This Saturday will be the last series of the year for my Twin Cities Thunderchickens. No, I won’t be duking it out for a playoff spot. We’ve got last place pretty much sewed up, thank you. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a little tension when I play the Green Rock Bombers this weekend.
The Illowa APBA League, like many leagues, have a player limit system implemented. In short, we need keep from over-using our players. And I’ll be doing my best from doing that because there ARE consequences.
Those consequences are a possible drop in next season’s draft order. So you can see the incentive in dotting your ‘i’s and crossing your ‘t’s when it comes to players limits
Here’s the short version of our league’s player limits rules: non-pitchers must not play more than their actual games and at-bats. Pitchers must not pitch more than their actual games started, games relieved, and innings. There are some further rules about secondary positions probably not worth mentioning but if you’re interested, check out the IAL Constitution. One thing that IS worth mentioning… D pitchers have their games and innings limits doubled and straight D pitchers (not D*) can always start.
So don’t think I’ve been playing my team all season without giving thought to my limits only to be faced with a multitude of limits issues this Saturday. Our league members all (I hope) keep an eye on them all year. It helps to calculate the AB/G of the games left in the season That way, I won’t get fooled if Albert Pujols has tons of games left but is low on at-bats. The same goes for IP/G.
That said, the last series of the season is a bit of nail biter. Unless we have been really good about resting our starters all season or REAL confident about our limits, it’s touch and go all series. Not only are we trying to win games but we are trying to keep within our sacred limits. Normally, we “do our limits” each month. In our last series, many of us are calculating our limits left after each game especially for the guys on the fence. And don’t get me started on the last game (“hold on I think this is Parra’s last out. Let me check, ok?”)
So going into the Thunderchickens’ last series, we look pretty good… as far as our hitters our concerned. Our pitching situation is tricky though. I’ll get by ok but I’ll have to keep a close eye on it.
I won’t help our place in the standings but gosh darn it, I’m not losing that first pick in the draft.
