SBL Notebook, Week 3

There’s something happening here (in the National division) . . . What it is ain’t exactly clear (because, while it’s way too early to draw any conclusions, the NL race is looking like a four-team free-for-all) . . . So, let’s throw it out there (for what it’s worth)—could this finally be the year when the SBL balance of power shifts toward the senior circuit? We posed essentially the same question around this time last season, and the answer turned out to be no – the NL would finish with only one winning team, and an AL team won the championship for the sixth straight year. So take this with however many grains of salt you choose, but at the moment the NL, although it may not have the best team, certainly appears to have more good ones. The division has already had four different leaders in three weeks, with the Derelicts taking their turn atop the heap this week thanks to a nice 6-0 run. The top four teams are separated by only two games (though again, it’s way early), with records of 13-6, 12-7, 12-7 and 11-8, and all have virtues any SBL team would covet, assets that should hold them in good stead for the long term. (For details, consult your rosters.) Contrast this with the American division, which appears to have quickly devolved into a two-team affair -- the Bammers, off to a blistering 18-1 start, and the Badgers, hanging tough at four games back on the strength of the most dominant week the league has seen so far this young season. The rest of the division is made up of four losing teams already staring at double-digit deficits. . . . The Badgers simply were not going to be beaten this week, posting league bests in six categories—runs (39), TB (42), HR (12), RBI (39) WL (4-0) and saves (6), plus the second-best ERA (2.32) and SB total (8). The closest game in their 6-0 onslaught was an 8-3 win over the Bammers. Speaking of the Bams, they were nothing special, at least by the standards they established the first two weeks, but still eased to a 5-1 mark mainly because no one among the Bottom Four in the division appears capable giving them a game right now. . . . The Derelicts’ 6-0 week was considerably more dicey than the Badgers, featuring two 6-5 wins and another by 6.5-4.5. But a league-leading ERA (2.27) and BR stat (1.07) combined with just enough offense (38 BI, 37 TB) carried them through. Also worthy of mention are the Godfathers, who have soldiered on impressively despite devastating injuries to their top two draft picks (Evan Longoria, Josh Hamilton, both on the DL). Deprived of their primary power sources, the G-Daddies managed only 4 HRs and 21 RBI this week. But, ever resourceful, they found other ways to win, going 5-1 by getting on base (league-best .386 OBP), taking the extra base (33 TB), stealing any bag not nailed down (15 SBs!) and, not coincidentally, scoring lots of runs (37). They also pitched pretty well—2.98 ERA, 1.13 BR, league-leading .99 K-rate. The ’Daddies are 12-7, tied with the Patton Inmates, one game behind the ’Licts, one ahead of DamianUnited -- and who knows what the NL standings will look like next week? With four good-looking teams, this could go on all season. Or not.(How’s that for hedging our bets?). . . . Tough-luck award of the week goes to DamU, losers of what had to be the closest tiebreaker in SBL history—155.4 to 155.3, against the Batfaced Barristers.