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.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Texas Bracket - Second Round Results
Today's Games:
#1 Colorado Springs Season 10 vs #9 Kansas City Season 3
#12 Jacksonville Season 7 vs #13 Kansas City Season 1
#11 Pawtucket Season 9 vs #14 Kansas City Season 11
#2 Jacksonville Season 9 vs #7 Iowa City Season 2
#1 Colorado Springs AltiDUDES Season 10 vs #9 Kansas City Shuffle Season 3
Two very different teams, following two very different philosophies, who both had a great deal of success during their seasons.
Kansas City of course won the World Series, the 2nd of 5 for the franchise. They won 102 games during the regular season, which is a good number, but not a great number compared to some other Kansas City teams.
Colorado Springs won the NL Pennant, their first of 3 straight NL Pennants. They won 112 games during the regular season, still a National League record.
Kansas City had a great offense. 2nd in the bigs with a .296 team batting average. They were 4th in the majors with 973 runs scored, a good number for most teams, but a relatively bad number for Kansas City, historically. Colorado Springs meanwhile was 17th in the bigs with a .272 average, and 12th in the bigs with 835 runs scored. Clear advantage to KC.
Colorado Springs, as they always do, had a great pitching staff. They were first in the bigs with a 1.25 whip and 2nd with a 3.51 ERA. Kansas City did have a top 5 pitching staff that season, also. But its whip was 1.36, and ERA was 4.31. Both numbers are among the worst of all pitching staffs remaining in this tournament.
All of these stats point to a close series. But there's one huge stat that decides this matchup. CSP went 9-7 in the playoffs, losing in the World Series. Kansas City won the World Series, and did it in as dominating a fashion as have ever been done. They swept the ALDS 3-0, swept the ALCS 4-0, and won the World Series 4-1. An 11-1 playoff record is unheard of.
This team can win when it counts, and they would have no problem beating this Colorado Springs team.
#12 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 7 vs #13 Kansas City Shuffle Season 1
Kansas City, the first team to ever win the World Series. Jacksonville, the first AL team not named Kansas City to win the World Series.
This KC team might be the worst World Series Champion of all-time. 92 regular season wins. 14th in the bigs in offense. 13th in the bigs in pitching. But a World Series Champion is a World Series Champion. And despite their lack of success, relatively, during the regular season, this team went on a mission in the playoffs. They had to win 4 series to win the World Series, going 14-6 in the process.
Jacksonville, meanwhile, can't claim to be that much better of a World Series Champion. They won 98 games during the season. They had the 14th best offense, and the 18th best pitching staff. They did manage to get a first round bye, though, and went 11-5 during the playoffs to win the World Series, beating great franchises like Kansas City & Texas along the way.
This is a tough matchup to choose, but for reasons opposite of other tough matchups. This one is tough because, despite their World Series crowns, are either of these teams really Top 16 of all-time?
I don't believe that they are.
But one has to advance. Today, that team is Jacksonville. Not because of anything in particular about their team compared to Kansas City. But mostly because of their 'strength of schedule.' Any team that beats a KC dynasty in the playoffs, and beats Texas in the World series, is a good team, and that gives the edge to these Juggernauts.
#11 Pawtucket Polythene Season 9 vs #14 Kansas City Shuffle Season 11
Pawtucket is the only team of the 8 remaining in this bracket who did not reach the World Series. That alone should be enough to eliminate them. But anytime KC & Pawtucket get together, you can't assume its over. And Pawtuckets opponent doesn't exactly strike fear into the heart of their opponents.
Pawtucket won 100 games during the season, and had an above .500 record in the playoffs, going 8-5 while losing in the NLCS. The team had the #2 staff in baseball, with a 1.32 whip and 3.53 ERA. The offense wasn't there, though, with the 22nd best team average, a lowly .269. Their 797 runs scored were 18th in the majors.
Kansas City, meanwhile, won a WS Champion low 90 regular season games, and were one of 2 teams all-time to win the WS without a first round bye. Their pitching staff couldn't touch Pawtuckets, posting a 1.40 whip and 4.45 ERA. Their bats, meanwhile, were much better, posting a .286 team average, 6th in the bigs, while scoring 901 runs.
Like the KC team that lost the last game, this team wasn't very good. And is probably not a Top 16 team of all-time. But if ever a non World Series participant was a Top 16 team, it certainly is not this team.
Kansas City advances its second team to the sweet 16 from this bracket.
#2 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 9 vs #7 Iowa City Kaysons Season 2
One Sweet 16 matchup in this bracket pits World Series Champ KC vs World Series Champ Jax. The other matchup already has another KC World Series Champ in it, will another Jax WS Champ join them?
Simply put, yes.
Not taking anything away from Iowa City. They had a Top 10 lineup, and the 2nd best rotation in the bigs. They reached the World Series. They had 3 allstars, a silver slugger, and a gold glove.
They were a very good team, a team that many many people would overlook.
They could beat Kansas City 11, who made the sweet 16. They could beat Jacksonville 7, also in the sweet 16. But they cannot beat this Jacksonville team.
This Juggernauts team won the World Series in season 7. Then they improved, and went back to the World Series in season 8. Still a young team, they improved some more for season 9 . . . and then they acquired Nicholas Bryant and Dennys Shin, two of the most successful players of all-time.
They won 111 games. They only lost 3 games in the playoffs. They led the majors with 1040 runs scored. They were 3rd in the majors with a 1.23 whip and 3.58 ERA, numbers that are incredible considering this is an AL Franchise.
Simply put, they were a machine. They would beat Iowa City. They should have no problem with KC 11 next round, and you have to wonder if anyone will offer them competition at all before the Final Four begins?
Or even scarier, if anyone in the Final Four can compete with this team?
Sweet 16 matchups in this bracket, featuring 4 World Champions:
#9 Kansas City Shuffle Season 3 vs #12 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 7
#2 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 9 vs #14 Kansas City Shuffle Season 11
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE UPDATED BRACKET.
#1 Colorado Springs Season 10 vs #9 Kansas City Season 3
#12 Jacksonville Season 7 vs #13 Kansas City Season 1
#11 Pawtucket Season 9 vs #14 Kansas City Season 11
#2 Jacksonville Season 9 vs #7 Iowa City Season 2
#1 Colorado Springs AltiDUDES Season 10 vs #9 Kansas City Shuffle Season 3
Two very different teams, following two very different philosophies, who both had a great deal of success during their seasons.
Kansas City of course won the World Series, the 2nd of 5 for the franchise. They won 102 games during the regular season, which is a good number, but not a great number compared to some other Kansas City teams.
Colorado Springs won the NL Pennant, their first of 3 straight NL Pennants. They won 112 games during the regular season, still a National League record.
Kansas City had a great offense. 2nd in the bigs with a .296 team batting average. They were 4th in the majors with 973 runs scored, a good number for most teams, but a relatively bad number for Kansas City, historically. Colorado Springs meanwhile was 17th in the bigs with a .272 average, and 12th in the bigs with 835 runs scored. Clear advantage to KC.
Colorado Springs, as they always do, had a great pitching staff. They were first in the bigs with a 1.25 whip and 2nd with a 3.51 ERA. Kansas City did have a top 5 pitching staff that season, also. But its whip was 1.36, and ERA was 4.31. Both numbers are among the worst of all pitching staffs remaining in this tournament.
All of these stats point to a close series. But there's one huge stat that decides this matchup. CSP went 9-7 in the playoffs, losing in the World Series. Kansas City won the World Series, and did it in as dominating a fashion as have ever been done. They swept the ALDS 3-0, swept the ALCS 4-0, and won the World Series 4-1. An 11-1 playoff record is unheard of.
This team can win when it counts, and they would have no problem beating this Colorado Springs team.
#12 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 7 vs #13 Kansas City Shuffle Season 1
Kansas City, the first team to ever win the World Series. Jacksonville, the first AL team not named Kansas City to win the World Series.
This KC team might be the worst World Series Champion of all-time. 92 regular season wins. 14th in the bigs in offense. 13th in the bigs in pitching. But a World Series Champion is a World Series Champion. And despite their lack of success, relatively, during the regular season, this team went on a mission in the playoffs. They had to win 4 series to win the World Series, going 14-6 in the process.
Jacksonville, meanwhile, can't claim to be that much better of a World Series Champion. They won 98 games during the season. They had the 14th best offense, and the 18th best pitching staff. They did manage to get a first round bye, though, and went 11-5 during the playoffs to win the World Series, beating great franchises like Kansas City & Texas along the way.
This is a tough matchup to choose, but for reasons opposite of other tough matchups. This one is tough because, despite their World Series crowns, are either of these teams really Top 16 of all-time?
I don't believe that they are.
But one has to advance. Today, that team is Jacksonville. Not because of anything in particular about their team compared to Kansas City. But mostly because of their 'strength of schedule.' Any team that beats a KC dynasty in the playoffs, and beats Texas in the World series, is a good team, and that gives the edge to these Juggernauts.
#11 Pawtucket Polythene Season 9 vs #14 Kansas City Shuffle Season 11
Pawtucket is the only team of the 8 remaining in this bracket who did not reach the World Series. That alone should be enough to eliminate them. But anytime KC & Pawtucket get together, you can't assume its over. And Pawtuckets opponent doesn't exactly strike fear into the heart of their opponents.
Pawtucket won 100 games during the season, and had an above .500 record in the playoffs, going 8-5 while losing in the NLCS. The team had the #2 staff in baseball, with a 1.32 whip and 3.53 ERA. The offense wasn't there, though, with the 22nd best team average, a lowly .269. Their 797 runs scored were 18th in the majors.
Kansas City, meanwhile, won a WS Champion low 90 regular season games, and were one of 2 teams all-time to win the WS without a first round bye. Their pitching staff couldn't touch Pawtuckets, posting a 1.40 whip and 4.45 ERA. Their bats, meanwhile, were much better, posting a .286 team average, 6th in the bigs, while scoring 901 runs.
Like the KC team that lost the last game, this team wasn't very good. And is probably not a Top 16 team of all-time. But if ever a non World Series participant was a Top 16 team, it certainly is not this team.
Kansas City advances its second team to the sweet 16 from this bracket.
#2 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 9 vs #7 Iowa City Kaysons Season 2
One Sweet 16 matchup in this bracket pits World Series Champ KC vs World Series Champ Jax. The other matchup already has another KC World Series Champ in it, will another Jax WS Champ join them?
Simply put, yes.
Not taking anything away from Iowa City. They had a Top 10 lineup, and the 2nd best rotation in the bigs. They reached the World Series. They had 3 allstars, a silver slugger, and a gold glove.
They were a very good team, a team that many many people would overlook.
They could beat Kansas City 11, who made the sweet 16. They could beat Jacksonville 7, also in the sweet 16. But they cannot beat this Jacksonville team.
This Juggernauts team won the World Series in season 7. Then they improved, and went back to the World Series in season 8. Still a young team, they improved some more for season 9 . . . and then they acquired Nicholas Bryant and Dennys Shin, two of the most successful players of all-time.
They won 111 games. They only lost 3 games in the playoffs. They led the majors with 1040 runs scored. They were 3rd in the majors with a 1.23 whip and 3.58 ERA, numbers that are incredible considering this is an AL Franchise.
Simply put, they were a machine. They would beat Iowa City. They should have no problem with KC 11 next round, and you have to wonder if anyone will offer them competition at all before the Final Four begins?
Or even scarier, if anyone in the Final Four can compete with this team?
Sweet 16 matchups in this bracket, featuring 4 World Champions:
#9 Kansas City Shuffle Season 3 vs #12 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 7
#2 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 9 vs #14 Kansas City Shuffle Season 11
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE UPDATED BRACKET.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Jacksonville Bracket - Second Round Results
Todays matchups are:
#1 Kansas City Season 4 vs #8 Scranton Season 1
#5 Boise Season 12 vs #13 Charlotte Season 10
#3 Rochester Season 5 vs #6 Pawtucket Season 5
#2 Boise Season 11 vs #10 Texas Season 7
Three of the four matchups today feature a World Series runner-up versus a team who didn't make the championship. The other matchup? That pits two World Series Champions against each other.
#1 Kansas City Shuffle Season 4 vs #8 Scranton Dunder-Mifflins Season 1
On paper this one isn't close. Kansas City won 116 regular season games that year. They had the #2 pitching staff in baseball. They had the #1 offense. They had an MVP, a Cy Young, a Gold Glove, 3 Silver Sluggers, and 6 All-Stars.
Through 2 rounds of the playoffs, they were 7-1 overall. This being the 2nd round here, there's no reason to believe this machine would slow down yet.
In reality, that's 100% true.
Scranton had a great run. They had a below average offense, but the #3 pitching staff in the first season is nothing to be ashamed of. Neither is being considered one of the 32 best teams of all-time. I don't think anybody would have thought that possible when this began.
But they don't stand a chance against this Kansas City team, and the results would prove that.
Now the questions start about KC. In a Sweet 16 where everyone will have played in the World Series, are they the best team? Can they be considered the best team to never win the World Series? Can they actually make a run at being the best team of all-time? Or will all the Chris Ramirez's in this bracket ruin them, like he did to them in Season 4?
#5 Boise Bombers Season 12 vs #13 Charlotte Season 10
This is probably the toughest game to decide of all the games in all the brackets in this second round.
Boise won 107 games, and was the #1 seed out of a stacked AL West. They went 11-5 in the playoffs, never really getting tested en route to their first World Championship. They boasted a 3.60 ERA, 3rd best in baseball, which is quite the accomplishment coming from the AL.
They also used the long ball to their advantage, leading the majors in home runs and in runs scored, while finishing 29th in stolen bases. They only had 3 all-stars, all whom were pitchings. And didn't win any individual awards.
Charlotte, meanwhile, won 10 less games. They were the #2 seed out of a much weaker division. They also won the World Series, but it took them one game longer to do so, going 11-6 in the playoffs.
They scored the 10th most runs in all of baseball, but were 2nd in stolen bases, using a different philosophy than Boise. They had a 4.09 team ERA, 9th best in the bigs.
But both teams won the World Series.
Charlotte beat the defending champion Juggernauts, who won 97 games, 3-2 in the ALDS. Then they beat Boise, a 100 game winner, 4-2 in the ALCS, before beating 112-50 Colorado Springs 4-2 in the World Series.
Boise meanwhile, swept a far worse first round opponent, 89-73 Fargo. And then it took 7 games, but they beat a 97 win Charlotte team in the ALCS. Once the World Series rolled around, they beat a 107-55 CSP team (that reached the Sweet 16 yesterday) in 6 games.
So how do you compare? Is it better to face an elimination game in the first round, against a strong opponent, and not again in the LCS or WS? Or does showing your dominance in round 1 help hide the fact that you almost lost the LCS?
And what about the Chris Ramirez factor? That dude carried Charlotte in season 10, going 4-2 with a 1.88 ERA in 48 innings over 6 starts. Or is it more impressive that Boise beat Chris Ramirez in the World Series, proving that if they can do it then, they can do it now?
So while its nearly impossible to choose between these two teams, and Charlotte is definitely the more memorable World Champion, mostly for their pre-season acquisition of rental superstar Chris Ramirez, in one of the closest matches of the tournament, the Boise Bombers advance to the Sweet 16.
Do you agree?
#3 Rochester Raging Rhinos Season 5 vs #6 Pawtucket Polythene Season 5
This Pawtucket team believes they are the squad that deserves the title of best team to never win a World Series. They certainly came close. After winning 105 regular season games, they made it to the 7th game of the World Series before losing.
But it wasn't easy. They were down 2-1 in the NLDS before coming back, and it took them 6 games to beat this same Rochester team in the NLCS. Then they took a 2-0 and 3-1 lead in the World Series, before losing games 5, 6, and 7. Does that show that they were totally capable of being the Champs, coming so close to winning back-to-back titles? Or does it show something else? A crack in the armor, perhaps, proving that this team didn't have what it took to win it all?
Rochester, meanwhile, won a franchise record 110 games this season. They had the 3rd best team ERA in the bigs (compared to Pawtuckets #1), and they had the 4th best offense (compared to Pawtuckets 14th).
Rochester had 5 All Stars, 3 Silver Sluggers, 2 Gold Gloves, and the Fireman of the Year, Jeremi Warden, during his record 53 save campaign (a record that still stands). Pawtucket had 4 All Stars (including reigning NL Cy Young winner Henry Mackowiak, who was injured for the entire playoffs), 0 Silver Sluggers, 0 Gold Gloves, and Cy Young winner Chris Ramirez.
By all accounts Rochester was the better team. This was true that year, and its true now. But the elephant in the room is that Pawtucket beat Rochester in those playoffs, and it didn't even take them 7 games to do so. And they did it without their 2nd best pitcher that season, who has to be counted as part of the roster right now, since he was on the season 5 team.
Pawtucket would win the rematch, and they move on to the Sweet 16.
#2 Boise Bombers Season 11 vs #10 Texas Tittyballs Season 7
One Boise team has already moved on. This team was the precursor to that World Series Champion team. This team won more games (112 to 107) than that team. This team also led the majors in runs scored, but was 2nd in homers, and finished 24th in stolen bases, 5 spots higher than itself the next season.
And like itself the enxt year, this team also was 3rd in the bigs in ERA, albeit with a 3.87 compared to the other Boise's 3.60.
And in another stroke of luck, this team doesn't have to face another World Series Champion in the Round of 32. So it should move on.
Not so fast, my friend.
This Texas team may not have won as many games (100), had as good of an ERA (4.29), or score as many runs (3rd in the bigs), but it did have one of the greatest offenses ever assembled, based on talent alone.
And it was the defending NL Champions.
And oh yeah, while Boise was busy losing to a 90 win team in the NLCS, 4-2, Texas was defending its crown, winning its 2nd straight NL Pennant.
Is Texas better? Statistically, no. But this team did one thing better than Boise, and when it comes down to it, it's the only thing in this world that really matters. Texas won more in the playoffs.
Boise is better than Texas, but if these teams played, it would choke, like it did in the Season 11 playoffs.
CLICK HERE to view the up to date bracket.
Next Tuesday, the Sweet 16 of this bracket will be posted. It features to great rivalries. Boise vs Kansas City and Texas vs Pawtucket. One World Series Champion and 3 World Series losers. Will Boise be able to navigate its way out of this bracket, though. Being a WS Champion is a great advantage, but having to beat the 3 most successful franchises of all-time to reach the Final Four is one tough task.
Tomorrow, the Texas Bracket is posted, featuring 5 World Series Champions and 2 World Series Runner-Ups among the 8 teams in action.
#1 Kansas City Season 4 vs #8 Scranton Season 1
#5 Boise Season 12 vs #13 Charlotte Season 10
#3 Rochester Season 5 vs #6 Pawtucket Season 5
#2 Boise Season 11 vs #10 Texas Season 7
Three of the four matchups today feature a World Series runner-up versus a team who didn't make the championship. The other matchup? That pits two World Series Champions against each other.
#1 Kansas City Shuffle Season 4 vs #8 Scranton Dunder-Mifflins Season 1
On paper this one isn't close. Kansas City won 116 regular season games that year. They had the #2 pitching staff in baseball. They had the #1 offense. They had an MVP, a Cy Young, a Gold Glove, 3 Silver Sluggers, and 6 All-Stars.
Through 2 rounds of the playoffs, they were 7-1 overall. This being the 2nd round here, there's no reason to believe this machine would slow down yet.
In reality, that's 100% true.
Scranton had a great run. They had a below average offense, but the #3 pitching staff in the first season is nothing to be ashamed of. Neither is being considered one of the 32 best teams of all-time. I don't think anybody would have thought that possible when this began.
But they don't stand a chance against this Kansas City team, and the results would prove that.
Now the questions start about KC. In a Sweet 16 where everyone will have played in the World Series, are they the best team? Can they be considered the best team to never win the World Series? Can they actually make a run at being the best team of all-time? Or will all the Chris Ramirez's in this bracket ruin them, like he did to them in Season 4?
#5 Boise Bombers Season 12 vs #13 Charlotte Season 10
This is probably the toughest game to decide of all the games in all the brackets in this second round.
Boise won 107 games, and was the #1 seed out of a stacked AL West. They went 11-5 in the playoffs, never really getting tested en route to their first World Championship. They boasted a 3.60 ERA, 3rd best in baseball, which is quite the accomplishment coming from the AL.
They also used the long ball to their advantage, leading the majors in home runs and in runs scored, while finishing 29th in stolen bases. They only had 3 all-stars, all whom were pitchings. And didn't win any individual awards.
Charlotte, meanwhile, won 10 less games. They were the #2 seed out of a much weaker division. They also won the World Series, but it took them one game longer to do so, going 11-6 in the playoffs.
They scored the 10th most runs in all of baseball, but were 2nd in stolen bases, using a different philosophy than Boise. They had a 4.09 team ERA, 9th best in the bigs.
But both teams won the World Series.
Charlotte beat the defending champion Juggernauts, who won 97 games, 3-2 in the ALDS. Then they beat Boise, a 100 game winner, 4-2 in the ALCS, before beating 112-50 Colorado Springs 4-2 in the World Series.
Boise meanwhile, swept a far worse first round opponent, 89-73 Fargo. And then it took 7 games, but they beat a 97 win Charlotte team in the ALCS. Once the World Series rolled around, they beat a 107-55 CSP team (that reached the Sweet 16 yesterday) in 6 games.
So how do you compare? Is it better to face an elimination game in the first round, against a strong opponent, and not again in the LCS or WS? Or does showing your dominance in round 1 help hide the fact that you almost lost the LCS?
And what about the Chris Ramirez factor? That dude carried Charlotte in season 10, going 4-2 with a 1.88 ERA in 48 innings over 6 starts. Or is it more impressive that Boise beat Chris Ramirez in the World Series, proving that if they can do it then, they can do it now?
So while its nearly impossible to choose between these two teams, and Charlotte is definitely the more memorable World Champion, mostly for their pre-season acquisition of rental superstar Chris Ramirez, in one of the closest matches of the tournament, the Boise Bombers advance to the Sweet 16.
Do you agree?
#3 Rochester Raging Rhinos Season 5 vs #6 Pawtucket Polythene Season 5
This Pawtucket team believes they are the squad that deserves the title of best team to never win a World Series. They certainly came close. After winning 105 regular season games, they made it to the 7th game of the World Series before losing.
But it wasn't easy. They were down 2-1 in the NLDS before coming back, and it took them 6 games to beat this same Rochester team in the NLCS. Then they took a 2-0 and 3-1 lead in the World Series, before losing games 5, 6, and 7. Does that show that they were totally capable of being the Champs, coming so close to winning back-to-back titles? Or does it show something else? A crack in the armor, perhaps, proving that this team didn't have what it took to win it all?
Rochester, meanwhile, won a franchise record 110 games this season. They had the 3rd best team ERA in the bigs (compared to Pawtuckets #1), and they had the 4th best offense (compared to Pawtuckets 14th).
Rochester had 5 All Stars, 3 Silver Sluggers, 2 Gold Gloves, and the Fireman of the Year, Jeremi Warden, during his record 53 save campaign (a record that still stands). Pawtucket had 4 All Stars (including reigning NL Cy Young winner Henry Mackowiak, who was injured for the entire playoffs), 0 Silver Sluggers, 0 Gold Gloves, and Cy Young winner Chris Ramirez.
By all accounts Rochester was the better team. This was true that year, and its true now. But the elephant in the room is that Pawtucket beat Rochester in those playoffs, and it didn't even take them 7 games to do so. And they did it without their 2nd best pitcher that season, who has to be counted as part of the roster right now, since he was on the season 5 team.
Pawtucket would win the rematch, and they move on to the Sweet 16.
#2 Boise Bombers Season 11 vs #10 Texas Tittyballs Season 7
One Boise team has already moved on. This team was the precursor to that World Series Champion team. This team won more games (112 to 107) than that team. This team also led the majors in runs scored, but was 2nd in homers, and finished 24th in stolen bases, 5 spots higher than itself the next season.
And like itself the enxt year, this team also was 3rd in the bigs in ERA, albeit with a 3.87 compared to the other Boise's 3.60.
And in another stroke of luck, this team doesn't have to face another World Series Champion in the Round of 32. So it should move on.
Not so fast, my friend.
This Texas team may not have won as many games (100), had as good of an ERA (4.29), or score as many runs (3rd in the bigs), but it did have one of the greatest offenses ever assembled, based on talent alone.
And it was the defending NL Champions.
And oh yeah, while Boise was busy losing to a 90 win team in the NLCS, 4-2, Texas was defending its crown, winning its 2nd straight NL Pennant.
Is Texas better? Statistically, no. But this team did one thing better than Boise, and when it comes down to it, it's the only thing in this world that really matters. Texas won more in the playoffs.
Boise is better than Texas, but if these teams played, it would choke, like it did in the Season 11 playoffs.
CLICK HERE to view the up to date bracket.
Next Tuesday, the Sweet 16 of this bracket will be posted. It features to great rivalries. Boise vs Kansas City and Texas vs Pawtucket. One World Series Champion and 3 World Series losers. Will Boise be able to navigate its way out of this bracket, though. Being a WS Champion is a great advantage, but having to beat the 3 most successful franchises of all-time to reach the Final Four is one tough task.
Tomorrow, the Texas Bracket is posted, featuring 5 World Series Champions and 2 World Series Runner-Ups among the 8 teams in action.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Kansas City Bracket - Round Two Results
For a spot in the Sweet 16, we have these matchups:
#1 Jacksonville Season 8 vs #9 Texas Season 6
#4 Pawtucket Season 8 vs #5 Kansas City Season 7
#3 Kansas City Season 6 vs #11 Pawtucket Season 3
#2 Kansas City Season 2 vs #7 Colorado Springs Season 12
#1 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 8 vs #9 Texas Tittyballs Season 6
Two very great teams. Two very great franchises. Two teams who won their league championship series, but lost the World Series.
The offenses are both dominant. Domingo Gonzalez, of Jacksonville hit 29 home runs in season 8. That was 5th best on his team. Four others hit over 40 home runs, including Bonk Stuart, who hit 52 home runs and drove in a team high 123 RBIs.
Texas can't claim that its home run power was as deep as Jacksonville's. Jacksonville had 253 HR that season, Texas hit 228 in theirs. But Texas's JR Lankford had 133 RBIs, 10 more than Bonk Stuarts leading total on Jacksonville. The amazing this about that? Lankford had the 3rd most RBIs on his team, behind Sean O'Toole & Billy Hernandez.
So how do you compare these two teams? Their offenses are great, what about their pitching? Sal Freeman, Texas' #1 starter, was 20-7 with a 3.22 ERA. Great. Their closer? 35 for 44 in saves with a 7.46 ERA. What?! Jacksonville was led by Alex Olmeda, who went 22-5 with a 2.79 ERA. And Jax used a closer by committee, which produced a 17 for 23 with 3.54 ERA guy, and a 21 for 22 with 3.48 ERA guy.
So while Texas can match the Jacksonville firepower, Jacksonville easily would be able to outpitch the Texas staff. And because of that, Jacksonville is moving on to the sweet 16.
#4 Pawtucket Polythene Season 8 vs #5 Kansas City Shuffle Season 7
So who does Jacksonville get in the Sweet 16? This Kansas City Shuffle team won 107 games, was defending back-to-back-to-back-to-back AL Champions, and made it back to the ALCS for a 7th straight season. Impressive.
The Pawtucket team won 108 games, also made it to a 7th straight LCS, and went on to win the World Series.
Pawtucket's team had a 1.24 whip and 3.54 ERA for the season. Kansas City had a 1.34 whip and 4.04 ERA.
Kansas City hit 190 home runs, but stole over 300 bases, scored over 1000 runs, and had a .285 team average. Pawtucket hit 250 home runs, but only stole 130 bases, scored 888 runs, and had a .276 average.
Was Pawtucket really better than KC? Statistically, not really. The pitching was much better, but KC's offense was equally as far ahead of Pawtucket's offense.
So how does this match get decided? The biggest denominator of them all, of course. Pawtucket won the World Series this year. Maybe during the regular season these teams are even. But with a win-or-go-home situation playing out, this Pawtucket team will win every time.
This sets up a World Series VIII rematch in the Sweet 16.
#3 Kansas City Shuffle Season 6 vs #11 Pawtucket Polythene Season 3
Pawtucket just beat Kansas City. Can they do it again? This Pawtucket team won 100 games. Reached the NLCS. Was the #1 seed in the playoffs. They scored over 900 runs. They led all of baseball with a 4.04 ERA. And won the Cy Young, for the 3rd straight year.
They just upset a 106 win team that had scored over 1000 runs. The team definitely believes they can beat Kansas City.
But then Kansas City shows up. 110 wins. Division Champion. #1 seed. AL Champion. World Series Champion. Back-to-back World Series Champion. 3.96 team ERA. 1050 runs scored. .296 team average. A boatload of future Hall of Famers.
Would they even play this game? Or would Kansas City walk out of the dugout, Pawtucket take one look, and then go up to the umpire and say 'Hey, ya know what? They win. We forfeit. Let's just go drink beers.'
This KC machine is a serious threat to win the entire tournament.
#2 Kansas City Season 2 vs #7 Colorado Springs Season 12
Kansas City, 112-50. AL West Champions. #1 seed. Colorado Springs 105-57. NL West Champions. #1 seed.
Kansas City 1207 runs scored! .302 team average. 365 2b. 217 home runs. Colorado Springs 793 runs scored. .277 team average. 241 2b. 179 home runs.
Kansas City 68 for 80 saves. 1.40 team whip. 4.40 team era. Colorado Springs 58 for 71 saves. 1.23 team whip. 2.89 team era.
Kansas City 8 All-Stars. AL MVP. Cy Young winner. Fireman of the Year. 2 Silver Sluggers. 3 Gold Gloves. Colorado Springs 7 All-Stars. Cy Young Winner. 1 Silver Slugger. 2 Gold Gloves.
What's more impressive? 1200+ runs scored, and a team average over .300. Or a team ERA under 3.00? Guys hit .300 all the time, but to have an entire team average that is quite the feat. Although it has been done more than once in league history. Under 3.00 ERA is nearly impossible to do on an individual basis. To have an entire team average less than 3 runs per game for a season is unheard of.
Could that pitching staff handle that offense? Is this the best pitching staff ever vs the greatest offense ever? Could that staff actually control those bats? Really? Shut them down?
Well, through the first two rounds of the playoffs in season 12, Colorado Springs had a 7-0 record. Perfection. This KC team won its first round series 3-1, and then was shocked by the Iowa City Kaysons 4-2 in the ALCS.
If Iowa City can beat this Kansas City offense, why couldn't Colorado Springs? There's no answer there. Simply put, they could.
And the scary part is, if Colorado Springs can beat this team, which they do, who is to say they couldn't upset KC3 in the Sweet 16, who by all accounts is a worse team than the KC team CSP just beat.
To view the updated bracket, CLICK HERE.
Kansas City Sweet 16 Matchups (to be simmed next Monday):
#1 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 8 vs #4 Pawtucket Polythene Season 8
#3 Kansas City Shuffle Season 6 vs #7 Colorado Springs Season 12
Tomorrow, the Jacksonville bracket is simulated...
#1 Jacksonville Season 8 vs #9 Texas Season 6
#4 Pawtucket Season 8 vs #5 Kansas City Season 7
#3 Kansas City Season 6 vs #11 Pawtucket Season 3
#2 Kansas City Season 2 vs #7 Colorado Springs Season 12
#1 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 8 vs #9 Texas Tittyballs Season 6
Two very great teams. Two very great franchises. Two teams who won their league championship series, but lost the World Series.
The offenses are both dominant. Domingo Gonzalez, of Jacksonville hit 29 home runs in season 8. That was 5th best on his team. Four others hit over 40 home runs, including Bonk Stuart, who hit 52 home runs and drove in a team high 123 RBIs.
Texas can't claim that its home run power was as deep as Jacksonville's. Jacksonville had 253 HR that season, Texas hit 228 in theirs. But Texas's JR Lankford had 133 RBIs, 10 more than Bonk Stuarts leading total on Jacksonville. The amazing this about that? Lankford had the 3rd most RBIs on his team, behind Sean O'Toole & Billy Hernandez.
So how do you compare these two teams? Their offenses are great, what about their pitching? Sal Freeman, Texas' #1 starter, was 20-7 with a 3.22 ERA. Great. Their closer? 35 for 44 in saves with a 7.46 ERA. What?! Jacksonville was led by Alex Olmeda, who went 22-5 with a 2.79 ERA. And Jax used a closer by committee, which produced a 17 for 23 with 3.54 ERA guy, and a 21 for 22 with 3.48 ERA guy.
So while Texas can match the Jacksonville firepower, Jacksonville easily would be able to outpitch the Texas staff. And because of that, Jacksonville is moving on to the sweet 16.
#4 Pawtucket Polythene Season 8 vs #5 Kansas City Shuffle Season 7
So who does Jacksonville get in the Sweet 16? This Kansas City Shuffle team won 107 games, was defending back-to-back-to-back-to-back AL Champions, and made it back to the ALCS for a 7th straight season. Impressive.
The Pawtucket team won 108 games, also made it to a 7th straight LCS, and went on to win the World Series.
Pawtucket's team had a 1.24 whip and 3.54 ERA for the season. Kansas City had a 1.34 whip and 4.04 ERA.
Kansas City hit 190 home runs, but stole over 300 bases, scored over 1000 runs, and had a .285 team average. Pawtucket hit 250 home runs, but only stole 130 bases, scored 888 runs, and had a .276 average.
Was Pawtucket really better than KC? Statistically, not really. The pitching was much better, but KC's offense was equally as far ahead of Pawtucket's offense.
So how does this match get decided? The biggest denominator of them all, of course. Pawtucket won the World Series this year. Maybe during the regular season these teams are even. But with a win-or-go-home situation playing out, this Pawtucket team will win every time.
This sets up a World Series VIII rematch in the Sweet 16.
#3 Kansas City Shuffle Season 6 vs #11 Pawtucket Polythene Season 3
Pawtucket just beat Kansas City. Can they do it again? This Pawtucket team won 100 games. Reached the NLCS. Was the #1 seed in the playoffs. They scored over 900 runs. They led all of baseball with a 4.04 ERA. And won the Cy Young, for the 3rd straight year.
They just upset a 106 win team that had scored over 1000 runs. The team definitely believes they can beat Kansas City.
But then Kansas City shows up. 110 wins. Division Champion. #1 seed. AL Champion. World Series Champion. Back-to-back World Series Champion. 3.96 team ERA. 1050 runs scored. .296 team average. A boatload of future Hall of Famers.
Would they even play this game? Or would Kansas City walk out of the dugout, Pawtucket take one look, and then go up to the umpire and say 'Hey, ya know what? They win. We forfeit. Let's just go drink beers.'
This KC machine is a serious threat to win the entire tournament.
#2 Kansas City Season 2 vs #7 Colorado Springs Season 12
Kansas City, 112-50. AL West Champions. #1 seed. Colorado Springs 105-57. NL West Champions. #1 seed.
Kansas City 1207 runs scored! .302 team average. 365 2b. 217 home runs. Colorado Springs 793 runs scored. .277 team average. 241 2b. 179 home runs.
Kansas City 68 for 80 saves. 1.40 team whip. 4.40 team era. Colorado Springs 58 for 71 saves. 1.23 team whip. 2.89 team era.
Kansas City 8 All-Stars. AL MVP. Cy Young winner. Fireman of the Year. 2 Silver Sluggers. 3 Gold Gloves. Colorado Springs 7 All-Stars. Cy Young Winner. 1 Silver Slugger. 2 Gold Gloves.
What's more impressive? 1200+ runs scored, and a team average over .300. Or a team ERA under 3.00? Guys hit .300 all the time, but to have an entire team average that is quite the feat. Although it has been done more than once in league history. Under 3.00 ERA is nearly impossible to do on an individual basis. To have an entire team average less than 3 runs per game for a season is unheard of.
Could that pitching staff handle that offense? Is this the best pitching staff ever vs the greatest offense ever? Could that staff actually control those bats? Really? Shut them down?
Well, through the first two rounds of the playoffs in season 12, Colorado Springs had a 7-0 record. Perfection. This KC team won its first round series 3-1, and then was shocked by the Iowa City Kaysons 4-2 in the ALCS.
If Iowa City can beat this Kansas City offense, why couldn't Colorado Springs? There's no answer there. Simply put, they could.
And the scary part is, if Colorado Springs can beat this team, which they do, who is to say they couldn't upset KC3 in the Sweet 16, who by all accounts is a worse team than the KC team CSP just beat.
To view the updated bracket, CLICK HERE.
Kansas City Sweet 16 Matchups (to be simmed next Monday):
#1 Jacksonville Juggernauts Season 8 vs #4 Pawtucket Polythene Season 8
#3 Kansas City Shuffle Season 6 vs #7 Colorado Springs Season 12
Tomorrow, the Jacksonville bracket is simulated...
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Pawtucket Bracket - First Round Results
Todays Games:
#1 Kansas City 5 vs #16 Rochester 7
#8 San Francisco 1 vs #9 Charlotte 9
#4 Durham 1 vs #13 Texas 2
#5 Cheyenne 9 vs #12 Fresno 10
#3 Colorado Springs 11 vs #14 Charleston 6
#6 Pawtucket 4 vs #11 Charleston 5
#7 Texas 5 vs #10 Colorado Springs 6
#2 Kansas City 8 vs #15 Rochester 9
#1 seed Kansas City of season 5 is considered by many - especially pvc - to be the greatest team of all-time. They're one of the reasons this tournament was created, to see if they truly are the best. Their 122 regular season wins certainly are the best. But it took 5 games to win their ALDS matchup against a team that won 31 less games. And it took 7 games to win the World Series, a playoff resume that is a lot worse than a lot of other champions. No matter, season 7 Rochester, despite its impressive run to game 7 of the NLCS as a #4 seed, is no match in this one.
#8 San Francisco of season 1 is another team a lot of people have just forgotten about in the last 3 years. This team did win 103 games, and was the first ever NL Champion. They forgot to show up in the World Series, but that shouldn't diminish what they accomplished over their first 170+ games. Its certainly enough of a resume to be considered better than their opponents, season 8 Charlotte, who won an impressive 102 games, and reached game 7 of the ALCS.
If San Fran of season 1 is forgotten about, then there may not be anybody who rememebers the season 1 Durham Savages, the #4 seed in this bracket. That team won 109 games in the inaugural regular season, tops among all 32 SW teams. Their opponent, 12th seeded Texas of season 2, only won 95 regular season games, 5th best in the league that year. Numbers will point to Durham winning this with ease, but as they say, thats why they play the games. Durham was upset in their first playoff series, falling to eventual champion Kansas City 3-2, while Texas rode a hot streak all the way to the World Series Championship, going an impressive 11-3 in the playoffs, including 8-1 in the final two rounds. That run makes this team a force to be reckoned with in this tournament, even as a #12 seed.
Their next opponent, 5th seeded Cheyenne of season 9, will offer about as tough of a test as Durham just gave them. THat is to say, barely a test at all. Cheynne had a great season that year, winning 107 games, and then sweeping their first playoff series. Which is why #12 seeded Fresno of season 10 - and their 100 wins and ALCS appearance - are no match for Cheyenne in this one. But if history shows us anything, its that Cheyenne got swept 4-0 in their second series, while their next opponent, Texas, swept its series 4-0. One team is getting stronger, while the other is getting weaker.
In the lower half of the bracket, Colorado Springs of season 11 - the first CSP team to feature Chris Ramirez (who has 8 teams in the 2nd round of this tournament) - would have no trouble disposing of 14th seeded Charleston of season 6. That Charleston team was a great team, in the middle of a great run - albeit through the early rounds of the AL Playoffs - but their lack of success in the long term eventually caused their owner to retire, and certainly causes this team to not be considered among the 32 greatest of all-time.
Charlestons season 5 team, the #11 seed in this tournament, fares no better. In fact, they do worse. They also run into a Christopher Ramirez-led squad, although even more unfortunate for them, this is the only team in his 11 year career that Ramirez didn't win the Cy Young. That had less to do with Ramirez being bad - he was still great - and more to do with the fact that he was only the 2nd best pitcher on the team. We're talking of course about season 4 Pawtucket, which went on to win the World Series led by Cy Young winner Henry Mackowiak.
In a battle of good teams with short playoffs, #7 Texas of season 5 gets the upper hand on #10 Colorado Springs of season 6. Texas won 104 games, but failed to reach the NLCS. Colorado Springs won 101 games, also failing to reach the NLCS. Besides the 3 regular season victory difference, what causes Texas to win here? Their playoff record was 5-3, while CSP's was only 5-4.
And in the final matchup of the first round, we have #2 seed Kansas City of season 8. A team which was coming off 7 straight trips to the ALCS - still a record. A team which had won 5 of the first 7 AL Pennants, and 4 World Series titles. A team that looked to build on that, by winning 112 games during the season 8 regular season. Their opponent, the starstruck/lucky-to-be-here 15th seeded Rochester Raging Rhinos of season 9, who are the worst team in this tournament, with an 81-81 record. The 31 victory difference is the 2nd largest in this tournament, bested only by the 1/16 KC-Roc matchup of this bracket. KC came out victorious in that one, and with clearly the 2 best teams in this bracket, looks on the way to having a KC vs KC Bracket Championship matchup. Except before deciding this winner, we must look further into the history. This Kansas City team got swept out of the playoffs, losing 0-3 to a 102 win team. And what's more, this Rochester team went on one of the greatest runs in league history, beating 3 straight 100+ win teams to capture the NL Pennant, before losing 4-2 in the World Series.
Add another great upset to their resume, as the 15th seeded Rhinos are moving on to the round of 32. Is this the start of another great run by the biggest underdogs in world history? Will they finish what they started last time, and win it all? Or will they fall short, unable to string together a streak of upsets to match their last run?
Second round matchups in this bracket:
#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
To view the completed bracket with all the 2nd round matchups, CLICK HERE.
On Monday, the 2nd round of the Kansas City bracket will be posted.
#1 Kansas City 5 vs #16 Rochester 7
#8 San Francisco 1 vs #9 Charlotte 9
#4 Durham 1 vs #13 Texas 2
#5 Cheyenne 9 vs #12 Fresno 10
#3 Colorado Springs 11 vs #14 Charleston 6
#6 Pawtucket 4 vs #11 Charleston 5
#7 Texas 5 vs #10 Colorado Springs 6
#2 Kansas City 8 vs #15 Rochester 9
#1 seed Kansas City of season 5 is considered by many - especially pvc - to be the greatest team of all-time. They're one of the reasons this tournament was created, to see if they truly are the best. Their 122 regular season wins certainly are the best. But it took 5 games to win their ALDS matchup against a team that won 31 less games. And it took 7 games to win the World Series, a playoff resume that is a lot worse than a lot of other champions. No matter, season 7 Rochester, despite its impressive run to game 7 of the NLCS as a #4 seed, is no match in this one.
#8 San Francisco of season 1 is another team a lot of people have just forgotten about in the last 3 years. This team did win 103 games, and was the first ever NL Champion. They forgot to show up in the World Series, but that shouldn't diminish what they accomplished over their first 170+ games. Its certainly enough of a resume to be considered better than their opponents, season 8 Charlotte, who won an impressive 102 games, and reached game 7 of the ALCS.
If San Fran of season 1 is forgotten about, then there may not be anybody who rememebers the season 1 Durham Savages, the #4 seed in this bracket. That team won 109 games in the inaugural regular season, tops among all 32 SW teams. Their opponent, 12th seeded Texas of season 2, only won 95 regular season games, 5th best in the league that year. Numbers will point to Durham winning this with ease, but as they say, thats why they play the games. Durham was upset in their first playoff series, falling to eventual champion Kansas City 3-2, while Texas rode a hot streak all the way to the World Series Championship, going an impressive 11-3 in the playoffs, including 8-1 in the final two rounds. That run makes this team a force to be reckoned with in this tournament, even as a #12 seed.
Their next opponent, 5th seeded Cheyenne of season 9, will offer about as tough of a test as Durham just gave them. THat is to say, barely a test at all. Cheynne had a great season that year, winning 107 games, and then sweeping their first playoff series. Which is why #12 seeded Fresno of season 10 - and their 100 wins and ALCS appearance - are no match for Cheyenne in this one. But if history shows us anything, its that Cheyenne got swept 4-0 in their second series, while their next opponent, Texas, swept its series 4-0. One team is getting stronger, while the other is getting weaker.
In the lower half of the bracket, Colorado Springs of season 11 - the first CSP team to feature Chris Ramirez (who has 8 teams in the 2nd round of this tournament) - would have no trouble disposing of 14th seeded Charleston of season 6. That Charleston team was a great team, in the middle of a great run - albeit through the early rounds of the AL Playoffs - but their lack of success in the long term eventually caused their owner to retire, and certainly causes this team to not be considered among the 32 greatest of all-time.
Charlestons season 5 team, the #11 seed in this tournament, fares no better. In fact, they do worse. They also run into a Christopher Ramirez-led squad, although even more unfortunate for them, this is the only team in his 11 year career that Ramirez didn't win the Cy Young. That had less to do with Ramirez being bad - he was still great - and more to do with the fact that he was only the 2nd best pitcher on the team. We're talking of course about season 4 Pawtucket, which went on to win the World Series led by Cy Young winner Henry Mackowiak.
In a battle of good teams with short playoffs, #7 Texas of season 5 gets the upper hand on #10 Colorado Springs of season 6. Texas won 104 games, but failed to reach the NLCS. Colorado Springs won 101 games, also failing to reach the NLCS. Besides the 3 regular season victory difference, what causes Texas to win here? Their playoff record was 5-3, while CSP's was only 5-4.
And in the final matchup of the first round, we have #2 seed Kansas City of season 8. A team which was coming off 7 straight trips to the ALCS - still a record. A team which had won 5 of the first 7 AL Pennants, and 4 World Series titles. A team that looked to build on that, by winning 112 games during the season 8 regular season. Their opponent, the starstruck/lucky-to-be-here 15th seeded Rochester Raging Rhinos of season 9, who are the worst team in this tournament, with an 81-81 record. The 31 victory difference is the 2nd largest in this tournament, bested only by the 1/16 KC-Roc matchup of this bracket. KC came out victorious in that one, and with clearly the 2 best teams in this bracket, looks on the way to having a KC vs KC Bracket Championship matchup. Except before deciding this winner, we must look further into the history. This Kansas City team got swept out of the playoffs, losing 0-3 to a 102 win team. And what's more, this Rochester team went on one of the greatest runs in league history, beating 3 straight 100+ win teams to capture the NL Pennant, before losing 4-2 in the World Series.
Add another great upset to their resume, as the 15th seeded Rhinos are moving on to the round of 32. Is this the start of another great run by the biggest underdogs in world history? Will they finish what they started last time, and win it all? Or will they fall short, unable to string together a streak of upsets to match their last run?
Second round matchups in this bracket:
#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
To view the completed bracket with all the 2nd round matchups, CLICK HERE.
On Monday, the 2nd round of the Kansas City bracket will be posted.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Down on the farm: Sharkey's Top 50 prospects: Part I
Who will be the next Nicholas Bryant, Chris Ramirez and Ramon Jang? Maybe no one, but this crop of youngsters could be destined for greatness.
Criteria and notes:
1. Player had to be currently in the minors
2. To be fair I chose at least one player from each franchise
3. These are in no particular order
4. If you haven't already sent your prospects, please do.
1. Apollo Newfield, SP, NYA: New York struck gold when drafting Apollo at #17 in the season 11 draft. At the age of 22, Newfield is still improving on a consistent basis and looks to distance himself from other starting pitchers. Hallgren has shown excellent patience with Apollo and it is paying off. ETA: Late season 14.
2. Shooter Payton, P, SLC: Shooter Payton is on the cusp of being a big-time ML pitcher. Relying heavily on his dominating sinker ball, Payton cruised in AAA ball last season, winning 17 games and finishing as a Cy Young finalist. In 24 innings at the Big League level last year, Payton showed that he belonged, posting a 2.25 era and overpowering several hitters. ETA: Early season 13.
3. Footsie DeWitt, CF, NO: Coming over from Colorado in the Enrique Ortiz deal, DeWitt looks to anchor the New Orleans OF for the next 10 seasons. Sporting GG-quality defense, and speed that amounted to 95 stolen bases in AA last year, Footsie could easily be the #1 CF prospect in all of baseball.
4. Luis Silva, LF, KC: This switch-hitting lefty has the tools to hit 40+ homers a season and contend for an MVP or two. Acquired in season 10 for $21 million on the international market, Silva has lived up to the hype thus far. ETA: Late season 13.
5. Charles Ducey, SP, PAW: Juicey Ducey was the key-piece in the Blockbuster deal that saw Pawtuckett ship Enrique Infante over to Kansas City. Ducey was 13-2 with a 2.27 era in low A ball last year and looks to have all the makings of a future ace. At 22, the sky is the limit. ETA: Season 15.
6. Adrian Corino, SP, MON: Dios Mios! El Cervezas tiene muchos pitching muy joven! Corino has a mid 90s fastball that is complimented by a Johan Santana-esque change-up. How he fell to #11 overall, I'll never know. ETA: Not soon enough.
7. Bret Chance, SP, MON: Corino's partner-in-crime, Bret Chance, could be as good or better than AC. The former 5th overall pick went a ridiculous 19-2 in low A ball last year and took home the league's Cy Young Award. Be afraid, AL South, be very afraid. ETA: Season 15.
8. Joey Ellis, RP, BOI: Ellis has everything you could want in a future closer. Big splits, big pitches and big durability. JE's near 3-to-1 BB to SO ratio is just uncalled for. It's hard to find any flaws in the 20 year Ellis, but if I had to find one it would be that he isn't on my team. ETA: Early season 16.
9. Sammy Calderone, RP, HAR: This season 12 all-star converted 27/32 saves last year and has a career mL era of just 3.27. His fastball, slider combo has been called "the best in the game" by some of his coaches and with numbers like that, it's hard to argue. ETA Early season 14.
10. Felipe Villanueva, SP, LR: $10.8 million for this guy just isn't fair. The future is bright for the right-handed Villanueva, who signed late last season and was able to log just one start. His curveball is reminiscent of a young Matt Morris and should keep hitters puzzled for years to come. ETA: season 16.
Criteria and notes:
1. Player had to be currently in the minors
2. To be fair I chose at least one player from each franchise
3. These are in no particular order
4. If you haven't already sent your prospects, please do.
1. Apollo Newfield, SP, NYA: New York struck gold when drafting Apollo at #17 in the season 11 draft. At the age of 22, Newfield is still improving on a consistent basis and looks to distance himself from other starting pitchers. Hallgren has shown excellent patience with Apollo and it is paying off. ETA: Late season 14.
2. Shooter Payton, P, SLC: Shooter Payton is on the cusp of being a big-time ML pitcher. Relying heavily on his dominating sinker ball, Payton cruised in AAA ball last season, winning 17 games and finishing as a Cy Young finalist. In 24 innings at the Big League level last year, Payton showed that he belonged, posting a 2.25 era and overpowering several hitters. ETA: Early season 13.
3. Footsie DeWitt, CF, NO: Coming over from Colorado in the Enrique Ortiz deal, DeWitt looks to anchor the New Orleans OF for the next 10 seasons. Sporting GG-quality defense, and speed that amounted to 95 stolen bases in AA last year, Footsie could easily be the #1 CF prospect in all of baseball.
4. Luis Silva, LF, KC: This switch-hitting lefty has the tools to hit 40+ homers a season and contend for an MVP or two. Acquired in season 10 for $21 million on the international market, Silva has lived up to the hype thus far. ETA: Late season 13.
5. Charles Ducey, SP, PAW: Juicey Ducey was the key-piece in the Blockbuster deal that saw Pawtuckett ship Enrique Infante over to Kansas City. Ducey was 13-2 with a 2.27 era in low A ball last year and looks to have all the makings of a future ace. At 22, the sky is the limit. ETA: Season 15.
6. Adrian Corino, SP, MON: Dios Mios! El Cervezas tiene muchos pitching muy joven! Corino has a mid 90s fastball that is complimented by a Johan Santana-esque change-up. How he fell to #11 overall, I'll never know. ETA: Not soon enough.
7. Bret Chance, SP, MON: Corino's partner-in-crime, Bret Chance, could be as good or better than AC. The former 5th overall pick went a ridiculous 19-2 in low A ball last year and took home the league's Cy Young Award. Be afraid, AL South, be very afraid. ETA: Season 15.
8. Joey Ellis, RP, BOI: Ellis has everything you could want in a future closer. Big splits, big pitches and big durability. JE's near 3-to-1 BB to SO ratio is just uncalled for. It's hard to find any flaws in the 20 year Ellis, but if I had to find one it would be that he isn't on my team. ETA: Early season 16.
9. Sammy Calderone, RP, HAR: This season 12 all-star converted 27/32 saves last year and has a career mL era of just 3.27. His fastball, slider combo has been called "the best in the game" by some of his coaches and with numbers like that, it's hard to argue. ETA Early season 14.
10. Felipe Villanueva, SP, LR: $10.8 million for this guy just isn't fair. The future is bright for the right-handed Villanueva, who signed late last season and was able to log just one start. His curveball is reminiscent of a young Matt Morris and should keep hitters puzzled for years to come. ETA: season 16.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Through the Wire - 3/3/10
- Big news of the day is a pending trade between two powerhouse franchises. Kansas City looks to have acquired stud SP Enrique Infante for a package of prospects headlined by former 1st round pick (#13th overall) Charles Ducey. While Ducey is a couple seasons away from being a ML-ready All-Star, Infante will take his career 2.79 ERA to the American League where he'll join his 3rd team in just 6 big league seasons. He'll strengthen a re-tooled and formidable rotation in KC. Is more top flight talent on its way out of Pawtucket? This blockbuster is just pending league approval which should come early Thursday morning.
- Pittsburgh has acquired LHP Joe Petrick who signs a 2 year deal worth $1.2 million per season. Petrick is just 2 seasons removed from a 17-5 record with Fargo but is coming off a disastrous season 12 going 2-7 with a 6.62 ERA and a stop in AAA to get his head straight. Petrick will be expected to challenge for a spot in the rotation this season for the Yellow Jackets.
- Terrence Westbrook has cashed in on a successful season as Tuscon's closer - being rewarded with a 4 year contract extension worth $20.8 million. The former 1st round draft pick of Cheyenne finished last season with a career high 40 saves.
- Rochester dives into the International market and grabs SS Dennis Kuo from Japan for a $9.5 million signing bonus. Reports say Kuo's compact swing allows him to make consistent contact at the plate but a move to 2b or 3B might be in the 18 year old's future unless he spends some time working on his glove. Kuo will start the season in LoA ball for the Rhinos.
- With a spot on the 25 man roster opening up with Infante's departure from Pawtucket, the team has resigned RHP Osvaldo Johnson to a one year deal worth $700k. The 35 year old veteran will be starting his 6th season in Pawtucket where he won a WS ring in season 8
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