SBL Notebook, Week 23

Close action was the order of the day, or week, with several Week 23 games decided by the narrowest of statistical margins, others by the narrowest of scores. Five games went to tiebreakers, involving seven teams. There were nine 6-5 scores and six 6.5-4.5 results, and let’s see, that makes 20 games, out of 36, that we’d describe as coulda-gone-either-way close. What isn’t close – not even – is the competition in the two division races, which are basically done deals at this point. Paulo’s Zero’s went 6-0 to improve the best record in ball to 97-46 and their American division lead to 12 games over the BGoff Bammers, with 19 to play. Dan’s Cherry Valley Bombers actually lost a game off their NL lead but are still up by 16, meaning their coronation probably will be delayed by only one more week. NL runners-up JP’s Whiteskins managed to stave off elimination with a 4-2 week, but with the division flag well out of reach, they need to be more concerned with the rearguard action being mounted by Vic’s Godfathers, whose 5-1 performance pulled them within two games of the NL wild-card spot. The No. 2 spot in the AL also remains in play, with Mikee’s Moaners, Andy’s Badgers and Dennis’ Periodically Productive Pontiffs bunched up five, seven and eight games behind the Bammers, respectively. . . . Amid all these close games, the week’s Skin Of The Teeth award would go to the Zero’s, who avoided a tiebreaker with the Badgers by dint of an ultra-slim .8399-to-.8391 edge in K-ratio. But the week’s Hard Luck award goes not to the Badgers, who still went 4-2, but to the CV Bombers, whose 3-3 ledger featured two tiebreaker losses and a 6-5 defeat.