, all left early – feeling like they’ve been bamboozled again, that our slick marketing campaign and free fish stick promotion tricked them into some false sense of confidence. This ain’t no baseball team – it’s a dumpster fire.

Notes: Losing a set at home is hardly the end of the world – but we’ve dropped back into 5th on the NL East table and are only a game ahead of the Alouettes as a result which forces my leadership team to look in the mirror and realize that we’ve not put together the type of club we thought we did. We have a day off now, before heading to Pittsburgh, a much-needed respite from the grind, and then will return to the unfriendly confines of Carnival Cruise Lines Park for 10-straight. I dread those ten games, they are the stuff of nightmares – the kind where you are getting chased by a mysterious man wielding a knife before free-falling off the side of an unseen cliff and ending up in a very cold room filled with everyone you know while wearing nothing but your birthday suit – just a mixed bag of terrors. Listen, we must make the playoffs again this season – if we don’t, Elvira will string me up next to the ‘Welcome to Miami’ sign before banishing me to a life of Bush League General Management. Purgatory for a baseball man, the witness protection program for the criminally inept. But, if there is, at least, one bright side to that possibility, it’s this: Gulfport is really nice this time of year.
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Old 01-19-2020, 12:48 PM   #558
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2080 Season (5/7 – 5/9)

Miami United (14-17, .452, 5th NL East) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (17-14, .548, 2nd NL East)
If I was given a pen and a piece of graph-lined notebook paper, told to put together a list of all the things I was looking forward to doing in town during my upcoming visit to Steel City, I’d be hard-pressed to come up with enough responses to get the ink to roll off the tungsten carbide ball smoothly. This is not to say that Pittsburgh isn’t a cool town – it certainly can be that – but, as a baseball man, coming to play against Tom Franzone (.286/10/25) and Remildo Puente (.341/10/26), is hardly something to celebrate. Scary dudes – a couple of toughs, LaRocca enforcers who grew up on the other side of the tracks from Mr. Rogers's neighborhood… there will be no beautiful days at the park when these two ruffians are in attendance. On the whole, in aggregate, or whatever – their form is, currently, as poor as ours… actually worse as they’ve gone 4-6 to our 5-5 over their last 10. That’s a problematic statistic though – our operating principle so far in 2080 is like that of a character actor. We exist to fill in the gaps, to add necessary color to the scene, and, ultimately, to make you look good. Pittsburgh will show up crisp – with pressed slacks and impeccably parted hair, primed for posterity at the opportunity of a professionally shot family photo we represent… these pink tops, man, they make everybody look good.

Oh, almost forgot, OH HONG is back, he’s primed, and ready to wreck things.

32 of 162: Harvey Allen (1-1, 3.79) @ Beau Skrivan (2-1, 5.60)
Loss, 10-4
. Harvey fell for the oldest trick in the book – a protection racket that resulted in Pittsburgh extorting him for 10 early runs… OH HONG looked rusty, 0 for 4 & 2 Ks, Hamza managed to drive two runners in on a HR but also committed two costly errors. In fact – 5 of Harvey’s 6 runs were unearned. They belong to Hamza whose affiliation with the La Cosa Nostra will be the subject of our next internal review.

Elsewhere: Don’t look now, but the San Francisco Seals, fresh off a 10-game winning streak, now have the best record in the Majors. I’m not sure what kind of witchcraft mathematics their front office used to construct this lineup – some hybrid of archaic algebraic expressions coupled designed to cast out demons in the hopes of discovering light. This won’t last – it can’t – teams are actively working through the problem, step-by-step, to identify their mistakes, exploit them, and profit. It is interesting though – when a club manages to rise this far above their station it forces the rest of us to take stock in what we know and to question whether we know anything at all. In other news, SP Nick Espinal (HAV), our top pitching prospect, pitched a complete-game, 1-hitter in a 1-0 loss against the Gwinnett Stripers – it seems that committing the most heinous of fielding flubs at the most inopportune of moments is in our DNA. And, to be filed under ‘unusual’: Washington’s SP Hipolito Berry pitched a 13-INNING, 2-hitter with 12 Ks in a 1-0 win over the Duke Blue Devils. That’s how you destroy someone’s future – not cool U-DUB pitching coach, not cool.

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33 of 162: Cullen Craig (1-1, 5.09) @ PJ Edmonds (3-3, 4.08)
Loss, 11-3
. Pittsburgh scored TEN RUNS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE 4TH. Anaconda hit 2 dingers. That is all.

34 of 162: Radoslav Borovsky (3-2, 2.90) @ Kurt Miller (1-3, 7.71)
Loss, 11-5
. Listen, here’s the thing – I’m at a complete loss for words. This entire set was built on complete annihilation, like we showed up to the demolition derby riding a Huffy. This time Pittsburgh put up 7 runs in the bottom of the 8th. It was demoralizing, the kind of thing a man has a hard time coming back from – this is every nightmare neatly combined into a package of such frightening clarity that the abyss you find yourself in at its conclusion permeates your entire being. We a mired in a perpetual state of self-doubt – a frailty of spirit with no clear path back to righteousness immediately evident.

Elsewhere: Hey! Jo Jo Jackson (DAL) hit a GRAND SLAM in the top of the 7th during the Cowboys’ 10-7 win over the Timbers in Portland. That’s neat. Hard to really enjoy it given the state of my club… so fair play to the young, bat-abusing muscleman and defending HR champion.

Notes: After being swept out of Pittsburgh like yesterday’s dandruff, we’ve reclaimed our rightful spot at the very bottom of the NL East table – looking up at, well, everyone. 3-7 in our last 10, heading back home where we are 5-10 so far, and playing some of the worst baseball I’ve ever had the misfortune to be associated with. Toronto is next on the docket – great news for people who love bad news… they’re 22-10, 1st in the AL East, amazing everywhere, and looking to secure their second road sweep in a row after dispatching the Chicago Fire by a combined score of 24 to 8.

The good times are killing me...
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Old 01-19-2020, 04:12 PM   #559
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2080 Season (5/10 – 5/12)

Toronto Reds BC (22-12, .647, 1st AL East) @ Miami United (14-20, .412, 6th NL East)
You’d have to look long and hard to find any similarities between us and the Toronto Reds – and then you’ll need to stretch the boundaries of reality to connect them… here, after our scholastic exercise was complete all we could dig up was that they, sort of like us, are a subpar home team. They’ve compiled a 10-9 record in Toronto and, more importantly for our purposes here, a 12-3 record on the road. They do struggle a bit against lefty’s though – so maybe Kordell will have a good showing. Or not – this is a club that is ranked first in the AL for runs, OPS, bWAR, wOBA, and HRs (they’re 2nd everywhere else) and a Starting Rotation that is ranked 2nd in the AL as a unit. There are no holes in their game – no fundamental that they haven’t mastered, no high-level skill that they haven’t acclimated to. We’ll have our work cut out for us here – and, with a month of the 2080 season already gone, we are past the ‘fake it until you make it’ phase of our campaign.

25 of 162: Colin McCaffery (2-3, 7.56) @ Rad Taylor (3-3, 2.64)
Win, 6-1
. All hail Rad – king of Miami… 7 innings, 6 hits, 1 earned, and 9 Ks for the stud from Bolingbrook, IL… Aris went 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs, 2 runs, and a walk, and Norton Manning, our backstop, went 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs and a walk. A 5-run, bottom of the 5th sealed the deal and included a well-hit ding dong from Magee (his 3rd) – Felger also swiped his 10th bag during that frame. 31, 520 fans showed up for this one – many because of the Corndog BOGO we were running and others to see Toronto – and, finally, we treated them to a brand of baseball we can feel good about playing.

26 of 162: Norm Rodriguez (1-2, 3.46) @ Kordell Littles (3-3, 3.99)
Win, 4-2
. You just never know what you’re going to get at a baseball game, do you? Kordell gave us a great eight – 5 hits, 2 earned, 7 Ks – Saucerman went 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs, and Johnny Dial picked up his 3rd save of the season. We got a homer from Anaconda (12th of the year), a double from Hamza (his 7th), a hit from OH HONG (his 15th), three steals (Felger, Magee, and Saucerman), and a tasty little double play… it does go well with the chicken.

Elsewhere: SP Robby Garrett (PIT), who we, fortunately, didn’t see while in Pittsburgh, twirled a complete-game, 5-hit, and 6 K shutout in a 12-0 win over the Chicago Fire… it’s nice to see that we aren’t the only team they crush at home. SP Aiden Jenson (LAL) pitched a complete-game, 4-hit shutout for the Kings in their 1-0 win over the visiting Dallas Cowboys. Jo Jo Jackson struck out in each of his 3 ABs. SP James Parker (PCU) hurled a complete-game, 3-hit shutout for the Whooping Cranes in their 2-0 win over Baylor. The young stud peppered in 15 Ks for a little bit of extra spice.

27 of 162: Julian Horne (4-1, 2.25) @ Harvey Allen (1-2, 3.63)
Loss, 6-4
. A sweep wasn’t in the cards – hardly surprising, really. It’s to be expected – Lanny Schaffer (TOR) hit a solo homer off of Harvey, OH HONG drove in two, and we hit two doubles as a club. Just didn’t have enough of what it takes to sweep one of the top 3 clubs in the Majors… our day will come, we’re steadfast in that belief and doing whatever it takes to trust the process.

Notes: Okay… I thought we would get trucked during this set, just batted around like a field mouse in the clutches of a barn cat. But, we didn’t – in fact, we gave a pretty damn good account of ourselves here. We’re still sitting in dead last of the NL East, with only three teams that have a worse record than us in the entire Major Leagues, but we’re situated well – directionally challenged at times, sure, but at least we’re moving away from the darkness. It could be worse, right? We could be the Houston Texans.
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Old 01-20-2020, 10:53 AM   #560
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2080 Season (Anaconda & PJ)

Occasionally, a player will make a significant athletic leap – delivering on his potential ahead of schedule. So far in 2080, the designation of most improved starts and ends with Aris Anaconda – his acclimation to life in the Big Leagues sped up to 2x like a podcast that is taking too long to get to the point. He’s doing everything right – his spatial awareness in the box is on point, his bat control and launch angles have been perfect, and his results have him looking like a Palmer Parker reboot, Predator 2.0 with better night & thermal vision and more advanced weaponry. The skills have always been there, it’s just that Anaconda 2.0 does it more efficiently, his lethality pervasive, his ruthlessness free of emotion and built on indifference. He’s leading the league in HRs (well, it’s a 4-way tie with Franzone, Dontrell, and Remilido Puente), RBIs (by 7…), and WAR (by 0.4…). At 12 HRs so far, he’s already bested his rookie campaign by 3 in 400 fewer at-bats, is pacing to an unreal 170 RBIs, and is on target to achieve an equally unreal 10.4 WAR.

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Interestingly, 25% of his long ball output is coming against one guy – Pittsburgh’s SP PJ Edmonds. At 24-years old and already in the Majors, PJ is one of the best pitching prospects we’ve seen since Josiah Weber – he has it all… movement, control, great stuff, and 3 legendary pitches in his arsenal. While a few more pitch types wouldn’t hurt – PJ is a guy that many expect to make the Hall of Fame one day. A tall order, sure, but his superb craftsmanship is among the rarest of all baseball resources – a guy from Brooklyn, NY, who schooled at East Carolina, and who was born with a baseball in his hands. So far in 2080, PJ Edmonds has given up 6 HRs in 48 innings with 3 of those coming from Anaconda and a 4th coming from Rueben Johnson. In all, 4 of his 6 HRA’s have come courtesy of our club. In one game we hit three off the guy and still lost by a score of 11-3…So, he doesn't seem to mind.

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