SBL Notebook, Week 1

Opening Week 2010 was a power-to-the-proletariat deal, with last year's unwashed masses enjoying a week in the sun while our two defending champions were driven underground, if not into it. Paulo's Zero's went from winning the whole shebang in October to an 0-6 stagger-out-of-the-gate in April, and Dan's Cherry Valley Bombers, last year's National division titlists, could manage only a 2-4 start, with one of the victories an ultra-tight 6-5 squeaker over the Z's. Meanwhile, Andy's Badgers, who ended last season on an 18-1 tear that lifted them into the AL wild-card spot and, ultimately, a highly competitive SBL Series that the Zero's won 14-12, extended their hot streak to the start of the new season, riding robust offense (10 HR, 43 RBIs, 37 TB, .397 OBP) and solid pitching (1.03 BR, 3.30 ERA, 6 saves) to the week's only 6-0 ledger. Also faring well were Mikee's Moaners and DamianUnited (both 5-1) and The Patton Inmates and Derek's . . . um, Team Formerly Known As The Itch Doctors Whose Current Name, I Am Embarrassed To Report, Escapes Me At The Moment, both of whom went 4-2. Those clubs finished fourth, fifth, fourth and sixth, respectively, in their divisions in '09. . . . Good offense is often at a premium in April, but not this year, as several teams posted numbers that were pretty damn impressive for a Week 1 -- perhaps at least partly attributable to weather that must've been pretty mild, judging by the near-total absence of rainouts. Four teams reached double digits in homers, three got into the 40s in RBIs, half the league had 36 or more runs, and eight teams reached the 30s in TB -- numbers you don't often see in the cold-weather weeks. But, with much of that offense apparently spread around fairly evenly, SBL success ended up being largely dependent on pitching well -- four of the five winning records were posted by teams whose ERAs ranged from 2.38 to 3.30, and the fifth winning team checked in with a decent 3.70. Those five teams accounted for 24 of the 36 wins on offer. On the flip side, the teams with the three worst ERAs went a combined 2-16.