Thursday, May 28, 2009

SBL Notebook, Week 7

We can't say there's a new sheriff in town -- in fact, two of our most usual suspects continue to lead the division races by comfortable margins -- but there is a new judge. That would be Hizzoner David T. (no, Treksters, it does not stand for Tiberius, as far as we know) Bristow, owner of the Bat-Faced Girls (that's from a Paul Simon song, for our younger viewers on whom the reference is lost), who at this moment just happen to be the hottest team in ball. Powered by Mauer (Joe, the Twins catcher who has been a one-man wrecking crew since he came off the DL at the start of this month), the BFGs have put together back-to-back 6-0 weeks to surge into third place and, at 25-19, are just two games out the No. 2 playoff spot in the American division, which qualifies as one of the infrequent high-water marks for this long-downtrodden franchise. Their latest unbeaten week wasn't exactly a masterpiece -- three 6-5 squeakers, one tiebreaker win and a 6.5-4.5 victory -- but winning the close ones is an attribute that has long eluded the Batfaces, so that's an encouraging sign, too. Another frequent second-division dweller, Dennis' Puny Pontiffs, continued their impressive recovery from a 1-18 start, riding their overpowering pitching (Justin Verlander? When did that guy relocate the strike zone?) to a 5-1 week. The Vatican City Madmen are 19-6 the last four weeks, the best record in ball over that stretch for any team not named the BGoff Bammers. Speaking of which, the Bams churned out another routine 5-1 week that, combined with a 1-5 toe-stub by AL runners-up Paulo's Zero's, caused their lead to balloon to a corpulent 10 games. Uh-oh. . . . The National division race tightened, just a little, as Dan's Cherry Valley Bombers, finally feeling the effects of their DL/suspended list issues on offense and suffering an unusually bad pitching week, went 0-6. Fortunately for the CVBs, they reside in the SBL equivalent of the NL West, with their division's other five entries all scuffling along below the .500 mark. Thus, the Bombers lost only two games off their lead, still a reasonably comfy six games.

Week 7 standings

AMERICAN.........W...L...PCT...GB
Brian................37...7...841...--
Paul.................27..17...614...10
David...............25..19...568...12
Dennis..............20..24...455...17
Andy................18..26...409...19
Mike................17..27...386...20
NATIONAL.........W...L...PCT...GB
Dan................27...17...614...--
JP..................21...23...477....6
Vic.................20...24...455....7
Derek..............20...24...455....7
Damian............20...24...455...7
Gregg..............12...32...273...15

Moaners trade Hanley to Zero's in 8-player deal

Mikee's Moaners gave up on Hanley Ramirez, trading him to Paulo’s Zero’s in what amounted to an eight-player trade

To the Zero’s: SS Hanley Ramirez, OFs Lance Nix and Xavier Nady, and SP Ricky Nolasco

To the Moaners: SS Marco Scutaro, OFs Curtis Granderson and Vernon Wells, and SP Ubaldo Jimenez

Friday, May 22, 2009

SBL Notebook, Week 6

There's some kind of magic happening out in the wilds of Cherry Valley, where Dan's CV Bombers keep losing players but winning games and influencing the National division race in a big way. The Bombers seemed primed for a fall in Week 6, having lost four of their top hitters (Manny Ramirez, Aramis Ramirez, Kevin Youkilis and Jorge Posada) to injuries and (in Manny's case) idiocy. And the CVBs' offense did crater predictably with three of their top four draft picks on the shelf, producing a mere five home runs, 24 TB, 26 runs and 31 RBIs. But, as good teams do, they found another way to win, with excellent pitching (1.93 ERA, 1.07 BR, 2-0 WL, 4 SVs) taking up enough slack to carry them to a 4-2 week that added two games to their burgeoning NL lead, now a cushy eight games. It hasn't hurt the Bombers' cause to be playing in a division in which none of the other teams has been able to put together back-to-back winning weeks, and none is currently over .500. Poster children for the bipolar brigade among NL also-rans are Derek's Derelicts, whose 0-6 ledger this week gave them a 1-18 record in even-numbered weeks, to go with a glossy 16-3 combined mark in weeks 1, 3 and 5. The Double-Ds have somehow gotten locked onto the same wavelength as Mikee's Schizoid Moaners, who are 15-4 in odd-numbered weeks but have flat-lined to the tune of 0-19 in the evens. Their latest 0-6 -- a global thermonuclear meltdown in which only one of the games was closer than 9-2 -- plopped them into the cellar, whose welcoming bosom now embraces both 2008 division champions, the Patton Inmates having occupied the NL basement for three weeks now. The 'Mates, at a dismal 9-29, are already 18 games off the Bombers' pace, while the 15-23 Chronic Complainers trail the AL-leading BGoff Bammers by 17. Looks like both the M's and the I's could be active sellers at the trade deadline, eh? . . . Four weeks of strict interleague play begin with Week 7. Might be time for the NL to step it up to another level, as the AL holds a commanding 33-15 edge in the 48 cross-divisional games contested thus far. . . . We apologize for our tardiness in distributing Week 6 results; the commissioner's home office is undergoing a semi-extreme makeover -- new floors, new kitchen, fresh paint -- rendering the living-room computer inaccessible and the fumes in the room too toxic to work there anyway. We are currently burning the midnight oil here on the computer in Mrs. Commissioner's office in beautiful downtown Redlands. Next week, hopefully, everything will be back to normal.

Week 6 standings

AMERICAN.........W....L...PCT...GB
Brian...............32....6...842...--
Paul.................26...12...684....6
David...............19...19...500...13
Andy................16...22...421...16
Dennis..............15...23...395...17
Mike................15...23...395...17
NATIONAL.........W....L...PCT...GB
Dan.................27...11...684...--
Damian.............19...19...500....8
JP...................18...20...474....9
Derek...............17...21...447...10
Vic..................15...23...395...12
Gregg................9...29...237...18

Free agent draft No. 3

1. Gregg: takes 2B Callaspo, Ellis to DL
2. Vic: takes RP Soriano, drops Lyon; taxi: Lackey up, Maine down
3. Dennis: takes RP CWilson, drops Delcarmen
4. David: takes 1B NJohnson, drops AdLaRoche
5. Andy: takes SP Cecil, drops Gallagher
6. Damian: takes 2B Iwamura, drops Fontenot
7. Mike: takes OF Nix, Thames to DL
8. JP: takes SP EJackson, drops Shields
9. Derek: takes OF Willingham, drops Wigginton
10. Dan: takes 3B Hall, ARamirez to DL
11. Paul: takes SP UJimenez, drops Arroyo; taxi: Jimenez up, RJohnson down
12. Brian: takes SP Shields, drops Zimmerman

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Week 5 standings

AMERICAN...............W....L...PCT...GB
Brian.....................27....5...844....--
Paul......................23....9...719.....4
Mike.....................15...17...469....12
Andy.....................14...18...438....13
David....................13...19...406....14
Dennis...................11...21...344....16
NATIONAL................W....L...PCT...GB
Dan........................23....9...719....--
Derek.....................17...15...531.....6
JP.........................16...16...500.....7
Damian...................14...18...438.....9
Vic.........................11...21...344....12
Gregg......................8...24...250....15

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Week 4 standings

AMERICAN......W...L..PCT..GB
Brian............20...5..800..--
Paul.............18...7..720...2
Andy............12..13..480...8
Mike............11..14..440...9
David...........10..15..400..10
Dennis...........6..19..240..14
NATIONAL......W...L..PCT..GB
Dan.............19...6..760..--
JP...............15..10..600...4
Damian.........11..14..440...8
Derek...........11..14..440...8
Vic................9..16..360..10
Gregg............8..17..320..11

Monday, May 4, 2009

Free agent draft No. 2

Here are the results from the May 3, 2009 free agent draft:

Pre-draft move: Paul releases SS Guzman

1. Dennis: C Saltalamacchia, Doumit to DL
2. Vic: 3B Inge, Encarnarion to DL
3. Gregg: SP Richmond, drop Pelfry; Richmond in rotation
4. David: OF CRoss, drop Gomez; Webb/Sonnestine down, Wolf/Baker up
5. Damian: RP Aardsma, drop Rauch
6. Andy: SS Guzman, drop Hairston
7. JP: OF Bourn, drop DYoung
8. Mike: 1B Branyan, Hafner to DL
9. Derek: RP Hawkins, Kuo to DL
10. Paul: SP Hughes, Kuroda to DL; Weaver up, Hughes to Taxi
11. Dan: RP Baez, drop Wheeler
12. BGoff: RP Zumaya, drop Dotel; Millwood up, Carpenter down