Week #13
My how time flies!!!! Last summer was the summer of travel after my wedding/honeymoon/wedding party. That was nothing compared to this summer for the Commish! Lots of time on the road for work, as well as the typical 75 hour work week right now. Yes, it is getting tough for me to find even a free hour each week to write the weekly report. BUT, I have refocused a few priorities and here we are......back in business!
Thanks for all the patience this year as well as help from Maze and my brother Steve as we have worked together to keep the league under control. The score reporting has been excellent this year, as most teams have really got the getting scores confirmed part down. It only took 4 years of me nagging people to death! :>)
Here is a brief breakdown of what has transpired over the first two-thirds of the regular season:
The A Division is by far the strongest division in the league. They have a commanding lead in division scoring average as well as the highest average against. Three of the top four team scoring averages come from this division. Right now the Blackjacks hold the division lead, with the Contributors and Stingrays not far behind. The X-Men are the tough luck team this year, as they hold the 4th high scoring average in the league, but are 11 points out of a playoff spot. Not to hard to figure out which team has the highest Points against average, is it?
The Destroyers once had a huge lead in the B Division, but a combination of multiple bad weeks in a row (four and counting!) and the suddenly red-hot Rebels have erased that lead. The Rebels have been so hot that they not only caught the Destroyers, but now hold a seven point lead in the B Division. The Redbirds and Oysters and quickly running out of time.
The Death had a few tough weeks but still hold a 11 point lead over the Clippers in the C Division. The Cobras were very active on the trade front this year and have climbed back into the wildcard race. The Vipers are just two points behind the Cobras for the final wildcard spot. The C/D Division wildcard race looks to be a exciting one, as 5 teams are competing for 2 spots.
The Hummers have been the top team by far this year in the entire league. The Hummers own the top record as well as the top scoring average. They also own the largest division lead at 19 points. Look for the Hummers to clinch the division as early as next week! The Barracudas and Connection are in the thick of the wildcard race, while the Victory have shown little this year and are the longest of long shots.
Now we'll take a look at week #13 results:
Stingrays 5 Redbirds 0
Merv/Mike take top honors in the league with
a 177 point effort from their Stingrays as they sweep the Redbirds. Rolen, $-Rod
and Hunter all posted 20+ point weeks to lead the way. Amazingly enough, the
THIRD PLACE Stingrays now hold the 2nd highest scoring average in the league.
Could be worse gentleman, you could be the X-Men! Larry/Tim had a solid chance
to pull close in the wildcard race, but a sweep drops them 8 points back. Giambi
is finally playing up to expectations after a rough start as he lead the
Redbirds with 24.
Rebels 153 X-Men 125
Just another typical week for the X-Men as
the Rebels continue their strong play with a 153 point week and 4 wins over the
X-Men. Matsui led the Rebels with 30, while Renteria, Sexson and Burnitz all
posted 20+. The Dodger pitching staff still remains the league leader and a big
reason Chris/Bob's Rebels are where they are now. Al/Mike continue to watch
teams put up the big numbers against their X-Men as the fall even further out of
the playoff picture. Byrnes led the team with a big 39 point week, while
Palmiero had a 33 point week. Once again, still not enough for the hard luck
X-Men.
Oysters 4 Contributors 1
JR/Corey continue to try and get their
Oysters back into the playoff race, but the hole they dug early on is probably
to much. A solid week for the team as they were led by Cintron's 21 point week.
McSwain's team has stumbled of late as they have now fallen out of the A
Division lead with this tough week. Varitek led the team with 23 but the
Contributors need to turn it back on real soon as the division is just to damn
competitive to have even a two week slump.
Blackjacks 4 Destroyers 1
This matchup sums up how the least month has
gone for these two teams. Bill's Blackjacks get the four wins and take over
first place in the A Division, while Steve/Frank's Destroyers fall even further
back in the B Division after holding a nice size lead for weeks. Thome and
Finley went 20+ for the 'Jacks, while Gonzo and Lieberthal went 20+ for the
Destroyers. The difference in the matchup was no other Destroyer player went
into double digits, while every single Blackjack starter went 10+.
Death
3 Connection 2
The Death have the second highest point
total in the league as they get a monster weekday game and hold on to win the
deciding total points. Tough week for Scott/Chris as their Connection post the
3rd high score in the league, but get just 2 wins. Wilkerson had a "near miss"
on both the game and week records as he took his weekday cycle and posted a 27
point game, and followed it up with a 41 point week. Damon was the top gun for
the Connection as he had a 30 point week.
Clippers 4 Barracudas 1
Mike/Harry get a solid week from the
Clippers as they bounce back from a weekday loss to sweep the next 4 over the
Barracudas. The Clippers Edmonds had the big week in the league with 43, just
missing the season high. Pujols continues to crush the ball for the Clippers,
and the question remains can he win the 3B sidepot even with him playing the
first seven weeks at OF for the Clippers? Bert/Pam had a tough week as their
Barracudas have really been hit hard by injuries. The 'Cudas were led by Pudge's
21 point week, but really need a return to health from the team as they are in
the middle of a hotly contested wildcard race.
Hummers 3 Vipers 2
Jeff/Scottx2 keep the Hummers on cruise
control as they open up an even bigger division lead despite a somewhat off
week. Cobra castoff Mueller led the way for the Hummers with a 35 point week.
Rogan's Vipers held their own against the leagues top team, but still could
manage just two wins for their efforts. Delgado has been the man all year for
the Vipers and he had another solid week with 25, while OF's Jones/Pierre both
chipped in 20+ as well.
Cobras 4 Victory 1
Maze/Sturken get the much needed four wins
as they now have the Cobras in a wildcard spot after a tough start. Certainly
many of the Cobra fan club will point out that 4 wins over the Victory is not
exactly something to hang your hopes on as a little league team could probably
accomplish that, but four wins is four wins. The Cobras have been playing very
well over the last month and Encarnacion led the team with 31 this week. Brian's
Victory have been bad this year, posting a league low 109 scoring average so
far. Brain has remained active with his team and continues to acquire players
each and ever week, but just can't find the right mix.
Week
#13 Awards:
Player of the Week:
Edmonds, Clippers 43 Points
The Clippers OF took top honors this week in a tough competition that saw one
other 40+ week, as well as many 30+ weeks.
Pitching
Staff of the Week: Arizona, Connection 31
Points
WOW, just imagine when the Connection get the big two Schilling/Johnson back
into the rotation! Could it be a three peat for the defending champs?
Good luck to everyone in week #14. I am outta here!
The
Commish
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