Blog Updates

I will be fucking with the layout of this thing so if you browse here and it looks odd, sorry about that. Good luck to all the LCS participants, except for Norfolk!

If you dont like anything, let me know.

Makowiak pitches a gem for Pawtucket in game 5 victory

PAWTUCKET R.I. (AP) – Henry Mackowiak only had to shut down the Texas offense for six innings. A four-run Pawtucket inning and some great bullpen pitching finished the rest.

The Polythene advanced to the NLCS for the third year in a row with a 5-1 win in the deciding game 5 of the NLDS. They will take on division rival Norfolk next, and attempt to reach the World Series for the first time in team history.

“We are happy to be back, but we’re not done yet,” Mackowiak said after allowing one run in six innings to earn the win. “Obviously we have much higher goals. But right now I’m just going to sink it in and prepare for Norfolk in the morning.”

Mackowiak left the game after allowing just three hits in six innings with the game tied at 1-1. He had allowed a home run in the sixth inning to Tito Abbot, which allowed the Tittyballs to tie the game up.

But Pawtucket would do its damage with a four-run inning in the bottom of the sixth. After a Geoff Hunter walk, Victor Martin had a base hit extended into a double on a rare error from left fielder Eugene Ryan. It was an uncharacteristic error by Ryan who had only three all season.

“I just let my eye get off the ball,” said the 36-year old Ryan, who may have been playing in the last game of his 12-year Major League career. “It was a simple mistake which could not have come at a worse time.”

Hunter and Martin would both score when the next batter, Al Service hit them in with a hit back to Ryan in left center field. Service would score, along with Louis Saunders, when Sal Walker hit a single to right field four batters later, with two outs. Saunders also scored the Polythene’s first
run in the third inning.

“We are a team that prides itself on small ball,” Pawtucket hitting coach Theo Woodward said. “It’s been our staple all year, and we knew we were going to have to make it work in this game. The heroics by Al and Sal are ones that our fans will hopefully not forget.”

Joe Smith came in for Pawtucket and pitched two innings of relief, allowing two hits in the eighth inning. Darryl Richardson got the first two outs of the ninth inning but after he walked Sean O’Toole to put men on first and second closer Frank Harris was put in to get the save. Harris struck out Frank Ogawa on three straight pitches to secure the win.

“(Bullpen coach) Tito (Kydd) told me to finish the job as fast as I could,” Harris said. “After I got the first two (strikes), I decided to try and make him swing for something outside the zone. And it worked.”

Mackowiak was named the game MVP. He had started in Game 3, did not allow a single run in six innings, but Pawtucket still lost 6-3.

“I’ll be ready whenever my team needs me,” Mackowiak said. “You have to be come playoff time. If I were told I needed to pitch tomorrow, I would happily agree.”

Who Will it Be?

About a half hour shy of noon here in NYC, as we anxiously await the final sim between Texas and Pawtucket. The winner gets the chance to take on yours truly in the NLCS. Either match-up should be fun: Texas-Norfolk would be a hell of an offensive battle, while a series against Pawtucket would be what I personally want -- anytime you can go head to head against a friend of 8 years, against a friend who's responsible for you being here because he wouldn't shut up about how great this league is during a ride into Red Bank, NJ one night, it can be special. I think Pawtucket ends up winning a back-and-forth contest. Good luck to both you guys.

Quick note on the conclusion of the other NLDS. Don't you sometimes wish we could watch these games in real-time? A first-inning Devon Decker HR, and that's all she wrote. Willie Tapies allows just three more hits over the next seven innings. Phil Lyon throws the game of his life, scattering 4 hits over 9 IP. That would have been a hell of a game to watch with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver on mute.

San Antonio Border Jumpers ( 80 - 82 ) Season 5 Outlook

Owner: kalikgod
Finished 2nd in the AL South, 10.0 Games Back
AAA: 67-77 (2nd)
AA: 104-40 (1st)
HiA: 89-55 (1st)
LoA: 105-39 (1st)
Rookie: 54-22 (1st)

The Border Jumpers have the best farm system in all the land. There is no doubt that they can start competing next year, and will only prove to be stronger for at least the next 4 years. The potential of their farm system makes Kansas City look like Cleveland.

Low Minor League Players to Watch
Chico Rodriguez - 22 yo - C - Lefty
Rookie - .383 AVG, .480 OBP, 1.114 OPS, 13 HR, 65 RBI, Thrown Out 41% of Runners
Round 1 (#3) in Season 4
Shows a great eye facing right handed batters with tremendous contact. Good arm strength with slightly above average game management. Shows tremendous potential but could have injury troubles down the line.

Bonk Stuart - 22 yo - 3B - righty
AA - .338 AVG, .424 OBP, 1.209 OPS, 68 HR, 216 RBI
Round 1 (#10) in Season 1
Probably the best power hitting 3B in all the Minor Leagues. Shows equal ability versus both lefties and righties. Unlike most power hitters, he is not a liability in the field and can play all the corners, both infield and outfield.

Alex Olmeda - 23 yo - SP - Righty
AA - 29 GS, 17-2, 204.0 IP, 192 K, .238 OAV, 3.31 ERA
Round 1 (#1) in Season 3
With the possibility to develop 4 above average pitches with tremendous velocity, he shows the most potential in the farm system. Terrific splits versus both left handed batters as well as right handed batters. Stamina should make him good for 30+ starts for years.

Kevin Nakano - 21 yo - RP - Lefty
AA - 44 G, 7-2, 10 SV, 96.1 IP, 95 K, .218 OAV, 2.52 ERA
International Free Agent in Season 1, Aquired via Trade
Shows the potential to be a Major League Closer winning two inning save capabilities. Can make an impact in Season 5 or continue to develop. 3 pitches makes him a hot commodity.

AAA Players to Watch
Sam Gonzales - 23 yo - CF - Lefty
AAA - 135 G, .322 AVG, .466 OBP, 27 HR, 124 RBI, 141 R, 18 SB
Acquired via Trade in Season 1
Has the ability to be a 25/25 guy in the Majors. Terrific batters eye could keep his OBP above .400 for his career, even if his AVG doesn't peak. With some more time he will become a solid fielder.

Domingo Gonzales - 21 yo - C/DH - Lefty
AAA - 121 G, .322 AVG, .429 OBP, 33 HR, 116 RBI, 115 R.
International Free Agent in Season 1, Acquired via Trade
Probably projects more as a DH than catcher, but will be able to catch in a pinch, The combination of his terrific eye and his great power could make him solid in the middle of any ML lineup.

Scott Whiten - 25 yo - RP - Lefty
AAA - 76 G, 2-5, 7 SV, 119.2 IP, 96 K, .257 OAV, 5.49 ERA
Acquired via Trade
Has incredible velocity without sacrificing control. Only having two pitches could hurt his overall potential but could be used for a needed strikeout.

Young ML Impact Players
Ricardo Diaz - 23 yo - 2B - Righty
ML - 146 G, .262 AVG, .364 OBP, 26 HR, 69 RBI, 97 R, .985 Fileding %
Acquired via Trade
Can play either middle infield position without being a liability. He probably will be entrenched in a #2 or #3 spot in the lineup for a while. In 2nd year of 4 year/$36 million deal.

Dude Johnson - 24 yo - SP - Lefty
ML - 33 GS, 17-9, 187.2 IP, 135 K, .254 OAV, 4.56 ERA
Was promoted to the Majors too early in his career that may have stunted his growth. After 2 years in AAA he has proven to be a reliable starter. Three above average pitches coupled with good stamina will lead to great longevity.

ML Veterans
Vin Washington - 27 yo - SP - Lefty
ML - 22 GS, 5-10, 124.1 IP, .247 OAV, 4.13 ERA
Acquired via Trade
His 3 pitches prove to be his downfall as he lacks that one dominating pitch. His terrific control and stamina will make for him to have a spot in the rotation or bullpen on almost any team. Arbitration Eligible.

Max Cortes - 29 yo - SS - Righty
ML - 153 G, .299 AVG, .375 OBP, 5 HR, 37 RBI, .984 Fielding %
Above average fielder that could win a Gold Glove or two when his career is over. Much better batter against lefties but hits righties well too. Arbitration Eligible.

St. Louis Birdnals ( 61 - 101 ) Season 5 Outlook

I will do one of these a day (if people might actually like these)...

Owner: irishfury
Finished 4th in the NL North, 38.0 Games Back
AAA: 62-82 (3rd)
AA: 80-64 (1st)
HiA: 81-63 (2nd)
LoA: 85-59 (1st)
Rookie: 31-45 (3rd)


Minor League Position Players to Watch
Todd Sadler - 22 yo - LF/1B - Righty
LoA/HiA - .352 AVG, .457 OBP, 1.266 OPS, 54 HR, 173 RBI
3rd Round (#95) in Season 2, Beaver County Community College
Tremendous power, specifically against lefties

Nelson Lennon - 23 yo - CF - Lefty
LoA - 356 AB, .376 AVG, .456 OBP, 107 runs, 17 SB
1st Round (#13) in Season 3
Great speed, future leadoff, some injury concerns (7-day DL 3 times)

Minor League Pitchers to Watch
Elston Howell - 24 yo - SP - Lefty
HiA - 17-8, 4.71 ERA, 177 K
2nd Round (#63) in Season 2
Knuckleballer, control issues

Richard Curtis - 24 yo - SP - Righty
AA/AAA - 22 GS, 4 CG, 10-9, 154.2 IP, .226 OAV, 3.67 ERA
1st Round (#21) in Season 1
3 pitches and none stand out, injury issues (elbow problems)

ML Veterans
Craig Kashmir - 30 yo - SP - Lefty
ML Career - 157 G, 64 GS, 30-28, 507.0 IP, .270 OAV, 4.44 ERA
2nd Year of 3 year / $15.9mil (team option for 4th)
Proven starter and bullpen arm , solid fastball

Gregg Mabry - 27 yo - SS - Righty
ML Career - 584 G, .272 AVG, 95 HR, 343 RBI, 52 SB
Arbitration eligible ($1.6mil Last Year)
Back to back Gold Gloves, Season 4 All-Star

Peter Hayashi - 29 yo - RF - Lefty
ML Career - 573 G, .298 AVG, 43 HR, 253 RBI, 350 R, 123 SB
2nd Year of 3 year / $15.4mil (team option for 4th)
Leadoff, kills righties

Young ML Impact Players
Andre Holt - 25 yo - SP - Righty
ML Career - 32 GS, 4 CG, 10-9, 215.0 IP, 153 K, 3.89 ERA
Rookie of the Year candidate, nasty Sinker, tremendous stamina

Turk McNeil - 23 yo - 2B - Righty
ML Career - 517 AB, .255 AVG, .322 OBP, 14 HR, 73 RBI, 16 SB
Season 3 AAA - .327 AVG, .385 OBP, 28 HR, 141 RBI, 110 R, 16 SB
Can play virtually anywhere, good contacthitter versus both righties and lefties

Christopher Ramirez again?

In a surprise middle of the night announcement, Pawtucket GM Kevin Sharkey has said that Christopher Ramirez (game 1 winner) will get the game 3 start.

"It's not that I don't think Henry Mackowiak can get the job done. He's going to win the Cy Young this year, he's more than capable. Doing this allows me to pitch Mackowiak in game 4, and if we get to a game 5, it allows me to pitch Chris Ramirez again," he told reporters.

Obviously Sharkey has grown tired of Stan Jenner's (also on this season's Cy Young ballot) continued postseason shortcomings. The 26 year old pitcher from California has a 54-39 record with a 3.45 ERA in 130 career regular season starts. But, in 6 playoff appearances he's 0-3 with a 7.30 ERA.

Asked if this decision would affect his pitching staff for the NLCS, Sharkey remarked that he "just wants to get through these three games, and then hopefully that's a probably I'll have to deal with."

LDS Game One Recaps (PM Sim)

#4 Charleston @ #1 Kansas City

Nothing too surprising in Game 1 of this series as Kansas City takes the game 7-3 at home. Probable AL Cy Young winner Dennys Shin goes the distance, giving up 3 earned runs and striking out 5 batters for the complete game victory. Roger Mottola of Kansas City went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Charleston's Matt Henry went 6 and 1/3 innings, surrendering 4 runs in a losing effort. (Series 1-0 Kansas City)

#3 Louisville @ #2 Fargo

Fargo takes an early series lead after putting up 5 runs in the 8th inning to cruise to an 11-1 victory. All nine starters for Fargo reached base and Ricardo Velazquez threw a complete game, striking out 7. Steve Widger went 2 for 4 with a solo homer for Louisville. (Series 1-0 Fargo)

#4 Texas @ #1 Pawtucket

Pawtucket scored 4 runs in the 4th inning and relied on solid pitching from Chis Ramirez (7 IP, 3 ER, 8 K) to take the victory 4-3. The 4 run inning was capped by Gerald Williams 2 run homer which proved to be the difference maker. MVP Hopeful for Texas, Billy Hernandez, lined out with two runners on with 2 outs in the top of the 9th inning. (Series 1-0 Pawtucket)

#6 Norfolk @ #2 Rochester

Norfolk takes the first game of the series 8-3 after superb production from the bottom of their lineup. The 7-8-9 hitters knocked in a combined 7 runs and Bernard Jamison struck out 8 batters and threw the 3rd complete game victory of the day. Luther Hammond went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI for Rochester. (Series 1-0 Norfolk)

Charleston vs. Kansas City

Kansas City begins their quest for a third title in four seasons today as they open up their series by hosting Charleston. Everyone knows the Shuffle have a roster filled with stars, but I'd like to give credit to a couple of unsung heroes.
Shortstop Albie Lopez won his second consecutive Gold Glove this season and has committed just six errors in the past two seasons. At the young age of 26, Lopez is showing no signs of slowing down.
Few catchers in the league can handle a staff the way Justin Fyhrie can. Acquired by the Shuffle via the waiver wire (if you can believe that) in season 1, this former Gold Glove catcher has played a huge role in the Shuffle being home to the past two, going on three, Cy Young award winners. The Shuffle staff posted a 3.79 ERA with Fyhrie behind the plate this season and his 35% caught stealing percentage ranked 3rd in the AL. Despite having lackluster ratings as a hitter, Fyhrie finished 6th in RBI amongst all ML catchers.
The Shuffle are indeed the favorite to make the World Series but baseball is a funny game. Never forget the Iowa City team that crushed them in Season 2. Good luck Charleston, should be fun.

Part IIII, er i mean IV a.k.a. The Conclution

Kansas City vs. Charleston

Projected Pitching match-ups

Game 1: Dennys Shin (26-3, 2.74 ERA) vs. Matt Henry (13-14, 4.53 ERA)
Game 2: Rob Aldridge (17-4, 3.40 ERA) vs. Torey Burks (17-7, 4.07 ERA)
Game 3: Chad Jones (18-9, 4.70 ERA) vs. Max Seguignol (7-6, 4.89 ERA)
Game 4: Paul Cooper (16-5, 4.26 ERA) vs. Braden Maxwell (7-3, 3.97 ERA)
Game 5: Orlando Javier (15-10, 3.64 ERA) vs. Henry

Kansas City will win if: They show up. The Shuffle bring in four Cy Young candidates and thee MVP candidates. Every time you think Kansas City can’t get any better, they make a move that put them even further ahead of the field. Hence 422 wins over four seasons.

Charleston will win if: They put a bunch of goons in the lineup and take out all of Kansas City star players to pave the way for the Rebels starters through the rest of the series. And even that might not be enough. There are not many people outside of Charleston that believe the Rebels can pull this one off.

Intangibles: Kansas City has won 70% of its playoff games since the world began.

Prediction: If Charleston wins this one it would be a huge upset. I’m talking Miracle on Ice big. Fortunately for the Shuffle, Mike Eruzione is not on the Rebels’ roster. Kansas City in three.

Norfolk: Keys to Victory

What must the Nomads do to knock off Rochester in the NLDS? The easy answer: everything we did during the regular season. With an 8-2 record against RRR, including a somewhat season-turning 4-game sweep on the road, we won games in pretty much every way imaginable, as John mentioned in his post. But we'll need to focus on a few key areas:

1. Start Raking: I never would've believed that we would able to advance to the next round in 4 games with only two batters hitting above .250. While my pitching has improved over the season, it's still erratic, so my offense has to carry a good amount of the weight. Getting the Decker/Becker combo on track is essential. RRR is too talented to beat with just 3-4 runs per game. Corey Franco once again quietly had another all-around effective season, and he needs to get on base in front of those bashers. Wes Robertson has been a disappointment in his sophomore year, but I have a sneaking suspicion he'll come up big in this series.

2. Work the Count: Rochester's staff doesn't walk many batters, being 4th in the world in fewest walks given up while also 3rd in the world in opponents' OBP. Couple RRR's control with my team's free-swinging attitude, and it could be trouble for me. It's imperative that my boys remain selective and try to wear down the Rochester pitchers. I'm not a believer in their bullpen; getting to them early could give me an advantage.

3. The Tapies/Jamison Match-up: Both these guys were major midseason acquisitions for their respective staffs. Interesting backstory for those who might not be aware: Rochester beat out my offer for Tapies, after what seemed like months of negotiations, and also beat out my offer for Tim Christiansen, a move that seems to not have worked out so well for RRR, as he pitched to the tune of a 5.01 ERA in a Rochester uni, resulting in his being a bullpen arm now. Both of these trades are what pushed me to acquire Bernard Jamison, whose 3.48 ERA as a Nomad was a big piece of my playoff push. Winning Game 1 is always important, but a dominant effort by either of these aces will set the stage for one team to rise quickly.

Best of luck to Rochester.

Noteworthy games to remember in Season 4

As the Major League Playoffs start to heat up, let's take a look back at some of the noteworthy games and performances of Season 4...

Though a few pitchers came close to throwing a no-hitter, 25 year old Alvin Brown of the Cheyenne ChilliPeppers was the only one to complete the no-no giving up just 2 walks in a 19-0 blowout over Charlotte. Alvin started just 11 games posting a 5-4 record for the big league club as he split time down in AAA but he'll never be forgotten in the record books.

In an incredible display of power, Shane Morton of the Houston Aggies used his 91 power rating to belt 4 home runs in a win over Atlanta. Shane went on to hit 40 round-trippers on the season, improving upon his career high of 36 set just last year. At just 25 years old and making the league minimum, Houston managment is hoping for continued improvement from Mr. Morton who doesn't make contact all that often but hits it a mile when he does connect.

Another offensive explosion occured in St. Louis where the visiting Texas Tittyballs got 10 RBIs - not from MVP candidate Billy Hernandez - but from 36 year old Eugene Ryan in a 17-3 win over the Birdnals. It was a career day for the aging slugger, making many fans in Texas recall his 56 homerun 162 RBI season 1 when he was an All-Star and the Silver Slugger LF for the National League.

4 players showed their versatility in season 4 as they hit for the cycle - showing they could hit for power in addition to scooting around the bases for the elusive triple. John Yosida of Scranton, Antone Robbins of Colorado Springs, Rey Latham of San Antonio and Tito Abbott of Texas all accomplished the rare feat this year.

Don't forget these performances as new ones are created in the race for the World Series title!

New HBD Updates: The Nicolas Bryant Clause

Due to new updates, Nicolas Bryant may actually be caught stealing. From the HDB forums comes this update, possibly pushed through legislation by the Charleston Rebels in order to slow down the potent Kansas City offense. The update is as follows:

First, we made some adjustments to the logic that determines stolen base success rates for individual players. The players at the upper end were being successful too often (upwards of 98% with over 75 attempts!). These upper tier players should come back down to Earth a bit.

It was an overdue update, and shouldn't really hurt the Kansas City offense, but I am sure pvc is none too happy.

Part III: Starting on the AL

Fargo vs. Lousiville

Projected Pitching match-ups

Game 1: Ricardo Velazquez (16-10, 3.65 ERA) vs. Jayson Owen (11-9, 3.78 ERA)
Game 2: Edgard Amaral (14-14, 4.45 ERA) vs. Wilton Mulholland (18-10, 4.10 ERA)
Game 3: Brandon Jefferies (4-3, 5.06 ERA) vs. Buddy Bako (13-14, 5.18 ERA)
Game 4: Joe Petrick (9-9, 4.44 ERA) vs. Cy Patrick (13-11, 4.20)
Game 5: Valazquez vs. Owen

Fargo will win if: Their batters can get the better of Louisville’s pitching. The Freezer Monkeys don’t have that dominating offensive threat that most other teams in the postseason have. Frank Sasaki leads Louisville with 38 home runs, but their strongest offensive player may be Benito Jose (.314, 30 HR 122 RBI). Not exactly the type of numbers that shake an opposing pitching staff.

Louisville will win if: They can continue the postseason magic that seems to have helped them in the Wild Card round against Iowa City. The Freezer Monkeys entered the bottom of the ninth inning in Games 1 and 2 trailing. But a three-run home walk-off shot from Joel Daniels and a pair of walks with the bases loaded lifted Louisville to a 2-0 lead, and then a Bobby Paris grand slam in game 3 helped set the pace for a sweep.

Intangibles: Fargo had some early-season magic of their own at the Freezer Monkeys expense. The Nines took a 3-2 win in the ninth inning in the 12/4 PM2 game, and then a 10 inning 5-3 win two cycles later after Dennis Wolcott hit a walk off two-run shot.

Prediction: Yogi Berra once said “I would rather be lucky than good.” Unfortunately for Louisville they may have used all of their luck up in the first round. Fargo in four.

Coming late tonight: Kansas City vs. Charleston preview (assuming the series doesn’t start in the PM2 cycle)

ALDS Breakdown

Kansas City Shuffle (116-46)
3.72 ERA (2nd in ML)
1030 runs (1st in ML)
Player to watch: Bret Kubenka Arguably the most underrated player in the world. Gets overshadowed due to playing with so many other great stars. Has a career .374 playoff average with 39 runs, 16 HR, and 40 RBI's in 36 career games.

Charleston Rebels (84-78)
4.31 ERA (5th in ML)
782 runs (21st in ML)
Player to watch: Matt Henry The staff ace got shelled by Cheyenne's highpowered offense in game one, and completely shut them down in a deciding game five. Kansas City offensively is far superior to Cheyenne, but Henry held them in check in the regular season. In three starts, Henry was 2-1 with only 3 earned runs allowed in 21 IP.

Series Notes
Regular Season Series: 7-3 Kansas City
Playoff History: n/a
Most intriguing matchup: Nicholas Bryant vs Dustin Walker. Bryant hasn't been thrown out in over 300 SB attempts, regular & postseason. Walker has a hard time throwing anybody out. Will Bryant make the basepaths his personal playground over the course of this series?

Fargo Nines (90-72)
4.72 ERA (t-15th in ML)
918 runs (3rd in ML)
Player to watch: Darin Kingland Flew through the minor leagues the first three seasons with a career .333 average, and now finds himself a prime player on the AL Rookie of the Year ballot. Skeptics will point out his postseason career .209 average in 22 minor league games. Can he put it together in the majors?

Louisville Freezer Monkeys (90-72)
4.54 ERA (10th in ML)
868 runs (8th in ML)
Player to watch: Joel Daniels The defensive whiz of a SS with a .228 career regular season average in 1200 AB absolutely tore it up in Lousville's opening round sweep, to the tune of a .500 average with 4 runs, 3 homers & 8 rbi's in 12 ABs. Can he continue this hot pace against Fargo?

Series Notes
Regular Season Series: 5-5 tie
Playoff history: n/a
Most intriguing matchup: In the American League, bats might win championships, instead of pitching. Both of these teams can hit with the best of them, but which team will catch enough fire to carry them not only through the other, but also possibly over Kansas City's offense?

Predictions Part II: Rochester vs. Norfolk

Rochester vs. Norfolk

Projected Pitching match-ups

Game 1: Willie Tapies (12-6, 3.08 ERA) vs. Bernard Jamison (10-11, 4.36 ERA)
Game 2: Erick Appier (18-4, 3.31 ERA) vs. Elmer Radmanovich (14-10, 3.87 ERA)
Game 3: Max Hernandez (9-9, 3.47 ERA) vs. Ariel Estrada (8-8, 4.21 ERA)
Game 4: Tapies vs. Philip Lyon (9-5, 3.06 ERA)
Game 5: Appier vs. Jamison

Rochester will win if: They can finally figure out how to stop Devon Decker. Decker has really hurt the Raging Rhinos over the 10 games the two teams have played this season. Against Rochester he is batting .394, with 6 HRs and 15 RBIs and .500 in the two teams’ last four game series. Even he does fall, the Nomads have Pat Becker and Corey Franco, both 35 HR guys waiting in the wings. But Decker has been the Nomads offensive machine, accounting for 22% of their home runs, and 16% of their RBIs.

Norfolk will win if: Their mid-season pickups can come up with big outings. Both Jamison and Estrada struggled on their previous team this season before being traded to Norfolk. Their records and ERAs may not look all that scary, but those numbers are from the entire season including before trades. Both players have come into their own since landing on the Virginia coast.

Intangibles: Norfolk has dominated the season this year, but they’ve won nearly every single type of game they could. They’ve won blowouts, high-scoring close games and low-scoring close games. No matter what the Rhinos do, Norfolk always finds a way to one up them.

Prediction: Playoff inexperience almost dooms the Nomads, but like the regular season, they find a way to play just a little better than Rochester. Norfolk in five.

Today's Final Play-in Game

Knotted up at 2 games each, the Cheyenne ChilliPeppers (88-74) travel to Charleston to face the Rebels (84-78) in the final game of the Divisional Play-in Series sometime around 1pm today, give or take 2 hours. This post-season series seems to be a mirror of the regular season where the teams split their 10 games, each winning 5.

For Cheyenne, Jim Standridge (15-12, 4.81ERA) gets the start. He will be facing Matt Henry (13-14, 4.53 ERA) for Charleston. It will be interesting to see which pitcher can step up in this final series as neither pitcher had a stellar start in their first post-season game throwing a combined 10.2 IP with 7 earned runs.

All-star and MVP Candidate Pat Tamura has been tearing the cover off the ball for the ChilliPeppers during the first 4 games of the series. He has 9 hits in 18 at-bats with 2 homeruns and 6 RBIs.

Division Series prediction, Part I

Not trying to steal any thunder or anything, but I’ll take the preview one step further. Since Scranton has been eliminated I can be objective (or at least as objective as I can possibly be) and make my own predictions. I’m going to do the matchups one at a time, hopefully I can get through them all before the series all start.

Pawtucket vs. Texas

Projected Pitching Match-ups

Game 1: Christopher Ramirez (19-7 2.52 ERA) vs. Sal Freeman (13-8, 4.37 ERA)
Game 2: Stan Jenner (16-7, 2.72 ERA) vs. Tony Blowers (11-8, 5.02 ERA)
Game 3: Henry Mackowiak (19-5, 1.96 ERA) vs. Albert Burks (14-6, 4.89 ERA)
Game 4: Ramirez vs. Fernando Estrada (11-8, 4.32 ERA)
Game 5: Jenner vs. Freemann

Pawtucket will win if: Ramirez, Jenner and Mackowaik are Ramirez, Jenner and Mackowaik. An interesting move by Pawtucket showing only three starting pitchers before this series. But if there are any three pitchers you want going for you this time of the year it’s them. All three have sub-three ERA’s. Texas can score runs, but these three have proven they can shut down the best of them.

Texas will win if: Pawtucket’s historic woes against lefties continue. If there is on thing working in Texas’ favor this series, it’s the fact that Freeman and Blowers are both lefties, which has been an Achilles heal for the Polythene throughout the history of the world. This year Pawtucket has a batting average eight points lower against LHP than it does against RHP.

Intangibles: Pawtucket called up a AAA pitcher for the playoffs named Jesus Batista. If South Park has taught me anything, it’s that if you bet against Jesus, more likely than not you are going to lose.

Prediction: One of the Texas lefties will be able to shut down the Polythene bats for one game, but it won’t be enough to trump Pawtucket’s big three. Pawtucket in four.

Coming tomorrow (tentatively): Norfolk vs. Rochester and if I’m feeling ambitious, one of the ALDS series.

NLDS Breakdown

Pawtucket Polythene (105-57)
3.26 ERA (1st in ML)
795 runs (t-17th in ML)
Player to watch: Geoff Hunter Not as high profile as most other hitters, but single-handedly took Pawtucket's O from the basement to respectability in his 100 games with the team. May need to have a huge series to keep up with Texas bats.

Texas Tittyballs (83-79)
5.11 ERA (27th in ML)
993 runs (2nd in ML)
Player to watch: Billy Hernandez Arguably the best young hitter in the world, he had an MVP-like season at only 24 years old, and is already rapidly approaching 200 career Home Runs. Had a quiet (by his standards) opening series with Scranton, collecting only 4 runs, 4 hits & 1 RBI in 10 at bats. May have to lift his entire team on his shoulders in order to get past Pawtucket's pitchers

Series Notes
Regular Season Series: 7-3 Pawtucket
Post-season history: Season 2 NLCS, Texas won 4-0
Most intriguing matchup: Everyone will be watching Pawtucket's pitching take on Texas' bats, but both will have their moments to shine. What will decide this series is Pawtucket's bats vs Texas' pitching - which one will actually have a productive series?

Rochester Raging Rhinos (99-63)
3.83 ERA (4th in ML)
828 runs (t-9th in ML)
Player to watch: Willie Tapies He was acquired midseason to give Rochester a playoff workhorse. After an awful start to the season in Little Rock, he quickly showed his dominance in the NL, propelling Rochester to a first round bye. That earned him a 2 year extension - at age 35. These next few starts will show if it was worth it.

Norfolk Nomads (88-74)
4.33 ERA (6th in ML)
872 runs (6th in ML)
Player to watch: Tony Mesa Had an extremely subpar regular season (.240 average in 600 AB), and then absolutely destroyed Colorado Springs in a 4 game series victory (16 AB, .563 avg, 4 runs, 2 HR, 6 RBI). Which player will show up in the NLDS?

Series Notes
Regular Season Series: 8-2 Norfolk
Postseason History: n/a
Most intriguing matchup: Two teams probably more recognized because of a few key offensive players (Jonathan Cummings, Devon Decker), but more successful because of their pitching staffs (both Top 6 in the majors). Pitching wins championships. It'll be interesting to watch these two completely retooled (in midseason, no less) staffs battle it out over 5 games.


AL Breakdown coming tomorrow...

Welcome to Sharkey's World Blog

Since it's nearly dinner time, and I'm starving, there will be no pertinent information in this post. But as per pvc's suggestion, our league now has it's own blog. I'll try to contribute one or two posts per week to this, and if anyone else has anything they'd like added, please just e-mail me (sharkeyke@gmail.com) and I'll have it posted in a timely fashion.

Also, if you feel you can and/or will write something semi-regularly for the blog, please let me know, and I can add you to the list of author's for this blog, so that you can post directly on here instead of emailing me first.