How is this for a strong division battle

[Ducky]

I just thought I'd share this one with everyone since it is such and intriguing battle. I am in fourth place, but only one game out of the division lead and the wild card. All teams are currently on a pace to win at least 90. In a few more days the division battle will really heat up once we have finished playing the other teams in the league. On a side note, the team leading the East Division is 53-61. Only two other teams currently have records over .500.

West Division Standings
Team W L Pct GB
Jablowmis 49 65 49 .570 -
BoSox-2 65 49 .570 -
Park 65 49 .570 -
Rox 9 64 50 .561 1.0

Mike

[Jablowmi]

I agree - tough competition all year and the division battle will be tough. Great stuff.

[TheGoodDoc]

Is there a chance for all the teams in your division to have the best 4 records? that might be a first!

[Ducky]

My last place team currently has a five game lead over the next best record in the league.

Mike

[Outta Leftfield]

[quote:c2f7ab09c1="TheGoodDoc"]Is there a chance for all the teams in your division to have the best 4 records? that might be a first![/quote:c2f7ab09c1]

This is hard to accomplish because even if the best four teams in the league are in the same division, after game 126—when the last 36 games are within the division—those four teams are going play .500 net against each other. The result is that the division is inevitably dragged down toward the mean. Some teams may still have great records, but it will hard for all four to top the rest of the league. In other divisions, some teams will surge ahead because they no longer have to play the killer teams.

With the division above, they're at game 114--very near the cutoff-- and they're probably keep whaling away at the rest of the league, but after game 126, the numbers of at least some of the managers have to come down. I've seen this happen a couple of times--the whole division is killing the rest of the league, but either the whole division comes down to earth after gm 126, or one team goes into a tailspin that keeps the final 36 games for the division as a whole at .500. Basically, to judge the real strength of a division, you have to look at where it's at at game 126.

BTW, somehow I always end up in the tough division. Just once it would be nice to be on the sidelines and steal into the playoffs with 83 wins.... :D

[Proverbial Psalms]

I'm that "Cherry Hill Bosox-2" squad... and all season have alternated between (a) admiring our division success, and (b) getting frustrated by the anticipation of having an otherwise really good team possibly not make the playoffs!

The division has about a .597 winning pct. against the other two divisions... the 3rd place team, South Park has a positive +143 run differential on the season, and yet hovers like the rest of us as close to last place in the division as to playoff position.

Continued good luck may still not be enough after the final intra-division matchups down the stretch.

Too odd...

[ccangerame]

I am managing team South Park- not very well and to quote Bill Murrary in Stripes- " We are just pacing ourselves" Our division has been great, I look everyday to see if I am in 1st, 2nd , 3rd, or last place- it has been a great learning experience- This league is interesting because I have picked up Yount and Sandberg after being cut loose by other managers even though it wasn't their worst season- never thought I would see that- Good luck to everyone else the rest of the way

[Proverbial Psalms]

And to pick up Yount you dropped Raines... and Jablowmi picked up Raines... a high-stakes game of waiver wire roulette.

I picked up Jack Clark and Al Oliver after other managers cut them before an official "reveal"... Clark has hit 21 HR's for me in his 84 games... and Oliver has batted .339-.538-.382 for me in 73 games.

My offense WAS, and WOULD BE, nowhere without those well-researched, but still very much a gamble waiver pickups.

Jablowmi, on the other hand, has just been good right from the start... the rest of us have been playing catchup since opening day (I was in first place, tied I think, for one night!).

[Ducky]

I was in first for a little while after a 17-4 run early in the season. After Reardon blew two saves last night, my team is 47-49 outside of that run. I need another one of those to win the division.

My additions, Evans, Dykstra and Nettles have been mediocre to average at best.

I do believe that I have the weakest team in the division, but I really don't see much I can do at this point, but ride out the remainder of the season with what I have.

Mike

[Jablowmi]

[quote:f86dfc858b="wjanssen"]
Jablowmi, on the other hand, has just been good right from the start... the rest of us have been playing catchup since opening day (I was in first place, tied I think, for one night!).[/quote:f86dfc858b]

My team has been good from the start, but I really think I have the worst team in the division. Check out my run differential - 551 vs. 554. Not good. I'm gonna make some more moves soon............