Sweet songs from the Spile

[stl jason]

As the season pauses for most of the players with the All-Star break, Waffletown has found its groove in July, going 10-4 so far to pull even atop the AC Central standings with Annandale at 55-40. Fans hope the four day break doesn't put a damper on the teams success and they can continue their winning ways when the second half of the season gets underway. (edit: and pessimistic fans are once again prophets of doom as the Syrups have dropped 4 straight to kick off the second half).

Waffletown will send five representatives to the All Star game this year:

-DH - Lefty O'Doul (first ASG)
-SP - Claude Passeau (first ASG)
-SP - Mort Cooper (second ASG)
-2B - Cecil Travis (third ASG)
-3B - Freddie Lindstrom (third ASG)

[stl jason]

In an unexpected move, the Syrups pulled the trigger on a new starting pitcher. "Just happened to be scanning over the offer sheets on the off chance someone good and affordable happened to be there and whaddya know, there he was." said the Waffletown GM. Joining the squad will be...

SP - Tiny Bonham (1940) - 92, for 6999 points


Joe Berry has been sent to the reserves, and Mel Harder has been shifted to the bullpen to make room for Bonham on the starting staff.


https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/d7503bf4

[stl jason]

The 2026 season proved to be a textbook example of why every game counts, whether it's an early season game in March/April, a mid-season game in the sweltering heat of summer, or a nail-biter in the final stretch of the year. After their 0-7 start to the season, the Syrups managed to get on the right track and stay in contention in the AC Central. A solid push at the start of July gave them hope that they could get the offense and defense clicking at the same time; but that hope quickly vanished with a 9-20 run after the All Star game.

When they reached the last series of the year, the Syrups sat in 3rd place, 3 games back of Annandale for the division lead; with a 4 game series to wrap up the season against that very team. Waffletown managed to take the first 3 games of the series to even their record with Annandale and needed to win the final game of the year to secure a post season birth (now a wild card spot as Waxsaw had jumped into the top spot). Unfortunately for the Syrups and their fans, the team failed to sweep the series and finished 1 game out of the wild card.

Final season notes:

-the team equaled their best record ever with an 88-74 finish (tying their inaugural year).

-on the batting side, the only team record that fell was strikeouts, as the team set an all time low of 614 (narrator note: would be nice if all those balls-in-play would result in more runs scored )

-Waffletown pitching had an amazing season, setting team records in ERA (3.47), hits allowed (1351), runs allowed (595), earned runs (559), home runs allowed (104), walks (409), and oavg (0.247)

-for fielding, while the team had a solid year, the only team record that fell was in defensive efficiency (0.708).

on the individual front:

- Ernie Lombardi tied the team record for RBI streak with a 7 game run (matching Lefty O'Doul, Freddie Lindstrom and Heinie Manush from prior years).

-Cecil Travis had another solid season, batting .311 to finish 3rd in the race for the batting title in the AC.

-Claude Passeau quietly went about his business and compiled a 16-8 record with a 3.41 era.

-newest addition, Tiny Bonham made the most of his brief time with the team so far, going 5-1 with a 2.61 era. Management hopes that will be just a snapshot of great things to come.


(narrator's note: perhaps it was a sign of the way the season ended just short of a post season birth. Woke up this morning to find my cat had barfed on my Waffletown hat so it'll be taking a spin in the washer )

[gemini615]

Obviously your cat is not a Waffletown fan lol

[Bottom Of The Sixth]

Its your cat's way of saying that Waffletown choked!

[stl jason]

With one game remaining in May, Waffletown is guaranteed to have two straight over-500 months (might not sound like much of a feat, but with this teams one-step-forward/one-step-backwards style of play, it's something to celebrate ). After a solid 14-8 month of April, the Syrups have gone 14-12 so far in May and hope to tack on a 15th win for the month. Their 28-20 record puts them in second place in the AC Central division, a mere half game back of Stumptown.

Cecil Travis is off to another solid start, batting .330 so far (3rd best in the AC); and after a slow start, Freddie Lindstrom has gotten back to form to lead the team in home runs (7) and RBIs (39... tied with teammate Frank McCormick for most in the AC).

On the mound, Ted Lyons has been a model of consistency, with his team leading 7 wins (7-2, 3.21 era).

[stl jason]

At the All Star break, Waffletown sits atop the AC Central division with a record of 56-40. After a good start in April (14-8) the team put together matching months of May and June (15-12 for each), and continued their winning ways through the first 20 games of July (12-8). Management and fans alike hope the team can avoid the second half slump that has dragged them down in seasons past.

At the plate, Freddie Lindstrom is on a path to have a career year. He currently leads the league in batting (.328) and RBIs (77), and has cranked 15 home runs (his career high with the Syrups is 28). Keeping the pressure on his teammate in the batting race, Cecil Travis is hot on Lindstrom's heels with a .325 average of his own.

On the mound, Mort Cooper is finally having some luck with the team and leads the staff with 11 wins (11-7, 3.63 era). Mel Harder has settled into the closer role and currently leads the league in saves with 27.


All star representatives for Waffletown:
-Freddie Lindstrom - 3B - 4th appearance (highest vote recipient)
-Lefty O'Doul - DH - 2nd appearance

[stl jason]

With one game remaining in August, Waffletown hopes to pull out one more win to finish the month and keep their season streak of over-500 months intact. As the calendar rolls into the final month, the Syrups have extended their lead to 8 games for the division title. Management hopes the team can continue to fire on all cylinders and make a strong post season push.

Freddie Lindstrom has cooled slightly from his sizzling play in the mid summer months, but still leads the team in average (.317), home runs (19) and RBIs (102). On the mound, Mort Cooper has settled into a nice groove with a 16-8 record, 3.07 era and 186 strikeouts (putting him within reach of a potential triple crown season; though it will be a tough mountain to climb).


(narrator's note: I will be away for the next week, so next update will probably be 5/31)

[stl jason]

Away on vacation but thanks to PT friends was able to get this screenshot.... Syrups are Silver league champs!

On to the Gold league




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[gemini615]

Well done, Waffletown!

[stl jason]

brief 2027 wrap up:

Waffletown had their best regular season ever as they finished with a record of 94-68. While they had an outstanding season, the only team record set was by the pitching staff for most saves (57). In the post season, the Syrups proceeded to steam-roll their way to the finals with a 3-0 sweep in the LDS (Cecil Travis MVP), and a 4-0 sweep in the LCS (Ernie Lombardi MVP). Michigan gave them a strong fight in the World Series, but Waffletown emerged victorious 4 games to 3 to secure their first championship; with Stan Spence getting the MVP.

For year end awards, Mort Cooper took home the Pitcher of the Year award for his 20-8, 2.97 era, 229K

[stl jason]

Waffletown management knew the team would be facing tougher competition in the 2028 season with the move up to the Gold league; so their current record of 60-65 (good enough for 3rd place in the NC Central) isn't a surprise.

Last years Pitcher of the Year, Mort Cooper, is having a rough year with a less than stellar record of 6-13 with a 4.02 era. Tiny Bonham is doing his best to counter Cooper's struggles and keep the team in the middle of the pack with his 13-7 record and 2.74 era.

On the offensive side, there aren't many standouts so far this season, as everyone is batting under .300. One lone bright spot to this point, Sliding Billy Hamilton obliterated the previous run scoring streak record for Waffletown (which was 9, set by Stan Spence in 2025). Hamilton racked up a 19 game streak before failing to score (which also pulled in 3000 points for the war chest).

Management continues to scan the waiver wires for potential upgrades, and with the sizable gains from last season's playoff success, the team has the funds to hopefully bring in a quality player if one shows up.

[stl jason]

With their first foray in the Gold league complete, Waffletown management have plenty of data to analyze for improvements. The Syrups finished out the year with a sub-par record of 78-84, which was only good enough for 3rd place in the NC Central. Within the division, they actually played better than expected with a record of 39-37 against their four divisional opponents.

While the offense did a solid job making contact at the plate (3rd in batting average), they struggled to do anything with those base runners as they ranked a dismal 15th in runs scored (only 654 total, which is the lowest total runs scored for Waffletown in their 9 year history). The pitching staff tried their best to compensate for the lack of offense (ranking 3rd in starters era, 4th in runs allowed, 2nd in pitching war, and 5th in bullpen era); but it wasn't enough to keep the team above the 500 mark.

Only one team record was set by the pitching staff: a new all time low in walks with 394

In the streaks department, Sliding Billy Hamilton set a new team record for scoring streak with his amazing 19 game run (that one might stand for awhile).

On the individual front, Johnny Pesky was the only batter to maintain a .300 average this season. Freddie Lindstrom had another solid year, leading the team in home runs (21) and RBIs (93). Cecil Travis set a personal best in home runs with 13.

On the mound, Tiny Bonham and Claude Passeau tied for the team lead in wins with 15 each. After his pitcher-of-the-year performance of 2027, Mort Cooper had a mirror opposite season in 2028 as he struggled to a final record of 9-17 with a 3.82 era.

Management will be monitoring the waiver wires closely today to watch for any potential end-of-year deals that might pop up.

[stl jason]

In a move to upgrade the offense, management pulled the trigger on an off-season deal to bring aboard:

1B - Mule Suttles (peak) - 83, for 6199 points


Frank McCormick has been sent to the reserves to make room for Suttles on the roster. Management would like to express their thanks to McCormick for his 9 seasons of service in Waffletown. He ends his tenure with 1409 games played, 5242 at bats, 564 runs scored, 1317 hits, 329 doubles, 113 home runs, 659 RBIs, and a .251 average. Defensively he had a career fielding percentage of .994 and won the Great Glove award at 1B in 2022.

While Suttles won't be at strong defensively at 1B, management hopes his offensive abilities will more than compensate for any defensive liabilities.

https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/suttles-mule

[stl jason]

final note for the 2028 season:

Johnny Pesky finally wins a Great Glove award for his stellar play at shortstop.

[stl jason]

One month into their tenth season, Waffletown finds themselves atop the AC East with a 15-10 record, 1.5 games ahead of second place Hartford. While fans, management and players alike are pleased with the early success; they also know the team could be playing much better. The offense has been rather offensive, and not in a good way, as the team's best rank is in batting average (7th), with every other offensive ranking topping out 10th or lower. Thankfully the starting staff have carried the team through April and hope the bats can come alive to give them a bit more support (ranking 1st in runs against and 2nd in starter's ERA).

At the plate, Ernie Lombardi is off to his best start yet with the team, leading the squad with a .338 average. Newcomer Mule Suttles has struggled to find his groove, only managing a meager .190 average through April. Normally reliable Cecil Travis has also struggled at the plate, barely staying above the Mendoza line with his .214 average.

On the mound, Mort Cooper is off to a solid start as the ace of the staff, with a 4-1 record and 2.68 ERA; and on the backend of the staff, Mel Harder has been lights out with 8 saves in 8 opportunities and an 0.68 ERA.

[stl jason]

An all-points-bulletin has been issued in Waffletown for their missing offense, as the team continues to struggle at the plate. Apparently not wanting their teammates to feel bad, the pitching staff has dropped back to a similarly mediocre level of play. After a nice start to the season in April (15-10), the Syrups went in the opposite direction for May to finish out the month 10-17. When asked about the poor performance so far this season, the GM of Waffletown sighed heavily and shrugged.

"We can't hit. We can't pitch. We can't field. I'm just shocked we're only 2 games off the division lead. Imagine where we'd be if we could actually play this game?"

[Magus978]

That's quite the Casey Stengel quote there, Mr. GM

Sounds like me when we're in one of our many cold slumps.

[stl jason]

As the calendar rolls into the dog days of summer, the concerns regarding Waffletown's half-hearted performance still remains. The offense has picked it up ever so slightly, as they have climbed to the single digits in ranking of average, on base percentage and runs scored. The pitching staff continues to struggle as well, with their best ranking of 7th in FIP and pitcher WAR. Even with their struggles, the Syrups find themselves only 1 game off the lead (even with their sub-par 46-50 record) as no one in the AC East division appears to really want the division title.

On the individual side, Johnny Pesky has climbed back to the .300 mark with his average to lead the team; and Cecil Travis has turned around his slow start to stay right on Pesky's heels with his .299 average.

Claude Passeau was the token pick for the Waffletown representative at the All-Star game with his 7-8 record and 2.94 era.

Manangement continues to watch the offer sheets in the hopes the right deal comes along sooner than later to help give the team a much needed spark.

[stl jason]

In a year where the division title was open to any mediocre team who would put forth even a half-hearted effort, Waffletown failed to do what was needed in the final month to reach the post season. After starting September in a tie for the division lead with Marietta, the Syrups proceeded to fold like a cheap lawn-chair by going 8-19 in the final month.


Despite the dismal performance, the team managed to set one batting record by hitting 33 triples (breaking the old record of 31 that had stood since the inaugural season of 2020). The pitching staff also set one team record for innings pitched (1478); and the defense set one record of their own with 4434 putouts.

On the individual front, no batters hit over .300 this season or drove in triple digits for rbis. The best of the starting staff only managed a mediocre 13-12 record, and the team as a whole only managed to gather 35 saves (lowest total in team history).

One bright spot for the year was the performance of relief pitcher Burleigh Grimes; who appeared in 35 games with 81.1 IP, 21 BB, 62 K, .212 opponent's average, and a team leading 2.10 ERA.

Management will review the performance during the off season and determine if some major lineup changes are in order; or if they will write this year off as an anomaly and hope the team can perform better next season.