Saxmania
04-20-03, 12:53 PM
Well, as my anger level reaches critical at my team’s ineptness, it appears that teams are adjusting to the new points scheme – seven teams broke the 300 points mark, and only one failed to reach 200 points. We’ve also got two teams with perfect records, and two teams with winless records. There’s a kind of symmetry there, if you think about it.
Results
Cunning Linguists won at The 4 Horsemen by 229.33 to 207.50 points
Dawgs from Easton won at Italian Ice by 252.33 to 193.50 points
Fishing with Mendoza lost at Junior’s Bashers by 237.50 to 313.50 points
Lordz of Flatbush lost at Michigan Wolverines by 249.83 to 276.33 points
The Naked Truth lost at Newburgh Naughties by 305.66 to 330.84 points
NY Bombers won at Senators by 261.67 to 254.00 points
9 Angry Playaz won at Evil Empire by 319.67 to 289.50 points
The Larrupin’ Lous won at Mattingly’s Hitmen by 326.00 to 310.33 points
New York Squeaks won at Saxmania’s Swingers by 334.66 to 265.16 points
Standings
Ruth Division
Team Won Lost % GB Average Max Min
NY Bombers 3 0 1.000 276.06 313.67 252.83
Dawgz from Easton 2 1 0.667 1 241.61 252.33 223.17
The Naked Truth 1 2 0.333 2 257.94 305.66 218.33
Lordz of Flatbush 1 2 0.333 2 232.11 249.83 219.17
Cunning Linguists 1 2 0.333 2 208.17 229.33 171.83
Fishing with Mendoza 0 3 0.000 3 220.39 237.50 186.17
Total 8 10 0.533 2.0 243.177 313.670 171.830
DiMaggio Division
Team Won Lost % GB Average Max Min
Junior's Bashers 3 0 1.000 241.56 313.50 186.17
Newburgh Naughties 2 1 0.667 1 255.72 330.84 211.67
Michigan Wolverines 2 1 0.667 1 240.33 276.33 180.67
Senators 2 1 0.667 1 229.61 254.00 209.50
The 4 Horsemen 1 2 0.333 2 233.33 271.33 207.50
Italian Ice 1 2 0.333 2 194.89 234.84 156.33
Total 11 7 0.611 1.4 232.574 330.840 156.330
Mantle Division
Team Won Lost % GB Average Max Min
9 Angry Playaz 2 1 0.667 270.22 319.67 243.50
Evil Empire 2 1 0.667 265.56 289.50 248.33
The Larrupin Lous 2 1 0.667 260.33 326.00 215.33
Mattingleys Hitmen 1 2 0.333 1 274.67 310.33 247.33
New York Squeaks 1 2 0.333 1 246.94 334.66 180.50
Saxmania's Swingers 0 3 0.000 2 216.28 265.16 179.83
Total 8 10 0.444 1.3 249.555 334.660 179.830
Match Reports
Michigan gets first laugh, may get last against reigning Lordz
In their one scheduled match-up of the 2003 season, the Wolverines have handed a loss to their rivals for the 2002 crown, the Lordz of Flatbush. A tense and hard-fought contest was decided in part by Fransisco Rodriguez, who accumulated two wins from the bullpen in just 3.2 innings. With Carlos Zambrano the Wolverines’ best starter, there was cause for concern, but offensive contributions from Erubiel Durazo, Jay Payton, and Kevin Millar helped to carry lacklustre outings for Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller. With their second win, Michigan are now in hot pursuit of last year’s runner-up in the DiMaggio Division, Junior’s Bashers. With their first head-to-head contest not until late July, Michigan will be looking to prevent the Bashers from running out into an early lead.
Something of a makeover in the offing for the Lordz, who are retooling in the outfield and in the starting rotation after a sluggish start to their 2003 campaign. Curt Schilling appears to be back to his normal Curt Schilling-ness, and Garret Anderson and Troy Glaus are both providing early hitting. However, Jarrod Washburn’s poor outing, coupled with a weak back end of the rotation, has left the Lordz looking for help, and their extensive disabled list is no reassurance. And with Jorge Julio as the only closer in the bullpen, how often can the Flatbu................es expect four saves per week? Rumors of trade talk between the Lordz and other franchises are easy to credit, and owners should expect to see a new-look Lordz roster redoubling their efforts to defend their title in the next few weeks.
MVP - Francisco Rodriguez
Bombers’ outfield bombardment hands Senators first loss
The smallest margin of victory for Week 3 came between two unbeaten teams, who failed to produce the large scores that might have been expected. Still, the Bombers were the first to break through to a perfect 3-0 record, and currently lead the NYYFans.com League on average score. With a total of six long balls split evenly between the devastating outfield of Vladimir Guerrero, Luis Gonzalez, and Larry Walker, the Bombers had little to fear, even when the rotation netted them only one win, and the bullpen one save. With Rich Aurilia, Tony Batista, and Mike Lieberthal all quiet offensively, there is scope for larger scores from the Bombers, although Derrek Lee’s five stolen bases was a pleasant bonus. The Cunning Linguists are the next team in their sights.
The Senators are expected to name Rocky Biddle as Week 3’s scapegoat – the Montreal reliever gave up 6 ERs in 5 IPs, although this resulted in an interesting line of a win, a loss, a save, and a hold. Matt Anderson’s struggles aside, the pitching was solid, with extended work from Mark Prior and Byung-Hung Kim, while Tony Armas, Jr. was tidy in seven innings of work. With four long bombs from Jeff Bagwell, and ten walks from Barry Bonds, the line-up appeared to be healthy, but Einar Diaz and Alex S. Gonzalez proved to be holes just too big to cover up. Dropping to fourth in the DiMaggio Division, the Senators are still well-placed to chase for the flag, but must continue to improve their average scores.
MVP - Luis Gonzalez
Bashers have Mendoza caught hook, line, and sinker
A comprehensive victory for the other owners of a perfect record, Junior’s Bashers, as Fishing with Mendoza fall to the exact opposite – a 0-3 season. Last year, the Bashers slowly fell from contention in the DiMaggio Division after a promising start, and will be hoping to sustain their early winning streak for longer in the 2003 season. Their choice of a Boston-centric complement of starters appears successful so far, as Derek Lowe, Tim Wakefield, and Casey Fossum combined for 3 wins with only 3 earned runs allowed, having gone 28 innings in all. Power from Bret Boone and Gary Sheffield did the rest, although the bats of Benito Santiago and Shawn Green were uncharacteristically quiet. A chance for them to atone next week, as Mattingley’s Hitmen drop in for a visit.
The Fishermen are still patiently waiting for a win, as their rotation produced a couple of wins, but no saves or holds. Danny Graves was expensive, with 6 ERs conceded, and Mike Hampton’s return from injury helped neither the Braves nor the Fishermen, with five innings of work yielding little reward. Alfonso Soriano still seems like a good bet for a valuable fantasy player, with three homers and four stolen bases, but has managed few RBIs to complement his hitting. With Chipper Jones, John Olerud, and Cliff Floyd all relatively unproductive, and Robert Fick headed to the disabled list, Mendoza will have to knuckle down in order to defeat the Dawgz from Easton in Week 4.
MVP - Derek Lowe
Squeaks top of the Week 3 heap, Swingers speeding up but still far behind
With the most impressive performance of the week, the New York Squeaks racked up 334.66 points, and easily disposed of the bottom-dwelling Saxmania’s Swingers. Their first win of the season, the Squeaks will be able to look forward to a lot more, if their trio of aces (Zito, Hudson, and Glavine) continue to perform as they did in Week 3. With three wins and a complete game, plus a win and a couple of saves from the bullpen, the trio gave the Squeaks a running start that propelled them well past the 300 points mark. Added to this was consistent production up and down a useful lineup, with Rondell White (3 HRs) and Mike Lowell (6 XBHs, 7 RBIs) standout performers. The only way is up for the Squeaks, as they pack their bags for a trip to Michigan in Week 4.
A similar situation for the Swingers, except that they will have to do it without the benefit of any winning momentum. At 0-3 on the year, the Swingers enjoyed three wins with no earned runs allowed from Mussina, Penny, and Rogers, yet faltered as Ramiro Mendoza and Roy Halladay failed to re-find their form. The St. Louis duo of Scott Rolen and Edgar Renteria each thumped three moon shots, but the slow starts for Lance Berkman and Jermaine Dye left them with little protection. Although only two games out of the lead, the Swingers are still in danger of careening out of contention. Next week’s visit to the Newburgh Naughties would be a good chance to relocate some talent.
MVP - Barry Zito
Naughties spank the Naked Truth with Yankees doing the work
With their roster featuring a number of New York Yankees, the Newburgh Naughties are enjoying the Bronx Bombers’ hot start to the season. Prime beneficiaries were Raul Mondesi (4 HRs), Robin Ventura (7 hits), Roger Clemens (13 IP, 2 ER), and Andy Pettitte (11.2 IP, 10 Ks), who helped the Naughties reach a mammoth 330 points on the week. Although he didn’t win any, Al Leiter threw 12 tidy innings, and Ismael Valdes’ complete game didn’t hurt either. And with Steve Karsay still to return from the DL, and ex-Yankees Tino Martinez, Ted Lilly, and Ramiro Mendoza on board, how can the Naughties fail to overcome the Swingers next week?
Although they generated a perfectly respectable – even impressive – total, the Naked Truth were dealt their first defeat by the Naughties this week. The loss drops them to third in the Ruth Division, and may cause some harsh words to be spoken to Adrian Beltre, who was the only hitter not to reach base safely more than once all week. The rotation was also generally strong, but the villain of the piece was the normally-reliable Kirk Reuter, who conceded five earned runs in 4.1 innings. And the bullpen suffered a similar fate – Mike DeJean pitched four scoreless innings, but with no save opportunities, and both Mike Stanton and Danys Baez allowed losses. More consistency is required, as the Lordz are the next visitors.
MVP - Raul Mondesi
Lous leapfrog over Hitmen in high-scoring thriller
This could be the start of a beautiful rivalry, as the Larrupin Lous and Mattingly’s Hitmen fought it out to the finish in one of the potential tussles for a pennant this year. With several teams in the Mantle Division averaging scores well over 250 points, the re-match between these two (due in early August) could prove decisive. This one was decided, in part, by two ace-like outings from Pedro Martinez and Matt Morris for the Lous, while the hitters were strong throughout. Only Luis Castillo failed to collect an extra-base hit, and Jimmy Rollins amassed a Barry Bonds-like 10 walks in seven games. However, with John Smoltz racking up four saves in five innings with just two base-runners allowed, and seven batters whiffing, no part of the roster was without its stars.
Such a dominating performance would have been welcomed by the Hitmen, for whom Brian Anderson conceded 19 hits and 8 earned runs before being relegated to the bench for Week 4. Jason Schmidt and Matt Clement each managed two starts, and totalled 29 strikeouts between them, although that didn’t stop eight runs scoring during their efforts. Sammy Sosa’s outstanding week (20 hits, 10 XBHs, 12 RBIs) contributed 52 points to the cause, but he was isolated – Manny Ramirez offered little by his standards, and Johnny Damon’s hot start appears to have deserted him. There’s plenty of potential in this team, but some weeding out of the freeloaders may still be required.
MVP - Matt Morris
Playaz propelled to the top by Chavez, Padilla, and Moss; Empire suffers first setback
Three standout performances from two starters and a hitter helped the Playaz clamber to the top of the Mantle Division. Vincente Padilla was arguably the most valuable, managing two wins and a complete game, while whiffing eleven. Damian Moss was hardly far behind, also managing a brace of victories in thirteen innings. Additionally, Eric Chavez knocked three out of the park in seven games, leading the team in extra-base hits. Perhaps the most ominous element of this performance was that sluggers Jason Giambi, Jeff Kent, and Jim Edmonds all went homer-less during the week, meaning that the dizzy heights of 350 points are within reach for the Playaz when they find their true groove. Perhaps that will be next week, at the Senators.
The Empire countered immediately, with Bartolo Colon throwing two wins with 16 innings pitched, including one complete game. Jamie Moyer wasn’t about to let Colon grab all the glory, going 12 innings in the week with just two earned runs allowed. The rest of the rotation was less solid, however, allowing 14 earned runs in 23 innings for no wins and a loss, and although the bullpen picked up a tidy four saves, the hitters couldn’t finish the job. Ivan Rodriguez hit just three singles all week, although he swiped three bases as well, and the entire outfield failed to go yard in twenty total appearances. Consistent hitting and a better 3-4-5 end of the rotation would help the Empire dominate the 4 Horsemen next week.
MVP - Vicente Padilla
Linguists eking out the wins again; Horsemen still at walking pace
The Linguists are stuck in something of a time warp this year, it would seem. Again, the Linguists are managing to turn less-than-dominant performances into valuable wins, and have levered themselves off the bottom of the Ruth Division. Kevin Brown’s disastrous start aside, all of the rotation were mediocre or better, while the stacked bullpen totalled four saves despite Billy Koch’s loss for the ChiSox. Orlando Cabrera was the pick of the hitters, and Magglio Ordonez continued to churn out the hits, although the Linguists might need more pop in their bats than that provided by Ichiro Suzuki and Jason LaRue. Still, results are what matter, and the Linguists will be hoping for a good one next week against the free-scoring NY Bombers.
On paper a thoroughbred, the 4 Horsemen have barely broken out of a canter all season. Their hitting is promising, with Kansas City superstar Mike Sweeney and New York lynchpin Bernie Williams primed for reliable production, and a supporting cast including Rafael Furcal. Yet Edgardo Alfonzo, Toby Hall, Carl Crawford, and Josh Phelps are still to pull their weight on this team. Javier Vasquez racked up the strikeouts at high rate, yet could prevent 7 runs from scoring, and the continuing struggles of Armando Benitez hit the Horsemen hard enough for him to be benched going into Week 4. But a roster chock-full of young studs like Mark Teixeria, Brandon Phillips, Vasquez, Furcal, and Josh Beckett is unlikely to be silenced for long, and as soon as Randy Johnson recovers his expected dominance, the race will be on again.
MVP - Orlando Cabrera
Dawgz return to winning ways, Ice reminisce about good old days
A large-scale roster overhaul has not prevented the Dawgz from Easton from moving back above the .500 mark, although with a total that might not be enough against the more dominant teams in the league. They received hitting help from the most unlikely of places – two homeruns for Marcus Giles was a good start, while J.T. Snow amassed 10 runs batted in without a single longball hit. The top three in the rotation were hit hard, and each took a loss, but Shawn Chacon righted the ship with a seven-inning shutout, and Kazuhiro Sasaki conceded 4 ERs in 4 save opportunities, but still picked up a win and two saves. More noise from big hitters Eric Hinske and Bobby Abreu would be welcome, but, at 2-1, the Dawgz can hardly complain.
That oh-so-welcome win from Week 1 now seems very distant, as the Italian Ice are beginning to get a feeling of déjà vu from last year’s performances. Currently with the lowest points average in the league, the Ice got power from Jim Thome and Damian Miller, with two moon shots each, but the rest of the lineup totalled just one blast. With David Bell going without any RBIs in the stacked Phillies lineup, and Steve Traschel allowing just one run in six innings, but failing to win, the Italians have some reason to feel that their luck has deserted them. Ace Kerry Wood was a lonely bright spot, striking out a remarkable 21 in 15 innings with a victory, but the rest of the rotation needs to pull its weight if the Ice are to overcome the Larrupin Lous in Week 4.
MVP - J.T. Snow
Performances
Team of the Week: New York Squeaks (334.66 points)
Matchup of the Week: NY Bombers at Senators (7.67 points’ difference)
Unlucky Team of the Week: Mattingley’s Hitmen (lost with 310.33 points)
Lucky Team of the Week: Cunning Linguists (won with 229.33 points)
Fixtures
Sunday, April 20th
Dawgs from Easton at Fishing with Mendoza
Lordz of Flatbush at The Naked Truth
NY Bombers at Cunning Linguists
Evil Empire at The 4 Horsemen
The Larrupin’ Lous at Italian Ice
Mattingly’s Hitmen at Junior’s Bashers
New York Squeaks at Michigan Wolverines
Saxmania’s Swingers at Newburgh Naughties
9 Angry Playaz at Senators
Notes
Bozidar has been appointed Minor League Commissioner, by the virtue of him being willing to do it and no-one else volunteering. All hail Boz. Please migrate your eyes over to the “Minor League Draft” thread on this Forum for details of how you can recruit your own farm team, and flaunt your superior knowledge of prospects over the rest of us pitiful fools.
It’s funny – I knew Cunning Linguists were Lucky Team of the Week without even looking at the scores. Wonder how?
Be seeing you,
Saxmania
Results
Cunning Linguists won at The 4 Horsemen by 229.33 to 207.50 points
Dawgs from Easton won at Italian Ice by 252.33 to 193.50 points
Fishing with Mendoza lost at Junior’s Bashers by 237.50 to 313.50 points
Lordz of Flatbush lost at Michigan Wolverines by 249.83 to 276.33 points
The Naked Truth lost at Newburgh Naughties by 305.66 to 330.84 points
NY Bombers won at Senators by 261.67 to 254.00 points
9 Angry Playaz won at Evil Empire by 319.67 to 289.50 points
The Larrupin’ Lous won at Mattingly’s Hitmen by 326.00 to 310.33 points
New York Squeaks won at Saxmania’s Swingers by 334.66 to 265.16 points
Standings
Ruth Division
Team Won Lost % GB Average Max Min
NY Bombers 3 0 1.000 276.06 313.67 252.83
Dawgz from Easton 2 1 0.667 1 241.61 252.33 223.17
The Naked Truth 1 2 0.333 2 257.94 305.66 218.33
Lordz of Flatbush 1 2 0.333 2 232.11 249.83 219.17
Cunning Linguists 1 2 0.333 2 208.17 229.33 171.83
Fishing with Mendoza 0 3 0.000 3 220.39 237.50 186.17
Total 8 10 0.533 2.0 243.177 313.670 171.830
DiMaggio Division
Team Won Lost % GB Average Max Min
Junior's Bashers 3 0 1.000 241.56 313.50 186.17
Newburgh Naughties 2 1 0.667 1 255.72 330.84 211.67
Michigan Wolverines 2 1 0.667 1 240.33 276.33 180.67
Senators 2 1 0.667 1 229.61 254.00 209.50
The 4 Horsemen 1 2 0.333 2 233.33 271.33 207.50
Italian Ice 1 2 0.333 2 194.89 234.84 156.33
Total 11 7 0.611 1.4 232.574 330.840 156.330
Mantle Division
Team Won Lost % GB Average Max Min
9 Angry Playaz 2 1 0.667 270.22 319.67 243.50
Evil Empire 2 1 0.667 265.56 289.50 248.33
The Larrupin Lous 2 1 0.667 260.33 326.00 215.33
Mattingleys Hitmen 1 2 0.333 1 274.67 310.33 247.33
New York Squeaks 1 2 0.333 1 246.94 334.66 180.50
Saxmania's Swingers 0 3 0.000 2 216.28 265.16 179.83
Total 8 10 0.444 1.3 249.555 334.660 179.830
Match Reports
Michigan gets first laugh, may get last against reigning Lordz
In their one scheduled match-up of the 2003 season, the Wolverines have handed a loss to their rivals for the 2002 crown, the Lordz of Flatbush. A tense and hard-fought contest was decided in part by Fransisco Rodriguez, who accumulated two wins from the bullpen in just 3.2 innings. With Carlos Zambrano the Wolverines’ best starter, there was cause for concern, but offensive contributions from Erubiel Durazo, Jay Payton, and Kevin Millar helped to carry lacklustre outings for Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller. With their second win, Michigan are now in hot pursuit of last year’s runner-up in the DiMaggio Division, Junior’s Bashers. With their first head-to-head contest not until late July, Michigan will be looking to prevent the Bashers from running out into an early lead.
Something of a makeover in the offing for the Lordz, who are retooling in the outfield and in the starting rotation after a sluggish start to their 2003 campaign. Curt Schilling appears to be back to his normal Curt Schilling-ness, and Garret Anderson and Troy Glaus are both providing early hitting. However, Jarrod Washburn’s poor outing, coupled with a weak back end of the rotation, has left the Lordz looking for help, and their extensive disabled list is no reassurance. And with Jorge Julio as the only closer in the bullpen, how often can the Flatbu................es expect four saves per week? Rumors of trade talk between the Lordz and other franchises are easy to credit, and owners should expect to see a new-look Lordz roster redoubling their efforts to defend their title in the next few weeks.
MVP - Francisco Rodriguez
Bombers’ outfield bombardment hands Senators first loss
The smallest margin of victory for Week 3 came between two unbeaten teams, who failed to produce the large scores that might have been expected. Still, the Bombers were the first to break through to a perfect 3-0 record, and currently lead the NYYFans.com League on average score. With a total of six long balls split evenly between the devastating outfield of Vladimir Guerrero, Luis Gonzalez, and Larry Walker, the Bombers had little to fear, even when the rotation netted them only one win, and the bullpen one save. With Rich Aurilia, Tony Batista, and Mike Lieberthal all quiet offensively, there is scope for larger scores from the Bombers, although Derrek Lee’s five stolen bases was a pleasant bonus. The Cunning Linguists are the next team in their sights.
The Senators are expected to name Rocky Biddle as Week 3’s scapegoat – the Montreal reliever gave up 6 ERs in 5 IPs, although this resulted in an interesting line of a win, a loss, a save, and a hold. Matt Anderson’s struggles aside, the pitching was solid, with extended work from Mark Prior and Byung-Hung Kim, while Tony Armas, Jr. was tidy in seven innings of work. With four long bombs from Jeff Bagwell, and ten walks from Barry Bonds, the line-up appeared to be healthy, but Einar Diaz and Alex S. Gonzalez proved to be holes just too big to cover up. Dropping to fourth in the DiMaggio Division, the Senators are still well-placed to chase for the flag, but must continue to improve their average scores.
MVP - Luis Gonzalez
Bashers have Mendoza caught hook, line, and sinker
A comprehensive victory for the other owners of a perfect record, Junior’s Bashers, as Fishing with Mendoza fall to the exact opposite – a 0-3 season. Last year, the Bashers slowly fell from contention in the DiMaggio Division after a promising start, and will be hoping to sustain their early winning streak for longer in the 2003 season. Their choice of a Boston-centric complement of starters appears successful so far, as Derek Lowe, Tim Wakefield, and Casey Fossum combined for 3 wins with only 3 earned runs allowed, having gone 28 innings in all. Power from Bret Boone and Gary Sheffield did the rest, although the bats of Benito Santiago and Shawn Green were uncharacteristically quiet. A chance for them to atone next week, as Mattingley’s Hitmen drop in for a visit.
The Fishermen are still patiently waiting for a win, as their rotation produced a couple of wins, but no saves or holds. Danny Graves was expensive, with 6 ERs conceded, and Mike Hampton’s return from injury helped neither the Braves nor the Fishermen, with five innings of work yielding little reward. Alfonso Soriano still seems like a good bet for a valuable fantasy player, with three homers and four stolen bases, but has managed few RBIs to complement his hitting. With Chipper Jones, John Olerud, and Cliff Floyd all relatively unproductive, and Robert Fick headed to the disabled list, Mendoza will have to knuckle down in order to defeat the Dawgz from Easton in Week 4.
MVP - Derek Lowe
Squeaks top of the Week 3 heap, Swingers speeding up but still far behind
With the most impressive performance of the week, the New York Squeaks racked up 334.66 points, and easily disposed of the bottom-dwelling Saxmania’s Swingers. Their first win of the season, the Squeaks will be able to look forward to a lot more, if their trio of aces (Zito, Hudson, and Glavine) continue to perform as they did in Week 3. With three wins and a complete game, plus a win and a couple of saves from the bullpen, the trio gave the Squeaks a running start that propelled them well past the 300 points mark. Added to this was consistent production up and down a useful lineup, with Rondell White (3 HRs) and Mike Lowell (6 XBHs, 7 RBIs) standout performers. The only way is up for the Squeaks, as they pack their bags for a trip to Michigan in Week 4.
A similar situation for the Swingers, except that they will have to do it without the benefit of any winning momentum. At 0-3 on the year, the Swingers enjoyed three wins with no earned runs allowed from Mussina, Penny, and Rogers, yet faltered as Ramiro Mendoza and Roy Halladay failed to re-find their form. The St. Louis duo of Scott Rolen and Edgar Renteria each thumped three moon shots, but the slow starts for Lance Berkman and Jermaine Dye left them with little protection. Although only two games out of the lead, the Swingers are still in danger of careening out of contention. Next week’s visit to the Newburgh Naughties would be a good chance to relocate some talent.
MVP - Barry Zito
Naughties spank the Naked Truth with Yankees doing the work
With their roster featuring a number of New York Yankees, the Newburgh Naughties are enjoying the Bronx Bombers’ hot start to the season. Prime beneficiaries were Raul Mondesi (4 HRs), Robin Ventura (7 hits), Roger Clemens (13 IP, 2 ER), and Andy Pettitte (11.2 IP, 10 Ks), who helped the Naughties reach a mammoth 330 points on the week. Although he didn’t win any, Al Leiter threw 12 tidy innings, and Ismael Valdes’ complete game didn’t hurt either. And with Steve Karsay still to return from the DL, and ex-Yankees Tino Martinez, Ted Lilly, and Ramiro Mendoza on board, how can the Naughties fail to overcome the Swingers next week?
Although they generated a perfectly respectable – even impressive – total, the Naked Truth were dealt their first defeat by the Naughties this week. The loss drops them to third in the Ruth Division, and may cause some harsh words to be spoken to Adrian Beltre, who was the only hitter not to reach base safely more than once all week. The rotation was also generally strong, but the villain of the piece was the normally-reliable Kirk Reuter, who conceded five earned runs in 4.1 innings. And the bullpen suffered a similar fate – Mike DeJean pitched four scoreless innings, but with no save opportunities, and both Mike Stanton and Danys Baez allowed losses. More consistency is required, as the Lordz are the next visitors.
MVP - Raul Mondesi
Lous leapfrog over Hitmen in high-scoring thriller
This could be the start of a beautiful rivalry, as the Larrupin Lous and Mattingly’s Hitmen fought it out to the finish in one of the potential tussles for a pennant this year. With several teams in the Mantle Division averaging scores well over 250 points, the re-match between these two (due in early August) could prove decisive. This one was decided, in part, by two ace-like outings from Pedro Martinez and Matt Morris for the Lous, while the hitters were strong throughout. Only Luis Castillo failed to collect an extra-base hit, and Jimmy Rollins amassed a Barry Bonds-like 10 walks in seven games. However, with John Smoltz racking up four saves in five innings with just two base-runners allowed, and seven batters whiffing, no part of the roster was without its stars.
Such a dominating performance would have been welcomed by the Hitmen, for whom Brian Anderson conceded 19 hits and 8 earned runs before being relegated to the bench for Week 4. Jason Schmidt and Matt Clement each managed two starts, and totalled 29 strikeouts between them, although that didn’t stop eight runs scoring during their efforts. Sammy Sosa’s outstanding week (20 hits, 10 XBHs, 12 RBIs) contributed 52 points to the cause, but he was isolated – Manny Ramirez offered little by his standards, and Johnny Damon’s hot start appears to have deserted him. There’s plenty of potential in this team, but some weeding out of the freeloaders may still be required.
MVP - Matt Morris
Playaz propelled to the top by Chavez, Padilla, and Moss; Empire suffers first setback
Three standout performances from two starters and a hitter helped the Playaz clamber to the top of the Mantle Division. Vincente Padilla was arguably the most valuable, managing two wins and a complete game, while whiffing eleven. Damian Moss was hardly far behind, also managing a brace of victories in thirteen innings. Additionally, Eric Chavez knocked three out of the park in seven games, leading the team in extra-base hits. Perhaps the most ominous element of this performance was that sluggers Jason Giambi, Jeff Kent, and Jim Edmonds all went homer-less during the week, meaning that the dizzy heights of 350 points are within reach for the Playaz when they find their true groove. Perhaps that will be next week, at the Senators.
The Empire countered immediately, with Bartolo Colon throwing two wins with 16 innings pitched, including one complete game. Jamie Moyer wasn’t about to let Colon grab all the glory, going 12 innings in the week with just two earned runs allowed. The rest of the rotation was less solid, however, allowing 14 earned runs in 23 innings for no wins and a loss, and although the bullpen picked up a tidy four saves, the hitters couldn’t finish the job. Ivan Rodriguez hit just three singles all week, although he swiped three bases as well, and the entire outfield failed to go yard in twenty total appearances. Consistent hitting and a better 3-4-5 end of the rotation would help the Empire dominate the 4 Horsemen next week.
MVP - Vicente Padilla
Linguists eking out the wins again; Horsemen still at walking pace
The Linguists are stuck in something of a time warp this year, it would seem. Again, the Linguists are managing to turn less-than-dominant performances into valuable wins, and have levered themselves off the bottom of the Ruth Division. Kevin Brown’s disastrous start aside, all of the rotation were mediocre or better, while the stacked bullpen totalled four saves despite Billy Koch’s loss for the ChiSox. Orlando Cabrera was the pick of the hitters, and Magglio Ordonez continued to churn out the hits, although the Linguists might need more pop in their bats than that provided by Ichiro Suzuki and Jason LaRue. Still, results are what matter, and the Linguists will be hoping for a good one next week against the free-scoring NY Bombers.
On paper a thoroughbred, the 4 Horsemen have barely broken out of a canter all season. Their hitting is promising, with Kansas City superstar Mike Sweeney and New York lynchpin Bernie Williams primed for reliable production, and a supporting cast including Rafael Furcal. Yet Edgardo Alfonzo, Toby Hall, Carl Crawford, and Josh Phelps are still to pull their weight on this team. Javier Vasquez racked up the strikeouts at high rate, yet could prevent 7 runs from scoring, and the continuing struggles of Armando Benitez hit the Horsemen hard enough for him to be benched going into Week 4. But a roster chock-full of young studs like Mark Teixeria, Brandon Phillips, Vasquez, Furcal, and Josh Beckett is unlikely to be silenced for long, and as soon as Randy Johnson recovers his expected dominance, the race will be on again.
MVP - Orlando Cabrera
Dawgz return to winning ways, Ice reminisce about good old days
A large-scale roster overhaul has not prevented the Dawgz from Easton from moving back above the .500 mark, although with a total that might not be enough against the more dominant teams in the league. They received hitting help from the most unlikely of places – two homeruns for Marcus Giles was a good start, while J.T. Snow amassed 10 runs batted in without a single longball hit. The top three in the rotation were hit hard, and each took a loss, but Shawn Chacon righted the ship with a seven-inning shutout, and Kazuhiro Sasaki conceded 4 ERs in 4 save opportunities, but still picked up a win and two saves. More noise from big hitters Eric Hinske and Bobby Abreu would be welcome, but, at 2-1, the Dawgz can hardly complain.
That oh-so-welcome win from Week 1 now seems very distant, as the Italian Ice are beginning to get a feeling of déjà vu from last year’s performances. Currently with the lowest points average in the league, the Ice got power from Jim Thome and Damian Miller, with two moon shots each, but the rest of the lineup totalled just one blast. With David Bell going without any RBIs in the stacked Phillies lineup, and Steve Traschel allowing just one run in six innings, but failing to win, the Italians have some reason to feel that their luck has deserted them. Ace Kerry Wood was a lonely bright spot, striking out a remarkable 21 in 15 innings with a victory, but the rest of the rotation needs to pull its weight if the Ice are to overcome the Larrupin Lous in Week 4.
MVP - J.T. Snow
Performances
Team of the Week: New York Squeaks (334.66 points)
Matchup of the Week: NY Bombers at Senators (7.67 points’ difference)
Unlucky Team of the Week: Mattingley’s Hitmen (lost with 310.33 points)
Lucky Team of the Week: Cunning Linguists (won with 229.33 points)
Fixtures
Sunday, April 20th
Dawgs from Easton at Fishing with Mendoza
Lordz of Flatbush at The Naked Truth
NY Bombers at Cunning Linguists
Evil Empire at The 4 Horsemen
The Larrupin’ Lous at Italian Ice
Mattingly’s Hitmen at Junior’s Bashers
New York Squeaks at Michigan Wolverines
Saxmania’s Swingers at Newburgh Naughties
9 Angry Playaz at Senators
Notes
Bozidar has been appointed Minor League Commissioner, by the virtue of him being willing to do it and no-one else volunteering. All hail Boz. Please migrate your eyes over to the “Minor League Draft” thread on this Forum for details of how you can recruit your own farm team, and flaunt your superior knowledge of prospects over the rest of us pitiful fools.
It’s funny – I knew Cunning Linguists were Lucky Team of the Week without even looking at the scores. Wonder how?
Be seeing you,
Saxmania