Tomorrow afternoon some of the more storied franchises in SW History will take the field for a slew of game five's.
All four world series champions, as well as runner ups from two of the world series, are playing for their seasons in the PM cycle.
The defending champion Pawtucket Polythene relied on ace Chris Ramirez (2-0 this series) to tie things up in game 4 tonight, and for the second year in a row will face season 2 world series champion Texas in an NLDS Game 5. The Polythene are looking to go to their 4th straight NLCS, while the Tittyballs, who defeated Pawtucket in the season 2 NLCS, look to get back there for the first time in 3 seasons.
In the other NLCS, regular season champion Rochester looks to win its first ever playoff series when they take the field for game 5 against San Francisco. The Sourdoughs were the NL's first pennant winner in season 1, but have struggled heavily since then. A team aiming on completing its rebuilding in season 6, they find themselves a win away from competing with the season 4 Norfolk franchise as the NL's most unlikely LCS team. A loaded Rhinos team, which has neither the bats of Texas nor the arms of Pawtucket, but overall is arguably more loaded than both teams, stand in their way.
And in the most surprising game five of this years LCS, the Louisville Freezer Monkeys head back to Kansas City to take on the far superior Shuffle in what could be one of the greatest upsets in league history. The Shuffle won their season 1 LDS series 3 games to 2, and since then they've gone an astounding 9-1 in LDS play, being the only team to make it to the final four every year in Sharkey's World history. But the Freezer Monkeys, who suffered their worst season in franchise history (81-81), and have already been eliminated by the Shuffle twice in their history (season 2 & 4), are one win away from shocking the world. History is very much against them, but history has proven time and time again that in 9 short innings, the best team doesn't always win.
Good luck to all teams, and of course to Charleston, who are now officially the biggest Louisville fans outside of Kentucky.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
NLDS Preview: Pawtucket vs. Texas
Here we are, it’s Déjà vu, all over again. For the third time in four years these two teams meet in the postseason. The series is tied 1-1 with each defeating the other on the way to a World Series championship. Will history repeat itself yet again? Only time will tell.
Game 2: Stan Jenner (16-5, 4.38 ERA) vs. Albert Burks (19-6, 3.73 ERA)
Game 3: Charles Randall (15-12, 2.74 ERA) vs. Archie Burke (16-11, 4.02)
Game 4: Ramirez vs. Freeman
Game 5: Jenner vs. Burks
Game 6: Randall vs. Burke
Game 7: Ramirez vs. Freeman
Key Question: How will
Key Match Up: Billy Hernandez vs. Ramirez. Possible Cy Young vs. Possible MVP. Hard to tell who has the advantage this year, since Ramirez has only faced
Keys to winning: Chris Ramirez had a very un-Chris Ramirez like performance against
Prediction: Ideally the Polythene would like to get out of this in six games. Unfortunately for them,
Monday, April 28, 2008
ALDS Preview - Kansas City Shuffle vs. Louisville Freezer Monkeys
After scoring 30 runs in 4 games against New York, The #4 seeded Freezer Monkeys are forced to face one of the greatest offenses in recent memory. Number 1 seeded Kansas City comes into the ALDS after scoring 1102 runs in the regular season and posting an impressive 122-40 record. Kansas City suffered a disappointing loss last year in the World Series and looks to punish their opponents this year.
Team Stats:
Kansas City
3.72 ERA (4th in ML)
.299 BA (1st in ML)
Louisville
4.89 ERA (22nd in ML)
.272 BA (8th in ML)
Key Bats:
Kansas City
With so many potent hitters in the lineup, it is hard to pick just two. Roger Mottola continues to shine in a Kansas City uniform. Often overshadowed by the prolific Nicolas Bryant, Mottola posted a .393 BA with 29 HRs and 152 RBIs at the age of 33.
The above mentioned Nicolas Bryant once again is the catalyst of the leagues best offense. With 168 stolen bases with 193 runs scored, it is amazing he has ever been thrown out on the base paths. Combined with that speed, Bryant still found a way to knock in 90 RBIs.
Louisville
Benito Jose can be considered the best hitter in a lineup that produced 8 players with double digit homers and 7 players with 70 plus runs batted in. He has a career batting average over .300 and has averaged 25 HRs and 115 RBIs in his 4 years in Louisville.
At the top of the lineup sits Norman Swann. At the age of 30, Swann seems to have resurrected his career in Louisville. He hit .297, stole 95 bases and scored 96 runs. Not bad for a player who was struggling the last two years and was thought to be looking for a job.
Key Pitching:
Kansas City
One of the few pitching staffs in the Major Leagues that may be able to stop the Kansas City offense also resides in Kansas City. Dennys Shin, last year's Cy Young AWard winner, leads this group of talented pitchers. In Season 5, he posted a 3.08 ERA with a 26-4 record. Shins averaged over 7 K per 9 IP with a 1.13 WHIP.
Anchoring the bullpen is the tandem of Ricardo Gongoria and Pedro Izquierdo. Gongoria pitched 171 inings while only starting 6 games. His 2.72 ERA was the lowest on the team. Gongoria also converted 14 saves in 17 chances. Izquierdo is a 4 time all-star closer who is rarley given the opportunity to show his value. Although he posted a career worst 6.26 ERA, he is still a valueable member of the bullpen.
Lousiville
25 year old Jayson Owen proved he was worth the 5 year, $45.5 million contract he signed to start the year. He posted as 16-10 record with 194 Ks. His 3.63 ERA and .242 OAV was tops among starters on Louisville.
Setup man Jung-Lee Vanguri showed his ability to continue to pitch at a ML level. Unexplicably, he was removed from the closers role for highly touted prospect Dick Morris after posting 143 saves the last 4 years. Morris ended up posting a 6.66 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP while Vanguri shut down opponents witha 3.00 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. No word on whether the job will return to the free-agent Vanguri at the end of the season.
Prediction:
Last year hurt Kansas City too much and they are looking for blood. An impressive pitching matchup in game 1 goes to Louisville, but Kansas City cruises from there.
Team Stats:
Kansas City
3.72 ERA (4th in ML)
.299 BA (1st in ML)
Louisville
4.89 ERA (22nd in ML)
.272 BA (8th in ML)
Key Bats:
Kansas City
With so many potent hitters in the lineup, it is hard to pick just two. Roger Mottola continues to shine in a Kansas City uniform. Often overshadowed by the prolific Nicolas Bryant, Mottola posted a .393 BA with 29 HRs and 152 RBIs at the age of 33.
The above mentioned Nicolas Bryant once again is the catalyst of the leagues best offense. With 168 stolen bases with 193 runs scored, it is amazing he has ever been thrown out on the base paths. Combined with that speed, Bryant still found a way to knock in 90 RBIs.
Louisville
Benito Jose can be considered the best hitter in a lineup that produced 8 players with double digit homers and 7 players with 70 plus runs batted in. He has a career batting average over .300 and has averaged 25 HRs and 115 RBIs in his 4 years in Louisville.
At the top of the lineup sits Norman Swann. At the age of 30, Swann seems to have resurrected his career in Louisville. He hit .297, stole 95 bases and scored 96 runs. Not bad for a player who was struggling the last two years and was thought to be looking for a job.
Key Pitching:
Kansas City
One of the few pitching staffs in the Major Leagues that may be able to stop the Kansas City offense also resides in Kansas City. Dennys Shin, last year's Cy Young AWard winner, leads this group of talented pitchers. In Season 5, he posted a 3.08 ERA with a 26-4 record. Shins averaged over 7 K per 9 IP with a 1.13 WHIP.
Anchoring the bullpen is the tandem of Ricardo Gongoria and Pedro Izquierdo. Gongoria pitched 171 inings while only starting 6 games. His 2.72 ERA was the lowest on the team. Gongoria also converted 14 saves in 17 chances. Izquierdo is a 4 time all-star closer who is rarley given the opportunity to show his value. Although he posted a career worst 6.26 ERA, he is still a valueable member of the bullpen.
Lousiville
25 year old Jayson Owen proved he was worth the 5 year, $45.5 million contract he signed to start the year. He posted as 16-10 record with 194 Ks. His 3.63 ERA and .242 OAV was tops among starters on Louisville.
Setup man Jung-Lee Vanguri showed his ability to continue to pitch at a ML level. Unexplicably, he was removed from the closers role for highly touted prospect Dick Morris after posting 143 saves the last 4 years. Morris ended up posting a 6.66 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP while Vanguri shut down opponents witha 3.00 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. No word on whether the job will return to the free-agent Vanguri at the end of the season.
Prediction:
Last year hurt Kansas City too much and they are looking for blood. An impressive pitching matchup in game 1 goes to Louisville, but Kansas City cruises from there.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
First Round Preview (#4 Colorado Springs vs #5 San Francisco)
#4 Colorado Springs AltiDUDES (93-69)
#5 San Francisco Sourdoughs (89-73)
Team Stats:
ERA:
CSP 3.55, 2nd in majors
SF 4.29, 11th in majors
Runs scored:
CSP 727, 28th in majors
SF 768, 19th in majors
History:
Colorado Springs is making its 4th straight playoff appearance, which puts it in a 4-way tie for most appearances by an NL team. Colorado Springs has won only one playoff series before, and has never made it as far as the NLCS.
San Francisco returns to the playoffs for the first time since season 1, when it was a #2 seed, and the NL's representative in the World Series. A lack of playoff experience isn't a concern, says third baseman Mark Abercrombie, "because really, Colorado Springs doesn't have any, either."
The Key Players:
Colorado Springs:
Antone Robbins, .293 average, 104 runs scored, 42 doubles, 53 stolen bases
Butch Cloud, .252 average, team high 38 home runs
San Francisco:
Bo Scott, .298 average, 125 runs scored, 126 stolen bases
Achilles Mitchell, .314 average, team high 30 home runs and 110 rbis
Probably Pitching Matchups:
Game One: Lenny Winchester (15-9, 3.92 ERA) @ Armando Roque (13-7, 2.54 ERA)
Game Two: Brant Rothschild (11-7, 3.50 ERA) @ Eric Corino (13-7, 2.97 ERA)
Game Three: Sammy Cordero (14-5, 3.50 ERA) @ Edgardo Wilfredo (14-7, 3.96 ERA)
Game Four, If Necessary: Johnny Cordova (10-10, 4.34 ERA) @ Lenny Winchester
Game Five, If Necessary: Brant Rothschild @ Armando Roque
Synopsis:
Season Series, San Francisco 6, Colorado Springs 4
Both teams have very good pitching. Colorado Springs is a little deeper, and overall better, but will have a tougher time slowing down San Francisco's Top 3 Hitters. San Francisco, meanwhile, go up against one of the historically weakest lineups to ever bat in a playoff series. Only one player had 100 runs scored or 30 home runs, and none had 90 rbi's. The key is to see which can happen first, San Fran cracking thru against CSP's pitching, or the AltiDUDES bats coming alive long enough to keep them in it for 5 games.
Prediction: San Francisco in 5.
#5 San Francisco Sourdoughs (89-73)
Team Stats:
ERA:
CSP 3.55, 2nd in majors
SF 4.29, 11th in majors
Runs scored:
CSP 727, 28th in majors
SF 768, 19th in majors
History:
Colorado Springs is making its 4th straight playoff appearance, which puts it in a 4-way tie for most appearances by an NL team. Colorado Springs has won only one playoff series before, and has never made it as far as the NLCS.
San Francisco returns to the playoffs for the first time since season 1, when it was a #2 seed, and the NL's representative in the World Series. A lack of playoff experience isn't a concern, says third baseman Mark Abercrombie, "because really, Colorado Springs doesn't have any, either."
The Key Players:
Colorado Springs:
Antone Robbins, .293 average, 104 runs scored, 42 doubles, 53 stolen bases
Butch Cloud, .252 average, team high 38 home runs
San Francisco:
Bo Scott, .298 average, 125 runs scored, 126 stolen bases
Achilles Mitchell, .314 average, team high 30 home runs and 110 rbis
Probably Pitching Matchups:
Game One: Lenny Winchester (15-9, 3.92 ERA) @ Armando Roque (13-7, 2.54 ERA)
Game Two: Brant Rothschild (11-7, 3.50 ERA) @ Eric Corino (13-7, 2.97 ERA)
Game Three: Sammy Cordero (14-5, 3.50 ERA) @ Edgardo Wilfredo (14-7, 3.96 ERA)
Game Four, If Necessary: Johnny Cordova (10-10, 4.34 ERA) @ Lenny Winchester
Game Five, If Necessary: Brant Rothschild @ Armando Roque
Synopsis:
Season Series, San Francisco 6, Colorado Springs 4
Both teams have very good pitching. Colorado Springs is a little deeper, and overall better, but will have a tougher time slowing down San Francisco's Top 3 Hitters. San Francisco, meanwhile, go up against one of the historically weakest lineups to ever bat in a playoff series. Only one player had 100 runs scored or 30 home runs, and none had 90 rbi's. The key is to see which can happen first, San Fran cracking thru against CSP's pitching, or the AltiDUDES bats coming alive long enough to keep them in it for 5 games.
Prediction: San Francisco in 5.
Round 1 Preview (#3 Texas vs. #6 Chicago)
By the Numbers:
Texas (104-58) vs. Chicago (86-76)
Pitching:
Texas team ERA 4.11 (4th in NL)
Chicago team ERA 4.27 (7th in NL)
Hitting:
Texas Batting AVG: .275 (2nd in NL)
Chicago Batting AVG: .263 (8th in NL)
History:
Texas is making its 4th playoff appearance in 5 years. Its 104 wins are the most in team history - yes - more wins than in season 2 when Texas captured the WS title.
Chicago is making its 2nd playoff appearance and first since season 2 when they won the NL East. The franchise is nothing if not consistent having never won less than 82 games in a season nor more than 86 games.
The Key Players - Hitters:
Texas:
JR Lankford 38 HRs, .358 BA, 39 steals (fell just short of the 40/40 club)
Billy Hernandez 54 HRS, .307 BA (led league in HRs)
Sean O'Toole 50 HRs, .271 BA
Valerio Bennett 41 HRs
Chicago:
Willie Skinner .319 BA
Harry Cela 39 HRs, .260 BA
Bob Jefferies 26 HRs, .282 BA
The Key Players - Pitchers:
Texas:
Albert Burks 19-6 3.73 ERA
Sal Freeman 16-8 4.21 ERA
Archie Burke 16-11 4.02 ERA
Chicago:
Santiago Crespo 13-4 2.31 ERA
Jolbert Nunez 13-6 3.38 ERA
Key to the Series:
Texas can hit. This much we know. Chicago has two pitchers in Crespo and Nunez that have the potential to contain those Texas bats. At the same time Texas has 3 starters in Burks, Freeman, and Burke that should be able to match the 2 Chicago pitchers. For you math majors out there: 3 > 2
Who gets the start in game 3 for Chicago? Can one of the 2 studs come back in game 3 on very short rest? If not, the other Chicago starters are not on the same level as their two aces and Texas might have batting practice in game 3. In a short series you can't afford to give a game away.
Prediction:
Crespo and Nunez are too talented not to pick up at least 1 win between them. Unfortunatley for Chicago, Texas can match the pitching and have the hitters that Chicago just can't match. Texas led the league with 251 HRs this year. Combine that with respectable pitching and Texas proves those 104 wins this year were no fluke. They earn a date with Pawtucket in round two.
Texas wins in 4 games.
Texas (104-58) vs. Chicago (86-76)
Pitching:
Texas team ERA 4.11 (4th in NL)
Chicago team ERA 4.27 (7th in NL)
Hitting:
Texas Batting AVG: .275 (2nd in NL)
Chicago Batting AVG: .263 (8th in NL)
History:
Texas is making its 4th playoff appearance in 5 years. Its 104 wins are the most in team history - yes - more wins than in season 2 when Texas captured the WS title.
Chicago is making its 2nd playoff appearance and first since season 2 when they won the NL East. The franchise is nothing if not consistent having never won less than 82 games in a season nor more than 86 games.
The Key Players - Hitters:
Texas:
JR Lankford 38 HRs, .358 BA, 39 steals (fell just short of the 40/40 club)
Billy Hernandez 54 HRS, .307 BA (led league in HRs)
Sean O'Toole 50 HRs, .271 BA
Valerio Bennett 41 HRs
Chicago:
Willie Skinner .319 BA
Harry Cela 39 HRs, .260 BA
Bob Jefferies 26 HRs, .282 BA
The Key Players - Pitchers:
Texas:
Albert Burks 19-6 3.73 ERA
Sal Freeman 16-8 4.21 ERA
Archie Burke 16-11 4.02 ERA
Chicago:
Santiago Crespo 13-4 2.31 ERA
Jolbert Nunez 13-6 3.38 ERA
Key to the Series:
Texas can hit. This much we know. Chicago has two pitchers in Crespo and Nunez that have the potential to contain those Texas bats. At the same time Texas has 3 starters in Burks, Freeman, and Burke that should be able to match the 2 Chicago pitchers. For you math majors out there: 3 > 2
Who gets the start in game 3 for Chicago? Can one of the 2 studs come back in game 3 on very short rest? If not, the other Chicago starters are not on the same level as their two aces and Texas might have batting practice in game 3. In a short series you can't afford to give a game away.
Prediction:
Crespo and Nunez are too talented not to pick up at least 1 win between them. Unfortunatley for Chicago, Texas can match the pitching and have the hitters that Chicago just can't match. Texas led the league with 251 HRs this year. Combine that with respectable pitching and Texas proves those 104 wins this year were no fluke. They earn a date with Pawtucket in round two.
Texas wins in 4 games.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Season 5, The Year of the Record
As season five draws to a close it is worth looking back at many of the major records that fell during the year. Here they are:
Average - Roger Mottola - .393 | Previous Record - .377 Tomas Hernandez
Stolen bases - Nick Bryant - 156 | Previous Record - 102 Bryant
Walks - Nick Bryant - 133 | Previous Record - 134 Bryant
RBI - Billy Hernandez- 187 | Previous Record - 179 Ramon Jang
2b - Brett Kubenka - 57 | Previous Record - 53 - Bryant/Kubenka/Corey Franco
Hit Streak - Roger Mottola 34 games | Previous Record - 33 Bryant/Norman Swann
Strikeouts - Chris Ramirez - 270 | Previous Record - 232 Orlando Javier
Saves - Chris Warden 53 | Previous Record - 52 Martin Baek
Average - Roger Mottola - .393 | Previous Record - .377 Tomas Hernandez
Stolen bases - Nick Bryant - 156 | Previous Record - 102 Bryant
Walks - Nick Bryant - 133 | Previous Record - 134 Bryant
RBI - Billy Hernandez- 187 | Previous Record - 179 Ramon Jang
2b - Brett Kubenka - 57 | Previous Record - 53 - Bryant/Kubenka/Corey Franco
Hit Streak - Roger Mottola 34 games | Previous Record - 33 Bryant/Norman Swann
Strikeouts - Chris Ramirez - 270 | Previous Record - 232 Orlando Javier
Saves - Chris Warden 53 | Previous Record - 52 Martin Baek
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Where Are They Now?
A look back at the top 5 most expensive International Free Agents from Season 1...how have they faired since cashing in?
Signed by Cheyenne for $12.5 million Tamura has earned his paycheck thus far. He made his big league debut in season 3 at the age of 21 and made his first All-Star appearance in season 4. 119 career HRs and a career average over .300. Tamura will be a star for years to come and barring a career-ending injury might find himself in the Hall of Fame when his career is over.
Signed by Richmond for $10.2 million, Tavaras has since moved with the team to its new home in Memphis. He was a minor league all star in season 3 and 4 before having a cup of coffee in the Bigs for 32 games in season 4. In his first full season in the ML he has a .294 batting average and 51 steals near the end of season. He is currently 4th on the ballot for NL rookie of the year.
Signed for $10.0 million Tarasco saw action in 7 games during season 4 for San Francisco before getting full time action this year. He currently has an 8-4 record with a 1.25 WHIP while splitting his time between long relief and spot start duty.
Signed by Kansas City for $9.7 million at the young age of 18, Domingo was traded to San Antonio in Season 2 in part of a blockbuster deal. He hopes to make his big league debut for SA next year having accomplished nearly everything he can after being named the AAA All-Star game MVP this year.
Signed for $9.1 million at the age of 21, Del was the most big league-ready of all the signings in season 1. He saw ML action in 7 games that very year and has been playing ball at the highest level since season 2. He made his first all star team in season 3 and has an incredible 131 steals so far in season 5 with about 20 games to go! Nicholas Bryant will likely retire as the all-time steal leader but Del Lee has already been quoted as having his eye on beating the record since at only 25 years old and 280 career steals he has at least 8 more years to roam the basepaths.
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Signed by Cheyenne for $12.5 million Tamura has earned his paycheck thus far. He made his big league debut in season 3 at the age of 21 and made his first All-Star appearance in season 4. 119 career HRs and a career average over .300. Tamura will be a star for years to come and barring a career-ending injury might find himself in the Hall of Fame when his career is over.
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Signed by Richmond for $10.2 million, Tavaras has since moved with the team to its new home in Memphis. He was a minor league all star in season 3 and 4 before having a cup of coffee in the Bigs for 32 games in season 4. In his first full season in the ML he has a .294 batting average and 51 steals near the end of season. He is currently 4th on the ballot for NL rookie of the year.
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Signed for $10.0 million Tarasco saw action in 7 games during season 4 for San Francisco before getting full time action this year. He currently has an 8-4 record with a 1.25 WHIP while splitting his time between long relief and spot start duty.
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Signed by Kansas City for $9.7 million at the young age of 18, Domingo was traded to San Antonio in Season 2 in part of a blockbuster deal. He hopes to make his big league debut for SA next year having accomplished nearly everything he can after being named the AAA All-Star game MVP this year.
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Signed for $9.1 million at the age of 21, Del was the most big league-ready of all the signings in season 1. He saw ML action in 7 games that very year and has been playing ball at the highest level since season 2. He made his first all star team in season 3 and has an incredible 131 steals so far in season 5 with about 20 games to go! Nicholas Bryant will likely retire as the all-time steal leader but Del Lee has already been quoted as having his eye on beating the record since at only 25 years old and 280 career steals he has at least 8 more years to roam the basepaths.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Scranton's Randolph heading to 15-day DL
SCRATON,
“We’re going to give him time to recover,” Wustrow said. “Obviously we want him to be healthy down the stretch as we try to grab a playoff spot.”
Last season he finished behind
Power Rankings Week Five
Four teams submitted power rankings this week: Pawtucket, Texas, Scranton & Kansas City.
I'm super busy this week (sorry for the delay on PR), so I'm not typing out the vote totals for PR this week. Let me know if this is something you miss, or if I can skip that step every week.
Rank (Last Week) Team (First Place Votes)
1. (2) Kansas City Shuffle (4)
2. (3) Pawtucket Polythene
3. (1) Texas Tittyballs
t-4. (--) Rochester Raging Rhinos
t-4. (5) Charleston Rebels
6. (8) Chicago Smooth Horses
7. (6) Fargo Nines
8. (9) San Francisco Sourdoughs
9. (10) Cheyenne Chilli Peppers
10. (7) New York Moon Shots
11. (27) Burlington Chills
12. (14) Salem Dodgers
13. (12) Charlotte knights
14. (15) Scranton Dunder-Mifflins
15. (16) Colorado Springs AltiDUDES
16. (11) Iowa City Kaysons
17. (16) Norfolk Nomads
18. (12) Atlanta City Slickers
19. (22) Louisville Freezer Monkeys
20. (18) New Orleans Breeze
21. (20) Memphis Hound Dawgs
22. (19) San Antonio Border Jumpers
23. (26) Cleveland Steamers
24. (--) Little Rock Big Rocks
25. (21) Scottsdale T's
26. (23) St. Louis Birdnals
27. (30) Fresno Fire Dragons
28. (--) Huntington Cousins
29. (--) Tampa Bay Tarpons
30. (25) Tuscon Turbocors
31. (--) Houston Aggies
32. (--) Detroit Tigers
The big winner this week was Burlington, who is in the middle of a 17-4 run that has propelled them from "maybe next year" to wildcard contenders in the week. The Chills rose 16 spots from 27 to 11, and will make the Top 10 next week if they continue this hot slide.
The big losers this week are the Texas Tittyballs. Sure, other teams had larger drops then them, but they fell out of first, and didn't stop at second. For the first time all season, they're not the highest ranked NL team in the Power Rankings, as Pawtucket has passed them. The Tittyballs still have the best record in the NL, but a 4-6 mark against Pawtucket, Chicago & Rochester last week proved to the world that while Texas can dominate the weaker teams, they might not yet be ready to compete with the powers that be.
I'm super busy this week (sorry for the delay on PR), so I'm not typing out the vote totals for PR this week. Let me know if this is something you miss, or if I can skip that step every week.
Rank (Last Week) Team (First Place Votes)
1. (2) Kansas City Shuffle (4)
2. (3) Pawtucket Polythene
3. (1) Texas Tittyballs
t-4. (--) Rochester Raging Rhinos
t-4. (5) Charleston Rebels
6. (8) Chicago Smooth Horses
7. (6) Fargo Nines
8. (9) San Francisco Sourdoughs
9. (10) Cheyenne Chilli Peppers
10. (7) New York Moon Shots
11. (27) Burlington Chills
12. (14) Salem Dodgers
13. (12) Charlotte knights
14. (15) Scranton Dunder-Mifflins
15. (16) Colorado Springs AltiDUDES
16. (11) Iowa City Kaysons
17. (16) Norfolk Nomads
18. (12) Atlanta City Slickers
19. (22) Louisville Freezer Monkeys
20. (18) New Orleans Breeze
21. (20) Memphis Hound Dawgs
22. (19) San Antonio Border Jumpers
23. (26) Cleveland Steamers
24. (--) Little Rock Big Rocks
25. (21) Scottsdale T's
26. (23) St. Louis Birdnals
27. (30) Fresno Fire Dragons
28. (--) Huntington Cousins
29. (--) Tampa Bay Tarpons
30. (25) Tuscon Turbocors
31. (--) Houston Aggies
32. (--) Detroit Tigers
The big winner this week was Burlington, who is in the middle of a 17-4 run that has propelled them from "maybe next year" to wildcard contenders in the week. The Chills rose 16 spots from 27 to 11, and will make the Top 10 next week if they continue this hot slide.
The big losers this week are the Texas Tittyballs. Sure, other teams had larger drops then them, but they fell out of first, and didn't stop at second. For the first time all season, they're not the highest ranked NL team in the Power Rankings, as Pawtucket has passed them. The Tittyballs still have the best record in the NL, but a 4-6 mark against Pawtucket, Chicago & Rochester last week proved to the world that while Texas can dominate the weaker teams, they might not yet be ready to compete with the powers that be.
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