TSN 29963 SportsCenter blog

[Semper Gumby]

After sitting my scrubs the entire season unless injury replacements, we are seeing why HAL priced them in the $75K range :D

With under 13 games to go, the fight for the Wild Card could clinch tonight with the West division holding the lead over the #2 East / Central teams. Over the last two weeks, the Western teams really dominated the league with the Dallas Bruisers extending its luck with great season card pick-ups and solid relief work.

If these season ends tonight, you'll have two non hitting (Busch / County) parks versus two hitting parks (Kingdome).

[url]http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/80s/team/team_other.html?user_id=79492[/url]

[Semper Gumby]

[quote:8417017e86]I'm amazed at home many games my players (Larkin, Clark, Bonilla, and Moseby) have missed compared to the other teams and surprised I even kept Clark and Bonilla. [/quote:8417017e86]

For a few other teams last night, HAL must have managed the pitch selection and ordered up the HIGH CHEESE as several players are going to take a vacation to end the season.

Perhaps time to sit those brittle stars?

Interestingly, [b:8417017e86]Don Mattingly [/b:8417017e86]has one of his better cards and just now starts hitting like there is no tomorrow. He is raking hits all over the place - no compliants but why didn't Don do that earlier in the season when it mattered?

[Semper Gumby]

Not that I've been monitoring the injury report but .... this seems extreme

[code:1:88b8244fda]FRIEND OF THE DEVIL
Kennedy, Terry - injured games 156 through 161


CLEVELAND JARHEADS 2.0
Pendleton, Terry - injured games 160 through 161


OTTER HEAD BEAVERS XVII
Collins, Dave - injured games 156 through 170
Butler, Brett - injured games 160 through 162


MURPH AND THE MAGICTONES
Templeton, Garry - injured games 159 through 160


DALLAS BRUISERS
Smalley Jr., Roy - injured games 157 through 161
Horner, Bob - injured games 157 through 163


HUMM BABY
Martinez, Dennis - injured games 159 through 160
Law, Vance - injured games 160 through 162


MOLINE ROBERT V
Thornton, Andre - injured games 160 through 162


OAKLAND A'S
Knight, Ray - injured games 159 through 160


MR.T'S 1982 GMC VAN
Oester, Ron - injured games 160 through 169
Barrett, Marty - injured games 160 through 162[/code:1:88b8244fda]

The last few weeks, I rarely saw anyone but [b:88b8244fda]Barry Larkin [/b:88b8244fda]and [b:88b8244fda]Lloyd Moseby[/b:88b8244fda] on it :shock:

[Semper Gumby]

I wrote this to start the season

[quote:ff1c3b22f3]To that end, what do we see in the East Division


[b:ff1c3b22f3]Oakland A's [/b:ff1c3b22f3]- aptly managed by Tony Larussa

Stadium: Oakland

Clearly, the stalking horse in this division and owned by a Top 15 80s manager.

Team built around using former Oakland As players with a few other small park notables sprinkled in for fit. Otherwise, it carries the min. # of players which means breaking up might be a PITA to keep the As theme going.

[b:ff1c3b22f3]Friend of the Devil[/b:ff1c3b22f3]

Stadium: Riverfront

This team is managed by another veteran owner - Top 50 80s manager.

Team built around some pitching and quite a few heavy leaning RHBs. With the division sporting a minority of LHSPs, we need to keep an eye on how the Len Barkers of the league fare in this park. Otherwise, I love the overall defense (probably the most consisent in the division) with a slight weakness at SS.


[b:ff1c3b22f3]Capitol Hill D-streeters[/b:ff1c3b22f3]

Stadium: Anaheim

This team is managed by relatively new owner.

Team built around hitting and a few $ SPs. Of note, he starts the season with $3.6M in the bank and may follow the Warren Buffet style free agent strategy - blood in the streets BUY!

Bats are invested in heavy RH homerun hitters with Cooper and Phelps offering protection from the left side of the plate. In the division, this team has the most speed with Raines, Sax, and Wilson which shall fair fine against the other teams' pitching batteries.

Like the Devils, we need to keep an eye on how the Len Barkers of the league fare in this park. Otherwise, I love the overall defense but questions swirl on how you deploy Kingman and Phelps economically at DH.[/quote:ff1c3b22f3]

[b:ff1c3b22f3][color=blue:ff1c3b22f3]So, how did the above teams due?[/color:ff1c3b22f3][/b:ff1c3b22f3]

[list:ff1c3b22f3]
[b:ff1c3b22f3]Cleveland Jarheads 2.0 [/b:ff1c3b22f3] 99 63

[b:ff1c3b22f3]Oakland A's [/b:ff1c3b22f3] 21.0 games out

[b:ff1c3b22f3]Friend of the Devil [/b:ff1c3b22f3] 22.0

[b:ff1c3b22f3]Capitol Hill D-streeters [/b:ff1c3b22f3] 34.0[/list:u:ff1c3b22f3]


Around game 21, I wrote the following

[quote:ff1c3b22f3]We've seen some players have a "second act" with success. And, some others are better left alone.

And, no team has been a better miner of the free agent market than the [b:ff1c3b22f3]Dallas Bruisers [/b:ff1c3b22f3]- we'll be keen to keep an on this team has he found several nice cards post season's start.

Even found a few gifts from the recycle pile too. I'm wondering how long his pitching staff can keep the doors shut so his hitters can pile on the runs.

I'm liking [b:ff1c3b22f3]Bruiser [/b:ff1c3b22f3]and [b:ff1c3b22f3]Humm[/b:ff1c3b22f3] [/quote:ff1c3b22f3]

[size=18:ff1c3b22f3][b:ff1c3b22f3]Both made the playoffs[/b:ff1c3b22f3][/size:ff1c3b22f3]

[jjmerf]

That was a nice prediction re: the Bruisers and Humm Baby.

However, I do feel the need to point out that my Murph and the Magictones scored more runs than Humm Baby and gave up fewer runs than Humm Baby, yet still managed to finish the season behind Humm Baby and out of the playoffs. In fact, Murph and the Magictones even outscored Humm Baby H2H but still lost the season series.

So while your prognostication was accurate, there was a lot of luck involved.

With that said, you had a great team, and thanks for this running narrative. Good luck in playoffs. If you do face Humm Baby, be carefull....luck seems to be on their side!


By the way, the Manager of Murph and the Magictones was promptly fired due to his inability to win close games!

[Semper Gumby]

[quote:800480598b]With that said, you had a great team, and thanks for this running narrative. Good luck in playoffs. If you do face Humm Baby, be carefull....luck seems to be on their side! [/quote:800480598b]

The team with all the luck from Day 2 has been the [b:800480598b]Dallas Bruisers [/b:800480598b]

Either finding the better to best free agent card ([b:800480598b]Harold Baines[/b:800480598b]) or being the first one into the garbage pile ([b:800480598b]Lee Smith[/b:800480598b] - [color=blue:800480598b]note: I dropped Lee for budget issues[/color:800480598b], [b:800480598b]Jeff Robinson[/b:800480598b]), he had the luck of the Irish on his side.

Through the first 120 games, Bruisers' strategy bordered on bend / don't break. After he found relief pitching, they became a better team. Otherwise, Bruisers need to sweep at home to move to the next round as they struggle outside of Kingdome.

[Semper Gumby]

After 162 games, I've run the be-jesus out of the cards and only one or two scrubs years remain unknown but narrowed. So who gets the nod to avoid getting crushed by the Wild Card team?

In building tonight's line-up vs the Kingdome team, I've decided to sit [b:441252d619]Jack Clark's [/b:441252d619]1989 card and insert [b:441252d619]Pete Rose [/b:441252d619](1979) at home.

While Jack has shown homerun power against RHPs, he is feast or famine otherwise.

Pete's card lacks the long ball threat but Pete has hit .300+ and OBP north of .360 over a limited span of at bats.

[Semper Gumby]

After leading the season from the front and handling nearly every team in the league, the Jarheads find themselves adding to the chapter of front runners gone bust during the playoffs.

Perhaps the luck ran out on the team - which frankly sported several worse season hitting cards - and squandered several solid pitching years.

Nonetheless, I had the pleasure of playing and blogging along.

Good luck to all in their next season and to those playing in the finals. :D