The National Pastime Association Blog

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Frozen Stiffer -> The National Pastime Association Blog (12/14/2007 3:44:55 AM)
I just wanted to announce that I will start to post a sort of blog... or rant... or collection of written thoughts (or is that typed?) regarding my long-running fictional association. When I play the games, I go through them a little quick to detail that progress, so it won't look like my Avenge Buckner Association. Though there will be the occasional display and discussion about particular games, it won't be so much a sense of stat reporting as it would be a blog written by me, living the life of the team's manager in the make-believe (yet frighteningly real) world of The National Pastime Association. I'll display the Association so everyone becomes familiar with the leagues, divisions and teams therein. Then I'll list my 25-man major league roster and we'll go from there. I hope whoever is interested in reading with enjoy what I write. Whoever doesn't well... that's alright... you can be wrong. [sm=00000117.gif]

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/14/2007 11:25:07 PM)
NOTE: When I made these teams, I made them for fun. Some teams are not politically correct. Please be forewarned. I am currently playing in a 30-team association identical to an MLB format. Here is the opposition: Anthem League Red Division Anchorage Sled Dogs Boise Spuds Honolulu Pipelines Salem Witchhunters Vancouver Lumberjacks White Division Buffalo Hot Wings Portland Blizzard Reno Blackjacks Salt Lake City Mormons Wichita Twisters Blue Division Detroit Big Blocks El Paso Tacos Nashville Elvises Sacramento Governators Eagle League Beak Division Atlantic City Monopoly Men Havana Galleons (* My team!) Jackson Browns Richmond Fighting Cocks (their mascot is a rooster for all you sickos) Virginia Hams Wing Division Annapolis Admirals Bristol Pistols Little Rock Scrappy Beavers Minneapolis Huskies Palm Bay Captains of Swing Stockton Indian Balls Talon Division Dallas Texans Des Moines Puff Dragons Louisiana Pierres Ottawa Grizzlies Topeka Marshalls The Havana Galleons position players are next...

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/15/2007 3:33:54 AM)
The Havana Galleons Our Major League Roster - The Position Players: The Starting Lineup CF Chase Spector - A speedster and leadoff man who shows occasional hints of power, Chase was originally a backup outfielder who was promoted to starter this year when the original CF fell into an inexplicable offensive drought. RF Boyd Masters - A natural shortstop, this young phenomenon was blocked from the majors by the solid, established middle-infielder Jones. However, his persistence and determination won him a try in right field where he won the starting job and played remarkably this year. LF Joshua London - Our future Hall of Famer, this power hitter is the offensive backbone of the team. He holds all of the team's batting records and won his 2nd Triple Crown this year. 3B Hugo Queiroga - Our solid #2 Power Man, he has always chased London for the offensive crown. Though he's never overtaken the superstar, their friendly competition has lead to remarkable accomplishment in a long, distinguished career. 1B Vincent Lei - Finishing up his first year with us, this rookie showcased good power and excellent contact with a sharp eye and amazing defense. His good hands helped him win a Gold Glove this year. Lei shows signs of having long-term potential. 2B James McDaniel - After a great first half, James missed out most of the second half with a serious knee injury. He was ready in time for the playoffs and dominated at the plate, though his defensive skills were a little under par. DH Darryl Haag - Our former starting catcher, Haag suffered a serious wrist injury last year and saw his HANDS rating plummet. He still maintains a good swing with decent power and has adapted to the DH role nicely. He fills in for catcher when needed but usually splits the backup role with Yerger. C David Martin - Another backup-turned-starter, Martin became the frontrunner for the position when Haag suffered his injury. Though his first season was great behind the plate, his work in front was dismal. This year has been a complete turn-around and Martin has shown his intention to be the team's permanent starter. SS Arthur Jones - A defensively talented fielder, his offense did not match his stellar performance last year, but it was still more than respectable. There are plenty of rookies eyeing a shot at his position, but they won't stand a chance if his defensive skills remain sharp; whether or not his offensive production continues to slip. On the Bench RF/CF Sam Fisk - A good and reliable player, Fisk is the go-to backup man. He is consistent with a decent bat and an above-average glove. CF/RF Mo Wilson - After a great first year, Wilson struggled in 2017 and failed to hit above .200 in the first 50 games of the season. He lost his job to Spector but remains an oft-used pinch runner. His defensive skills are still what they used to be and remain good enough to hold the second reserve outfielder slot. C/2B Solomon Yerger - This former power-hitter has a long history with the team. Seen as a natural leader, he gives 110% whenever he's called on. Almost 39 and very injury-prone, his name isn't called as often as it used to be. SS/3B Arturo Dominguez - Arturo has not lived up to the potential he showed in the minors and until he does, he will remain a backup infielder. *The Havanna Galleons pitching staff up next...*

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/16/2007 7:50:28 PM)
The Havana Galleons Our Major League Roster - The Pitching Staff: The Starting Rotation SP1 Tomas Enfin - Nicknamed "El Muerto" because of his unusually pale complexion, Tomas Enfin has performed at an unearthly level since arriving in the majors. Holder of countless pitching titles and record, Enfin remains the team's ace, even as his ENDURANCE has started a sharp decline. Though unable to go the distance as he did in his earlier years, Enfin remains in complete control no matter how long he remains on the mound. Enfin is a franchise player and perhaps the most-popular member of the Galleon organization, an ironic point of interest, considering he is a very reserved and quiet person. SP2 Eric Dang - A long-reliever last year, Dang has grown and earned his position as the #2 starter, deposing veteran Wichi Castillo this year. He performed admirably, tying Enfin with 4 wins and besting him in ERA during this year's postseason. Dang, signed in 2012, just recently accepted a new, 5-year offer to remain with the ballclub. SP3 Christopher Kear - Slowly climbing the ranks, Kear started as the #5 man two years ago, earned the #4 slot a year later and solidified his place at #3 with his explosive performance this year. Another member of the Class of 2012, Kear suffered a severe groin injury which sat him down for nearly 2 months. He still rebounded, ending the year with a very impressive 16-4 record. SP4 Wilfredo Garras - Garras has played every role on the pitching card. He has been a starter, a spot-starter, a long reliever and, for a short period of time, even logged a few saves. Originally a long-reliever, Garras proved himself worthy of a rotation spot when he filled in for the injury-plagued 2013 season when 4 of the 5 starters went down. He suffered a few injuries this year and so his playing time was limited, resulting in his first season without at least 10 wins. SP5 Alejandro Roche - Called up in May to fill in for Kear, Roche occupied the five-slot and performed just as he was needed to. His early season performance outburst was eclipsed later in the year by rough outings and control problems. He ended the year at 12-10 and saw very limited action during the postseason. This being the last year on his contract, Roche's future with the Galleons is unclear. The Bullpen R1 Wichi Castillo - It would almost be a sin to look at a Havanna rotation and not find Wichi Castillo somewhere there. Part of the original Dynasty players, Wichi earned a sterling reputation as a starter before age began to overtake him. Still showcasing the talents that made him a pitching great, the Galleons have shown their appreciation of his contribution, giving him another chance this year as a reliever; and Castillo did not disappoint. A stark change in roles, Castillo turns 37 this year and his contract is expiring. He has proven himself a loyal member of the organization, but there may not be room for him next season. R2 Robbie Valleja - The 33-year old Valleja was signed during the offseason in response for the need of a skilled, veteran arm in the bullpen. Throughout the year he has carried his own weight and helped keep the bullpen in line. The 8-year veteran brought leadership to the younger hurlers and ate up a lot of innings when the need arose. Still, his contract also expires at the end of the year. It remains to be seen if he is in the team's short-term or long-term plans. R3 Thomas Wise - A 12-year veteran, Wise was acquired to fulfill the team's practice of stocking up on veteran pitching introduced after the 2013 year. With that mentality, it was no surprise when Wise was acquired for a promising minor leaguer in late June. Wise started only 8 games, covering a variety of injured starters, but earned a 5-3 record for those starts, compiling a 3.84ERA. At 35, he doesn't have many years left, but his performance on the field showed he still has the right stuff. R4 Laci Huf - When Huff was called up in 2012, he was slotted for a starting role, but a dismal first year left that future questionable. Though he has earned at least 10 wins four out of the last five years, Huff's inconsistency breeds many worries. For now he has been assigned as a reliver and spot-starter, but what may become of him in the next few years is anyone's guess. R5 Brickhouse Jones - Known as the Rebound Man, Jones has seen time in the majors and the minors in each of the last four years. Always JUST good enough to earn a spot but never good enough to keep it, Jones has pitched at each end of the spectrum. He has gone from being near unhittable to lacking all control in a manner of just a few outings. What remains a mystery is his inability to maintain focus during the postseason. His 4-2 record and 4.46 lifelong ERA in the regular season are difficult to believe when compared to his 1-4, 6.33 ERA in the postseason. R6/SU Julio Garza - In his 2nd year with Havanna, Garza, who had been originally picked up during the offseason to bolster the bullpen, managed to salvage the season after an extremely rough start. He finished with a 3-2 record and an ERA of 3.30, a drastic improvement from the 0-2 record and the 7.10 ERA at the All Star break. The Closer CP Jeffrey Bergquist - Acquired from Detoit in an early June trade, Bergquist had no trouble or hesitation in establishing himself as THE closer for the Galleons. Suffering only one blown save since his migration south, Bergquist went on lead the league in saves that year with 53, just one short of the team's single-season save record. Though he struggled in the post season saving 5 games in 8 opportunities, Bergquist, at only 28, is unquestionably the closer for years to come.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/16/2007 8:00:28 PM)
I'll post a summary next of what happened in the offseason. Effectively, who we kept (and why), who we let go (and why) and who we signed (and why). If you read my other post in KG's "real personalities/real players" thread, you would already have read the spoiler and known that Yerger and Castillo were not resigned. If you hadn't read the post... well... you know it now! We've already begun the new 2018 season and we sit at 15-7, but we've been shaky and inconsistent and I worry about the offense. Sometimes their bats are quite literally on fire, and sometimes they're swinging icicles. Even with pitchers allowing just 2 or 3 runs, out inability to score any is making our hurlers' great outings a waste. ...and then there's the issue of McDaniel's bat and Bergquist's arm. I'll get into that more after I post the offseason activity.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/17/2007 8:04:04 PM)
The Off-season A few tough choices came around during the off-season. The most difficult was deciding whether to resign veterans that may still have it and whether to resign up-and-coming hopefuls that may not ever get it. As the season ended, there were various decisions that I had already made and others that eventually came into being all on their own. Robbie Valleja, who performed well, would be let go, with the hopes of scoping him out during Free Agency and see if he is willing to disclose his asking price. He had earned $10 million for his 1-year deal, which I would not have normally paid had we not suffered with a great need in the bullpen, and declined my original 1-year offer of $5.3 mil. I probably would have gone as high as $7 mil, but in the end, he ended up signing 1 year with Richmond for $9.7 mil; he was good, but at 35 years old and a POTENTIAL of 3 with a big red DOWN arrow, I didn't find him to be 9.7 good. A pair of minor leaguers, Isaac Tipton (RP) and Hector Romas (SS/2B) were also released. Tipton was already 26 and still not showing any signs of improvement. Romas was good on defense but suffered from a weak bat. I also have an abundance (more on that later) of SS and 2B players. The last thing I needed was another, somewhat mediocre player cluttering things up further. Thomas Wise also found his way out. Though he came through in the clutch, at 33, I could not justify matching the $9.5 million he made last year for another year. He didn't end up signing with anyone and now wallows in limbo as a free agent. I'll keep my eye on him in case my pitching situation gets bad at some point and then only if he's willing to take a pay cut. Darryl Haag, who was unremarkable offensively and wasn't cutting it behind the plate even as a reserve, was given his walking players. However, I plan to take advantage of the vacancy and look for a big bat to fill the empty DH spot. If I can find a big bat who also plays catcher, all the better. Haag was not signed during the off-season and now he too will be added to the Short List along with Wise; just in case an unplanned injury were to arise. Wichi Castillo, long time Galleon, did not have his contract renewed. Though he dealt with the demotion to reliever admirably, at 37 years of age, Castillo's future looked bleak. This, combined with his asking price of $8.6 for the 1-year he would be offered, combined to lead the head office to this decision. Castillo was originally intended to be scoped out along with Haag and Wise, for much the same reasons. However, he decided to retire instead of sign with another team. Some say he has been offered a position with the management staff. Solomon Yerger, another Havanna veteran, was not offered an extension on his contract. Defensively, Yerger had deteriorated a few years ago, though his bat still remained hot .Last year, with Haag at DH, there was effectively no room left for Yerger. He stepped in at 2nd and as Catcher on a handful of occasions, including filling in for Haag at DH when the need arose. Still, Yerger was clearly not as sharp as he was in the past and in the end, the difficult choice was made to let him go. Yerger joined Castillo in opting for retirement during the off-season. Yerger's seven home runs put him at 407 for his career, the highest total of any retiree yet. Alejandro Roche was finally given an opportunity in the majors when Christopher Kear suffered his injury in May. Though he charged out of the gate with a strong record, Roche struggled later in the season and ended with a 12-10 record. Some negotiations between his agent and the Galleons transpired, but in the end, his $8.0 million dollar and 4-year minimum contract conditions were well out of the range Havanna was expecting to offer. Roche was released and was eventually signed by Richmond. The terms of his contract were not immediately disclosed.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/17/2007 9:24:32 PM)
Signings Six of the eight players we lost were on the major league roster. Though you would think this would force us to be more active during the Free Agent signings than during the Amateur Draft, that wasn't exactly what transpired. I opted to promote a few players that had been sent to the minors as their primary roles were only as backups and there hadn't been enough room in the majors. The areas I urgently needed to address was a big bat for the DH role, a pair of good relievers and a backup catcher. Finding a #5 pitcher was important but not a top priority as I had many hopefuls sitting in AAA and ready for their big chance. Oscar Pena and Laroy Rakestraw, two young relievers, were signed to AA contracts out of the Amateur Draft. Pena, 21, and Laroy, 23, were signed to 3-year and 2-year terms, respectively. Scouts were impressed by the 95+ mph fastball that Pena exhibited as well as the impressive, sharp curveball thrown by Rakestraw. Noticing that in our minor league farm system we didn't have any infielders (I know, I know...) we signed Joshua VanSlyke, a 19-year old 1B to a 5-year contract in single-A Veradero Playeros. VanSlyke has good hands and shows signs of power but he's still a few years away from the bigs. His swing and his eye have been compared to that of Paul Marco, former Galleon and master contact hitter. Augmenting the infield was Richard Barth, a 20-year old 2B with amazing reflexes and stunning agility. He has a way to go offensively, but his time in the minors will hopefully help him overcome that weakness. Barth signed on for 3 years and will be placed in single A Veradero. At this point, I still need to get a power-hitter to fill the DH spot. Yerger held it for several years, but when Haag's HANDS crapped out and Martin evolved into a full-time catcher, Haag was moved to the DH spot. He didn't do all that bad last year, but since neither he nor Yerger are on the plans for this year, I need to fill that spot with a power hitter. Enter Royce Parker, a well-respected power and contact hitter who will be a catcher-turned-DH for us, an ideal fit. Sure, I had to shell out about $15 mil for a 1-year deal, but I am confident he will give us the type of production we expect from the DH role. Parker was with Little Rock for 10 years so he faced us numerous times. We remembered he was always a threat and there's no better place for a threat than on your side. In fact, he held the single-season batting average record for almost 4 years until Joshua London unseated him last season. Though we'll try to avoid it, Parker can be used as an emergency catcher replacement whenever Martin needs a day off. Especially since finding a replacement DH is always easier than a replacement catcher. Still in need of a good, experienced reliever, we picked up setup man Kevin Tijerina from Richmond. Tijerina has always caught our attention but things never worked out right for us in the past to acquire him, so we're very excited that it could be put together now. Originally a closer, Tijerina should adjust easily to the setup role and will be our go-to closer whenever Bergquist is not available. Stephen Turner was playing for Stockton last year and looked to be a great, all-around player. His defensive skills are well above average, he hits the ball hard and often and has great endurance. Equally talented as a SS and a 2B, we inked him to a 3 deal worth $10.8 million per year and feel he's ready to start in one of the two middle-infield positions. Finally, though we weren't actively looking for a #5 starter, we could not pass up the opportunity to place a bid on Felix White, a 20-year rookie sensation that became available after his terms were more than Minneapolis, his former squad, was willing to pay. We locked him up for 4 years and expect great things from him. Should he not develop as intended, both Laci Huff and Mark Marshall are ready to answer the call. That does it, our rosters are full and not only were all of our needs were satisfied, needs we didn't even HAVE were satisfied as well.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/18/2007 12:28:38 AM)
Pitching This Year After the dust settled, our pitching rotation looks relatively untouched, while the bullpen enjoys mostly familiar faces and a few new ones. The starting pitching rotation is now Enfin, Dang, Kear, Garras and White. The relievers are Garza, Huff, Jones, Bell and Marhsall. Brickhouse Jones, in his last year with the team, will be given one last chance to prove himself, earning a slot in the bullpen with his call-up. The setup man will be Tijerina while the closer remains Bergquist.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/18/2007 12:29:43 AM)
Hitting This Year... The batting order is a mess, with only the 1-2-3 hitters unchanged. Everything from there on was scrambled. More on that a little later. Our bench is also relatively identical to last year; Sam Fisk, Mo Wilson and Arturo Dominguez returned. Depending on the pitcher, Parker or Jones might also take a seat. I'll go into detail on that below. Right now we're sitting at 19-9 and at the top of our division. We have the best record in the league by only 1 game; Bristol is close behind with an 18-9 record. Second place in our division is Virginia at 5.5 games behind. They've always been all over the place- strong one year, weak the next, powerful the one after that, so it's way to early to count them out, much like Atlantic City, who gave us a lot of trouble 2 years ago. Not surprisingly, the heart of our order has been extremely effective and without question has been responsible for many of our victories. What IS a surprise is who that heart consists of. At the moment, I've got Chase Spector batting leadoff, and he's doing great. Boyd Masters is 2nd and doing a fair job. The 3-4-5 hitters are London-Parker-McDaniel and what a combination they've become! While power and run-production are almost expected from people such as London and Parker, it's McDaniel's bat that has been the greatest surprise this year. He was strong offensively last year, sure, but right now he is really on fire. McDaneil and Parker share the team home run lead with 8 a piece, London's close behind with 7 and Spector has 6. Queiroga however, has struggled this year. He's only hitting around .231 with just 1 HR, far, far under his potential. Lei is doing well, and though he was never a real "power hitter", his performance thus far is meeting expectations. David Martin is another huge surprise, but not the good kind. Martin is only hitting .204 with no HRs, a sharp decline from last year's production at this point. It's clear that Martin is better known for his defense and his arm than his bat, but still; poor hitting is one thing... struggling to remain above .200 is borderline absurd. It's still extremely early so I won't be making any rash decisions just yet. Where I'm running into trouble is regarding the middle infield, catcher and DH. Fortunately, it's the kind of trouble all coaches wish they had; I've got TOO MUCH talent. Available to play SS or 2B, I have Dominguez, Jones, McDaniel and the newly signed Turner. Jones' defense has earned him the start there, but his offense is struggling (perhaps he and Martin have Queiroga-itis?). McDaniel's role was a bit up in the air at the start of the season so I can't say I was all that sure where he would end up. Turner has gobs of potential and his performance in Stockton the last 2 years caught the attention of Havanna's scouts. They couldn't stop talking about him so wasting him away as a bench-warming backup is not likely to happen. Though he started off weak at the plate, he's improved a lot over that last 10 games. Right now vs RHP, I have Turner at SS, McDaniel at 2B and Parker at DH. Against LHP, where Parker has shown some weakness, I have (for the moment) McDaniel as DH, Jones at SS and Turner at 2B. I'm not all that pleased with this arrangement, but for the moment it's the best I could come up with. One reason I'm so bitter is because, and I don't want to sound like a penny-pinching cheap old coot here, I really NEED to play Parker as much as possible. I cannot sit him with the amount of money he's being paid. I'm going to keep an eye on Martin and see which direction his offense will go as the games roll by. Parker is hitting the ball hard, but he's not the catcher he once was and I REALLY don't want to make him a starter, even though that WOULD open a slot for McDaniel to go full-time DH. Hmmmm. If that happened, I could put Turner at 2B and Jones at SS, which would be good defensively, but then Martin is out of the mix and he's much better defensively than Parker. I have no intention to go into every game in the 6th or the 7th inning to swap out Parker for the more defense-minded Martin. So what do I do then, go with the better fielder or the better hitter? I think that's one of those ancient baseball management questions that has no wrong answer and no right answer. I think only time will tell. Let's see if McDaniel's bat stays hot, if Jones' bat stays cold, if Turner continues to improve and if Parker escapes without any sidelining injuries. Dominguez, who filled in for McDaniel during his long tenure on the DL last year is itching for a starting job. Should someone drop the ball, literally, Dominguez would not hesitate at a chance for the job.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/18/2007 12:30:48 AM)
On A Positive Note To end on a positive note, since Spector took the starting job in center last year, he has been beyond phenomenal. His outstanding start this year also goes to show it was not mere "luck" or that he may suffer from the sophomore blues. In response to this show of commitment and determination, the club rewarded Chase with a 5-year $11.2 million dollar contract, keeping him in Galleon colors until 2022.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/18/2007 1:10:44 AM)
If anyone wants to post a comment or question, feel free. If instead you prefer to just read and be entertained by the frustration I face with each game, you can do that too... [:)]

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/18/2007 1:18:53 AM)
The Iceman Sucketh There should be an option labeled KILL PLAYER. Jeff "Iceman" Bergquist, who was a freak with his 53 saves last year, has blown 3 of 8 opportunities so far this year. Three. Three blown saves. He has 3 blown saves and 5 saves. What I find interesting though is how he has 3 blown saves but no losses. Hrmph. I think that when blows the save I pull him with a tied score. That's the only way it can happen I figure. Jeff should really take advantage of his chances as they come along. In previous years, our exaggerated offense rarely provided for many save opportunities. In fact, I believe the average number of saves our previous closers usually logged was about 30-something in a season, and that's with winning years! For one of our closers to hit 50 or more, is truly remarkable. Then again, the games have been getting more difficult with each subsequent patch release. It's a good thing I guess. I'm not opposed to winning, I'm just opposed to lack of challenge. Well, Jeff blowing all these saves... that's making a challenge.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/18/2007 7:28:24 PM)
Luckily, We Have A Good HMO This happens to me about every 2 or 3 years. One minute we're healthy, the next moment half of my starting rotation gets injured. A few days later, half of the guys I called up to fill the vacant slots get injured themselves. I think there's something in the water. This is our current disabled list, with Joshua London the lone exception, being the only non-pitcher on the DL: [image]local://upfiles/17791/CD6D3A85569C4139B57834C0D74C964C.jpg[/image] Laci Huff is our long-reliever and #6 man, as he usually gets the call to fill in for a starter. Jerry Emmerson is one of those low-priced veteran starters I picked up last year to sub for any starters that go down due to injury. Wouldn't you know it, he goes down in his 2nd substitute start. Tomas Enfin and Eric Dang represent out #1 and #2 starters, respectively, and it's their injuries that anger me the most. Enfin sours my mood because he injured his toe. His toe, people. Geez. Dang, REALLY aggravates me. The reason being that his injury is MY fault. He had suffered a minor elbow something that only had him out for like 7 days or so, far too short to go on the DL. Instead, so that my lazy self didn't have to rework my rotation, I made a mental sticky-note to sub for him on his scheduled day. Well, I forgot. Let me tell you; there's nothing worse than injuring an injured player-- those durations are merciless. When he was hurt, he had about 2 days left. He got hurt and 2 days turned into 4 1/2 weeks. How are we dealing with our injured hurlers? Well, I wish I had a good and easy answer for you but it's only marginally good and not even slightly easy. Our offense has behaved in a bizarre manner. When we have one of the original rotation members starting, our offense is strong and we win with a combination of runs and defense. However, when we have one of the subs pitching, our offense is AWOL and we're forced to depend on pitching to win, which isn't good when you're dealing with subs. Right now we're sitting at 30-16, up from 19-9 at the last post; that's an 11-7 record over the last 19 days. It's a winning record, which is always good, but it's not a good enough record to keep everyone else at bay. Our division lead is being cut short little by little each day.

DonBraswell -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/19/2007 2:26:50 AM)
FS, you have out done your self. Even KG will turn green with envy. Great read, thanks alot. I love reading these reports. Don I'm green too

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/19/2007 3:08:45 AM)
Don, Thanks for your kind words. I kind of feel that you, KG and the other Puresimmians are the only ones that would understand what I'm going through. My wife, amazing woman that she is, makes the effort, but I know that when she hears me talk about my team, I sound like the talking adults on the Peanuts TV specials.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/19/2007 5:14:39 PM)
3-4-5 Contact It's that simple. The heart of our order is truly the heart of our team- as in without them, we would die. London, our #3 hitter, was out the first three games of our latest run but finally came back (thank the Gods). With his return, our strong 3-4-5 lineup has been resurrected and they're making a huge difference in our games. Preston Henry, called up from the minors, did well in London's place, but there's just no substitution for that level of hitting and defense we had become accustomed to. You know, while we're on the subject of Preston Henry, let me share my thoughts on the young tyke. Preston Henry is that kind of player that I KNOW everyone has dealt with at some time in this game. Your scouts have looked him over, you've seen him in warm-ups and in batting practice and know what he's capable of. However, once he takes the field or steps up to the plate he collapses like a flan in a cupboard. His battery is full of juice but he just can't get his engine started. He's all show and no go, all action and no traction. His tires are spinning but he's not hooking up. (Had enough of the racing analogies?) He's a painful disappointment, and though I feel a little guilty talking about him in that tone, facts are facts- it is what it is. Yet, this isn't my biggest problem. Do you know what is? The fact that the moment I trade him off to another team because he's wasting space, collecting dust and clearly of no use to me, he's going to turn into a STAR player and rise through the ranks of the other team. Managing sucks.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/19/2007 5:15:12 PM)
Latest News Moving on to other interesting news, Franklin Turner is starting to come around offensively. He's up to 6 HRs, tied for 4th on the team, and his average has also risen to .287. I haven't noticed any fielding errors lately, so I think he's getting better on the field. As it stands, after 50-something games he's committed 3 errors. Eh, could be worse. Another person finally waking up is Hugo Queiroga. Well, not really waking up. More like... rolling over. He's hit a few HRs lately, including 2 in the same game a few days ago, and has raised his total to 6; his average is up to .271 at the time of this post. Respectable numbers of course, but when dealing with a person like Hugo, I must be honest and say that you expect much more. Brickhouse Jones accidentally earned a save yesterday. After Kear had pitched most of the game, Jones entered in the bottom of the 8th with a 6-2 lead, 2 outs and runners at the corners. He got his batter out, then pitched a clean 9th and earned the save. Now, is that right? Does that qualify as a save? Anyway, we're still depending on the power of our early hitters and the strength of our original starting pitching. My games are ending in 3-2 chunks; I win 3 then lose 2. Our record is 35-18 right now, so that's a 5-2 record since the last post. That's much better than last time, but it's still all based on run support; aside from Kear and Garras, there's no quality pitching taking the mound. White hasn't come to life and the #4 and #5 slots are a musical chairs of pitching choices. The good news is that Enfin comes back tomorrow and Dang should be back in about 14 days. Christopher Kear has been shouldering the rotation. In the absence of our aces, he has remained strong and held the rotation together. He is enjoying an 8-1 record with a 3.06 ERA. Also, London hit his 1st HR since his return from the DL in the last game I simmed this morning; it took 3 games to do it.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/19/2007 5:15:34 PM)
Ouch On a more comical note, Mark Marshall (one of those emergency starters I signed on a while back) got his start in place of injured Emmerson, and surrendered 9 runs on 11 hits... in just 4 innings. Yeah. Nice replacement work there, bub. Shocker. We lost 11-3. I'm telling you, as long as our starters remain injured, we're going to have a crappy record on every 4th and 5th game.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/19/2007 5:16:17 PM)
Global Warming Reversed? I don't know what Louisville Slugger was crammed up Bergquist's rear at the beginning of the season, but thankfully someone must have pulled it out. After starting off blowing 3 of 8 opportunities, the Iceman has made 9-0f-9 since. He has 14 for the year, well short of the leader's 22. Still, it's young and there's plenty of time even though... *CRAP*!!! I'm writing this post as I'm playing; ALT+TABing myself back and forth. What's been happening in the background? A perfectly good lead has been pissed away by our bullpen. The score was 10-4 going into the bottom of the 8th. Two relievers later (one of which was Tijerina, who had been AMAZING until today) and they're 2 away from tying. So what do I do? Bergquist has plenty of endurance (END 55; he's a reliever-turned-closer) so I bring him in. 2-on, 0 outs and Iceman's first pitch is a 3-run HR. We're losing 10-11. ::insert pause while I play the next inning:: Correction- we LOST 10-11. See, as frustrated as I am now, this is what makes Puresim a great game. Just as in real baseball, ANY THING can happen to ANY ONE at ANY TIME. Did it have to happen to ME though? [:(]

LetsPlay2 -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/20/2007 1:16:51 AM)
Wow !! This is great, FS ! I am starting one myself, but I cannot write this good ! Don is right KG WILL be green. I know I am !!

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/20/2007 1:33:21 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LetsPlay2 Wow !! This is great, FS ! I am starting one myself, but I cannot write this good ! Don is right KG WILL be green. I know I am !! Where's a good blushing smiley when you need one? Thank you, LP. I'll tell you one thing, when you play so many games with these guys and you 'live' with them for so many game years, it becomes easy to write about them because in a way... in an odd, bizarre, almost inexplicable way, you don't feel like you're making things up. You really do feel as if you're reporting from a real world; one that you've created in this game, with these players. [sm=crazy.gif] I swear I'm not insane. You play this game long enough, you feel it too.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/20/2007 1:34:56 AM)
...oh, and regarding KG- it's an honor for me if he even GLANCES at my thread, much less read it. KG is the Legend Supreme when it comes to reporting. It his "Golden Age" thread that motivated me to the '86 Boston recap and then this one. ::sniff:: I think I'm gonna cry. [:(]

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/21/2007 3:17:49 PM)
Current Lineup As you can see, the heart is really pumping out run production. London is on pace for another amazing year and Parker is providing the offense we expected (and paid for). Yet, it's McDaniel who has evolved into the greatest surprise. He's always been a good hitter with decent power in his time with us, but he's never erupted like this before. The other tidbit I find particularly interesting is regarding Turner. His defense started shaky but solidified and now the same is happening to his performance at the plate. He started off a bit shaky and is now hitting better and hitting often; evidenced by the fact that he's leading the team in RBIs. Now, I'm sure the fact that he hits 5th or 6th, always behind our powerful 3-4/3-4-5 lineup, is making a huge difference, but still-- if you couldn't hit, it would never matter WHO got on base since you weren't going to drive them in anyway. [image]local://upfiles/17791/F5730D15BA32437493807834B2EBB3D4.jpg[/image]

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/21/2007 3:28:20 PM)
Current Rotation Now it's time for the Hulking Hurlers. Enfin is doing well as always, even as the time he missed with his toe injury (GEEZ... I'm still bitter about that... a TOE!?!?!?!?!) impacted the number of games he was available for. His ERA reflects his ability to still control the ball and send it where he wants. Kear, as I've mentioned before, has earned the nickname "Atlas", only because I envision him on one knee, holding aloft the team logo in a sphere instead of the Earth. Kear has remained in good shape and flawlessly consistent, helping pace the team with great outing after great outing. White just recently managed to even his record, while Garras struggles. Huff has stepped up and is holding down the 5-spot without trouble. My bullpen however is not as easily commendated. Bell and Garza are the most consistent, but everyone else is a crap shoot. Tijerina started out well but imploded the last couple of times out. Joseph Egan, recently called up from the minors, hasn't done all that bad and may earn a permanent spot should one of the other relievers continue their descent. On another note, Bergquist blew that save I mentioned in an earlier post, but has kept it together lately, saving 3-of-3. [image]local://upfiles/17791/63D9E54A53C24E708D91AA36CED7B60B.jpg[/image]

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/21/2007 4:12:00 PM)
Way-Lei'd A day after lifting the Galleons to a 2-1 win with a walk-off home run, the fates turned against first baseman Vincent Lei. During a 3-1 loss to Atlantic City yesterday, where Kear earned just his 2nd loss of the year, Vincent Lei suffered a shoulder injury. We're not sure exactly what it is, I'm waiting for the tests to come back in. Queiroga, who has played 1st in the past, covered for the rest of the game, but he's a natural 3rd baseman and I don't want to pull him from there. The way I see it, if he's "just okay" at his natural position, I don't want to risk placing him in a position he hasn't played for some time. Instead, I'm moving London, who was originally a first baseman before moving to left field when we acquired Brett McMillan several years ago (another tale for another day), over to first. London is a spectacular fielder who would do equally well in both spots. Preston Henry will fill in for London in left. The spot vacated by Lei's move to the 15-Day DL will be filled by Sam Fisk, who's being recalled from the minors. We'd be losing one of our 2 backup outfielders by making Henry a starter, so Fisk was the best choice. I'm pretty confident this won't have too much impact on our performance. Then again, I still haven't learned to keep my mouth shut and stop making such commentary, even as I have numerous bite-marks on my hindquarters to serve as reminders.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/21/2007 4:27:42 PM)
When It Rains, It Pours Ironic when you consider that just outside my window it's raining sleet. Just as our Interleague game against Salem got underway, Garras' fifth pitch was accompanied by a sharp pain and sudden numbness in his elbow. Wilfredo was pulled and Antonio Lopez took over, but after the game Garras was found to have suffered some ligament damage. Fortunately it's minor, but he will still miss 3-4 starts while recovering. Lopez is likely to take his slot on the rotation, but who will get the call to fill the roster has not yet been determined. Havanna won the game, 3-1. Dang is scheduled to come off the DL in 3 days, so any callups will be for aesthetic and required roster filling purposes only.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/26/2007 10:20:07 PM)
I'm Dreaming Of A Slight Christmas Well, things have turned out well as of late. I'll post game info later today or tomorrow at the latest, but I just wanted to share that we've been doing very well lately. A few injuries have slowed us, but overall we are starting to pull away from the pack. We enjoyed a nice 11-game win streak until a Bergquist blown save (surprised?) crushed it. I haven't played since Monday and chose the All-Star Break to pause. London (appearance #13), Parker (his 7th) and McDaniel (his first, Yay!) represented the Galleons at the All-Star game. Kear also got the call on the starting rotation and Lopez in a releiver role. It was Kear's first trip, Lopez's 3rd. There's this 3rd baseman that I had my eye on early in the year, back when I was questioning Queiroga's output (I still am, but not as harshly). His name is Ruy Sanchez and he's on fire this year. He's hitting .326, 28HRs and 66RBI at 31 years of age. I don't know if I would have been willing to part with the type of player they'd have surely asked for in exchange for Sanchez, but at this point, I don't think this deal has a chance. Ruy lead all other All-Star players with 746k+ votes. So it wasn't a slight Christmas, it was full-on. We have our winning record, no one is suffering from any major injuries and things look promising for the season. I'll update this post with the details as I get them. EDIT: I rewrote this post to include the information it was missing from it's original appearance.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/27/2007 4:12:17 PM)
Sitting Pretty That winning run made severe impacts on the team. We're sitting very comfortably atop our division, but as you will note, our record is only slightly better than that of Annapolis, so I expect a serious clash when the playoffs come around. With a very satisfying 59-23 record, we have made significant progress in turning the team around. [image]local://upfiles/17791/23B0D7DD23674FB3B591C38EFA1744AA.jpg[/image] Our offensive power remains focused on the London-Parker-McDaniel trio, and while they enjoy HR totals of 16-13-14 respectively, no one else has more than 9. Still, the rest are hitting well, if not hard, and at the very least are meeting expectations. In the past I have enjoyed a power-rich lineup, so it takes a little effort to become accustomed to better hitting replacing harder hitting. On that note, David Martin's offensive woes continue. He remains steady behind the plate, and it is this quality that has allowed him to keep his starting job, but hitting just .246 / 2HR / 19RBI makes me wonder if some of the young catchers in our farm leagues may see some action soon. Hugo Queiroga, one of our former power brokers, is still well below his usual numbers. Currently at .279 / 9HRs / 42 RBI, he's still a notable htitter, but he's over par. Ending the post on a positive note, one of our greatest surprises has been Franklin Turner. Some of you may recall how I was experiencing some doubts about his ability. Well, those concerns have been squished. Turner is presently hitting .279 with 7 HRs, but what I find the most interesting isn't the upswing in his average or his power numbers (he's simply not a hard hitter and that's that) but his explosive RBI total- 58, with which he leads the entire team. Hitting in the #5/#6 slot (depending on the handedness of the opposing pitcher) Turner has made a sterling effort to make the CRITICAL and CLUTCH hits the team has needed. Having people who get on base is worthless if you can't bring them in. Turner is bringing them in. He's made a huge difference and we're just damned pleased to call him one of ours. That's all from the plate, tomorrow I'll share where the pitching rotation lies... who's standing tall and who's wobbly.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/31/2007 9:08:58 AM)
The Great White Hype Felix White is one of those pitchers that you expect to see on True Hollywood Stores. "He started out fine. His life was perfect" it would begin, showig his success in the majors and a 14-win season in Minneapolis. "His big chance came at last" was probably the caption under a picture Galleon manager Bobby Gonzalez standing behind White, who is seen signing a contract with Havanna for 4 years and a generous $12.4 million a year. "But the ride would not last". That's what the voiceover said next, his voice a deep, grim and dour tone. It would show the blowouts, the lost opportunities and the roller coaster ride. It would showcase him going from 2-5 on May 9th, to winning seven of his eight outings, to getting shelled in his next outings. The all-time low being the three game losing streak where he failed to last more than 6 innings and never gave up fewer than 6 runs. This guy is quite literally shaving years off my life. I was going to live to the ripe age of 82 and now, after dealing with Felix White, I think I'm going to die at 36. Felix White was a big ball of electric hype, orbiting the media scene like a hula hoop. Minneapolis brought him to the majors about a third of the way into the 2016 year. He had gone 3-5 with a 4.22 ERA in AAA before getting the call. He then went 5-6 with a 4.73 ERA in 16 games in the majors where he lasted a total of 102.2 innings. Then came 2017, a better year, where he finished 14-11 with a 4.79ERA in 34 appearances, logging 210.1 innings in the process. White seemed skilled enough to be a fine #5 starter for the Galleons. Granted, we weren't looking for anyone, but the power of spontaneous purchasing is a weakness in most humans. In our eyes, the ability to win 14 games and eat up over 200 innings were two big marks in the PRO column for White. The CON column had a pair of checks too; Young and Inexperienced. Yes. Perhaps I may be overreacting just a bit. He's not our ace; we'd be in serious trouble if he were. We have two perfectly viable replacements in Laci Huff and Antonio Lopez should White not improve. However, I still have to deal with, and answer for, signing someone for that much money for that long who is 9-8 just past the half-way point of the year. Now, again... I'm probably overreacting. He's 20. He has 74 potential and already 61 stuff and 88 control. I just need to be paitent. He's going to improve, right? I guess I have to tune to True Hollywood Stories and find out. Pass the chips & dip. [sm=00000613.gif]

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/31/2007 9:45:45 AM)
From The Mound: The Galleons' Pitching Report Things are going well for the Havanna pitching staff. They have had good outings, proving their worth, and bad ones, reinforcing the fact that this team really rides its pitching ability all the way to the win column. Tomas Enfin continues to be the master, leading the troops into the battle from the frontline. Enfin has won eight of his last nine outings and 6 in a row, including a complete-game 1-hitter on July 16th; he logged a season-high-tying 12 Ks on that one. He's no longer the iron horse he used to be, that stellar July performance is his only complete game of the season, but Enfin continues to produce. He's averaging about 7 innings per outing but still remains, without the slightest doubt, the backbone of the pitching staff. Eric Dang has done well since his return from a 60-day stint on the DL for an elbow ligament strain. He's gone 4-1 in 7 outings, though that lone loss was a painful shellacking. He was chased off in the 3rd inning after allowing 6 runs on 10 hits. Dang's control has been shaky and his strikeout numbers aren't comparable to his pre-injury totals, but he still remains an ace. We're keeping a close eye on him and we hope not to find a reason to keep doing so. Christopher Kear has been our steel crutch. Enfin can't pitch every game, and Kear has worked hard so that this does not hurt us. Besting Enfin's win total by one, Kear's 13 Ws leads the team and places him third in the association. His 2.38 ERA shadowed Enfin's until the ace's recent hot streak. Nevertheless, Kear has proven himself to be a strong, stable and reliable performer who only gets better when the heat turns up. Wilfredo Garras has devolved into his usual, inconsistent self. Pitching coach Rodolfo Valenciano has noticed that his curveball isn't getting the drop it used to. Garras' delivery has been off-center but no cause has yet been determined. He has performed well on the mound, still owning a winning record at 8-6. Yet by this same time every other year, Garras has had at least 10 wins and no more than 5 losses. The year is still young, even if Garras is not. Felix White. What can I say about him that I haven't in the last post? Nothing. The bullpen has also been a band of ragtag misfits. Our long-relievers, Huff and Lopez, are superb. Huff is 5-1 with a 2.62 ERA while Lopez enjoys a lower ERA of 1.68 but at a 3-1 record. Everyone else though... not so pretty. Ronald Bell has earned the name Sybil for his multiple personalities. Sometimes he throws untouchable heat, sometimes he lobs it like an over-the-hill softball player, sometimes his curveball teleports before your eyes and sometimes he rolls it to the plate as if it were a game of kickball. The REAL Bell is a star, you just never know when he's going to make an appearance. Regretfully, Tijerina is suffering from the same ailment. His 3-0 record is deceptive, as evidenced by his 5.63ERA, and kept afloat entirely due to run support. Tijerina typically serves as the setup man, but then throws the game away with a poorly placed throw. The offense then comes through and wins the game for him. If he could bring his ERA down to match the record, we'd be in business. Julio Garza and his 5.97 ERA are both in danger of demotion. Garza was signed to a 4-year deal 2 years ago with the hopes of helping sustain the bullpen with his skill and experience. His experience made the flight over, but his skill must have been misplaced with his baggage. Lately, Garza hasn't been able to throw a strike even if he walked the ball over and PUT IT in the strike zone. Somehow, it would still be a ball- low and inside. Joseph Egan has had his share of rough outings, but for the most part, the promising young reliever is doing well. We expect good things from him and are confident he will not disappoint. Finally, there's Jeffrey "Iceman" Bergquist. Jeff is difficult to write about. As soon as I am going to post something positive about a key outing or a clutch performance he screws things up. When I rewrite the article on my mental word processor he has stellar night after stellar night. He's 1-1 with a 2.43 ERA, and 27 saves- out of 32 chances. Is he doing well? Yes. Could he be doing better? YES. In caps. So that's the rotation for now. We're first in the league with defense so they must be doing something right. The key however is remaining healthy. If we can do that, we can bring another pennant to Havana. Buenas noches.

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