EPIC LEAGUE - Season 1 - Legends defeat Deadly in Final

[Jablowmi]

i'm in - one to go

[BC Manager]

Where's Sykes?

[Sykes25]

I'm in. Very busy the last few days. Should be back to normal tomorrow.

[BC Manager]

Thanks Sykes. Just seemed odd that you weren't here. I thought you were [i:18ac792fbe]always[/i:18ac792fbe] here. :wink:

[Sykes25]

I usually am. had a LONG last few days. My wife and Shih Tzu were both severely sick since Friday night up until Yesterday. On top of that, I went to a wake last night for one of my employee's mothers, and now I have another wake on Thursday evening for a colleague's mother.

I had not slept from Friday night until Monday evening when I got about 5 hours of sleep in my bed. Was taking to dog outside every 2 hours and then tending to my wife to boot. Never in my 33 years of life had I gone 3 consecutive days without sleeping at all. 1 hour cat naps on the couch were few and far between these last few days. Thank god for cable TV. :wink:

I will have a busy 3 days in the office as well, but at least I am alive and healthy. Wife was able to go to work today, and the dog has not had issues since late Monday evening.

[albert2b]

Well, at least you got 25 of 25 in your autodraft :lol: :wink:

Seriously, I hope your wife and dog get well soon and things return to normal for you ASAP.

[Sykes25]

[b:10585b9628][i:10585b9628][u:10585b9628]Hoboken Legends- Team Capsule[/u:10585b9628][/i:10585b9628][/b:10585b9628]

[b:10585b9628]Starting Pitching[/b:10585b9628]
With John Candelaria and Ed Whitson surprising all by being the first SP taken by the Hoboken management team, it was tough to gauge where we were going. We had hoped to corner the market on the non-*SP, but failed to do so quickly enough. As a result, Hoboken was forced into taking second tier *SP. Sutcliffe, Zane Smith and Bruce Hurst anchor this squad as Hoboken has had tremendous success with these players in the past. Joining them are Jim DeShaies and Jack Morris, with Morris being the first likely call up shoull anybody falter. Rouding out the crew are Eric Show, Dennis Leonard, Mike Moore and Matt Young, all who can eat innings if needed. Plenty of flexibility, although talent might be a bit thin.

[b:10585b9628]Relief Pitching[/b:10585b9628]
The "Walmart Brand" relief corps include Dave Righetti as the primary closer with excellent values of Garber, Murphy, Anderson and Worrell rounding out the pen. Guetterman and Williamson are first to get the call in the event of ERA's over 7, with Roger McDowell possibly seing action if budget concerns get alleviated during the year. Danny Darwin and Bill Swift provide good strength against RH and may be called upon to fill in. Value and efficiency highlight this area of the Hoboken squad.

[b:10585b9628]Middle Infield[/b:10585b9628]
Ryno and the Wizard provide Hoboken with the best defense up the middle in the league. Any injury to Ozzie will be filled by Dick Schofield. If Ryno gets hurt, Jim Morrison steps in for 1-3 days unless a bad card of Ryno brings in the platoon of Flannery and Newman from the farm team. Gold Glove is all I have to say about this section of Hoboken for years to come.

[b:10585b9628]Corner Infield[/b:10585b9628]
Cooper and Wallach look forward to anchoring the side of the playground for many seasons. Both are durable and usable in any year. Lansford provides depth at both positions should Cooper's bad year arrive, but Wallach sticks around for any season regardless. Consistency summarizes the lines for this team.

[b:10585b9628]Catching and DH[/b:10585b9628]
Gary Carter and Rick Cerone complete the situation behind the dish. No need to waste time even addressing this area as it will never be a problem, EVER. HoJo fills in at DH with Morrison and Incaviglia seeing time against LHP. If things get horribly ugly, Young can come in and take some swings. Autopilot is the word used for these positions.

[b:10585b9628]Outfielders[/b:10585b9628]
No other team in this league can sport the defense across the board that the Hoboken squad can. Oglive brings even balance from the leftside of the plate and with a 3(0)7 has the worst defense of the starting position players. Terry "Unsung Hero" Puhl gets to show off yet again for the masses. Stormin Gorman patrols CF and carries a big stick. He shoudl benefit the most from playing in Fenway. White, Maddox, Moreno and Manning provide late defense where needed. K-Mac can spell Oglive if numbers are missing and any of the 4 1's that we have in RF can take over for Puhl if needed.

[b:10585b9628]Overall Outlook[/b:10585b9628]
Close games and Great defense will summarize our season. We expect to lead the league in defense every season, and have perenial All-Stars at crucial positions of SS, 2B and C. If the SP can kep the games close, good bullpen value and management should get the job done. Hoboken has seen Righetti save 30+ games even in his worst year, so anything better than that will lead Hoboken to multiple 90 win seasons.

[YountFan]

Taking the cue from sykes...

[b:6c2bd2b58f]Small Market Interchangeable - [i:6c2bd2b58f]Parts is Parts[/i:6c2bd2b58f][/b:6c2bd2b58f]

[b:6c2bd2b58f]Starting Pitching[/b:6c2bd2b58f]
Cornering the market of the 5 million dollar men was one of the strategies employed by the Interchange for the Epic League. YountFan has the pleasure of selecting from a menu of Stieb, Burns, Viola, Martinez and Browning. Their closeness in value will make it easy to make the [i:6c2bd2b58f]interchange[/i:6c2bd2b58f]. With Langford, Smithson, Petry and Rawley waiting on the farm pitching should not be an issue using the [i:6c2bd2b58f]interchange[/i:6c2bd2b58f] method.

[b:6c2bd2b58f]Relief Pitching[/b:6c2bd2b58f]
Using the thrift store model for relief the Interchangeable carry 12 arms bellow 1 million dollars of varying quality on their roster. YoutFan is know for his use of cheap relief so he should have no problem [interchanging] Lucas, Brusstar, W Fraser, James, RL Jackson, Mirabella, Carman, Sisk, Dedmon, G Fraser and Atherton. "I should be able to find three that can pitch out of those dudes." said YountFan

[b:6c2bd2b58f]Middle Infield[/b:6c2bd2b58f]
Neither stellar in defense and offense the keystone combo of Concepcion at short and Remy/Royster at second will be the weak link in the Interchangeable armor. Backed with Griffin, Foli this is the one area where YountFan may not be able to work the [i:6c2bd2b58f]interchange[/i:6c2bd2b58f] magic. However solid and steady can win the crown.

[b:6c2bd2b58f]Corner Infield[/b:6c2bd2b58f]
With Will Clark at first no [i:6c2bd2b58f]interchange[/i:6c2bd2b58f] will be needed. Molitor plays third and unless he stops hitting righties he'll stay there. If that happens look for Horner to move in from DH and Griffey or Chamblis move in for a little more hitting vs RHP.

[b:6c2bd2b58f]Catching and DH[/b:6c2bd2b58f]
With Horner at DH YountFan will have little need for his [i:6c2bd2b58f]interchange[/i:6c2bd2b58f] principles. Whereas catcher will test their limits. Using the motly crew of Hassey, Brenly, Diaz, Laudner and Bando the Interchanges will have either some hitters, some defense, or a hole they'd like to [i:6c2bd2b58f]interchange[/i:6c2bd2b58f] with some more prospects.

[b:6c2bd2b58f]Outfielders[/b:6c2bd2b58f]
Solid across the field with Jose Cruz, Fred Lynn and Dave Winfield there will be little reason again the test the [i:6c2bd2b58f]interchange[/i:6c2bd2b58f] policy. But, if Cruz fail there is Marshall and Griffey on the farm.

[b:6c2bd2b58f]Overall Outlook[/b:6c2bd2b58f]
Competitive over the long haul the Interchange hope to spend only one season in the Western Division. "I puts hours of research into the Theory of [i:6c2bd2b58f]Interchange[/i:6c2bd2b58f] and it should pay off over the long haul." said professor YountFan at the recent [i:6c2bd2b58f]interchange[/i:6c2bd2b58f] seminar in Detroit. "And if it doesn't work out I can just change. That's the beauty in this thing. Can I win 90 games like sykes? Maybe not. 85? sure."

[bjs73]

[b:8a2b720924]Grim Reaper's Keepers - [i:8a2b720924]"Only the Good Die Young"[/i:8a2b720924][/b:8a2b720924]

[i:8a2b720924]Sporting the uniform color combination of red and black and a Jolly Roger's skull and crossbones for an emblem, the Grim Reaper's Keepers look more like actors in the latest [b:8a2b720924]My Chemical Romance[/b:8a2b720924] music video than a serious baseball franchise. The team will wear black shoes with white Addidas stripes on the side, solid red socks pulled up to the knees, solid black pants with white pinstripes, short sleeve red shirts underneath a solid black pinstriped vest, and a black cap with a red bill. Has death warmed over for the Keepers? Owner/Manager Simpson begs to differ. "Looks can be deceiving...."[/i:8a2b720924]

[b:8a2b720924]Home Field[/b:8a2b720924]
The Keepers franchise is located in what can be considered America's own Hell on Earth: [u:8a2b720924]Cleveland Municipal Stadium.[/u:8a2b720924] This ballclub is built for it from the ground up. The right field wall has been pushed back about 20 feet and a set of tombstones lines the facade. When we asked right fielder, Jesse Barfield, about the significance of the tombstone facade he said, "BJ says right field is where Reggie Jackson's homerun balls are going home to die."

[b:8a2b720924]Starting Pitching[/b:8a2b720924]
Simpson drafted top quality starting pitching early and often. Higuera, Sutton, and M. Scott will undoubtedly be the 3 main weapons of destruction year after year. Any one of them could walk away with the Cy Young award in any given season. The rotation will be rounded out with the versatile B. Black, B. Gullickson, or L. Leal depending on salary cap constraints. Consistency year after year is the key to success.

[b:8a2b720924]Relief Pitching[/b:8a2b720924]
Bruce Sutter is the staff's anchor man here. He has had previous success as a closer for Simpson and currently holds the all time single season save record in the 80's game format. The rest of the bullpen is rounded out with perenial solid performers in the under 1 million dollar format. The crew of D. Moore, B. Dawley, B. Kipper, and K. Dayley is a cast of specialists that should allow an easy transition from start to finish in most ballgames. Tucked away in the minors rests Gott and Pena if things need to be adjusted during the season.

[b:8a2b720924]Middle Infield[/b:8a2b720924]
The Keepers are grounded in good defense from top to bottom and it all begins up the middle. T. Fernandez and F. White plan to tackle the middle and suck up all the ground balls their way. Fernandez will more than likely be a perenial keeper at the position while White may find himself sent down to the minors from time to time to get his timing down. D. Garcia and M. Barrett wait in the wings as well as R. Oester.

[b:8a2b720924]Corner Infield[/b:8a2b720924]
Team captain, Don Mattingly is the every day 1B for the ballclub. Enough said. If there is ever a season where the back spasms become too much for him, the very capable B. Bochte is there waiting in the wings to take over. T. Pendleton will get the nod at 3B in most seasons because of his glove and switch hitting capability but the ever dangerous G. Gaetti waits in the wings to take over should the need arise. K. Gruber is there as plan C should neither one of them work out.

[b:8a2b720924]Catching and DH[/b:8a2b720924]
Carlton Fisk gets the nod here every season as the full time starter. If the knees start aching for him some year, the catching crew is fully supported by cheap platoon options in Wathan, Salas, Bradley, and Engle. Heck, even C. Johnson is primed for a chance to be the "second catcher" if needed.

DH will be a revolving door depending on salary constraints but Tartabull is slated to start while M. Greenwell and G. Foster eagerly await their opportunity for a chance to play in the big leagues.

[b:8a2b720924]Outfield[/b:8a2b720924]
Depth, depth, and more depth. Franchise player, Ricky Henderson, will never be cut from the ball club for any reason. Count on him scoring over 100 runs per year, every year. His versatility as a CF creates even more options for a ball club full of outfielders. There may be a future platoon of D. James and L. Lacy in LF should that occur.

CF rights hover around McGee and his 2 outstanding cards. If that doesn't git er done, Moseby and his power, or the economical and user friendly G. Pettis are there to take a shot at the big leagues.

RF begins with Bafield in most seasons but could be changed easily to Hendrick. If that doesn't work we'll try G. Matthews, H. Baines, or G. Ward.

[b:8a2b720924]Overall Forecast[/b:8a2b720924]
Pitching, defense, and solid run scoring ability should produce a perenial 90 game winner for Cleveland's own Keepers. The team may not ever lead the league in fielding percentage but it is certainly a key ingredient for keeping basehits to a bare minimum for the pitching staff considering the only positions with a range rating greater than a 1 is RF and Catcher.

Many hours were spent creating and reviewing personal stat database to assemble a crew that is sure to compete for league honors season after season. Enough hours was spent creating and studying the database that Simpson suffered mild moments of eye strain and dehydration...

Thankfully though, the [b:8a2b720924]The Killian's Irish Red Lager Institute[/b:8a2b720924] was there in my time of need. They developed a special container that I was able to strap to my back like a backpack with a tube that fed over my shoulder to my mouth to help nourish me with ice cold Lager during the hard times of studying, pointing, and clicking.

[UGLYJERRY]

Are we allowed more than 54 players, or is it capped.