SBL Notebook, Week 9

While the bottom continues to fall out of the NL, there are rumblings at the top of the AL, where a closer-than-expected race is developing -– closer, actually, than one would have thought possible a week ago (more on that later). Dan’s Cherry Valley Bombers put together a second consecutive 6-0 week to bust out to an 11-game lead in a National division that continues to resemble the 1973 NL East. JP’s Whiteskins went 5-1 to move into second place –- at 25-25. The rest of the division went a collective 4-20 in the third week of interleague play, leaving no team among that less-than-fearsome foursome within even five games of .500. ... Meanwhile in the AL, a statistical malfunction (Brian submitted incorrect numbers for Weeks 7 and 8) led to a review by the commissioner’s office that resulted in the replaying of the BGoff Bammers’ games for those weeks, and four games that had appeared to be Bammers victories wound up being losses. This explains why Brian’s AL lead, which was 10 games in the Week 8 report sent out seven days ago, is now five games after he went 3-3 to the runner-up Paulo’s Zero’s 4-2 in Week 9. Four NL teams picked up victories as a result of the replays – Derek's Derelicts and Gregg's Inmates in Week 7, Damian's DamU and Vic's Westerlies in Week 8. It also means that the CV Bombers have caught the Bammers for Best Record in Ball; both are now 39-17. Corrected versions of Weeks 7 and 8 will be distributed when we get the time to do it. ... Now, back to our regularly scheduled notebook. It was another week of mundane offense, a strange occurrence as we get into June and the weather warms. No team posted more than 35 runs or 38 RBIs; only three teams made it to double digits in homers; nine of the 12 teams failed to reach 30 in TBs, with only a freakish 53 by Andy’s Badgers breaking out of the downward curve. It’s a familiar litany by now. Ah, but the pitching this week was magnificent, with four sub-2.00 ERAs and two more under 3.00. The Zero’s allowed 6 earned runs in 38.2 IP for a sterling 1.40 and didn’t even come close to posting the week’s best ERA. That distinction went to the Bombers, who checked in at 0.58 –- 2 ER in 31 IP. Geez, how do you compete with that? ... The AL won the third week of interleague skirmishing, 21-15. But no, that doesn’t make it three straight winning weeks for the Americans; the replayed games turned last week’s apparent 19-17 AL verdict into an NL triumph, by the same count.