SBL Notebook, Week 24

Congrats, of a somewhat muted variety, are due Dan’s Cherry Valley Bombers, who wrapped up the National division pennant this week, albeit in unceremonious fashion. The CVBs did not exactly storm the gates in securing their second NL flag in the last three years (and third in the last five, and fourth in the last seven); in fact they turned in their puniest offensive performance of the year and lurched into the postseason on the vapors of a 1-5 week. But second-place JP’s Whiteskins could do no better than 2-4, leaving them 15 games behind with 13 to play, so that’s that, and the Bombers can start resting up for the playoffs. Who the NL’s other postseason representative will be remains very much up in the air, with the ’Skins now only one game ahead of third-place Vic’s Godfathers heading into the last two weeks. There was also a slight tightening sensation in the American division races, with the BGoff Bammers now within nine games of the pacesetting Paulo’s Zero’s – after the Z’s stumbled to a 1-5 week, their first losing ledger in nearly two months – but only four games ahead of the onrushing Andy’s Badgers, who put a serious whupping on everyone in their path in a 6-0 week that featured victories by scores of 11-0, 10-1, 10-1, 9-2, 9-2 and 8.5-2.5. The Badgers, who rolled up 42 runs, 42 TBs and a .415 OBP, were the glaring exception during a week in which offense, in general, made a giant sucking sound as it imploded and collapsed in on itself like a white dwarf (that’s a dying star, not a Caucasian little person). There were no double-figure home-run totals, and the league high in RBIs was . . . 32? True story. Two teams, the Bombers and Bristow’s Batfaced Barristers, couldn’t even make it to 20 ribbies. And other than the Badgers, no one had more than 33 runs or 34 TBs. The late-season blahs seem to have hit baseball and, by extension, the SBL.