Archive for the ‘fun’ Category

Liveblogging the 1971 Draft League Dynasty Baseball Expansion Draft 11 AM EST:

Posted: April 22, 2023 by datechguy in baseball, dynasty baseball, fun, gaming, online gaming, Uncategorized
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Well the cards are released and the protected list are made so today we get ready to start the expansion draft for the 1971 Dynasty draft league.

Two teams will be drafting the Chicago Cubs and the Minnesota Twins. Because the twins got first choice of franchises the Cubs will get the first pick.

Expansion teams must draft a minimum of 4 players up to a max of 12. The number of players they draft will determine where they draft in the regular season from position 3 to position 20

Each existing team was able to protect a Maximum of 7 players from the expansion draft. Here are the players who were protected

TeamPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Player 4Player 5Player 6Player 7
Kansas CityRalph GarrHarmon KillebrewWillie Stargell.Bert BlylevenNelson BrilesLew KrausseBill Stoneman
AtlantaAl OliverCesar CedenoRon SantoBob WatsonMike CuellarCatfish HunterFergie Jenkins
BaltimoreJerry JohnsonMickey LolichAndy MessersmithBobby MurcerBoog PowellFrank RobinsonBilly Williams
BostonWillie DavisRay FosseFrank RobinsonRico PetrocelliPhil NiekroGary NolanRick Wise
CaliforniaTom BradleyTommy JohnSandy AlomarFelipe AlouMatty AlouGeorge MitterwaldLou Piniella
CincinnatiDick AllenJohnny BenchJoe MorganJoe RudiDon GulliettPete MikkelsenFritz Peterson
ClevelandRon ReedMel StottlemyreSal BandoDave CashTony PerezPaul SchaalJimmy Wynn
Los AngelesReggie SmithRollie FingersSparky LyleMike MarshallNolan RyanDon SuttonDon Wilson
MilwaukeeAl DowningJim RayKen SandersFrank HowardTommie AgeeTommy HarperPete Rose
MontrealTug McGrawLuis TiantJerry GroteChose notto protectany others?
NY MetsHank AaronNorm CashRichie HebnerTed SimmonsCarl YastrzemskiSteve CarltonTom Seaver
NY YankeesDave RobertsWilbur WoodRoberto ClementeThurman MunsonGraig NettlesAmos OtisRoy White
OaklandPaul BlairReggie JacksonDon MincherVida BlueJim BrewerBill HandsSonny Siebert
PhiladelphiaStan BahnsenClay CarrollLarry DierkerDick DragoLarry BowaJoe TorreFelix Milan
PittsburghJohnny BriggsRod CarewGeorge ScottDavey JohnsonJim McGlothlinGaylord PerryBill Singer
San FranciscoDock EllisDave McNallyJim PalmerBobby BondsLou BrockDon BufordLee May
St LouisVic DavalilloTommy HelmsCleon JonesCesar TovarBob GibsonReggie ClevelandClaude Osteen
WashingtonJoe ColemanPat DobsonJim KaatJuan MarichalWillie MaysJim NorthrupChris Cannizzaro

One a player is picked off a team they will be able to protect five additional players, if a 2nd player is picked they may protect five more. No team can lose more than 3 players. I will be liveblogging the picks as they are made.

RoundTeamPlayerPositionFrom
1CubsSteve Garvey1BWashington
1TwinsBobby Grich2BBaltimore
2CubsRusty StaubOFKansas City
2TwinsNate Colbert1BNew York Yankees
3CubsManny SanguillenCSan Francisco
3TwinsMarty PattinPAtlanta
4CubsClyde WrightPPhiladelphia
4TwinsSam McDowellSP Cleveland
5CubsRudy MayPYankees
5TwinsSteve BlassPMilwaukee
6CubsRay SadeckiPMontreal
6TwinsJoe HornerPBoston
7CubsFreddy PatekSSLos Angeles
7TwinsMerv Rettmund OFCincinnati
8CubsJerry KoosemanPOakland
8TwinsAndy EichabarrenCLos Angeles
9CubsDave LaRoachePCalifornia
9TwinsTom Hall PSan Francisco
10CubsDiego SeguiPSt Louis
10Twins Richie Hebner3BMets
11Cubsdropped outdrafting 16th
11Twinsdropped outdrafting 15th

Teams that have not submitted a list of additional players to protect once they lose a man prior to the draft will have five minutes to list additional players to be protected. Those additional protected players will be liveblogged here

TeamPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Player 4Player 5Round
Kansas CityKen Henderson Bud Harrilson Claude Raymond Jim Rooker Duke Sims 2
AtlantaTony Oliva Tom Burgermier Ron Hunt Deron Johnson Fred Scherman 3
Baltimore Mark Belanger Ray Culp Rich Reichhart Eddie Waitt Woodie Fryman 1
Boston Jack Billingham Wes Parker Vada Pinson Ted Sizemore Jay Johnstone 6
California Bob Locker Don Money Bill Russell Don Kessinger Carl Morton 9
Cincinnati Dave Concepcion Ted Abernathy Jack Aker 7
Cleveland Al Kaline Carlos May Roger Repoz Steve Mingori Roy Foster 4
Los AngelesWillie McCovey Willie Horton Joe Pepitone Steve Renko Daryl Evans 7
MilwaukeeKen Holtzman Ron Fairly Jack Haitt Bob Miller Denny LeMaster 5
Montreal
NY Metsdraft complete 10
NY YankeesJoe Gredenza Dick Dietz Gary Gentry Steve Kline Clay Kirby 2
OaklandBert Campanaras Woody Woodward George Stone Darold Knowles 8
PhiladelphiaOllie Brown Tony Taylor Bob Robertson Denny McLain Dick Selma 4
Pittsburgh
San Francisco Glenn Beckett Bill Melton Jose Cardinal Bill Freehan John Cumberland 3
St LouisBlue Moon Odom Jerry Reuss Fred Norman Hal McRae Rick Monday 10
WashingtonOrlando Cepeda Eddie Brinkman Billy CowanCookie Rojas Ken McMullen 1

If a team loses a 2nd player they may protect up to five more from their roster. Those names will be liveblogged here if necessary.

TeamPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Player 4Player 5Round
Kansas City
Atlanta
Baltimore
Boston
California
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Los Angeles Davey May Skip Lockwood Bill Buckner Mike Andrews Tom timmerman 8
Milwaukee
Montreal
NY Mets
NY Yankees Dave Gusti Mel Queen Jim Spencer Bill Sudakis Dave Nelson 5
OaklandOscar Gamble Gail Hopkins Leo Cardanals Gene Tenace 9
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
San Francisco
St Louis
Washington

As teams can only retain 4-12 player you might ask: Why bother to protect any players beyond what they can keep? The answer: Protecting such players means they will go into the main draft giving said team a chance to pick them up again.

Since there are only two teams drafting I suspect it will go pretty fast. This post will be updated as picks are made.

All Pathetic 96+ Loss League Final Report. LeBron Cheers

Posted: November 13, 2022 by datechguy in Dynasty, dynasty baseball, fun, gaming, online gaming
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Here is the final report on Our All Pathetic 96 loss league has finished it’s third season Here were the division results

AL EastWINSLOSSESPCTGB
2009 Cleveland Indians5149.510—–
1996 Detroit Tigers 5050.5001
1957 Washington Senators4753.4704
2010 Baltimore Orioles4060.40011
Cleveland won their division by winning the final two games of the season vs Detroit despite finishing the season with a negative runs for /against ratio (-2)
AL WestWINSLOSSESPCTGB
1970 Kansas City Royals5545.550—–
1997 Oakland A’s 5446.5401
2021 Texas Rangers5149.5104
2021 Pittsburgh Pirates4060.40015
Kansas City won their division on their final game of the season vs Oakland

If you like tight division races you LOVED the AL this season. Both races where three team affairs going into the 2nd to last series and both were decided in the final game with the two fighting teams with identical records. One note. The 1970 White Sox were supposed to be the 4th team in the AL West but a system error took place which would have required some teams game to be replayed. Rather than cancel games I took the only pathetic team from the base year (2021) available (Pittsburgh) and moved them to the AL West to substitute.

NL EastWINSLOSSESPCTGB
2009 Washington Nationals7030.700—–
2002 Milwaukee Brewers5446.54016
2019 Miami Marlins4555.45025
1969 Montreal Expos4357.43027
How dominant were the defending World Series champion 2009 Nationals? The only team they had a losing record against were the 2009 Cleveland Indians (1-3). They had a .750 winning percentage or better against 9 of the 15 other teams in the league. and with a +225 Runs for/against ratio
NL WestWINSLOSSESPCTGB
2012 Chicago Cubs5546.545—–
1982 Cincinnati Reds5447.5351
2015 Cincinnati Reds5050.5004 1/2
1993 San Diego Padres4258.42012 1/2
The Season was decided in a one game playoff which is why the Cubs and Reds have 101 games

The National league had both the tightest and the loosest division races. The 2002 Brewers record would have put them in 1st place in any other division yet they finished 16 games back which is farther behind than any last place team in any other division. The lack of a wild card due to a 16 team league hurt them. Meanwhile not only was the NL west a three team race with six to go but it finished in a dead heat with the 1982 Cincinnati Reds winning their final two to tie the cubs forcing a one game regular season playoff game that went 13 innings before Tony Campana doubled in the go ahead runs.

League Championship Series

The Playoffs in the NL started with no surprise. The National who had gone 7-1 vs the cubs in the regular season shut then out in game one. The Cubs took an early lead in game two but nats tied it up in the 4th and it remained tied till then 8th and then the floor fell out on the Nationals season with the Cubs taking the lead and never looking back. The only time they trailed in the rest of the series was a run in the top of the first in game 3 which they answered with ten of their own closing out the Nationals in 4 games

2012 Cubs 3 games 2009 Nationals 1

In the American League you had two teams who had both won their divisions and it was hard fought. the 2009 Indians took game one 4-2 but the 1970 Royals answered back with a 7-4 win in game two but fate took a hand in game three when trying to protect a 2-0 lead in the fifth right fielder Lou Piniella injured himself diving for a ball in right. He would leave the game so when the 9th inning game and the Royals had closed within 3 due to Bob Oliver’s HR he could only watch as his replacement Bill Sorrell grounded to first as the Indians won 7-5. With Piniella’s bat out of the lineup the Indians would win game four shutting out the Royals on four hits closing out a series that could easily have gone either way

2009 Indians 3 games 1979 Royals 1 game

World Series

The last Indians Cubs world series was close and exciting and this one didn’t disappoint. Cleveland opened with an 8-2 win at Wrigley but the Cubs answered right back routing the tribe 9-4. The series went back to Cleveland and Jacobs field proved friendly as the Indians took game three 6-1 and game four 6-3. The Cubs facing elimination came back to win game five 7-5 and force the series back to the friendly confines of the ivy. Cleveland took an early 6-1 lead but the Cubs came back to make it 6-4 and a nasty feeling of deja vu came upon the denizens of Lake Erie. The tribe added an insurance run in the 7th but the Cubs put a pair of runners on in the 8th bringing the tying run at bat with only one out against Chris Perez who relieved Kerry Wood with one on and one out. Perez rose to the occasion striking out David DeJesus and coaxing a grounder from Starlin Castro to finish the eighth and after waling Joe Mather on a borderline pitch to start the ninth held on striking out the final two batters to bring Joy to Cleveland and to Lebron as the Indians finally had a World Series again!

So ends out All pathetic league 3rd season. It will take a pause as we finish the 2nd season of our draft league (1970) and start to prepare for 1971. If you have any interest in joining that league or in a special one season all year draft league that we might see in Feb let me know in comments.

A Cool Moment for a Dynasty Baseball Fan

Posted: September 18, 2022 by datechguy in baseball, dynasty baseball, fun, gaming, online gaming
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Let’s forget the problems in the world for something cool.

As you might recall last season in my 1969 draft league I made it to game seven of the world series losing to the Mets (Daytraders) here is the Box score from the mets Game Seven victory downloaded from Dynasty

And here is Denny McLain the winning pitcher in that game signing it

I’m sorry if you’re a baseball online gamer it doesn’t get cooler than that.

Alas Pete Rose was apparently several tables away, if Bobby Tolan hadn’t caught up to that ball Rose drove over his head with the tying and go ahead runs on deck it might have been him signing my victory page, but then again I wasn’t there so it’s unlikely the Mets would have wanted to have a loss autographed.

Pintastic NE 2022 Day 4 Valley of the Dolls and Balls

Posted: June 30, 2022 by datechguy in fun, pinball, special events
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One of the givens of Pintastic NE 2022 was the popularity of the Toy Story 4 game by Jersey Jack. When I woke up very early on the final day of Pintastic this was confirmed in the free play room.

I stayed in the extra ball room for about 3 hours and joined in several 4 player games of Toy Story 4 during that time. I lost track of time until my stomach reminded me in the middle of a game of Theatre of Magic that I hadn’t eaten so I walked to McDonalds for a sausage biscuit.

When I came back the reason for the vendor room packing up fast the night before was setting up. The previous management of the hotel had doubled booked the weekend and a Doll and Teddy Bear Show was taking place that morning and afternoon in what had been the vendor room.

I went in while they were setting up and talked to one of the dealers

It was quite a contrast between the clientele of the Doll show and Pintastic which was still going on with the ladies tournament in the Southern NH Pinball club room, the free play room and of course the extra ball lounge.

There was a fair selection of dolls and after the show officially started I got permission to go in again and interviewed the promoter:

took some photos

The ladies in those chairs weren’t in a hurry to have their picture taken.

Like Pinball one of the most important persons there was a lady who did repairs, She gave me an interview

One lady who didn’t consent to an interview at this time makes infant dolls in her “reborn nursery” The dolls are so realistic she took to keeping her baby car seat in her vehicle as police kept thinking she had kids in the car without carseats.

But I didn’t spend a lot of time there because the clock was ticking and there was only so much more pinball to play. Before I knew it the time had come to do closing interview with Michael and Emily

They gave all the credit to their excellent team which demonstrated how fast you can pack up a machine and gave some advice on how to do so although the first minute of the video or so was a tad blurry

Talk about someone ripped

At this point there wasn’t much left in the free play room so I headed to the extra ball lounge, most years those machines get moved in here but because of the 2nd show they stayed where they were. I and my son kept playing until that fatal moment that comes during every Pintastic, that sad event where someone taps you on the shoulder saying “last game”.

That’s the moment when it’s time for the final interview of the show speaking to Gabe one more time

So we ended Pintastic not knowing where we would be next year but as I prepared to leave I saw one final sight that brought a smile to my face and caused me to turn on the camera one last time.

That’s how good the Toy Story 4 Pinball Machine was. It was so good that despite 4 machines available to play and the crew being there the whole time, they didn’t get their chance to play the game until the show was over and every other player was gone.

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