Archive for the ‘Sports’ Category

Dynasty 100 Loss All Futility League Report: East Divisions 5-24

Posted: May 25, 2020 by datechguy in baseball, dynasty baseball, gaming, online gaming, Sable Baseball, Sports
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The latest of a weekly series on the teams in my Online (or in person) Dynasty baseball simulation leagues I run. All are leagues are currently full but if you have an interest in joining the expanded futility league next season or want to be in the waiting list for the great teams league leave a message in comments.

This week we visit the Dynasty All Pathetic 100 loss league consisting only of teams that lost 100 games in a season. As of today most teams have 10 or less games for their season. All starts are current as of 9:30 PM EST Saturday

American League

1973 Chicago White Sox 1st place

When we last left the 1970 White Sox Tampa Bay was nipping at their heels and how it would end was anyone’s guess. Today barring a historic last minute collapse the White Sox look poised to lock up the AL East. 9 1/2 games up with 11 to play.

Heroes: Bill Melton (.268 35 HR 124 RBI ) and Ed Herrmann (..291 37 HR 103 RBI) are contending for the RBI & HR lead respectively. Meanwhile  Tommy John Quest for 20 wins might come up short, but he’s continues to lead the league in innings and remains in the top five in ERA, wins, K’s and avg against.

Zeros:  When last time we looked Sid O’Brien was hitting a bit better than Bobby Knoop and still is .221 to .219 but also like last time his fielding numbers .927 at 3rd and .947 at 2nd aren’t up to grade. If you want to point to a reason why Chicago might clinch this week starter Barry Moore isn’t one of them at 5-9 with a team worst 6.28 ERA over 25 starts.

Wild Cards: The White Sox are the only team in the AL with an ERA under 4 (3.98) and the biggest part of that is the Solid Defense up the middle provided by Luis Aparicio at short, Bobby Knoop at second base and Ken Berry in Center Field.

Coming Attractions: Chicago only needs two wins to clinch but the schedule won’t help much as they play their final three game home series against the west leading 2008 Seattle Mariners and then finish the season on the road visiting the red hot 1973 Texas Rangers 3 three then head for Tampa Bay for a pair against the 2nd Place 2002 Devil Rays before finishing the regular season in Kansas City with three against the 2005 Royals.

Injury Report: The team is all present and accounted for although pitcher Bart Johnson is a tad overworked. However Manager Ingemi has noted that he will be pitching John on three days rest in order to give him the three starts needed for a chance at 20 wins (currently at 17) that might be a risky move with the playoffs coming up.

2002 Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2nd 67-76 10 GB Tragic number 2

Despite some of the biggest producers in the league Tampa Bay finds itself on the cusp of elimination with 11 games to go. Can their big bats pull off a final miracle to give them that chance?

Heroes: The one two punch of Aubrey Huff who leads the majors in Batting, Slugging, OPS and Hits while leading the AL in OBP and HR & RBI’s is complemented by Randy Wynn who leads the majors in runs while settling for 2nd in the AL in batting, Triples, OPS 3rd in Doubles, 4th in hits and 5th in OPS.

Zeros: Unfortunately while Huff and Wynn taketh , pitchers like starters Joe Kennedy (6-12 5.00 ERA .299 Avg against, Tanyon Sturtze (9-9 5.15 ERA 3.03 avg against ) givith away with a lot of help from the bullpen members like Wilson Alverez (5-7 6.96 ERA 1 sv 4 bs ) givith away.

Wild Card: While I specified Alversz under zeros due to the worst ERA on the team the closing staff in general like Steve Kent (3 saves 5 blown) Victor Zambrano (4 saves 4 blown) and particularly Estiban Yan (23 saves 10 blown) contributed to the Rays having the most blown saves in the AL

Coming Attractions: Tampa is the only other AL east team with meaningful games reaming concluding their final road trip with three in Baltimore to face the 2018 Orioles and 3 more in Kansas City vs the 2005 Royals. Then it’s back home to finish the season with a pair against the 1970 White Sox and 3 vs the 1973 Texas Rangers.

Injuries: If Tampa is Eliminated this week it won’t be due to injuries as all are healthy and ready to play

2018 Baltimore Orioles 59-84 3rd 18 GB

In theory the O’s have a shot to catch Tampa Bay to finish 2nd but their main concerning is keeping that half game lead over Detroit to keep from finishing in the basement and trying to miss the 90 loss mark.

Heroes: Johnathan Villar has been a bright spot on the O’s leading the league in SB with a chance to catch Huff for the Runs lead while 3rd in the league in walks and top ten in OBP, OPS & hits. When they managed to get a late lead closer Mychal Glvens has done the job leading the league with 28 saves while blowing only 4

Zeros: Starters David Hess (7.46 ERA .310 avg against) and Bundy Dillan (6-15) 6.34 ERA .311 avg against have a lot to do with where the Orioles are but according to manager Keith D the range or lack there of of outfielders Trey Mancini, Danny Valencia and occasional lapses by Adam Jones when he plays right have a lot to do with the team’s 5.83 ERA.

Wild Cards: Manny Machado came back to the O’s late in the season but he has made an impact hitting .344 and driving 20 in 22 games. Would a full season have done the trick?

Coming attractions: Baltimore will have a lot to do with how things end with 9 games at home first with a chance to eliminate the 2002 Tampa Bay Devil Rays 3 then 3 vs 1982 Minnesota Twins also dodging elimination then finishing their home season with a pair vs the West leading 2008 Seattle Mariners fighting to keep their lead before traveling to Detroit to take on the 2003 Tigers in three games to decide who will take up the division’s rear.

Injuries: If Baltimore had made it to the playoffs there was a chance that infielder Tim Beckham might have played again this season but as it is Baltimore will have to play spoiler without him.

2003 Detroit Tigers 59-85 4th place 18 1/2 GB

The Tigers are playing for pride and thanks to a late Mets surge prevent themselves from finishing with the worst record in the majors. Can they pass the Orioles to finish 3rd or will they become a byword for futility?

Heroes: Dimitri Young remains one of the most dangerous hitters in the league currently top in in six different offensive categories and in striking distance in batting slugging and OPS. Alex Sanchez 13 Triples leads the league and his .322 avg is good enough for 8th with a chance to go higher.

Zeros: Mike Maroth leads the American league with 18 losses which is not a surprise given his .312 avg against and 6.41 ERA, but Nate Comejo’s 6.53 ERA & .347 avg is worse despite his 11-13 record but even though Gary Knotts 6.18 & .305 avg against his better than both his 3-11 record is a lowlight for the team.

Wild Card: Despite playing in home run friendly Detroit for half their games the Tigers are Dead last in the AL in homers with only 120 so far this season. Meanwhile their team ERA 5.15 is only outdone by the O’s in futility.

Coming Attractions: Detroit will have a lot to do with how the West is won welcoming the 1973 Texas Rangers and the 2008 Seattle Mariners for 3 each at home before their final brief two game road trip to Minnesota vs the 1982 Twins become coming home to face the 2018 Orioles to decide who is the worst team of them all.

Injuries: Everyone is healthy but given their record not sure if that’s good or bad.

National League East

2009 Washington Nationals 96-50 1st Clinched

The Washington Nationals have had the best record in the majors and the only question left is will they get to the 100 win mark. They are the prohibitive favorite for the World Series but in the playoffs anything can happen.

Heroes:Adam Dunn, josh Willingham, Nyler Morgan Christan Guzman & Willie Harris are all leading or in the top 3 of every offensive category except doubles n the mound closer Mike MacDougal has a 1.98 ERA & leads the league in saves (28) only blowing 5.

Zeros: Livan Hernandez has managed to go 5-8 win 30 starts on a 96 win team. I suspect his 6.52 ERA and .323 avg against has something to do with this. Another weak link is reliever Ron Villone who despite his 6-4 record has blown 4 of 6 games with a 5.30 ERA in 65 games.

Wild Cards: How good is this team? Catcher Will Nieves is about the only member of the team not producing big his .258 avg is the team low with only 1 homer and his 49 RBI is the lowest almond any player with more than 200 ab.

Coming attractions: the quest for 100 wins goes on at home with 3 vs the 1998 Florida Marlins and 2 vs the 2010 Pittsburgh Pirates before finishing the regular season in NYC with 3 vs the 1967 Mets

Injury Report: Wil Nieves will miss game one vs the Marlins and Austin Kearns will not be available until the playoffs but the question is will the Nats sit key starters vs letting them compete for batting and slugging titles?

1998 Florida Marlins 80-66 2nd place 16 GB Eliminated

In any other division the Marlins would either be leading or in the thick of things but thanks to the domination of the Nationals they will have to wait for expansion next year for a chance at a playoff spot.

Heroes: Edger Renteria is tied for the league lead in runs (115) & 3rd in SB. CLIFF FLOYD is 3rd in the league in RBI’s (116) & hits (179) and top 10 in batting slugging and OPS and doubles.. One the Mound Livan Hernandez is third in ERA (3.02) and 4th in wins, (14) K’s (170) and inning pitched (217 2/3). In the Pen Matt Mantei is not only 15 of 17 in save chances but 9-4 with a 2.28 ERA out of the pen.

Zeros: If you want to point fingers at how Florida ended up eliminated. Simply look at Andy Larkin (0-8 in 30 games 17 starts ERA 7.13 avg .321) and Ryan Dempster (0-6 10 starts 12.16 ERA .420 avg against. If even five of those 14 losses had been wins. Florida would not be eliminated yet.

Wild Card: Florida as a team is only 1 game over .500 in nine inning games but once you get into extras they are 16-3 the best record by far in the majors and that’s after going 2-3 in their last five games in extra.

Coming Attractions: Florida is playing for pride and stats these days with 3 at Washington vs the 2009 Nationals followed by a quick 2 game final homestand vs the 1967 Mets before heading back on the road Pittsburgh to end their season vs the 2010 Pirates.

Injury Report: Veteran Catcher Gregg Zaun will miss the 1st two against the Nats but will be back to finish the season.

2010 Pittsburgh Pirates 73-73 3rd place 23 GB Eliminated

The Pirates can claim a moral victory. For a ling time they had the worst record in the league and fought back to .500 with 8 games to play. If they were in the west they would only be a game out. Can they finish with a record that would have won the west?

Heroes:Aramas Ramirez is leading the league in RBI’s s (179) and top 10 in batting slugging and OPS and doubles.. Brian Giles is hitt .324 (3rd) with an OBP .435 (2nd) OBS of 1.004 (2nd) slugging .569 (2nd) third in runs (113) triples (11) and walks (105) On the mound Dave Williams 2.80 is currently 2nd s (170) as is his WHIP of 1.01.

Zeros: Mike Fetters leads the NL in blown saves with 8 a 40% failure rate. but with an 8.49 ERA that’s to be expected. At the plate Jack Wilson’s triple crown numbers of .218 3HR 39 RBI’s isn’t scaring anybody.

Wild Cards: Pittsburgh offense is driven by the HR their 148 is third in the majors , their .250 team batting avg is however also 3rd worst in the majors.

Coming Attractions: Pittsburgh’s quest for an over .500 record continues in NY with three vs the 1967 Mets then heads for DC for a pair against the 2009 Nationals before they head home to finish vs the 1998 Florida Marlins.

Injury Report: Armando Rios and Mike Lincoln are both out for the year. Damaso Marte will miss the series vs the Mets but Keith Osik will be available by game 3.

1967 New York Mets 58-88 38 GB Eliminated.

For a good chunk of the season there was a real question if the Mets would loos 100 but now they have an outside chance of NOT finishing with the worst record in the majors? Can they pull one final rabbit out of the hat?

Heroes While :Tommy Davis at 179 hits (2nd) and a .320 avg (4th) and 8th in SB is worth a mention The fact that Tom Seaver has won 20 games for the team with the worst record is the majors (tied for 1st with Randy Johnson is astounding. Seaver is 7th in ERA 2nd in Strikeouts (213) 8th in innings, and 1st in fewest HR per 9 innings (0.49) the ONLY non relief category that anyone is beating Johnson in. If it wasn’t for Randy he would be a shoo in for the NL Cy Young.

Zeros: How poor have Jerry Grote and Jerry Bucheck hit? Tom Seaver has a better avg than both. But if you want to choose a zero Well there’s Don Cardwell (5-14) Jack Fisher (3-20) leading the league in losses and Dennis Bennett (5-11) and of course Ron Taylor with 4 saves in 11 chances.

Wild card: How critical is Seaver? The Mets 4.51 ERA is 7th in the 16 team major leagues. remove Seaver and it becomes 4.80 which would be 11th. But when you hit only 67 home runs last in the majors not to mention last in the majors in doubles hits and RBI’s and last in the NL in walks those 20 wins look even more miraclious.

Coming Attractions: The Mets have three at home vs the 2010 Pittsburgh Pirates before jetting to Florida for their final away series vs the 1998 Marlins before ending the season vs the 2009 Washington Nationals. Can Seaver finish ahead of Johnson in wins?

Injury Report: The entire team is healthy for those final eight games?

Dynasty All Time Great Teams League “C” Division Update

Posted: May 17, 2020 by datechguy in baseball, dynasty baseball, gaming, online gaming, Sports
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The weekly update of the various Dynasty Leagues that I run. This week Division C in the All Time Any Time Great Teams League. (Note this post was written before the results of Saturday’s games were complete). All individual stats were current at the time of writing.

American League

1924 Washington Senators 29-25 1st

The fight for the top of the AL “C” Division has been an up and down affair Washington has lost 5 of it’s last 6 but still clings to a half game lead pending one series for their Rival Kansas City can their hitting and pitching come together to keep the lead?

Heroes: Walter Johnson Continues to impress after a slow start currently 3rd in ERA tied for 1st in wins and innings pitched, with the best batting avg against (.201) & 2nd best WHIP 1.09 in the league. Sam Rice has also bounced back leading the league in triples 4th in hits and 5th in batting

Zeros: While he’s been phenomenal behind the plate (.993 FPCT 5.57 Ranger factor) Muddy Ruel has been a disaster as the #2 hitter with a .204 avg and only 13 RBI in 186 ab and that’s with Sam Rice hitting ahead of him. Joe Martina has been getting a little more work but that’s added up to an 0-2 record with a blown save in his only chance a 6.67 ERA and seven round trips allowed in only 28 1/3 Innings

Wild cards: Like last year the Senators are dead last in the majors in homers (16) but are 1st in triples with 35. They are also almost impossible to steal against with an .833 caught stealing avg with only Toronto’s Ricky Henderson managing to swipe a base (while being caught twice) against them. The Senators are the only team in the majors with a winning record AND a negative run differential (-3).

Coming Attractions: The Senators finish their 12 game road trip in the division with 3 at the 2002 Anaheim Angels and then fly into the Bronx to take on the red hot 2009 New York Yankees before starting June with a brief 3 game home stand vs the 1998 Oakland A’s

Injury Report: Washington remains one of the least injured teams in the majors with a clean bill of health and with only 24 men on the roster that’s critical.

2015 Kansas City Royals 27-24 2nd place 1/2 game out

A dip from the best record in the league during a Washington winning streak was followed by a 7-3 surge while Washington went 4-6. This has them on the brink of 1st again and a game up for the last wild card. Will Kansas City ride that see-saw all season or can they break away from an increasingly crowded AL C pack?

Heroes: Lorenzo Cain is not only 2nd in runs in the league and 1st in triples on the team but it’s Ben Zobrist (.312 avg 13 HR 43 RBI) & Kendrys Morales. While the bullpen is strong Johnny Cueto (7-1 2.93 ERA 6 GG in 12 starts) is the ace that makes it easy for them

Zeros: While the bullpen overall is strong Madison Ryan has been a disappointment 2-2 5.40 ERA and most importantly 4 blown saves in four chances. Of course the starting pitching must take some blame Edinson Volquez (1-7 5.43 ERA) Danny Duffy (5-4 7.28 ERA .332 avg against) and Jeremy Guthrie 1-2 8.65 ERA .353 Avg against) make the pens job much harder.

Wild Cards: Only Toronto has stolen more bases in the AL than KC (30) and only Texas and the Senators have more hits but nobody AL team out homers them. But their .143 Caught stealing rate is one of the worst in the league.

Coming Attractions: A critical 3 game home series with the 1954 Cleveland Indians will determine if they will hold 1st place and it gets no easier with 3 as the 2010 Texas Rangers come to down with division rival 2002 Angels to follow.

Injury Report: KC remains healthy and they’ll need it with those two big series coming

2009 New York Yankees 27-27 3rd 2 GB

The Yanks 8-2 run including winning their last 5 straight (including a sweep of their arch rival Red Sox) has put them at .500 and right back in the race. Can this run continue or will it run out of breath as it reaches the pack in front?

Heroes: C.C. Sabathia has been a monster and a half leading the league in WHIP (1.05) 2nd in wins (7-2) and 4th in ERA (2.63). Meanwhile Robinson Cano .317 Avg 7 HR 32 RBI is leading the league in runs and 2nd in hits. Oh and Mark Teixeria .296 17 HR (2nd) 49 RBI (4th) impresses too

Zeros: Nobody can call Brian Bruney lazy with 22 appearances in 54 games but with an 0-1 record 8.49 era and a blown save in his only chance, you can’t call him good either. Meanwhile A. J Burnett’s starts have not quite been an exercise in futility but with a 4-6 record 6.63 ERA and an .302 avg against, it’s pretty close to one. Meanwhile Mariano Rivera has blown a full third of his save chances

Wild Cards: The Yanks are right now 2nd in runs and HR in the AL but their 4.71 ERA is the worst of any team not under .500 in the majors and are having trouble finishing games with the most blown saves in the majors (11) in 21 chances with Mariano Rivera leading the AL in saves (10) and the majors in blown saves (5)

Coming Attractions: The Yanks end a 30 game homestand with 3 vs the 1968 Detroit Tigers, 3 vs the 1st place 1924 Washington Senators and 3 vs the 2015 Kansas City Royals before they set off for a 9 city Jaunt to almost every city in the league.

Injury Report: Catcher Jose Molina has missed the whole month of May with injuries and is expect to miss the whole month of June as well which means a lot more work for everyone else behind the plate.

Anaheim Angels 18-33 4th place 9 1/2 GB

The Angels woes were compounded by a 10 game winning streak but they’ve won their last 3 series including a set against the formidable 2016 Cubs. Has the worm finally turned for the struggling halos?

Heroes: Garret Anderson has been a bright spot on a bad season leading the league in double while leading the Angels in RBI’s (45) and knocking 7 HR over the fence and 4th in ERA (2.63). Donnelly Brendan has done fine work out of the pen with a 5-2 record a 2.31 ERA and a .218 avg against. in 19 appearances

Zeros: Alas the agony of choice remains. Kevin Appier  (3-8 6.50 ERA .281 avg against ) and Jon Lackey ( 1-5 7.39 ERA .362 avg) have actually improved their lines since last time but not enough to get off the list. Nor has Ben Molina whose line of .184 1 HR & 7 RBI is better but still horrible.

Wild Cards: With the worst ERA in the AL (5.08) and the 2nd worst batting avg in the AL The Angels don’t take a lot of leads into the 9th but when their .900 save conversion percentage all via Troy Percival which is odd given his 6.11 ERA. The question is can Anaheim’s new manager get them to that 9th with a lead?

Coming Attractions: The Angels get a chance to continue their series winning streak vs the 1968 Detroit Tigers and the 1924 Washington Senators before hitting the road to face the 2015 Kansas Royals.

Injury Report: Kevin Appier and Darin Erstad will both be sidelined for the Detroit series but will make it before the Senators leave town, however reliever Dennis Cook likely won’t be available till the last game in Kansas city.

National League

2016 Chicago Cubs 36-18 1st

Chicago has not only broken their tie with San Francisco for sole possession of 1st place in Division C but holds the best record in the majors and the largest lead of any division leader and the formula has been solid pitching. Can the staff hold the line as the weather get warmer?

Heroes: With a team ERA of 2.85 the choices are wide. There is Aroldis Chapman with a league leading 13 saves & a 3-0 record. John Lester (6-1 2.05 ERA over 12 starts ) and Hard Luck Jake Arrieta (5-6 2.16 ERA .136 avg against and anemic 0.82 WHIP in 12 starts) who are 2-3 in league ERA.

Zeros: On a team with a TEAM avg of .241 Javier Baez line of .220 1 HR & 19 RBI isn’t scaring anyone. On almost any other team Kyle Hendricks 5-5 record .233 avg against & 4.08 ERA would be avg but on a team with a TEAM avg against of .194 & 2.85 it stinks.

Wild Cards: Despite having NO player in double digits in HR the Cubs are thriving in Wrigley with the best home record in baseball (24-6) and while the team’s offense is anemic they are 14-5 against left handers this season. Of course giving up the 2nd fewest HR in the league (39) helps a lot.

Coming Attractions: It’s on the road to Houston to face the 2005 Astros then to the west coast vs the 1962 San Francisco Giants, before stopping home just long enough for 3 with the 1975 Cincinnati Big Red(s) Machine.

Injury Report: All present and accounted for. It will be interesting to see how the pitching holds up if that changes.

1962 San Francisco Giants 30-24 2nd place 6 GB

In any other NL division the Giants Record would have them either tired for 1st or just 1/2 game out. But with the Cubs pitching shutting everyone down the Giants will have to play even better if they want to avoid a one game wildcard playoff.

Heroes: It will surprise nobody that Willie Mays 46 runs 2nd in NL is coupled with 13 HR 42 RBI and perfect defense but Willie McCovey’s 47 RBI’s (3rd vs Mays 8th) 15 HR (4th vs Mays 7th comes with a .390 avg that would lead the league if he wasn’t 12 plate appearances short to qualify.

Zeros: Jose Pagan’s .190 avg 1 HR & 14 RBI with only 18 runs scored in 66 more at bats than McCovey is nasty but not as nasty as the Giants Bullpen who with the exception of Stu Miller has been horrible. Mike McCormick (5.35 ERA .304 avg against 1-2 1 sv) Don Larson ( 7.20 ERA .333 avg against 1-0 2 BS ) Gaylord Perry ( 7.31 ERA .319 avg against 1-3 1.84 WHIP) and Bobby Bolin (10.40 ERA .393 avg against 2-3 2.31 WHIP) are the primary reason why the Giants are back in the pack.

Wild Cards: The Giants team ERA is 4.59 but their 1-4 starters all with 11 or more starts hold ERA’s of 2.78, 3.55, 3.77 & 3.86. It’s a good thing too because the Giants +6 Run differential is the smallest of any NL team with a winning record.

Coming Attractions: The Giants have nine at more before a long 27 game road trip welcoming the 1957 Milwaukee Braves, then the 2016 Chicago Cubs and finally the 2008 Phillies before hitting the road in June.

Injury Report: Reliever / spot starter Gaylord Perry won’t be available till the final game vs the division leading Cubs. Given how he’s pitched that won’t hurt much.

2008 Philadelphia Phillies 24-33 3rd place 13 1/2 GB

A month ago the Phillies were right in the NL C mix now they find themselves 9 games below .500, with a new manager and struggling to get back in the mix in a tough decision. Is this drop a crash or just on a blip in the road back to contention.

Heroes: Ryan Howard‘s 22 Homers leads the majors and his 47 RBI’s are good enough a tie with SF’s Willie McCovey’s for 4th in the NL On a team with a weak bullpen J.C. Romero has appeared in half of Phillies games only allowing a .209 avg & a 1.09 WHIP. Although Brad Lidge has blown 4 his 8 saves are 3rd in the league

Zeros: Rudy Seanez has worked in even more games than JC but without the success with a 5.89 ERA, a 2-4 record and only one save in 4 chances Pat Burrell’s .189 avg 7 HR 19 RBI aren’t going to get the Phillies where they need to be. Chris Coste’s .234 avg 7 HR & 25 RBI is better than Burrell but when you’re a catcher & gun down only 8 of 87 people trying to steal that’s a recipe for disaster.

Wild Cards: Philly’s batters are the easiest K’s in the league whiffing 453 times so far this season but when they connect the ball travels far, their 80 Home Runs lead the majors and while their pitching has been terrible their team ERA of 4.99 is 2nd worst in the NL, when the ball is hit to their players they make the play, their fielding percentage of .989 is 2nd in the NL But it’s lefites (7-14) and road games (6-15) that are most hazardus to their record.

Coming Attractions: Philadelphia finishes their homestand with 3 vs the 2005 Houston Astros before going on the road for a bit starting in San Francisco to face the 1962 Giants before heading to Cincinnati to face the 1975 Reds run by the Phillies former skipper.

Injury Report: All hands are on deck and healthy.

2005 Houston Astros 22-32 4th place 14 GB

With the top of the division surging Houston’s needs to make a move soon before the Giants and Cubs get too far to catch, can their good pitching make the difference?

Heroes: Roger Clemens leads the majors in ERA. In the NL he’s is 2nd in Innings & wins, 3rd in batting avg against and 6th in K’s. Meanwhile out of the pen Dan Wheeler’s has done his job with a 2.13 ERA a .198 avg against and a WHIP even better than Clemens 1.00 at .067.

Zeros: Despite their record the starting rotation has put up good numbers been fine with two exceptions Wandy Rodriguez 6.14 ERA .313 avg against with a 1.88 WHIP means no trouble at the plate. Andy Pettitte isn’t doing much better with a 5.14 ERA a dozen homers given up and a 2-8 record to go with it Unfortunately they aren’t facing any Houston batters Adam Everett has been the worst of the lot a .187 avg 2 HR & 6 RBI.

Wild Cards: With a 3.81 ERA (3rd in NL) and a .990 fielding PCT (1st in NL ) you would think Houston would be right in the thick of things. But add in a .230 batting avg , .301 OBP & .347 slugging pct .648 P{S (all worst in the majors) coupled with only 36 HR (worst in the NL) and you get a last place team 14-22 on the road and & 5-11 vs lefties.

Coming Attractions: Houston takes a shot against the even better pitching of the 2016 Chicago Cubs who come to town finishing their homestand. Then it’s off on the road first to Philly to take on the 2008 Phillies and then to Brooklyn to take on the 1955 Dodgers.

Injury Report: There might be reason for the Astros lack of punch, but injury isn’t one of them.

Dynasty All Time Great Teams League “B” Division Update

Posted: May 10, 2020 by datechguy in baseball, dynasty baseball, gaming, online gaming, Sports
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

The weekly update of the various Dynasty Leagues that I run. This week Division B in the All Time Any Time Great Teams League. (Note this post was written before the results of Saturday’s interleague games were complete). All individual states were current at the time of writing.

American League

2010 Texas Rangers 29-19 1st

When last we left the 2010 Rangers they were in last place in division B and the question was: “Is this the start of better things to come? Or will the team without a manager continue to be rudderless?” Well Texas has a manager( David H of Lake Forest California) and while they have lost 4 of their last seven they preceded that with a 13 game winning streak. So the question is, Is this the start of the return to earth or will Texas remain at the top of the heap?

Heroes: Vladimer Guerrero tears up the league with 42 RBI’s despite only five home runs. His .339 average is even more impressive with runners on base (.398) runners in scoring position (.394) or the bass loaded .429). By comparison Nelson Cruz has “only” driven in 34 runs but has hit 9 homers and boasts of batting avg of .353 to go with it.

Zeroes: Starting pitching remains an issue. Cliff Lee’s 6-3 record comes despite a 5.12 ERA virtually unchanged since last month and a .306 avg (down from .347) Meanwhile Tommy Hunter’s 3-3 record comes with a 7.05 ERA & 17 HR in 37 innings and an avg of less than 5 innings per start

Wild Cards. Texas’ 13 game winning streak is the longest of any team this year but included only two wins vs division rivals. They are 19-5 against AL teams out of their Division. Texas’ has 35 starts from pitchers whose ERA’s are 4.84 or worse (the 4th worst team ERA in the majors is currently 4.85)

Coming attractions: The Rangers welcome the Division rival 1968 Tigers and then the division C leading 1924 Washington Senators that they handled so well last time before heading off for a 12 game road trip which starts in Kansas City to face the 2015 Royals

Injury report Josh Hamilton Injured during a series with Boston will be back for game 2 vs the Tigers. Pitcher Matt Harrison who missed the pass 3 series with injuries suffered vs the Yankees will be available for the Cleveland series.

1954 Cleveland Indians 27-21 2nd 2 GB

The Defending AL champs find themselves in almost exactly the same sport they were in a month ago 2nd place a mere 2 games out (vs 1 1/2) holding the 1st wild card spot un-phased by the Rangers rise or the Tigers fall. Will slow and steady win the race or at least a home playoff game?

Heroes: Bobby Avila has the AL batting lead at .361 but just is tied for the lead in hits 3rd in OBP and 5th in the league in runs. Larry Doby has solid triple crown numbers .314 avg 14 HR 51 RBI putting him at or near the league lead but his 29 walks give him a .406 OBP and a 1.017 OBP good for 2nd in the league. Plus a .994 FPCT with 5 assists.

Zeroes: There not much to complain about on the mound when your team ERA is 4.10 but Hal Newhouser has posted a 5.59 ERA while blowing 3 saves in as many chances. Meanwhile Billy Glynn (.197) and Jim Hegan (.184) remain easy outs but not as easy as Wally Westlake whose .127 is as bad as it gets for an everyday player more than 50 points below the last time he made the zero list (.184)

Wild cards. Don Mossi’s ERA of 6.04 is the worst on the team and his .283 avg is the 2nd worst but at the same time he’s converted seven of eight save chances. the Indians lead the majors with 17 complete games, are 2nd in triples, 3rd in walks and 4th in runs

Coming Attractions: The Indians have three games vs the 1924 Senators at home and then hit the road for 12 games starting with 3 at Kansas City vs the 2015 Royals and then to Chicago for 3 more vs the 2005 White Sox

Injury report: Why is Wally Westlake still in the lineup likely because Vic Wertz has been out since game one vs Oakland and won’t be back until late in the Chicago White Sox series. Jim Hegan’s Backup Hal Naragon was hurt in the Nationals series as SS Sam Dente. Nagron will not back until after the Senators series while Dente will be available in game 3.

1968 Detroit Tigers 26-22 3rd 3 games back

The Tigers have played steady .500 ball since the last time we checked in, unfortunately for them both the Indians and Rangers have done better. Can the get out of neutral and get back into drive?

Heroes: Willie Horton is leading the league in HR with 19 and up there in RBI’s (49). Norm Cash is right behind with 16 and sits at 9th in RBI’s with 39. Denny McLain is tied for the league lead with 8 wins tied for 2nd in strikeouts with 77 all of this with a 3.49 ERA with 6 CG in 11 starts over 87 2/3 innings (3rd in AL)

Zeros: Earl Wilson’s mound troubles continue since 2-2 record has become 3-6 with a .296 avg against. His 6.28 ERA remains the worst of Detroit’s starters. Don Wert remains the easiest out on the Tigers hitting .187 with a .219 OBP but the saddest story is Ray Oyler whose 1 error at SS in over 100 innings. Everyone knew his .364 could not last but nobody had an idea that it would become .156 so quickly.

Wild Cards: Home is where Detroit’s heart is. They are 16-8 in Tiger Stadium. KC is the only AL team that has hit more HR than them

Coming Attractions: The Tigers go on the road 1st trying to rise again vs the 2010 Texas Rangers before heading off to Anaheim for a shot at the 2002 Angels before finishing off in NYC against the 2009 Yankees.

Injury Report: Al Kaline who has been average Al after an MVP season last year has just gone on the DL. He’ll miss the road trip and will miss the series plus a home series vs the 1998 Oakland A’s back home. He may be back for the end of their trip vs the 2013 Boston Redsox.

2013 Boston Red Sox 21-27 8 GB

Like the Indians the Redsox remain where they were a month ago at the bottom of division B. It doesn’t help that they were the only team in the division with a losing record over the last month and have been racked by injury. Will they remain in the cellar or can the start to climb back in?

Heroes: Danial Nava continues to get on base hitting .352 with an OBP of .446. Jacoby Ellsbury leads the team in runs, the AL in SB, is 5th in hits (oh and he’s hitting .314 with 8 outfield assists 3 defensive double plays and a perfect fielding percentage. Injuries have limited John Lackey but in seven starts his ERA is only 2.16.

Zeroes: Last time we checked Jon Lester was 1-2 record an ERA of 6.00 a hitting against avg of .309. It’s gotten worse. He’s now 2-7 with a 6.41 ERA with batters hitting .313. Mike Napoli is still in the dumps batting .213 but at least he has 4 HR to compensate. Will Middlebrooks may have 5 HR & 20 RBI’s but with a .172 avg & a .214 OBP he remains the easiest out on the Sox.

Wild cards: Boston has many problems but fielding isn’t one of them, their .992 fielding percentage is the Major’s best but their 5.04 ERA is tied with the Angels for the worst in the AL. At the plate no in the majors team doubles more (114) but neither does any team strike out as much .419.

Coming Attractions: With a .333 winning percentage at Fenway the Redsox are happily off on the road 1st to Aneheim to face the 2002 Angels then to the Bronx to face their hated rivals the 2009 New York Yankees and finally out west to take on the 1999 Oakland As before returning for an 18 game home stand.

Injury Report: No team has been more crippled by injury than the Red Sox. Stephen Drew will miss all of the Angels and Yankees series. Shane Victorino will not be back until more than half way through that homestand and that pales before both Andrew Miller and Clay Buchholz will miss over 30 more games each before they are back.

National League:

1985 St. Louis Cardinals 29-22 1st place

The Cardinals may not be Dominating the NL as they were were but they still hold a four game lead vs their closest rival. Now that the other teams in the division have found their legs can they keep their lead?

Heroes: Willie McGee continues to score at will while hitting .351 with 3 triples. Tom Herr is doing well a .340 avg, 45 RBI’s and 25 stolen bases with a .441 OBP. On the mound John Tudor is 9-1 with 9 complete games and ERA of 2.15 a WHIP of 0.85 with hitters only managing a .178 avg against.

Zeroes: Kurt Kepshire as a starter and reliever has been completely ineffective a 1-2 record ERA of 8.69 and a WHIP over 2 (2.03). If you’re going to be a closer you don’t want Jeff Lahti’s numbers 4 saves in seven chances and hitters hitting .291 against. Darrell Porter has not managed to work it out at the plate hitting .175 with only 2 HR in 97 AB

Wild Cards: St. Louis is leading the NL in triples and the majors in runs and stolen bases, but St. Louis is not just leading the majors in stolen bases, but with 115 is 57 higher then the next closest team.

Coming attractions: The Cards finish a short homestand against a tough 2016 Chicago Cubs team before beginning a 12 game road trip starting 1st in Philadelphia to face the 2008 Phillies before heading to Flatbush to face the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.

Injury Report: Willie McGee was hurt during the series against Milwaukee and will miss the series vs the Cubs but should be back before the end of the Phillies series. Pitcher Danny Cox was also hurt in that series but might just make it back before the Cubs leave time.

1957 Milwaukee Braves 25-26 2nd place 4 GB

The Braves despite losing 2 of 3 to St. Louis last week find themselves only 4 games back but hovering at .500 a game behind for the 2nd wildcard The question remains can they reach beyond the record of a fringe playoff team?

Heroes: Warren Spahn has done double duty with 10 starts & 7 relief appearances posting a 5-3 record with one save & a 3.31 ERA. With an ERA of 4.24 and a 2-1 record you wouldn’t expect Don McMahon on this list but when you’ve converted seven of eight save chances you’re generating wins. Hank Aaron continues befuddle pitchers at .344 11 HR and 44 RBI’s

Zeros: Ernie Johnson’s status as a pitching workhorse (25 appearances) hasn’t changed but neither has his ineffectiveness with a 7.14 ERA and a .323 avg against. Frank Torre remains in his rut at the Mendoza line with only 2 HR and 7 RBI’s to show in 32 games.

Wild Cards: Milwaukee leads the NL in hits and is 2nd in runs scored in the league but tend to stay where they are with 1 stolen base in 4 attempts. Alas for them they are 2nd to last in the majors in WHIP at 1.55.

Coming Attractions: Their long 27 game road trip will finally end with stops at Houston to play the 2005 Astros and San Francisco vs the 1962 Giants before finally returning to Milwaukee to host the 1975 Reds before hitting the road again.

Injury Report. Del Rice who suffered a minor scrape vs St. Louis will be back for game 2 vs Houston

1997 Florida Marlins 23-25 3rd place 4 1/2 GB

The Marlins like the braves find themselves hovering near .500 still unclear as to what kind of team they are both hitting and being hit. Will they make up their mind before the weather heats up?

Heroes: Moises Alou has the batting title currently hitting .357 while adding 12 HR and 36 RBI’s You wouldn’t think that Kevin Brown’s 3-5 record and 3.85 ERA would qualify for this list but when your team ERA (4.95) and you lead it in starts, innings and strikeouts by a large margin that sounds heroic to me

Zeros: Devon White’s .190 avg makes his 4 HR and 19 RBI look even worse Six saves in 8 chances looks pretty good for Robb Nen but couple it with a .374 avg against a 7.08 ERA and a WHIP over 2 and a save ratio like that can’t last.

Wild cards: How odd is this team? They lead the majors in OBP at .357 and their .271 avg is 2nd in the league but their .272 avg against is 2nd worst in the league along with their 4.95 ERA. They lead the Majors with 16 saves (in 21 chances) but at 1.57 have the worst WHIP as well.

Coming attractions: The fish have a home series against a tough 2016 Chicago Cubs team before going on the road for 12 starting in Philadelphia to face the 2008 Phillies and then Brooklyn to take on the 1955 Dodgers

Injury Report: Cliff Floyd who was injured early in the year will finally be returning. He is scheduled to join the Team in Philly and is expected to play before the series is over.

2019 Washington Nationals 18-30 4th place 9 1/2 GB

Washington no longer has the worst record in the majors, only the worst in the National league but if they’re going to get out of the cellar the’re going to have to start beating teams in their division.

Heroes: Trea Turner with 66 hits 17 stolen bases and 39 runs scored is setting the table for the others while hitting 6 HR and driving in 24 as well. Juan Soto has been happy to clear it at .321 12 HR and 33 RBI’s at least when he not being walked (40 2nd in the league).

Zeros: If anyone told me that after 10 starts Max Scherzer would be 1-7 averaging only 5 1/3 inning per start with hitters batting .346 vs him and an ERA of 7.88 I wouldn’t have believed you. And when he or Anibal Sanchez (2-5 5.55 ERA in 10 starts) comes out Tanner Rainey (6.91 ERA 1.90 WHIP) and Daniel Hudson (4-5 5.55 ETA 0 saves in 3 chances) don’t make things better.

Wild Cards: The Nationals are 4-14 in their division but remain a terror to NL Div a at 8-4 and absolutely destroy left handed pitching with a 12-4 record. But the worst ERA in the majors (5.29) and a horrible save percentage (10 in 18 chances) will have to change for this teams fortunes to)

Coming Attractions: the Nats continue their road trip vising Houston to take on the 2005 Astros then San Francisco for the 1962 Giants before visiting Cincinnati to play the 1975 Reds before a long home stand.

Injury Report: The one saving grace for the Nats, the whole team is healthy

The Democrat Biden Dilemma is the Patriots Jarrett Stidham Dilemma (without the sexual assault)

Posted: May 8, 2020 by datechguy in News/opinion, nfl, politics, primaries, Sports
Tags: , , , ,

I keep seeing this poll and that poll that the Democrats are thinking of replacing Joe Biden on the ticket for the nomination. This entire argument reminds me of the great debate on sports radio locally concerning the New England Patriots and 2nd year quarterback Jarrett Stidham.

Stidham was drafted last year as Tom Brady’s quarterback backup and once Brady signed with Tampa Bay, there was speculation that New England would sign one of the available QB’s out there from Cam Newton Jameis Winston or even trade up in the draft in the hopes of getting a new QB this year.

But Bill Belichick decided to stand pat. After all he had struck paydirt with a 6th round pick who turned out to be the greatest QB of all time, and two of his recent QB drafts had started for the Colts and 49ers last year so my not go with the young arm?

But the real question to me come down to: “How much better would the Patriots be in 2020 with an expensive free agent who would have to learn the system that Stidham has been training in for a year?”

I suspect the answer is, not much if at all.

And that brings us to Joe Biden.

There are plenty of reasons why it would be tough for Democrats to pull Biden post Tara Reade:

  • Overturning a series of elections
  • Upsetting vital black voters who turned out in force for Biden
  • Causing a divided convention
  • Risking an un-vetted nominee or worse Bernie Sanders

All of these are valid reasons for the Democrats to stand part, particularly when you see prominent democrat women saying that they thought Biden did it, but will vote for him anyways.

But beyond that the real question is the same one that the Patriots had to ask with Stidham: “Will a replacement do any better in the fall?”

In my opinion the honest answer to that question is: No.

The Democrats will lose just as badly with Biden as they will with anyone else, so they’d might as well stick with fast hands Joe. At least that’s where they are now.

As long as that is the Democrat equation, Joe Biden stays.

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