Pawtucket Bracket - Second Round Results

Today's matchups:

#1 Kansas City Season 5 vs #8 San Francisco Season 1
#5 Cheyenne Season 9 vs #13 Texas Season 2

#3 Colorado Springs Season 11 vs #6 Pawtucket Season 4
#7 Texas Season 5 vs #15 Rochester Season 9

#1 Kansas City Shuffle Season 5 vs #8 San Francisco Sourdoughs Season 1

The first ever NL Winner, San Francisco, gets another shot at Kansas City. In that Season 1 World Series, the KC Shuffle swept the Sourdoughs.

This is a different KC team, although probably a better one. Season 5 KC also won the World Series. And they didn't just win the World Series, they won what many consider to be the greatest World Series of all-time. And they beat a team which has already advanced to the Sweet 16.

So does this San Fran team really have any chance of pulling of an upset for all-time?

They do. This team is historically forgotten about when speaking of the great NL teams of all-time. They had the #2 pitching staff in all of baseball, and they were Top 10 in the Majors (and Top 3 in the NL) in runs scored.

It's not a stretch to say this team can compete with most other teams in history. And that's why they're among the 32 greatest of all-time.

But before getting carried away, remember that this KC team was 4th in the bigs in ERA (and #1 in the AL), and their 1102 runs scored were not only 169 more than the next best team of that season, but they were 195 more than these Sourdoughs.

So yes, San Fran can put up a fight. But so did Pawtucket in the season 5 World Series. And we all know how that ended.

There's no quit in this KC team, and they advance to the sweet 16.

#5 Cheyenne Chillipeppers Season 9 vs #13 Texas Tittyballs Season 2

Cheyenne has historically done battle with Kansas City for over a decade. They've been the biggest threat to KC's AL West dominance, at least they were during KC's prime years in the first half of world history. So will they get another chance to do battle in the sweet 16?

Texas, on the other hand, is an NL team who has nearly no history with KC. In Season 2, this Texas team won the WS, while KC lost in the LCS. In seasons 4 & 5, Texas won 100+ games but couldn't beat Pawtucket in the playoffs, so they missed out on a Texas-KC WS. Finally in season 6, the two powers hooked up in the World Series (which KC won easily). The 2 franchises are forever linked because of Billy Hernandez, an offseason deal defining 2 all-time powers.

But lets not look ahead. The Cheyenne-Texas matchup is a very good one.

Cheyenne won 107 games this year. The division title. And a first-round bye. And they reached the ALCS. Texas only won 95 games. But they also won their division title. And a first round bye. And they reached the world series. Oh yeah, they won the World Series.

But how do you compare Season 2 to Season 9? Do you really think the best teams of season 2 would be able to compete with the best teams of season 9?

Well, Texas scored 1112 runs that year. And lets not forget that was in the National League. How does a team score 1112 runs in the NL and not win 100 games? Easy, you have the 23rd best ERA in the majors, at an astounding 5.30. Easily the highest of any World Series Champion.

Cheyenne, meanwhile, scored 984 runs, not quite a Texas-sized number, but still good enough for 3rd in the bigs. And their 4.30 ERA was 10th in the majors, not bad for an AL team.

While it may be hard to imagine a team with a 5.30 ERA reaching the sweet 16, look at their playoff run. In the NLCS & WS, they faced the #1 & #2 pitching staffs in all of baseball that season. The results? They won the two series a combined 8-1, taking home the World Series. Oh yeah, and those 2 teams were also both Top 5 offenses.

Texas is clutch, and thats why the #13 seed advances to the sweet 16.

#3 Colorado Springs AltiDUDES Season 11 vs #6 Pawtucket Polythene Season 4

Pawtucket won 105 games, and the World Series. Colorado Springs won 110 games, and lost the World Series.

Pawtucket had 4 pitchers on the Cy Young ballot, and one of them was so good he remains the only player in world history to beat Chris Ramirez in a Cy Young race.

Colorado Springs had 2 pitchers on the Cy Young ballot, including winner Chris Ramirez.

Pawtucket had a 3.26 ERA. Colorado Springs had a 3.13 ERA.

Colorado Springs scored 868 runs. Pawtucket scored 795.

Colorado Springs won more. Scored more. Pitched better.

Colorado Springs won the NL Pennant, then lost to a 90 win Kansas City team in the World Series.

Pawtucket won the NL Pennant, then beat a 116 win Kansas City team in the World Series.

It's the age old question. Which is better, stats on paper, or the performance? In this case, CSP's performance isn't that bad, losing in Game 6 of the World Series. Pawtucket's performance is great, though.

And that's why, if these teams met up, Pawtucket would overcome whatever slight deficit it had in talent, and win the game.

And advance.

#7 Texas Tittyballs Season 5 vs #15 Rochester Raging Rhinos Season 9

Texas won 104 games. They won their division. They scored 933 runs. They had a 4.11 ERA.

Rochester won 81 games, somehow good enough to win their division. They scored 784 runs. They had a 4.27 ERA.

But Texas didn't even reach the NLCS. Rochester wasn't good enough to finish a game over .500, but yet they went 10-6 in the NL portion of the playoffs, and won the NL Pennant. Then they took the Juggernauts to a 6th game in the World Series.

How do you decide which team is better? On paper, that's easy. Texas is a better team, hands down. But when one team has that much promise but doesn't deliver, are they really better than a team that's half as good as them, but yet went on the single greatest run in world history?

The truth is, neither of these teams are really among the 16 Greatest of all-time. But yet one of them will make the Sweet 16. That's the nature of the beast.

Like every part of that Rochester run, this one comes down to Max Hernandez. The man started 7 of Rochesters 19 playoff games, and literally willed them to win. There's no chance in hell that guy would face this Texas team, in this round, and lose this game.

Another magic run has begun, and the 15th seeded Raging Rhinos are in the Sweet 16.

Sweet 16 matchups:

#1 Kansas City Shuffle Season 5 vs #13 Texas Tittyballs Season 2
#6 Pawtucket Polythene Season 4 vs #15 Rochester Raging Rhinos Season 9

CLICK HERE to see updated bracket.

The Sweet 16 is set. The reason the four regions are called Kansas City, Pawtucket, Jacksonville, and Texas? KC has 5 Sweet 16 teams. Pawtucket has 3. Jacksonville has 3. Texas has 2. And the rest of the league has 3.