March Madness Bracket 3

Our Mystery Card games - The '70s Game, Back to the '80s, Back to the '90s

Postby seanreflex » Fri Apr 14, 2006 8:30 pm

[quote:5414f17ff5]Reunion - Can’t win with this many Red Sox players [/quote:5414f17ff5]

++++++

Rooks, I'm afraid you might be right ... maybe that is fear that Ugly smells ... either that, or he might have farted ... :oops:
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Postby Moodywoody » Fri Apr 14, 2006 8:57 pm

Pitching as usual will be a challenge. I took a bit of a risk going for Grich over Sutton. It may have been a mistake not to focus on better pitching. We shall see.

Some inexperience in the first round of the waiver. I noticed that Phelps went number three and Cromartie number eight or so. These guys are always available on the free agent wire.


A little surprised that Panzer Ace is going with poor defensive SS in favor of offensive types like HoJo or Smalley. Obviously, he is very confident about his ability to outscore his oppenent, though Ugly looks pretty tough for a low seed. He could be the surprise of the league if his pitching is for real.


Though Semper Gumpy is another low seed, I have played against him before and he knows this game and his team reflects it. Frankly, I am not impressed with the top seeded team by Jablowmi. He could have some serious problems scoring runs and I am not sure he is even in the top four in the league in pitching, not good when you are in Royals stadium.


Though I hate to bet against Panzer Ace and Jablowmi, I have to pick the underdogs in Ugly and Semper to win their divisions as of now. Of course, much depends on the luck of the cards and how the teams adapt, which is where Panzer Ace and Jablowmi have the edge.
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Postby Semper Gumby » Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:31 pm

[quote:ccabc38932]Dogs - Cool all lefty rotation, we get to see right away if our lefty killers are any good [/quote:ccabc38932]

Anything I can do to raise the value of seldom used platoon players, I am all for it especially when they keep the expensive better fielding players on the bench. 8)
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Postby hechojazz » Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:35 pm

So my team won't be blasting homers out of Busch all season...maybe. Thought a pitching and defense approach might be interesting, and then along the way some of the slugging I'd planned on didn't work out. Oh well. Hope I don't get too horribly mangled.

:o

This is a puzzling game. That's why we like it I guess. I'm adding this postscript after perhaps one too many Makers Marks at the Marriott bar in the Boston harbor, but it is a funny thing. I've played only a handful of strat online games, and this is the first one that wasn't purely a public autodraft league. And only my second 80's game. So please feel free to disregard my observations. But, seems to me upon reviewing everyone's teams, as we pass thru the preseason/post-waivers period, that much of what may make for a successful veteran 80's team is the same good ol' roll of the dice that we all hope would benefit us as we do the usual night after night HAL battle. But here, it is with regard to hoping to get that one or maybe two good year of an otherwise scary dude - allocating lots of big $$ to a number of core "almost can't miss guys", and then trusting your sleuthing accumen to reveal the years you got from HAL in the random determination of your mystery cards...perhaps this is what both makes the vets so often successful - betting on the right cheap-o cards and reaping the benefit of those lucky .75 selections, and gives us rookies a better chance than perhaps we'd have in more mundane company - happened to get smiled upon by HAL's gap-toothed grin, and a more salary-balanced approach otherwise led to a surprisingly effective team...

But I guess the real question I want to ask is: how heavily did the seedings weigh in on the preseason prognostications we see above from Rooksa?? I mean, I know on the one hand that I really have little idea what I'm doing here, but...hmm...I will fall back on the George Mason perspective I suppose...WE WILL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE...(just how badly my behind is toasted)...
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Postby Panzer ace » Sat Apr 15, 2006 12:03 am

Moody wrote:
A little surprised that Panzer Ace is going with poor defensive SS in favor of offensive types like HoJo or Smalley. Obviously, he is very confident about his ability to outscore his oppenent

Well Moody, we cant all get Yount :cry: Sometimes you have to play the cards that are dealt you. 8) Thats where the fun comes in. I dont mind being counted out before the season even starts. I am used to it. I know, my record is based on playing in auto-leagues so it doesnt count for much :roll: . Now if I would just play in a vet league...maybe one where all 11 other managers are out to beat me....then I would really be tested. Hey wait a minute......'Panzer ace 2000+ win Challenge'...anyone know how that league is going??? :shock: :o :D

On a serious note, I think the Central looks like a very tough division. I think it is the toughest of the bracket.[/quote]
Last edited by Panzer ace on Sat Apr 15, 2006 12:06 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Postby UGLYJERRY » Sat Apr 15, 2006 12:04 am

I have always liked that Moody, he makes a lot of sense. Oh by the way Sean it could have been a fart but it still smeels like [b:f4d0a72d01]FEAR[/b:f4d0a72d01]. :P

Ugly
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Postby rookssa1958 » Sat Apr 15, 2006 1:13 am

Hecho,

Nothing special with the prognostications, just a sub .500 manager looking and saying, yep, nope, yep, etc.

By the way, you are fairly eloquent after the Makers Mark, I'm gonna have to try some of that.

Ace, you aren't counted out at all, au contair. but how boring would it be to pick the guy with like 20 championships in 21 leagues to win?
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Scoring Runs and Pitching

Postby Jablowmi » Sat Apr 15, 2006 6:39 am

[quote:9f08840a53="Moodywoody"]

Though Semper Gumpy is another low seed, I have played against him before and he knows this game and his team reflects it. Frankly, I am not impressed with the top seeded team by Jablowmi. He could have some serious problems scoring runs and I am not sure he is even in the top four in the league in pitching, not good when you are in Royals stadium.

[/quote:9f08840a53]

While this may be correct (who knows?), I'd like to point out two general propositions: (1) OBP is king (and the Jablowmis will field 7 guys with > .360 OBP at Royals Stadium), and (2) you don't need an * to be a good pitcher.

We shall see......... Should be fun.
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The View from Bracket 4...

Postby bjs73 » Sat Apr 15, 2006 8:30 am

Just looking around your smack thread and perusing the teams. Hitter rankings include defensive considerations also. I'll give you my top 5 preseason picks in power ranking form:

(5) Driftwood Pigheads

Interesting Tiger squad. I can honestly say that I don't ever remember seeing Grich and Sandberg on the same team post waivers. Grich getting the nod at 3B is interesting.

There's plenty of upside in the risks taken with the position players to be a good contender. The risks taken with the SP may be too much to overcome though. At least there won't be any worries about catcher injuries. :shock:

SP C-
RP B
Hitters B+

(4) Bracket Busters

Starting pitching looks really good. Relief pitching looks suspect. Howe has 1 chance in 5 to be able to be a successful closer against both lefties and righties. The supporting cast in the bullpen looks even more suspect. I'd expect this team to lead the league in complete games assuming that HAL blesses the team with strong cards.

At first glance, it might look like the team might suffer a bit against LH pitching but I think that it will fair just fine. I'd expect an even balance on the team splits. They might struggle a bit on the road in small parks however.

SP A
RP C-
Hitters B

(3) Red Sox Reunion

I'm sort of surprised to see Sean pull the "Fenway Card" out this early in the tournament and by doing so may just be the toast of the round 1 bracket. The starters look good for a Fenway party and the hitters look good and balanced. If anything is lacking it may be foot speed on the base paths. Just sit back and pray for the HR from the righties and the single ** from the lefties to get it done.

Bullpen can be effectively manned with Sutter as the closer but he does propose a risk since he'll be facing 4-5 righties in his two innings of work as a closer. I question the rest of the effectiveness of the bullpen, especially during home games. However, there are no worries here if Camp and Scurry show up with good cards.

SP B+
RP C+
Hitters B+

(2) Cleveland Devil Dogs

This is perhaps the biggest [b:a9621c2608]Risk/Reward per Dollar Spent (Trademark - bjs73) [/b:a9621c2608] on SP in the bracket. Lefties get a bad rep in the 80's format due to perrenial underperformance issues. However, if you're going to choose 3 lefty anchors and put them in the right ballpark, consider it mission accomplished. There is still a risk but the rewards are there for the taking. The 4th starter spot choices are good and can be tweaked for matchups if decent cards show up.

The bullpen is in need of a RH reliever. Hernandez *could* handle the closer job effectively if '84 shows up. Kipper could handle the duty also if '89 or perhaps '90 show up also. Bedrock may not be the answer here but time will tell. Still it is a pretty solid BP with an opportunity for lightning in a bottle. The hitters look solid from the top to bottom and have a nice balance. The key to winning on the road will be whether Murray, Decinces, and Parker can light it up in the small ballparks.

SP B+
RP B
Hitters A-

(1) Bali Bracket Busters

Candlestick. Interesting choice. I've played there one time and nabbed a wild card but I know what I'd do better if I ever played there again and this team looks like it is just about what I would do. There's enough offense there to go on the road and have success and plenty of pitching to win at home too.

If anything is suspect on this team it might be the DH/1B option. I think it will be interesting to see what BallyWackman decides to do with this situation. I think that it looks like it will be Mitchell/Tettleton to start at 1B and perhaps Castillo/Oscar the Grouch at DH with Sheridan/Mitchell in LF with B. Martinez as the catcher against LH pitching. Whew! That was a platooning mouthful. Interesting concept and it could pay off if Mitchell, Gamble, and Tettleton turn in good years.

The starting pitching has plenty of upside with fairly decent fall back years to rely upon in case the killer years don't show up. The bullpen looks great and will be able to help keep early leads and/or go deep into extra innings as well.

SP B
RP A
Hitters A-

These are my pre-season power rankings and may not reflect actual results since I did not take divisional alignment into consideration. There are plenty of good teams there though and anything can happen in the mystery game!

Cheers!
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Postby Semper Gumby » Sat Apr 15, 2006 10:27 am

[quote:03ab0d1cdf]While this may be correct (who knows?), I'd like to point out two general propositions: (1) OBP is king (and the Jablowmis will field 7 guys with > .360 OBP at Royals Stadium), and (2) you don't need an * to be a good pitcher. [/quote:03ab0d1cdf]

I thought fielding range and low errors also counted in Royals? :wink:

As for my battery of LHSPs, I tried for Gossage in the waivers but fell into Hernandez. So, I must hit the lotto with no less than two of my cheap RH RPs considering Bedrock will likely become the bullpen's arsonist. Perhaps Comer or Kison come up with a decent card and work the long innings.
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