Manager Lucas brought his Northside Hitmen over to Crackerjack Park adding another chapter in the ongoing battle of APBA that has been going on for decades.  Being a History Major, Luke remembered one of the first times he came to my place to play shum APBA, it was circa 1977, the Midwest Monarchs hosted his River Park Solons, and Ed Figueroa tossed a perfect game against us.  My lineup included the likes of “Disco” Danny Ford, John “The Hammer” Milner, Rick Manning, George Brett, Jerry Remy, & Tim Foli.  But that was a lifetime ago, seems surreal, almost like a dream, who were those people, were they really us???

On this day it would be a nine game set featuring the explosive Chicago Champions taking on the Hitmen of the Northside.  The Hitmen wasted no time jumping out to an early lead when Alexei Ramirez hit the 1st pitch of game one off Tim Lincecum over the leftfield wall.  Interesting fact pointed out by Chuck: much maligned Alexei is batting .293, with power numbers of 24, 1, 14, while the highly regarded Hanley is batting .286, 23, 2, 16, I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’.  In the bottom of the first AROD bit the hand that once fed him, giving the Freak a one run lead when he launched a two run shot, then hit another two run dinger in the 3rd, giving Chicago a three run advantage, which was upped by another when Justin Morneau, aka Jason Monroe, left the yard.  Lincecum left the game after seven, despite never having to pitch from the stretch, allowing only Alexei’s first pitch bomb.  Hidecki Okajima allowed a leadoff pinch double in the top of the 9th, followed by a one out walk, before giving way to “AK-47” “Papa Grande” Jose Valverde.  AROD booted a ball, filling the bases for Manny Ramirez, who took care of business, just Manny being Manny, as he belted a game tying grand salami.  Ryan Perry pitching in the 10th allowed two runs to give the Hitmen a hard fought game one win, despite AROD hitting a solo in the bottom of the 10th off closer Joakim Soria to make the final 7-6 Northside.

Dualing homers were the second game’s theme as the game was knotted at four thru four, courtesy of Chase Utley & Brian McCann two run homers for them and an RBI double by “Paul Bunyan” and solo shots by AROD & 2 by Grady Sizemore for us.  McCann can, thank you sir, may I have another?, did it again in the 6th off Josh Beckett was the difference as the Northsiders, behind former Champ Jake Peavy, took game 2, 5-4, series two to zip Hitmen.

Matt “Raisin’” Cain held the Hitmen to one unearned run over six as “El Caballo”, Carlos Lee, put it on the board, YES!, in the 4th, a two run tater, which put Chicago up 4-1, Champs scored two more in the 7th, and cruised to a 6-1 victory.  Still down in the series, 2-1.

Mark Buehrle lossed his shutout bid with one out in the 9th, but the Champions showed their power, scoring all eight of the runs playing long ball, two three run pokes, one by Victory “Hulk” Martinez, the other by “Lumberjack” Morneau, to go along with solos by G-Size & Jeff “Frenchy” Fracoeur. Series all tied up at two.

Did you ever not know what was going on until it was over, till it was too late???  This is a common phenomenon in my life, nothing unusual there for me, but in game five I switched my lineup around to take advantage of walks versus Wildman Micah Owings, who would earn another nickname after this game was through.  Jason Marquis, the leader in wins took the mound for the Champs opposing Owings.  The Hitmen loaded the bases against Marquis in the first, but the crafty veteran pitched out of trouble, allowing only one run.  Then they nicked Jason for another in the third when Manny hit into a doubleplay with runners on 1st & 3rd.  The Champs had a golden opportunity to get back into this thing in the bottom of the 5th, when Owings walked Ian “Stewie” Stewart, Miguel “Bombon’” Olivo, & Jason Marquis, but with two outs, Micah got Felipe “FILO” Lopez to ground to first.  Northside batters scored another run in the 7th when Miguel Cabrera doubled home Utley.  The Champions only managed two other bases on balls against Owings, outside of the 5th inning, so when Bombon’ bounced to 1st in the 9th, it was official, put it in the books, and give him a new nickname, Micah “No-No” Owings.  I had no idea a no-hitter had been thrown until Chuck told me, guess that’s called focus or called, lost in a fog.  A no-hitter for Owings, I can’t roll no friggin’ dice!!!  I think PaPa Bunchie will be rolling better dice next year for Josh Hamilton, Evan Longoria, Adam Dunn, & Delmon Young, funny how good dice rolls seem to be pretty much aligned with having good players to roll numbers on.  Now I needed to regroup, grab some water, guzzle it down, and get ready for the four games left to be played on the road in this series, trailing in the series 3-2.

“The Freak”, Tim Lincecum took the mound for the Champs, in an effort to right the ship, in a first game rematch against rookie lefthander Brett Anderson.  JROLL took Anderson deep to start the game and V-Mart also went yard in the 1st, 2-0 after one.  A 2nd inning sac-fly cut the lead in half.  Frenchy came through with a two out RBI single to plate AROD from 2nd base in the 4th, to put us up again by a deuce.  El Caballo put icing on the cake with a 7th inning big fly.  Lincecum went the distance for the complete game win.  Now the series was back to even with three games to be played.

Again the Champs played long ball, knocking four balls out, to pace a 10-2 win.  The four amigos doing yard work for Chicago were AROD, JROLL, Lopez (2-run), & Lee (2-run).  Josh Beckett hardly broke a sweat, allowing only one hit over 5+ innings, and was relieved by Dice-K, who worked the final four for a save.  Hitmen’s Hurler Hiroki Kuroda was hit hard & hit often, and it could have been worse had there not been an official scorer giving him the benefit on a couple of errors where it was questionable as to whether or not RBI’s should have been denied or awarded.  Advantage, Good Guys, 4-3.

Things looked bleak when things unraveled for Matt Cain in the 5th, a walk, a double, another walk, a couple of base knocks, and a 1-0 lead turned into a 3-1 deficit.  Manager Luke turned the game over to his team’s best asset, his pen.  With 2-outs & one on, MO, Olivo cracked one long gone, high & deep, off the leftfield foul pole off Joakim Soria, to tie this one up at three in the 8th.  Two batters later, a single by C-Lee & two basehit by Stewie, and it was 4-3 Champs.  Chicago’s pen was outstanding over the last four innings, making that lead hold up.  But not feeling all that confident, AROD gave up a day of rest in an effort to extend the lead, pinch-hitting in the 9th, when nothing came of that decision, a one run lead would have to do.  Colby Rasmus greeted Papa Grande with a basehit up the box and with 2 outs, Chase Utley walked after fouling off a dozen pitches, bringing up Cabrera.  Valverde dropped to a knee, pointed to the sky, screamed in delight, after getting Cabrera to swing at a slider in the dirt for strike three, ending the game, giving Chicago a 5-3 series lead, heading into the finale.

Miguel Cabrera hit a three run 5th inning bomb off Buehrle, then Manny being Manny knocked one out himself, to put the Hitmen up four.  Brad Penny held us in check, before surrendering a meaningless two out run in the 9th, when El Caballo’s ribbie double scored Morneau to end Penny’s bid for a shutout.  There was some controversy when Ian Stewart, with 2nd column 11’s, appeared to steal second, on a H & R 35, but was called out.  Manager Mallasch came sprinting out of the dugout, arguing the call, but to no avail.  Neither the president nor the vice president could be reached during the contest.  Interestingly, the vice president called after the game to say, he’d have ruled him out.  While the president said, he was safe, because the board states, the runner must have a 10 or 11 on his card, not necessarily in the 1st column, to be considered safe on a 35 Hit & Run.  Reading it’s such an important, necessary, skill, which is so often under utilized.  Final score 4-1 Northside.  But the Champions held on to capture the series 5-4.

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The Chicago Champions record stood at 56-22 heading into July, mostly due to beating the teams in the West, we were below .500 (8-10) against Eastern teams.  This did not bode well facing the Three Rivers Gamblers, with the most explosive lineup in the IAL.

Things didn’t look good when their ace, C.C. Sabathia, beat our ace, Tim Lincecum, 3-0 in game one.  A 4^th inning bases loaded sacrifice fly off the bat of Jason Bay provided the only run, until rookie Matt Wieters belted a 7^th inning two run shot off fellow rookie reliever Ryan Perry, to give the Gamblers some insurance, C.C. went the distance, allowing four hits, striking out nine.

Jimmy Rollins gapped a two out 3^rd inning triple to plate Carlos Lee all the way from first base and Josh Beckett made that run stand up, winning game two, 1-0.  J.B. matched Sabathia, allowing four singles, K’ing 13, and the series was even.

In the 3^rd contest Matt Cain took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the 9^th.  Jeff Francoeur scored twice & Jason Monroe, aka Justin Morneau, knocked two solo shots into orbit, to account for the four Champ tallies.  But trouble came a knocking in the bottom of the 9^th, pinch-hitter Magglio Ordonez laced a two basehit, Shane Victorino drew a base on balls, and Dustin Pedroia cut the lead in half with a double to the gap, plating two.  Cain’s night was through when Ryan Braun singled & stole second, putting the tying runs at 2^nd & 3^rd, with nobody out.  Prince Fielder trotted to firstbase, after taking four wide ones from Ryan Perry.  Jose Valverde induced Derek Jeter into a 6-4-3 DP, now the potential tying run was just 90 feet away.  Righthanded reliever Sergio Romo, a C* XY, was summoned to replace Valverde, an A* XY, playing a little APBA here, to face Jason Bay, who cooperated with a 55-8 to end the ball game, 4-3, 2-1 Chicago series advantage.

Rookie Brad Bergesen out dueled Mark Buehrle, going the distance, for a 6-0 Gambler victory, knotting the series at two.  Prince Fielder provided the only offense Three Rivers would need, with a 1^st inning two run Monster Blast!  Then a walk & five singles, would plate four more runs in the 5^th to chase Buehrle to the showers.

Jason Marquis was the beneficiary of an offensive explosion in the 5^th contest, cruising to a 13-3, complete game victory.  Jason Monroe knocked in six, launching two balls into orbit in the process.  Fielder hit a two run bomb in a losing effort.  Aaron Laffey was rocked!  Champs were up 3-2, heading to Crackerjack Park.

In a repeat of the 1^st game matchup, C.C. was again facing The Freak, things looked bleak, as Chicago trailed 3-0 heading into the bottom of the 5^th.  In the 2^nd inning, Prince & Garrett Jones hit back-to-back pokes to set off the fireworks.  In the bottom of the 5^th Miguel Olivo joined the fun with a three run, pinch, bomb to tie the game at three.  Ryan Perry was called on to quell the Gamblers offense, holding Three Rivers scoreless for a couple of frames.  Another pinch-hitter, this being rookie, Alcides Escobar, came off the pines, ripping a single & a steal, to plate Felipe Lopez, who doubled with two outs in the bottom of the 7^th.  Hidecki Okajima & Jose Valverde held the Gamblers scoreless over the final two innings, to make the slim lead stand up.  Chicago had a 4-2 series advantage, with three games to play.

The Champions overcame an early two run first inning deficit, ripping three long balls, one by Josh Beckett (1^st of the year for my pitchers), Carlos Lee, and a two run two out shot in the 7^th off the leftfield foul pole by rookie Gordon Beckham.  The two 7^th inning runs game Beckett some breathing room, boosting the lead from a one-run margin to a three-run cushion.  Chicago hurlers made it stand up, 6-3 win, 5-2 lead, with two to play.

Matt Wieters provided a clutch RBI single in the 6^th to break a two all tie.  Brian Sanches was called on in the 8^th to face Alex Rodriguez with the tying run on 2^nd, Sanches did his job, stranding the runner, and preserving the 3-2 victory.  Jason Marquis was the hardluck loser for Chicago.  Heading into the series finale, the series lead was down to 5-3.

A 5^th inning error & another in the 6^th, contributed to seven runs, off Aaron (I’m not Laughing) Laffey.  Jeff Francoeur lined a 2-RBI bases loaded single and Jimmy Rollins drove in three with a double & a sac fly.  Matt Cain went six, while Clay Zavada & Sergio Romo threw three scoreless innings for a 7-3 finale winner, closing out the series, Champs 6 – Gamblers 3.

This series was played over SKYPE on a sunny day, with me in Waupaca & Todd in Pittsburgh.  It was supposed to be a rainy Monday, Rainy Days & Mondays always get me down, but the weather men were wrong (like my Dad says, 50-50 chance of rain).  But I was glad to get the series in and am so thankful for SKYPE, it makes long distance APBA seem like you’re playing in the same room, minus the aroma often times provided by Papa Bunch, which isn’t a bad thing, in my opinion, hopefully SKYPE never adds the smell feature, don’t know if there would be that much of a demand for it anyway.

The White Sox played the Buccos in Pittsburgh in interleague play this year, but truth be told, I wasn’t really following my boys all that closely at the time, the series kind of snuck up on me, as I’d pretty much written them off, and was waiting for GM Kenny Williams to mercifully pull the plug on this boring baseball team.  But then something happened, the boys started winning, and I really can’t explain it, it’s more than playing weak National League teams (Pirates, Cubs, & Nats, cuz we also beat the Braves).  And I don’t think it has much to do with Omar Vizquel taking over for injured Mark Teahen at third, although the 43 year old has definitely provided a spark.  No, it seems to be more about pitching, quality starts & not just three runs over six innings, and lights out relief pitching has really done the trick.  I have to tell you, I was a skeptic when in the offseason we jettisoned Jim Thome & Jermaine Dye in an effort to get faster, because we also got rid of speedsters Scott Podsednik & Chris Getz, replacing Scotty with leadoff man Juan Pierre.  But I didn’t see how bringing in Andruw Jones & Omar Vizquel would add to our team speed.  But now I am a believer, of course the team still hits home runs, Alex Rios, Paul Konerko, & Carlos Quentin are still playing in this bandbox of a ballyard.  The homers are flying out of here, but this club is also playing defense & taking the extra base.  I don’t know where the White Sox will end up, especially losing Jake Peavy for the year, but I’m a believer and very excited about watching the Good Guys in Black play a little baseball, they’ll cut your heart out, LET’S GO WHITE SOX!!!

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The Champions have retooled a little bit themselves, although the team’s core is still the same & pretty solid.  Gone from last year’s championship squad are future HOF’er Greg Maddux, Postseason MVP Ryan Doumit, starting outfielder B.J. Upton, strike throwing reliever Matt Capps, hard hitting outfielder Matt Joyce, backup shortstop Bobby Crosby, and bullpen aces Joey Devine & Cory Wade.  A new face in the rotation will be Jason Marquis, who attempts to do the impossible, replace Greg Maddux.  Jeff Francoeur will see plenty of action.  Hideki Okajima & his fellow Japanese countryman Daisuke Matsuzaka in the Champs bullpen.  Daisuke provides some insurance, if Marquis should falter.  There are four rookies on this year’s team.  Power hitting infielder Gordon Beckham & hitting machine Alcides Escobar will be groomed as the DP combo of the future.  Hardthrowing Ryan Perry & handlebar mustached Clay Zavada will provide bullpen depth.

Nick Swisher & Victor Martinez return to the starting lineup.  They will be joined by Carlos Lee, Alex Rodriguez, Jimmy Rollins, Felipe Lopez, Justin Morneau, & Grady Sizemore.  Miguel Olivo & Ian Stewart are slated to see alot more action off the bench.  Pinch hitter deluxe, Jose Guillen, brings his magic wand.

Four fifths of the rotation returns, Tim Lincecum, Josh Beckett, Matt Cain, & Mark Buehrle are as good as they get.  Brett Myers was brilliant as a long reliever last year, and returns to that role again this season.  Jose Valverde moves from setup to closer, he’s done it before, he’ll do it again.

Newcomer Francoeur leads the club with a .348 batting average, 39 hits, 12 doubles, and is 2nd with 21 RBI’s behind Martinez, who leads with 23 knocked in.  Victor has a .309 average, 10 doubles, and 20 runs scored.  Lopez is hitting .339, leading with 21 runs.  In limited action Sizemore leads with 7 homers, followed closely by part-timer Olivo with six.  Marquis has been Maddux-like, 6-0, with a 2.38 ERA, 2 shutouts.  Cain’s 1.10 ERA leads the way, three shutouts, and a 5-1 record.  Lincecum is sporting a nifty 1.48 ERA and a 3-0 mark.  Not to be out done, Beckett sports a 2-0 record, 2.84 ERA.  Last, but not least, Buehrle is 4-2, two shutouts, and an impressive ERA of 3.24.  Romo has yet to be scored on.  Rookie flame thrower Perry has a 1.59 ERA.  Closer Papa Grande Valverde already has six saves and an ERA of 1.80.

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PLAYOFFS

Game 1: Featured a matchup of aces, C.C. Sabathia for the Three Rivers Gamblers, opposed by Chicago Champions phenom Tim Lincecum.  The Gamblers opened the scoring in the 4th when Derek Jeter scored, after reaching base on an error, on a Dustin Pedroia double.  Justin Morneau went yard & Ryan Doumit clubbed a two run shot in the bottom of the 4th to put Chicago up two.  Another error led to another unearned run off The Freak, a walk & an error put runners at the corners, a doubleplay produced the fifth inning run that cut the lead to 3-2.  Rookie Matt Joyce, pinch hitting for B.J. Upton, nailed a two run triple in the bottom of the 7th, then scored on a Jimmy Rollins base knock to put the Champs up four.  In the top of the 8th, with runners on 2nd & 3rd and only one out, Lincecum gave way to Joey Devine.  Pedroia got one in with a sac fly and Ryan Braun followed with a run driven in on a single & a steal.  A double by Felipe Lopez in the bottom of the 8th expanded the lead to three, who knew that one run would prove to be the difference.  Cory Wade was called on to close it out after Devine, feeling a little jittery, walked Jason Bay to open the 9th.  Big Hurt, Frank Thomas (also a future HOF’er calling it quits at postseason’s end) came through with a two out two run monster blast to cut it to one.  But it wasn’t to be, when Jeter bounced out the game was over, 7-6 Champs.

Game 2: Scott Kazmir didn’t have it for the Gamblers as the Champions got to him for five first inning runs.  Giving Greg Maddux a five run cushion, is like money in the bank.  In the 2nd, after Troy Glaus hit a two out solo blast off the leftfield foul pole, Chicago responded scoring a run to keep the lead at five.  A two run shot by Doumit in the 7th, 4 RBI’s on the day, put the game officially on ice, as Maddux allowed only the one run over six innings.  Thomas hit another pinch homer in the 8th, but it was much too little, far too late, 8-2 Champs.

Game 3: Rookie Armando Galarraga took the hill for the Gamblers, facing elimination.  Chicago took an early 1-0 1st inning lead when an error by Maggs Ordonez, with 2 outs, allowed JRoll to score, it would be a foreshadowing of things to come.  With runners on 2nd & 3rd, nobody out, against a tiring Galarraga, pinch hitter Matt Joyce stepped in, team trailing by two.  Joyce lined a basehit to left, when Ordonez airmailed his throw plateward, far too late, two runners scored, two tie the game, and the potential winning run moved into scoring position.  Armando got back to work, retiring the next three Champ batters in order, and when Prince Fielder’s moonshot came down to earth, far into the night, the Gamblers manager was off the hook for not replacing Maggs with a defensive replacement, 4-3 Gamblers.

Game 4: When Matt Joyce clubbed a two run homer in the 4th, Chicago was in front 3-0, but Three Rivers was not done yet, coming up with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, courtesy of a two run Jason Bay longball & a Prince RBI single.  It quickly became a battle of the bullpens, still knotted at three, heading into the 9th.  Pinch hitter Miguel Bombon Olivo connected on a high Jensen Lewis fastball & drove it high over the centerfield wall for a two run homer, and when Jose Valverde pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the 9th, it was time to get ready for the World Series, 5-3 Champs.

World Series

Game 1: The Champs would score four runs off Daisuke Matsuzaka in the 2nd thanks to a Ryan Doumit two run longball & a 2-RBI single by Jimmy Rollins, just like that Tim Lincecum was staked to a four to zip lead.  Dan Uggla would cut the lead to two in the sixth, when his deep drive landed on the righfield foul line for a 2-RBI triple, moments later scoring an a Brian Giles sac fly to left.  Back to back doubles by The Freak & JRoll in the bottom of the 6th, put Chicago up by a couple.  The Rising Bamm Beanos, in their 1st World Series appearance, were not done yet, tying the game at 5 in the eighth.  In the bottom of the tenth, El Caballo facing a tiring Brad Lidge (entering his 3rd inning of work), and sent the home humans home happy by hitting a walkoff homer, 6-5 Champs (in extras).

Game 2: Jair Jurrjens had a one run lead on Greg Maddux, thanks to a two out RBI double off the bat of senior citizen, Giles.  Rookie Ian Stewart tied into one in the bottom of the 5th to tie the ballgame at one.  Former Champion outfielder Matt Kemp came up with one out, runners on 2nd & 3rd, & battled Joey Devine for a sac fly as Alex Gordon was able to slide in just ahead of the throw by B.J. Upton, and the Bamm Beanos took that one run lead into the bottom of the 9th.  Jonathan Papelbon was trying for a two inning save, Grady Sizemore lined a single to right, followed by a one out single by Carlos Lee (Bobby Crosby was sent in to run for the big man), & Crosby would score on a 2-run game winning double off the bat of ARod, 3-2 Champs.

Game 3: Alex Rodriguez started over where he left off, turning around a 3-0 fastball with two on in the first off rookie starter Chris Volstad (Datslov backwards), staking Josh Beckett to a three run lead.  Mark Teixeira lined an RBI single in the 4th to close the gap to two, not long after Beckett was lifted for a pinch hitter and the game was turned over to the bullpen.  Champ hitters exploded for 5 runs off Volstad in the 6th, 2-run doubles by Lee & Doumit.  They scored another five spot in the 8th, Grady Sizemore with a 3-run bomb, 13-3 Champs.

Game 4: Doumit’s RBI double provided The Freak with a 1-0 2nd inning lead over The Ageless Wonder Jamie Moyer.  Garrett Anderson, the Little Dog BEING the Big Dog, lined a homer to right in the 6th to tie it at one.  Neither starter would answer the 8th inning bell.  Moyer was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 7th.  Victor Martinez was called on to bat for Lincecum with the go ahead run on 3rd with one out, but was given an intentional pass, Felipe Lopez went in to run, and up stepped JRoll.  Jimmy ripped a single to leftcenter off Lidge, putting the Champs up one, with runners still at the corners.  Lidge fanned Sizemore, before Justin Morneau knocked the stuffing out of one, for a three run blast, the game, and the World Series Championship, 5-2 Champs!

Ryan Doumit was the postseason MVP, going 5 for 15, with three doubles & two homers, 7 RBI’s & 4 runs in the playoffs, and 5 for 14, with three doubles & a homer, & five ribbies in the World Series.

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MARAUDERS get Vernon Wells & Jeff Keppinger
UPPERDECKERS get Huston Street & Alexei Ramirez (dropped)
ANALYSIS The best days of Wells are long gone.  Keppinger provides coverage as a utility infielder.  Street is a quality reliever.  Ramirez, while a shortstop with pop, was just included to make it a 2 for 2 swap.  Advantage Upperdeckers, only if Huston’s arm doesn’t fall off.

HIGHLANDERS get Scott Kazmir
GAMBLERS get Adrian Beltre
ANALYSIS Scott Kazmir is a quality lefthanded starting pitcher, we’ll have to see how he develops.  Todd has traded pitching in the past Brandon Webb for Adam Dunn, and C.C. Sabathia was on the block a few years back.  Beltre provides the Gamblers with a solid thirdbaseman, nice glove, decent power, nothing to get excited about.  Advantage Highlanders, based on potential.

UPPERDECKERS get Daniel Bard & Dexter Fowler
GAMBLERS get Matt Wieters & Brian Sanches
ANALYSIS Any way you slice it, the Upperdeckers got hosed on this one.  Matt Wieters is a switch hitting version of Joe Mauer, one problem – Marc already has Mauer.  Still he should’ve gotten way more than a hard throwing reliever in Bard and a fleet footed outfielder in Fowler, that pick was gold.  Sanches is a one year A*.  BIG advantage Gamblers!

CHAMPIONS get Delmon Young & Clay Zavada
HITMEN get Ryan Doumit & Bobby Crosby
ANALYSIS Doumit & Crosby return to the franchise that traded them one year ago, in exchange for the Champ coveted Young and mustached reliever Zavada.  Slight advantage Hitmen, nothing wrong with Doumit’s bat.

MARAUDERS get Randy Wells & Justin Masterson
KERNELS get Rick Porcello & Joba Chamberlain
ANALYSIS DonS should never have taken advantage of his little brother like this.  Porcello & Chamberlain are better than Wells & Masterson, and I’m not a Joba fan.  Only thing is Keith’s defense is he’s going for the playoffs and Randy is a B.  Large advantage Marauders.

KERNELS get Brendan Harris
BOMBERS get Ronnie Belliard
ANALYSIS This was a coverage trade, Bombers needed more at 2B, Kentucky needed more at SS, no advantage.

MARAUDERS get Hanley Ramirez, Chris Coghlan, Dan Uggla, Kevin Jepsen, Everth Cabrera, Daisuke Matsuzaka, & Brad Lidge
RISING BAMM BEANOS get Adam Wainwright, Aaron Hill, Mariano Rivera, Mike Lowell, Rafael Furcal, Ken Griffey Jr, & Nomar Garciaparra
ANALYSIS BLOCKBUSTER!  Marauders gave up a #1 pitcher in Wainwright, a slick fielding great hitting secondbaseman in Hill, and a 42 year old relief pitcher who is still doing it in Mariano for the best young players in baseball, Hanley.  Molly Putts also landed high average hitting outfielder Chris Coghlan & a secondbaseman who’s name is Dan Uggla.  I give the advantage to the playoff seeking Bamm Beanos, who should win 100+ this year.

BOMBERS get Brandon Webb
KERNELS get Alfonso Soriano
ANALYSIS If Webb comes back this is a steal, if Bonanza comes back on TV I’ll watch it.  Soriano will bring his powerful bat to Kentucky, just a coincidence he’s a Cub.  Kernels get the nod here.

HITMEN get Brett Anderson & Colby Rasmus
CHAMPIONS get Gordon Beckham & Jeff Francoeur
ANALYSIS Anderson is one of four blue chippers in this year’s draft & Rasmus brings a power bat to centerfield.  Beckham looks to be the Champions secondbaseman of the future.  The shine off Francoeuer’s tout boy status is gone.  Nice deal by the Hitmen.

MARAUDERS get Jose Contreras
BOMBERS get Daisuke Matsuzaka
ANALYSIS I like Dice-K, don’t like Contreras.  That said, Contreras might take to the pen in Philly and Matsuzaka might come back from injury, or it might just a be a D for a D.  No advantage.

BOMBERS get B.J. Upton, Delmon Young, & Matt Capps
CHAMPIONS get Jason Marquis, Hideki Okajima, & Daisuke Matsuzaka
ANALYSIS This trade allowed the Champs the flexibility to draft Beckham rather than taking a starting pitcher.  Marquis moves into the 5th spot in the rotation in Chicago.  While Okajima adds to the relief corps.  Dice-K provides insurance if/when Marquis falters.  Upton, Young, & Capps are three youngsters, who look to get older.  Both B.J. & Delmon have plenty of skills, while Capps brings his elastic arm & pinpoint control to Green Rock’s pen.  Bombers get the best of this one.

RISING BAMM BEANOS get J.D. Drew
BOMBERS get Jonathan Broxton
ANALYSIS Despite the fact that everybody hates J.D. Drew, the guy can play!  Broxton moves from being third man in the Bamm Beanos pen to ace with the Bombers.  A fair deal for both ballclubs, both got what they wanted.

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2) KERNELS – Andrew Bailey P*: AL ROY was converted to the closer role in Oakland and was lights out.  Bailey blows batters away, reminds me very much of Jonathan Papelbon.  Kentucky will be in the playoff hunt and Andrew will help them get there, nice pick.

3) GAMBLERS – Matt Wieters C: Only question about Wieters seems to be, is it i-e or e-i, either way, this kid can do it all behind the plate.  Looks to be a switch-hitting Joe Mauer, might have even more power, if you can imagine that.  Should fit in nicely with Prince Fielder & Ryan Braun.

4) BOMBERS – David Price P: Many had this overpowering lefthander listed as the #1 pick in the draft, surprised to see him fall to #4, although with team needs & a very talented rookie class, it’s understandable.  Price has the talent and the desire, the Bombers needed pitching, look like a perfect fit.

5) CHAMPIONS – Gordon Beckham 3B: The Champions already have ARod & Ian Stewart at 3B, so why would they draft another thirdbaseman?  It turns out the White Sox are moving this power hitting rookie to second, which makes him very important to Chicago’s future.

6) HIGHLANDERS – Andrew McCutchen OF: I’ve watched this kid’s dreadlocks flying in the breeze in spring training, and admired his hustle.  He does everything well.  The Highlanders needed help in the outfield and got it in McCutchen.

7) UPPERDECKERS – Daniel Bard P*: I agree that this kid has electric stuff, but the Upperdeckers could have gotten him later in the draft and gotten more to help them now.  IMHO, they jumped the gun.

8) KERNELS – Randy Wells P: I know Keith is a Cubs fan, but sometimes he takes team loyalty to an extreme.  I’m not a Randy Wells fan, there were plenty of better starting pitchers out there, Brett Anderson, Jeff Niemann, & Rick Porcello, to name three.  Wells is a flash in the pan, did it with mirrors in his rookie season, this season the mirrors break.

9) RISING BAMM BEANOS – J.A. Happ P: Was impressed with Happ’s changeup when I saw it last spring in Clearwater.  Then this kid showed what he could do in his rookie season, still I believe there were three rookie starters better than J.A., see the law firm of Anderson, Niemann, & Porecello.

10) HITMEN – Brett Anderson – P: Brett Anderson is the best left handed starter in this draft, because he has great command of his stuff, and pounds the strike zone.  He may end up being this year’s best pitcher taken, and I may regret taking trading this pick and drafting hitting rather than pitching.

11) THUNDERCHICKENS – Jeff Niemann P: Big Jeff Niemann was dominant in college, but then had arm trouble, now he seems to be fully recovered.  People might have shied away from him because of his age & lack of hype, but this guy is the real deal.  Still the rebuilding T*Chix would’ve been better off selecting the 3rd member of the law firm, Mr. Porcello.

12) MARUADERS – Rick Porcello P: Rivals Hanson, Price, & Anderson for the best rookie starting pitcher in the draft.  Has a terrific fastball, yet pitched to contact to minimize his pitch count, very impressive, throws with a fluid motion, shouldn’t experience arm problems.

13) BOMBERS – Luis Valbuena 2B: Although the Bombers needed a secondbaseman, Valbuena probably would’ve been on the board in a later pick, and if not, Chris Getz is not that bad.  That said, Luis has a great glove with good doubles power, wouldn’t surprise me if he hit 20 home runs.

14) HITMEN – Travis Snider OF: Travis has the best swing of any hitter in the draft, period.  As a fielder, this kid can hit!  Lil Duke has good power, quick hands, and is will to take a walk.

15) GAMBLERS – Brad Bergesen P: Whore pick!  Bergesen has good control, needs to be perfect to be effective, was very good as a rookie, the hitters catch on to him as a sophomore.  Reminds me of a poor man’s Dave Rozema.

16) MARAUDERS – Trevor Cahill P: Cahill got a lot of experience as a regular member of Oakland’s rotation as a rookie, yet I’m not a fan.  Reminds me of Steve Trachsel.  Homer Bailey is much better.

17) MARAUDERS – Chris Coghlan OF/2B: Coghlan, a converted infielder, came out of nowhere to win the NL ROY for the Marlins.  This kid takes a disciplined, yet aggressive approach to the plate, he waits for a ball in his zone, and then he whacks it, works for him.  He may end up moving back to secondbase, if Florida tires of Dan Uggla.  No matter where this Tarpon Springs kid plays, he’ll hit.

18) HITMEN – Colby Rasmus OF: Rasmus can do it all, has tremendous power, plays centerfield, the sky i the limit for Colby, needs to make better contact, and believe in his ability.  He’s a brash youngster, who does it his way.

19) THUNDERCHICKENS – Homer Bailey P: I don’t know why it is, but the best arms seem to come out of Texas.  Bailey was a phenom in high school.  Although Homer has experienced growing pains, he looks ready to step into his greatness.  Bailey should be a solid starting pitcher for years to come.

20) KERNELS – Elvis Andrus SS: Pre-draft predictions had Andrus going to the Kernels with the 2nd pick in the draft, yet the Kernels got their man with the 20th selection, good patience by Kentucky.  Elvis will only get better, he can field with anyone, fast as the wind, and should develop power as he matures.

21) BOMBERS – Tim Hudson P: If Webb & Hudson can come back, along with Liriano, the Bombers staff is looking good, but if ifs & buts were candy & nuts, every day would be Christmas.  Hudson appears to be throwing pain free, looked good at the end of last year, yet is getting long in the tooth, and Green Rock might’ve been better served drafting a youngster.

22) HITMEN – Ron Belisario P*: Here is the classic one year A* reliever, yet the Hitmen might just have enough to get into the playoffs, and if you have a shot then you’ve got to go for it.  There have been cases where journeyman relievers carry on, but more often than not, it doesn’t end well.

23) UPPERDECKERS – Dexter Fowler OF: Reminds me of Devon White, which is not necessarily a bad thing, this kid can fly, will play centerfield for years in the bigs, knows how to draw a walk, and is just learning to switch-hit, once he masters that, look out!  Pencil him in as the Upperdeckers leadoff man and leave him there, problem solved.

24) MARAUDERS – Matt Palmer P: The only reason this guy was drafted is because he’s an Angel & a B, but on a rebuilding team, that seems to be a waste.  Learned a long time ago, if you don’t have something good to say, silence is golden.

25) RISING BAMM BEANOS – Cameron Maybin OF: Maybin is a kid with all the tools, yet somehow the hype seems to have nearly passed him by.  Curtis was involved in the trade which sent Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers, Maybin was the gem the Marlins were receiving in return.  Believe me mom, they are magic beans.

26) CHAMPIONS – Alcides Escobar SS: This kid can flat out hit!  He was born to play shortstop and will be in the running for this year’s NL ROY, great value at the 26th pick in the draft, was sure the Bamm Beanos would take him with the 25th pick.

27) THUNDERCHICKENS – Jose Mijares P*: Never waste a pick on an overweight relief pitcher when you’re rebuilding, even if he is an A*.  This guy has struggled in the past, will struggle again, especially with Joe Nathan hurt.  It’s tough to lose, but the T*Chix would’ve been smarter loading up on talented starters.

28) KERNELS – Julio Borbon OF: Why take Borbon when you’re going for it?  This was the perfect time to whore it out & take Garrett Jones!  Borbon doesn’t walk, doesn’t field, can hit, and can run.  Will it be enough?  Time will tell.

29) BOMBERS – Kyle Blanks OF/1B: Big Bad Blanks is a Manster!  Maybe he’ll play first, maybe he’ll play outfield, but he has the bat to be the next Prince Fielder or Ryan Howard.  Great pick by a team that needs talent!

30) HITMEN – Luke Gregorson P*: Park Ridge’s own Luke Gregorson, the Hitmen play right across the border from where Gregorson grew up.  Luke has a nasty strikeout pitch and the same first name as his manager’s nickname.

31) GAMBLERS – Garrett Jones OF/1B: Saw this guy take Sabathia out on a pitch on his hands, but even if he’s only another whore, this organization has done well drafting a nice combination of talent & cards.

32) MARAUDERS – Billy Wagner P*: Lost Tim Hudson by not protecting him, didn’t want the same thing to happen to fan favorite Billy the Kid.  It’ll be interesting to see how much he has left in the tank and whether the Marauder rebuilding project will be completed in time to get some use out of Wagner.

33) MAARAUDERS – Kevin Jepsen P*: Throws hard, along the same lines as Daniel Bard & Ryan Perry.  Might be some upside, could be a closer, worthwhile gamble on an Angel reliever with heat.

34) CHAMPIONS – Ryan Perry P*: I get nervous just thinking about bringing in a reliever with a W, that said, this kid has some nasty gas!  Nervous about the present, excited about the future.

35) THUNDERCHICKENS – Casey McGehee 3B: McGehee is an older rookie, who seems to have learned how to hit.  Casey will be the starting thirdbaseman in Milwaukee, but will be buried behind Ryan Zimmerman with the T*Chix.  Tom jumped the gun, announcing McGehee before his pick, the Champions negotiated a trade with the Hitmen, which would have sent Casey to the Northside in exchange for Gregorson.

36) HIGHLANDERS – Jayson Nix INF: It’s hard to find good utility infielders, especially ones that can hit, especially ones that can hit for power.  Should provide coverage, which will allow the Highlanders to draft talent for years to come.

37) HITMEN – Alexei Ramirez SS: Drafted in the first round one year ago by the Marauders, then dropped by the Upperdeckers, the Hitmen got great value, and just what the doctor ordered in Ramirez.  Alexei is flashy in the field at short, has power, and is the Hitmen’s best option at SS.

38) GAMBLERS – Mat Gamel 3B: With whore pick McGehee taken a couple of selections early, the Gamblers took talent in Mat Gamel.  Gamel may be Casey’s under study with the Brewers for now, but might be the starter at the hot corner in Milwaukee in the very near future.

39) MARAUDERS – Everth Cabrera SS: Cabrera was a Rule V player who took over as the Padres everyday shortstop.  He has a good eye, good speed, and what would an Illowa rookie draft be if Molly Potts didn’t draft a shortstop?

40) BOMBERS – Brandon Webb P: Webb was one of the best pitchers in the game, the key word is was.  I thought at the time he was traded from Kentucky in exchange for Alfonso Soriano it was a steal for Green Rock, but healing is taking longer than expected, and now I’m not so sure.

41) CHAMPIONS – Clay Zavada P*: Nice mustache!  Hopefully this Streator reliever will be able to handle getting tough lefthanded hitters out for the Champs, Okajima will help bring him along.

EXTRA ROUNDS

42) GAMBLERS – Brian Sanches P*: Another whore pick, in the same vein as Jose Veras.  Still with the Gamblers going for it, it makes sense to restock the bullpen.  Three Rivers needed a little extra time to make this selection, allowing the Highlanders to pick first, making Sanches the last player taken.

43) HIGHLANDERS – Jeff Fulchino P*: One last whore pick before the dice hit the table.  But this one makes sense too, as a playoff contender, it’s always good to grab an extra reliever.

REPORT CARDS

A   GAMBLERS: Wieters, Bergesen, Jones, Gamel, Sanches -  Todd is the best salesman in the league, I don’t know how he does it, he seems to get the best players in the draft, year after year, and this year was no exception with the selection of Wieters.  Then there were three whore picks of Bergesen, Jones, & Sanches.  Gamel might turn out to be a player.

A-  KERNELS: A. Bailey, Wells, Andrus, Borbon – Two really nice picks in Bailey & Andrus, both will fill glaring holes for the Kernels.  Could’ve done better than selecting Wells & Borbon.

B+  HITMEN: Anderson, Snider, Rasmus, Belisario, Gregorson, Ramirez – Anderson, Snider, & Rasmus all have tremendous upside.  Belisario & Gregorson provide innings out of the pen & Alexei is a big improvement over Renteria at short.

B   THUNDERCHICKENS: Hanson, Niemann, H. Bailey, Mijares, McGehee – Hanson, Niemann, & Bailey were all good picks, although Porcello would’ve been better than Niemann.  But taking Mijares & McGehee were wasted picks IMHO.

B-  CHAMPIONS: Beckham, Escobar, Perry, Zavada – No argument with the players selected, Escobar & Beckham will be a very good doubleplay combination, but team would’ve been better served taking Anderson, Belisario, Gregorson, Ramirez, (sounds like Chuck’s draft), & Brett Gardner, and trading Marquis for Podsednik.  That said, Perry & Zavada look solid in the pen, but not sure if it’s enough for now.  Also Beckham & Escobar will not help much now either.

C   UPPERDECKERS: Bard, Fowler – Bard has a great arm, could be the best relief pitcher in the draft, but he would’ve been there later in the draft.  Fowler is fast, and this team needed outfield help.

C-  HIGHLANDERS: McCutchen, Nix, Fulchino – McCutchen is a talented outfielder, who can do it all.  Nix & Fulchino fill team needs for a playoff contender.

D+  MARAUDERS: Porcello, Cahill, Coghlan, Palmer, Wagner, Jepsen, Cabrera – Porcello is the real deal & Coghlan can hit, not much other than that.  Palmer & Cabrera seem to be wasted picks.  Not sure Wagner will be back in time to help the rebuilding Marauders, and while Jepsen has a major league arm, the jury is still out when it comes to his future.

D-  BOMBERS: Price, Valbuena, Hudson, Blanks, Webb – The Bombers need pitching, funny how Mr. Pitching, needs pitching.  He got some help in Price, and a couple of question marks in Hudson & Webb.  Blanks is a masher, but can he pitch.  Although Valbuena fills a need, he could’ve been had later.

F   RISING BAMM BEANOS: Happ, Maybin – The Bamm Beanos got all they needed from the Marauders, but if they’re going for it, then selecting Niemann & Jones over Happ & Maybin makes more sense.  Also could’ve used a little more bullpen help to bridge to Rivera & Papelbon.

OVERLOOKED ROOKIES

1) Mat Latos P: This 6’5″ righthander is the real deal and will have a chance to show what he’s got, this season, for the Padres, at the tender young age of 22.

2) Derek Holland P: This young lefthander was rushed to the majors by the Rangers last season and was baptised under fire.  He should fair much better in his second season in the bigs.

3) Jordan Zimmermann P: Zimmermann will be the #2 man in Washington behind Strasburg, which isn’t too shabby at all.  The only reason he wasn’t taken was because he suffered a season ending injury last year, which will cause him to miss all of 2010, still I like his upside.

4) Matt LaPorta OF/1B: Matt is one of the best young power hitters in the game.  LaPorta was traded from the Brewers to the Indians in exchange for C.C. Sabathia.

5) Tyler Clippard P*: The Nats converted this former Yankee farm hand to the bullpen last and he went from a struggling starter to a lights out reliever, I shoulda drafted this guy!

6) Gio Gonzalez P: If this lefty ever learns to control his nasty stuff, look out.  The sky’s the limit, although sometimes it’s easier said than done to harness the po.

7) Chris Tillman P: Here is a righthanded starter, who was rushed this past year.  Still Chris has a big league arm and will be the #2 man behind Matusz in Baltimore.

8) James McDonald P/P*: McDonald started off last season in the rotation for the Dodgers, but ended up with a lot of success pitching out of the pen.  No matter where he ends up, he has a big league arm.

9) Franklin Morales P*: This hard throwing lefty came up to the Rockies with Ubaldo Jimenez, at the time I thought Morales was better, he still has top notch closer stuff.

10) Marc Rzepczynski P: I was practicing saying his last name, thinking there might be a scenario where I might take this lefthander.  I fell in love with him after watching one of his late season starts last year.

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I have been playing APBA baseball since 1970, players cards were based on the 1969 baseball season, but before I ever picked up a pair of APBA dice, I was rolling three dice, playing Strat-O-Matic.  I was first introduced to dice baseball by my cousins, who lived in Johnsburg, Illinois.  They had the Strat-O-Matic cards based on the 1967 baseball season.  My first purchase was the Strat-O-Matic cards based on the 1969 baseball season.  Following my cousins lead I purchased my first APBA cards based on the 1970 baseball season.

Even though I switched from Strat-O-Matic to APBA, I’ve always remained Strat-curious, perhaps because it was my first experience into dice baseball.  But while APBA remained pretty much the same over the years (with the exceptions of the Master Game and APBA for Windows, the computer version), Strat-O-Matic has been more innovative.  The best part of playing APBA is ease of playability and a good roll is a good roll is a good roll, a drawback is that better pitchers only prevent basehits & walks, but have no impact on power.  The good things about Strat-O-Matic is how each card (player & pitcher) is truly unique, also there is a far superior lefty/righty breakdown.

Also Strat-O-Matic seems to be much more mainstream, they seem to be more out there, and have, as a result, taken over the dice baseball world, more so than APBA.  Although both games seem to have their niche, but it seems as though kids today are more into video games than rolling dice.

Whether it’s APBA or Strat-O-Matic, it’s always cool to see dice baseball in the news.  It’s kind of like, even if it’s not my kid, hey at least I know that kid.  So it was cool to read a story about Strat-O-Matic in today’s Chicago Sun Times regarding, Bringing the Negro Leagues to Life.

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Last year I even caught myself by surprise when I selected reliever (A&B* K) Joey Devine over the dominant 20 year old lefty starter Clayton Kershaw.  My bullpen was a glaring weakness going into last year’s draft, so passing on Devine would’ve been very difficult.  Later in the draft we bolstered the pen further by selecting Cory Wade & Sergio Romo.  In the past we’ve chosen Julian Tavarez & Guillermo Hernandez in the first round, the Highlanders have taken one year stop gap graded A*’s Armando Benitez, Jorge Julio, & Mike Gonzalez, you can never go wrong filling a team need & helping your ballclub in the now, i.e., drafting a card.  So it looks pretty clear, if Andrew Bailey’s still on the board, we’ll take him.

But then there are the other talented rookie options out there that keep me up at night, what to do!  Tommy Hanson & David Price are the real deal, unfortunately I don’t think either pitcher will fall to me.  Then there are B starters J.A. Happ & Randy Wells, both proved their worth, and don’t look to be one hit wonders, they probably won’t be there when I pick.  There are still a couple of more B starters, Brad Bergesen & Josh Outman, both are limited, both were injured, but both are B’s.  Then there are good young starters Rick Porcello, Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Brett Cecil, Jeff Niemann, Homer Bailey, Tommy Hunter, & Clayton Richard.  Surely some of these gems will fall beyond the first round, because there are also alot of talented position players in the draft.

Matt Wieters looks like the 2nd coming of Joe Mauer, or as CLuke points out, maybe Brian McCann.  Over at the hot corner (or maybe a future SS) is Gordon Beckham, who is not just a pretty bat, this kid can pick it.  Shortstop Elvis Andrus is young, only going to get older (& better), maybe he’s Edgar Renteria, or when he grows into his body, Hanley Ramirez.  Four outfielders stand above the rest, one is Chris Coghlan, batted .320, but might move to 2B.  Another is Dexter Fowler, who can fly, but is that enough to be a regular outfielder in the IAL?  And then there’s the Bucs Andrew McCutchen, maybe he’ll be an important building block to the Pirates resurgence, or another talented youngster to be dealt when payday rolls around (he won’t be taken by DonS as he doesn’t draft from losing ballclubs, went against his rule drafting Cincy pitchers last year, don’t think he’ll do that again).  Don’t overlook St. Louis Cardinals power hitting outfielder Colby Rasmus.  It’ll be hard to overlook oldster Garrett Jones, who really showed he could mash, when given a shot in Pittsburgh, plays OF/1B.  Then there’s my hyped outfielder Travis Snider, will he be the next Brad Komminsk or Cory Snyder?

The funk of this whole draft day situation is that there are managers in the IAL (I’m sure you have them in your league as well), who’ll go to the rookie draft with their prospect book in hand, and say, “I’ll take that phe-NOM from Tommy Hanson.  Is he a righty or a lefty & what team does he play for anyway?”  Hey, where can I get one of those prospect books & a bottle of sleeping pills?

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October baseball, ya gotta love it! MLB is down to four teams standing, two from LA, one from NY, and then there’s the defending champion team from Philadelphia. There is a big contrast played between games on the east coast and those played in sunny California. The Angels have had to battle the elements as well as the Bronx Bombers, they’re currently down 2-0 heading back to Anaheim. While Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino needed to change his jersey during game two because it was soaked with sweat, the two teams head to the City of Brotherly Love with their series knotted at one. Of the teams left playing ball, I’m probably more of a Phillies fan than anything else, because I watch them alot during spring training in Clearwater, FL, although I think the Yankees will win it all, money talks!

The Illowa APBA League is finally on its way to achieving parity, there is no longer such a thing as the big two. Before our two October series, nine games each, we were fortunate enough to have amassed a seven game lead, with 36 games to play. Three teams were tied for 2nd place, followed closely by a team eight games out, with another ballclub ten games behind. Our October opponents featured two heavyweights, the Three Rivers Gamblers (8 out) and the Northside Hitmen (7 out). More nerve racking was the fact that we would be playing these series Friday night/Staurday morning, within a 24 hour window.

First up a Skype series from Pittsburgh to Chicago, the Gamblers against the Champions. Both teams started their aces in the opener, C.C. Sabathia for them, Tim Lincecum for us. Sabathia nailed a homer off Lincecum, Justin Morneau jacked one off Sabathia for us, but the winning run scored in the bottom of the 9th when Morneau lined an RBI double off Jensen Lewis, 4-3 win. Mark Buehrle didn’t have it for the Champs, Armando Galarraga had it for them, Victorino hit two long balls & drove in four, one game apiece, 9-3 score, bad guys. Three Rivers outlasted the Champs in 11, 7-6, Jose Arredondo blew the save, but picked up the win, and Joey Devine picked up the L, another bad guy winner, 7-6. Champion hitters pulled out the big lumber against John Lannan in game quatro, evening up the series at two, two homers each by ARod & Ryan Doumit, driving in all 9 runs, for a 9-5 victory, Greg Maddux went five for the win. Game #5: Josh Beckett was in charge, taking no prisoners, 3-1 Chicago winner, now leading the series 3-2, we were the home team for the first half, now it was time to take our act on the road. Freak Lincecum got lit up for six runs (a three run dinger for Gregg Zaun & a two run shot by Sabathia) in five innings and the Gamblers held on to the “pitcher’s dual” win, C.C. got the victory, Craig Breslow got the save, taking over the team’s closer role, 6-5, even at three, with three games to go. In the 7th game Buehrle again got clocked for eight extra basehits in four innings, including four homers, accounting for 12 runs, as Galarraga cruised to a 12-4 win, 4-3 them. Matt Cain & three relievers brought the series back to even with a 2-1 win. Lannan faired much better in his rematch against Maddux in the series finale, we couldn’t overcome 2 two run homers, losing 4-3, and dropping the series 5-4.

Now the race for postseason in the IAL was tightening up a bit, no time to lick our wounds, the Northside Hitmen were dropping by Crackerjack Park to play shum APBA. JRoll hit the first pitch over the wall off Boof Bonser, and we never looked back, Josh Beckett cruised to the complete game victory, even hit a two run tater, 8-4 us. JRoll again hit a leadoff homer, a two run 8th inning blast by Ryan Doumit provided the difference as Lincecum notched the 6-4 win, 2-0 series lead. Maddux went the first five & Lincecum pitched the last four, for a 2-0 victory, three zip good guys. The Hitmen scored seven unearned runs, they counted none the less, ARod’s two HR & 5 RBIs weren’t enough, 9-5 them, 3-1 in Chicago, time to head over to the Northside. Neither starter Cole Hamels, nor Lincecum were around when the 5th game was decided, in 12 the Champs won 5-3, Sergio Romo picked up his 1st career victory going two, ARod ripped a two run double, 4-1 us. Beckett went six, Devine got the save, 4-2 Champions, 5-1 in the series. Cain didn’t have it in the 7th game, down 4-0 after one, Carlos Delgado with a three run first inning Del-got-it shot, bad guys win it 5-2, series at 5-2 still us. Maddux got ripped for five runs in three innings, 4 coming courtesy of a Miggy Cabrera big fly with the bags juiced, 6-3 winner for Jake Peavy, series slips to 5-3 lead, still us, but barely. Now with one game to go the Champs were in danger of kissing their sister BIG TIME, an 18 game split, which wouldn’t be the worst thing, but it could’ve been better. We hit for the cycle of A.J. Burnett in the 2nd inning, a 3 run blast by JRoll, another by B.J. Upton in the 3rd, and a complete game win by Mark Buehrle, for a 6-3 series winner, good guys, YES!

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We managed to win 4 of 6 from every opponent, with the exception of a split with the Molly Putts Marauders, finishing the weekend at 19-11, and improving our over all record to 74-52.  Also had the privilege of managing the East All Stars win over the West All Stars 6-3.  C.C. Sabathia was the starting & winning pitcher, with Joakim Soria pitching the 9th inning for the save.  Offensive heroes include Steven Drew who opened the scoring with a homer, David Wright who blasted a pinch solo shot, and All Star Game MVP Ryan Howard who knocked two over the fence, one solo & one with a runner on.

All of this HOT DICE action must have set off the fire alarm in the hotel where we were playing.  We were playing on the 5th floor, the elevators were shutdown, I can’t take stairs, so I ate hummus & drank beer while the building was being evacuated.

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