28
March

Getting stats done

gamelog

It’s the 28th today.  That’s a magic day in the Illowa APBA League because that’s when our stats our due from each manager.  My cross town rival Brando loves doing stats.  When we come home from a long tiring weekend where we’ve 30 league games, he tells me he’s going to stay up late that night and tally his team’s stats. 

Not me.  I’m notorious for waiting till 11pm on the 28th to email them to our commish.  It’s not that I don’t like doing stats it’s just that I’m a procrastinator.  Why do now that you can put off till the 28th? 

I have streamlined the process though.  Back in day, my first 10-15 years in the league, I would tabulate stats for each player individually before going on to the next.  That meant a lot of shuffling of papers and quite honestly, losing my place where I was at.

Now, I can thank Brando for a pretty cool Excel spreadsheet he passed on to me.  The spreadsheet has a game log for each player and pitcher.  which links to a worksheet on the same spreadsheet which compiles the totals.  When doing the stats, I just do one game at a time which means if I get interrupted even midstream of a game, I can pick up where I was at without missing a beat. 

Another advantage from the new system is picking up on trends and streaks.  I know now that Mike Cameron struck out 10 times in his first four games (oh, yes he did).  And that in 4 straight appearances, rookie Chris Perez gave up 9 runs in 4 1/3 innings (you bet it’s true).

The spreadsheet doesn’t help my team have better stats or a better record (I’m 12-18 so far this year).  Nor does it help me get my stuff in any earlier though I did send them in on the 27th this month. 

Maybe there’s a trend emerging. 

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28
March

Question about card set sizes

Reader Kevin sent me a email with a question regarding roster sizes of the card sets.  I think it’s worth bringing up.  If one person is confused about it and wrote in about it, there are probably 100 others who are wondering the same thing… most likely those who are new to the game. 

Kevin writes:

 

Hi, I am a little confused about the cards in APBA sets. I went to the APBA "Stadium Shop" to look for the latest card set, which I believe is the "2008" set with cards from the 2008 season (as opposed to sets issued by baseball card companies, which at this point would have cards for the upcoming 2009 season).
 
My confusion regards the number of cards in the set. On the APBA Product List page, they list 1999-2007 as "30 teams with 20 players per team", though the card list you posted for 2008 has 30 players per team. If I went to APBA’s Statium Shop and ordered the $39.95 2008 set, would I be getting 600 cards or 300?
 
I appreciate any clarification you can offer.
 
Thanks!

 

It’s a good question, revolving around the issue of XB’s and the 2008 carded player list he refers to.  Admittedly, the carded list is APBA’s way of catering to those of us APBA veterans who absolutely must know ahead of time who is going to get a card and who won’t (thank you, APBA, btw!)

But I suppose it does create some confusion for those not used to the idea of XBs. 

I replied to Kevin:

 

Kevin,
The regular set you buy will contain 20 players per team (or 600 for the whole set). 

For those who are serious about doing a replay or whatever, APBA also puts out an extra card set (also as XBs) which total to 10 players per team. 

That’s where the 30 players per team is arrived at. 

…the regular set is enough to get you started but to do anything meaningful, it’s helpful to have the XBs. 

 

I should emphasize that this goes for the recent seasons (1999-present) only.  The older sets and historical might have different roster sizes and XB availability may vary.

2 comments

26
March

2009 IAL Trade Analysis

longoria

In the same vein as Teddy’s Draft Review, here is his 2009 Illowa APBA League Trade Analysis.  It’s something I started back in 90’s.  It was picked up for a few years by Rob Moore and now Teddy does it. 

There’s a saying. “Forget the sword of truth, wield the pen”.  That said, in both the Draft Review and Trade Analysis, Tedd is always sometimes willing to admit when he’s had a lapse of judgment. 

-tbz

 

 

CHAMPIONS get Felipe Lopez

UPPERDECKERS get Vernon Wells

ANALYSIS Need sometimes creates desperation, V-Dub is WAY better than F-Lo. Big advantage Upperdeckers!

GAMBLERS get Scott Rolen

BAMM-BEANOS get Juan Uribe

ANALYSIS Rolen gives the Gamblers a regular at 3B and Brooks Uribe gives the Bamm-Beanos some flexibility as a utility infielder. This was a trade to help teams with coverage, no advantage.

CHAMPIONS get Ryan Doumit, Ian Stewart, & Bobby Crosby

HITMEN get A.J. Burnett, Hiroki Kuroda, & Boof Bonser

ANALYSIS Pitching for hitting, as simple as that. Doumit fills in for the injured Victor Martinez and Burnett gives the Hitmen a solid #3 starter. Doumit for Burnett would’ve been a fair trade, advantage Hitmen.

UPPERDECKERS get Jeff Keppinger

MARAUDERS get Ken Griffey, Jr.

ANALYSIS Junior’s closer to becoming a draft choice, advantage Marauders.

BOMBERS get Adam Dunn

GAMBLERS get Troy Glaus

ANALYSIS Dunn will eventually become the starting firstbaseman for the Bombers. Glaus is an upgrade over Rolen at 3B, any way to get Uribe back for Rolen? Even Steven.

MARAUDERS get James Loney

BOMBERS get Yunel Escobar

ANALYSIS DonS must’ve convinced Papa Bunch you can never have too many shortstops. Another fair trade.

KERNELS get Robb Quinlan

HIGHLANDERS get Julian Tavarez

ANALYSIS Thinking about this swap makes my head hurt, no talent here.

MARAUDERS get Geovany Soto

HIGHLANDERS get Felix Hernandez

ANALYSIS A good young pitcher for a good young catcher, no advantage.

MARAUDERS get Evan Longoria & Ramon Hernandez

THUNDERCHICKENS get Geovany Soto & Mark Hendrickson

ANALYSIS DonS should’ve stopped here, IMHO. The Marauders need young blood at the hot corner, can’t top Longoria! Nelly gets the man he wanted, wouldn’t it have been easier just to lose more games down the stretch? Marauders get the nod in this one.

MARAUDERS get Nick Blackburn

HIGHLANDERS get Rickie Weeks

ANALYSIS A young pitcher for a young secondbaseman, talent’s still up in the air, slight advantage to Marauders.

BOMBERS get Evan Longoria & Glen Perkins

MARAUDERS get Edinson Volquez & Johnny Cueto

ANALYSIS Johnny Cueto is that much better than Glen Perkins to once again give the advantage to the Marauders, despite the fact that Longoria is clearly the best player in the trade.

BOMBERS get Mike Jacobs

THUNDERCHICKENS get Eric Hinske

ANALYSIS The Manasha Mauler fits into the T*Chix lineup as a leadoff man and Jake will be the starting firstbaseman this year in Green Rock. This deal helps both clubs.

GAMBLERS get Omar Vizquel

HITMEN get Scott Rolen

ANALYSIS Gamblers should’ve hung on to Uribe. The Hitmen should’ve kept Omar and drafted Blake DeWitt. This trade is a bad one for both teams. It’s another coverage deal.

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24
March

2009 IAL DRAFT REVIEW

geovany-soto-is-no-1

A yearly tradition, IAL manager Teddy Ballgame does a lengthy draft review a few days after our rookie draft.  He critiques each pick, gives each team on how they drafted and lists players he thinks may have been overlooked.

Whether or not you are in the IAL, it’s an enjoyable read.

-tbz

1) TWIN CITIES THUNDERCHICKENS: Geovany Soto C – Nelly’s a Cub fan, who traded his catcher to move up in the draft to grab a great, young, Cub catcher. Soto’s great behind the plate and will provide protection in the order for Albert Pujols.

2) GREEN ROCK BOMBERS: Evan Longoria 3B – Longoria was the best player in this year’s draft IMHO. His bat reminds me of Ryan Braun, except this thirdbaseman handles the hot corner well enough to stay there. Don’t know why DonS traded the chance to get this kid.

3) Molly Putts Marauders: Edinson Volquez P – Traded Felix, got Edinson, kind of a wash. Volquez had a breakout season as a rookie with the Reds. He has overpowering stuff, let’s see what he does as an encore.

4) RISING BAMM-BEANOS: Jair Jurrjens P – The Bamm-Beanos have quickly assembled a stable of good young arms. Jurrjens is not a #1 starter, but he doesn’t have to be in this rotation.

5) KENTUCKY KERNELS: Joba Chamberlain P – This big man is lights out nasty! It looks like the Yankees are going to try him in the rotation. The sky’s the limit for this kid! He’s that good.

6) COLONA UPPERDECKERS: Joey Votto 1B – Should have talked with Marc about this pick, I could’ve given him something to exchange first rounders. I’m sure Votto would’ve lasted to my pick. He’s a good hitter, 20 homers & a .280 average. Not much to get excited about here.

7) NORTHSIDE HITMEN: Jay Bruce OF – Three Reds in the first seven picks, no wonder I picked the Reds to win it all last year, what happened? Bruce reminds me of Paul O’Neill, which ain’t bad.

8 ) MOLLY PUTTS MARAUDERS: Alexei Ramirez 2B – If I’d traded for Marc’s 1st rounder I’d have taken either Alexei or Bruce. It killed me to see DonS take Ramirez like he was taking bad medicine. The White Sox are moving him to SS, which fits right into the Marauders plan.

9) THREE RIVERS GAMBLERS: Armando Galarraga P – A one year B is still a B. You’d think drafting cards would catch up with a guy, but not yet. Galarraga will be intregal part of the Gamblers rotation this year. Three Rivers is already printing playoff tickets.

10) CHICAGO CHAMPIONS: Joey Devine P* – Okay, so Bruce & Ramirez were gone, but what about Clayton Kershaw? Brain freeze here, still Devine looks to be Chicago’s closer for years to come. Joey bounced back after allowing grand slams in his first two big league appearances.

11) CHICAGO HIGHLANDERS: Brad Ziegler P* – Reminds me of Arizona’s Korean closer, a sidearmer, who gets guys out. A&B* relievers don’t come along everyday, this is a playoff pick.

12) TWIN CITIES THUNDERCHICKENS: Jacoby Ellsbury OF – The only thing this kid can’t do is hit for power. Speed & defense never take a day off. Jacoby should have a solid IAL career for the T*Chix.

13) MOLLY PUTTS MARAUDERS: Johnny Cueto P – Best pitcher in the draft, bar none. I saw him pitch preseason for the Reds last year, and asked a scout about that Cuetro kid? He said, he was hitting 94. Once he perfects his changeup, what a steal!

14) RISING BAMM-BEANOS: Denard Span OF – The Metrodome is the perfect place for this guy. He has speed, hits down on the ball, and plays defense.

15) KENTUCKY KERNELS: Sean Gallagher P – It would be easy for me to rip this pick as a Cub fan overestimating Cub prospects, except this kid has talent and can pitch. Gallagher was traded for Rich Harden, I like him better than Harden right now. Should’ve taken Clayton!

16) COLONA UPPERDECKERS: Clayton Kershaw P – It might take Kershaw a little while to tap into his potential, but he has the highest upside of anybody in the draft. Clayton should’ve been gobbled up by the Champions. This lefty will be the dominant

Continue reading »

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17
March

Illowa APBA League Draft: Who went when

 

 

Last weekend was the Illowa APBA League Draft weekend.   After Chuck Lucas (above) and his Northside Hitmen put away the opposition to win the World Series, we commenced with the league meeting and draft on Friday night. 

The essential details:

10 team keeper league

26 players per team

Rookie Draft replacing non-pitchers who didn’t get 125 at-bats and pitchers who pitched 21 gamed OR 50 innings pitched.

Rookies are those players who are officially listed as a rookie and also eligible by the limits standards above. 

 

  Round One Player
1 Highlanders Marauders T-Chicks Soto, G.
2 T-Chicks Marauders Bombers Longoria, E.
3 Bombers Marauders   Volquez, E.
4 Bamm Beano’s     Jurrjens, J.
5 Kernels     Chamberlain, J.
6 Upperdeckers     Votto, J.
7 Hitmen     Bruce, J.
8 Marauders     Ramirez, A.
9 Gamblers     Galarraga, A.
10 Champions     Devine, J.
         
Round Two Player
11 Highlanders     Ziegler, B.
12 T-Chicks     Ellsbury, J.
13 Bombers Marauders   Cueto, J.
14 Bamm Beano’s     Span, D.
15 Kernels     Gallagher, S.
16 Upperdeckers     Kershaw, C.
17 Hitmen     Lowry, J.
18 Marauders Bombers   Perkins, G.
19 Gamblers     Arredondo, J.
20 Champions Hitmen   Kuroda, H.
         
  Round Three Player
21 Highlanders Marauders   Blackburn, N.
22 T-Chicks     Parra, M.
23 Bombers     Aviles, M.
24 Bamm Beano’s     Volstad, C.
25 Kernels     Samardzija, J.
26 Upperdeckers     Scherzer, M.
27 Hitmen Champions   Stewart, I.
28 Marauders     Sandoval, P.
29 Gamblers     Lannan, J.
30 Champions     Wade, C.
         
  Round Four Player
31 Highlanders     Davis, C.
32 T-Chicks     Carlson, J.
33 Bamm Beano’s     Campillo, J.
34 Kernels     Fukudome, K.
35 Upperdeckers     Jones, A.
36 Hitmen     Wood, B.
37 Marauders     Masterson, J.
38 Gamblers     Breslow, C.
39 Champions     Romo, S.
         
  Round Five Player
40 Highlanders     Johnson, J.
41 T-Chicks     Perez, C.
42 Upperdeckers     Gallardo, Y.
43 Hitmen     Buchholz, C.
44 Gamblers     Laffey, A.
45 Champions     Joyce, M.
         
  Round Six Player
46 Highlanders     Hughes, P.
47 T-Chicks     Harrison, M.
48 Gamblers     Veras, J.

 

My second round pick of Ellsbury was met with silence.  And I really didn’t know whether it was right move or not.  Of course the highest compliment anyone can hear during a draft is “Dammit!”.  Later, one manager confided in me that my pick of Jacoby forced him to go to Plan B so that made me feel better. 

Matt Harrison?  Who’s he?  I still don’t know.  It’s slim pickins by the sixth round and I should know better than to take advice from Teddy.  It doesn’t help that he pitches in Texas. 

3 comments

14
March

First day of IAL draft weekend

It’s late so I’m keeping this short.  We’ve just retired from our first night of the Illowa APBA League Draft Weekend. 

 

Congrats to Chuck Lucas (right) who won the IAL 2008 World Series.  Here he is being presented the trophy by IAL commish Mike Bunch.

 

Mike Bunch and his East Moline Bombers picked Evan Longoria for the second pick of the draft. 

The first 5 picks of the draft:

Soto, Longoria, Volquez, Jurrjens, and Chamberlain.

 

 

Despite what it says on Teddy’s shirt, that’s exactly what he did, losing in the first round of the playoffs.  To add insult to injury, he’s currently down 2-1 to me in our first series of 2009. 

 

More IAL draft weekend photos here.

1 comment

12
March

IAL’s Proposed Rule Changes and how I might vote

This weekend is the Illowa APBA League’s World Series/Draft weekend.  Of course, one part of the weekend which I enjoy the most is the league meeting… and I think I’m the only one who seems to get any pleasure out of it.

Below are the five proposed rule changes to our hallowed constitution to be discussed at our league meeting plus a little background.  I also added how I might vote.  I say “might” because I don’t want any joker at the meeting holding me to it.

“But you said you were against of the extra pick!!”

Here they are:

 

Proposal #1

 

Reinstate the “extra pick” in return for submitting an article each month. After the draft, there will be an extra round, in which a manager may drop one player in order to draft another. This extra round is only open to those managers who submit articles for every month in which they played games.

Background:

Quite simply, this rule is to reward “good behavior” as Steve Stein puts it.  We used to have this rule and rescinded it, I think partly because it made our teams too strong.  However, manager involvement as far as submitting articles, has not been that great so perhaps a carrot approach is worth a look.

My Vote:  No.  If I had my druthers, I’d get rid of penalty points for lateness.  We’re adults here.  I don’t want to read a two or three sentence article because someone fulfilled their requirement for the month.

Proposal #2

 

Eliminate the Unusual Play card

Background: Our league historically has used a lot of modifications to the basic game… the Unusual Play Card, the Pitcher’s Hitting Card, the Error card to name a few.  However, as of late, there’s been a feeling among many of the managers of the IAL to get back to the basics and just play the boards.  We voted out the Error chart last year.  I think some liked it so much they wanted to try to see if we could get along without the UPC as well.

My Vote:   Yes.  It will be difficult.  I’ve played with the UPC pretty much all my adult life.  Not only in IAL life but I’ve even adopted it in any solitaire play too.  But I’m willing to give it a try.

 

Proposal #3

I would like to propose the use of the DH for 2010

Background: Pretty self-explanatory.  The IAL has used the National League rules for all 34 years of its existence.  Every year it’s tradition to end the league meeting with a vote on the DH.  It’s normally a perfunctory vote.  This year though, I think it’s being seriously considered.

My Vote:  No, never, absolutely not

 

Proposal #4

Each manager decides whether DH is used for the season in his team’s home games.

Background: See above…

My Vote:  My vote stays no.  It’s one thing to vote for the DH all around but this “home manager decides” doesn’t fly with me.

 

 

Proposal #5

I also propose that “No Stealing” goes the way of other base coaching. Either the runner is coached on everything or on nothing.

Background: As we play it now, runners can play it safe but can still be allowed to steal.  This rule would disallow that.  Playing it safe would mean “PLAYING IT SAFE”.

My Vote:  Yes on that one.  That makes sense to me.

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6
March

Check me out

Smile Politely, a local online magazine, did a profile on me. 

I’m just basking in my 15 minutes. 

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6
March

Online Play?

I got an email from Tyson regarding online APBA play:

He says in part:

 

Now I have a new job in another town and miss that time we spent together as well as miss playing APBA baseball all together.  It is not feasible for me to join any leagues with my schedule, but I still wish there was a way to play online.  It seems to me that the computer version of this game would lend itself over to playing online very easily.  I literally have had dreams about logging onto an APBA baseball site similar to that of an online poker site and finding a game.  I have looked all over the net, but have had no luck at all.  Am I not looking in the right places or is there really no where play online?
 
I honestly haven’t followed the computer aspect of APBA recently.  I know a while back there was talk of an online version of the game but it sort of fell apart.
Did the project ever get picked up again?

5 comments

5
March

Champions Upcoming Milestones 34-17

champs-logoEarly in the 2009-10 season the Chicago Champions, of the Illowa APBA League, will reach 3,000 wins (34 to go) and 2,500 losses (17 to go). 

I actually joined the IAL in the league’s 2nd year, so I still have a 98-75 personal record to reach those milestones.  Hopefully I’ll reach the 3,000 win plateau this upcoming year, 98 wins would be nice.  But in reality I’ve got a much better chance of personally reaching the 2,500 loss mark, with 75 losses to go.

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