RE: The National Pastime Association Blog

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Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (12/31/2007 9:56:46 AM)
A Rolling Stone According to the saying, they gather no moss. Unbeknownst to most, that goes on to say, "...and squahes everything in its path". Well, apparently the Virginia Hams were riding one such stone. They got to Enfin and got to him hard, then pretty much drew a hole, wrote 'Our Place' in it, then put us there. We walked away with red butt cheeks and bruised egos, as the Hams spanked the Galleons. Once they jumped all over Enfin, I knew it would turn out ugly- and it did. Real ugly. Like a Gilbert Godfreid's sex-face. Ugly. See the Obituary from the game below. Enfin earned the priviledge of 7 of those runs. Two innings by Huff and one by Bell accounted for 3 more runs and 1, respectively. [image]local://upfiles/17791/0EEA43BC3BD44F80A90FB92388BA4E15.jpg[/image]

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/5/2008 6:38:25 PM)
Just What Baseball Needs, Another Abbreviation So after watching this morning's game implode, I've decided to start the push for the creation of a new abbreviation; GLBOY. GLBOY will apply to fielders but is significantly more relative to pitchers- it stands for Games Lost Because Of You. It could fit somewhere between BAA, ERA, WHIP and all those other multi-letter Stats. What brought this about? Let me explain. After reading that Wilfredo Garras was on the last PSPN's "Who's Pitching Hot" list, our next game had the man starting. I should have remembered that anything positive that you read on the PSPN report which pertains to any of your players will completely dissolve at the next possible opportunity. That reminds me of a time way back when I was just a kid watching the Dolphins (back when they actually won games) play. The announcer was saying, "Marino drops back... you know, he's gone an amazing 6-games without throwing an interception" when he suddenly interrupted himself with a loud, explosive "INTERCEPTION!". Well, not much has changed. I read that Garras is "hot" and what do you think happens in the next game? We're down 3-1 going into the top of the 8th. Garras, on the line for the loss, has already hurled 128 little ineffective spheres of crap at the opposing team so I call in Julio Garza. He does a fine job of taking care of business and retires the side. We're up in the 9th and score 3 runs; the lead is ours, 4-3. Garza starts off the bottom of the 9th with an injury so I opt for Ronald Bell. Bell, who apparently can't find the strike zone if someone choked him with it, puts two runners on base. I realize that he's as effective in getting people out as a piece of scotch tape is effective for killing elephants so I don't hesitate and call in the young kid, Joseph Egan. I would have gone to Bergquist, but he was tired from 5 straight closing opportunities. With 2 runners on (both of whom belonged to Bell) Egan strikes out his first batter but then allows the next hitter a double. Mind you, a 2-RUN double. We lose the game 5-4. Egan doesn't get the loss, since the two runs who scored weren't his, but it was the double that he allowed which led to the loss; thus, the introduction of GLBOY. Bell earns the L, Egan earns the GLBOY. The same would apply for a fielder. If we're leading and we end up losing the game because of a critical error at their hands, then they should earn a GLBOY.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/5/2008 7:37:00 PM)
KG, Please Don't Say "I Told You So" I know KG likes to play without finances. I like to play with them- to me, it's an additional challenge as you have to balance not only recruiting the best player, but ensuring that your finances are balanced enough to afford all the players you need. As much as I like to support that, I have fallen into a pitfall that visionaries such as KG had already foreseen, and likely used this to help justify their choice to avoid finances. Well (sung to the Oscar Myer jingle)... My pitfall has a first name, it's F-E-L-I-X... My pitfall has a second name, it's W-H-I-T-E... I've wanted to demote him every day, and if you ask me why I haven't, I'll say... 'Cause Felix White costs too much cash and I can't afford to send him down. As I've reported before, White started out well then ran into a little trouble and then started his comeback. At one point, he had improved to 9-5 with a 2.96 ERA. However, Sybil (his new name) is 0-3 with an ERA raising to 4.05 in his last four starts. He sits at 9-8. That's not good. Why hasn't he been "punished" with a demotion to the bullpen or a stint on the minors? One reason- his salary. I was blinded by the opportunity and ended up overspending; White signed a 4-year contract earning $12 million per year. That's one hell of a salary for a minor leaguer. So, because of the size of his paycheck, I'm hesitant to do what I probably should, all things considered. I know. I know. You told me so.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/5/2008 7:37:41 PM)
Frightening Similarities I wanted to drop a quick comment on two players that have caught my interest, for very similar reasons. The first is Joshua London, my all-star, hall of fame bound left fielder. He has always been a productive hitter with great contact numbers and extremely impressive power. In the last 13 years with us, London has been a statistical, offensive monster. He has logged at least 32 home runs and 99 RBI in each of those years. In 12 of the 13, you can up those numbers to 34 HRs and 106 RBI minimum. The problem is that right now, he has only registered 19 longballs and 67 RBI with 106 games played. Now, I'm not the kind that will get bitter because of low stats. I don't throw a fit in the clubhouse if my speedster isn't leading the league in stolen bases or if London or Queiroga aren't leading the association with HRs or RBI or average or anything. What I do however, is use stats to see how a player is progressing, when he's starting to go soft and when I need to start planning for a replacement. London is only 31 and his offensive stats are remarkable, so what's wrong? I think it's Puresim. No, I don't mean it in a bad way- conversely, I mean it in a GOOD way. Puresim is giving him an off year. Every amazing player has his off year; pitcher, fielder, hitter or whatever combination therein. It's a bit saddening, to be honest, since I like recognizing him as THAT kind of a hitter, but I need to deal with the fact that you can't be ON IT every single year. To balance things out, London has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 88 games he's played. The other person of interest is David Martin, my starting catcher. He was never really a power hitter, but always did at least 'well'. When I last discussed him, he was hitting .249 with 2 HRs and 19 RBI about 82 games into the season, in which he started 71. Right now, we're 106 games into the season, 87 of which he's played, and Martin is hitting .239 with 3 HRs and 23 RBI. There's been little improvement in the games since, that's for certain. However, his defensive skills have remained solid. He hasn't made any errors and hasn't allowed any passed balls. At any other time I would have chucked him out the door and called for a harder hitting catcher (putting Royce Parker in full-time for example), but after all the talk about recognizing and valueing defensive skills, I decided to keep Martin as my starter. I figure that the runs he isn't producing are balanced by the runs he is preventing. I need to keep this in mind- defense has GREAT value, sometimes more than offense. EDIT: I updated the posts with the number of games Martin had played where applicable.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/8/2008 6:27:27 PM)
Looks (Stats) Can Be Deceiving Here's a peek at David Martin. As you can see, his statistics are very respectable, his numbers look very strong. [image]local://upfiles/17791/7E02612CBD9848928E0CE2AF8ECA4FA9.jpg[/image] His CONTACT and EYE ratings are high enough that you would expect a little higher batting average. His power is decent at 55, so though I would obviously love more home runs, I can live with a small number here. It's that nice RANGE and ARM rating that keep him in his spot. At 29, his potential is low at 30, but it's on the upswing, so that's optimistic. His AVG/HR/RBI numbers are a little higher than the last recording since he enjoyed a good game yesterday. So the point here is that because of his defense I will not replace him (so long as that defense remains solid). However, I would like to see a little more offense out of him. He doesn't need to be a Piazza or a Pudge (in his prime) at the plate, just something a little closer to what his CONTACT and EYE ratings of 62 and 78, respectively, should produce.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/8/2008 7:45:27 PM)
Careful What You Wish For... So even though my fingers were typing one thing about Felix White, in the back of my mind, I was most likely thinking another. It seems that these little subconscious hate daggers stabbed at him with a little too much force. You see, White had originally gone down with a minor elbow ligament injury back on July 21st. He was going to be out 10 days, and after thinking about it, I decided not to put him on the DL. Instead, I placed him in the bullpen and got Huff to finish the game, after which he was planned to start in White's place. Well, stupid me didn't realize White was starting a game this morning. I forgot to sub for him and ending the 2nd inning, he aggravated his existing injury. It went from 2 days left to a 3-week smack. I suppose all the complaining about his weak performance created some evil, psychic voodoo doll that really did an evil-eye number on him. Being out 3 weeks, I'm going to place him on the 15-day DL and call up a reliever, since Huff fits into the starter role just fine. Odds are Brickhouse Jones will get the call. He was shaky early in the season and earned a one-way ticket to AAA. I don't think he will be with us next year, but if he performs well, I might reconsider. Probably not. Perhaps. Ehhh, no.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/9/2008 9:49:53 PM)
What Has More Value: Performance Or Ability? Tomas Enfin stepped up to the mound. Shook his head, shook his head, then nodded when Martin gave him the pitch he wanted. Into the windup, ball streaks towards the plate and just then Enfin's quadriceps go *THWANG. Great. I end up using a Garza-Bell-Jones-Tijerina combo platter to finish out the game (which we lost) but now I'm faced with a dilemma; 'El Muerto' is out two weeks... who's going to replace him? Now, the easy answer is Antonio Lopez. He's really the best-skilled long reliever I have, and his history as a former starter would make him the ideal choice. However, that would leave me with no stable long-relief pitcher. I'm fine limping along with one (Lopez) but not none. So, now it's time to browse the minors and see what spunky AAA chap looks good. Looking around the Serpientes de Santiago (our AAA franchise), I find that in truth, only two people stand out; Dudley Spiker and Winston Elliot. Spiker, 26, has been in the minors for a few years now. He enjoyed some major league time in 2015, where he pitched 41.2 innings and earned a 2-1 record with a 4.75ERA. He served primarily as a reliever/spot-starter. My concern here is that Spiker could be one of those guys who performs real well in the minors, even with low stats, but that implodes when he hits the major-league level. Elliot, 29 and a competent starter who also has some major league experience, was recently acquired from Portland in exchange for AA catcher Floyd Griffin, who I realized I had no true use for. Elliot's numbers are strong and relatively good when compared to some of my full-time pitching staff. However, in his major league exposure this year, he has an 0-1 record with a 9.15 ERA. It sure seems like a tough choice, doesn't it? Well... to make matters worse... here's yet another concern to make things even more* difficult. Statistically, Elliot is the stronger of the two. His Stuff is 67, his Velocity is a little low at 36 but his Control sits nicely at 72. However, he's 2-4 with a 3.65 ERA in AAA. Spiker is weaker when you're just comparing the numbers; his Stuff is 51, Velocity is a little better at 60 and his Control is 48. Yet, in AAA he is boasting a very impressive 10-4 record with a 2.53 ERA. The last thing to keep in mind is the term of their major league exposure. Enfin will be out for 15 days, so that's approximately 3 starts that this replacement will work. Who do you expose to the bigs for just 3 weeks and will it be worth it? There is a third option- bringing in a veteran. One choice is Mark Marshall, who at 30 has a good amount of major league experience but has really not performed well enough to earn the title of 'reliable'. Currently he can be found wallowing in AA in accordance with our internal mandate to carry excess pitchers, instituted after the Great Pitching Drought of 2013. Another option is Jerry Emmerson. He too has logged quite a bit of major league time but is really nothing to write home about either; he gets a rating of "okay" at best. So... who to call, who to call?

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/10/2008 4:27:43 AM)
The Call [image]local://upfiles/17791/B854060E14524D71B7E86E179D265DC7.jpg[/image]

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/22/2008 6:01:19 PM)
To Blog or Not to Blog? I chose to make this a blog thread rather than an association reporting thread for one particular reason; so that I don't HAVE to post something. I feel that when you're running a reporting thread, you should comment about each game- some people may comment a lot while others only a little, but the general rule is that everyone comments on every game. Frankly, I didn't want to deal with that. My preference is to post what I want, when I want, if I want. Well, the last few games have been less than ideal. We've won a couple here and there, but overall, the competition is really getting to us. Granted, we have a very liberal cushion between 1st and 2nd place and I don't foresee us losing the division lead, especially when looking at how many games remain in the regular season. To be honest, I can't complain- we have a marvelous 90-45 record and sit 24 games ahead of second place. That's just wonderful. However, I'm always thinking of the WHAT IFs and the IMAGINE IFs so that What comes to mind when my team runs into these trouble zones, where we start to lose several games at a time, is how this will impact the post-season. The way I look at it, if you lose a game in the regular season, you have another 161 chances to make it right. That's beautiful, it grants you plenty of slack and one nice cushion for those rainy days. However, I've been fortunate enough with the Galleons to enjoy consistent winning seasons, so in-season standing has never been a prime concern. What is a concern is the post-season and how it impacts the "another 161 chances" rule. Not only does this rule not apply, but it can mislead you into a false sense of security. If you lose a game or two, or three, and you're in the post-season, you suddenly find yourself in a tight situation- facing the possibility of having wasted an outstanding season because of four weak games. So, as Achilles charges madly into the fray all nice, invulnerable and unstoppable-like, he has no worries- the hits he takes won't make much of a dent. Once the enemies hear of his weakness, suddenly every swing is serious, every lunge life threatening, every decision potentially deadly. So when we lose, not only do I look at the obvious big picture, I look at the picture not yet seen, not yet played, not yet created. What fielder dropped the ball? Who pitched poorly? Which batter couldn't hit the ground if he fell? When I find patterns and trends, I move to squish them and eliminate them. Problem is, that's the easy part. It's what you do when you DON'T find a trend, when you don't find a pattern, a reason, that one critical event that changed the whole direction of the game. What do you fix? What do you do? How do you protect Achilles' tendon when you don't know it's his weakness?

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/22/2008 6:04:04 PM)
Playing Catch... Up Do to a recent power spike, I need to reconfigure my wireless router. As I haven't done this yet, the laptop I play this association on hasn't been connected to the internet for a few days. In the mean time, I've been building up a number of blogs based on what's been happening in the game. This is why you'll notice that after several days of relative silence, there comes an avalanche of posts. Don't assume that only the last post is the newest; scroll up and check for others.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/22/2008 6:05:31 PM)
The Latest Hits and Misses To quote a favorite movie of mine, the last few days were "like riding a psychotic horse towards a burning stable". All of our pitchers, not just the 'known troublemakers', have had poor and inconsistent outings. Bergquist is in danger of getting his nickname changed from "Iceman" to "One-Run", since he's developed the habit of allowing one run in each of his last 4 saves (of which he still converted 3). Enfin seems to be crying finis. Dang, well... too easy. What I found to be an ironic slap-in-the-face is that the pitcher who lifted us out of a 4-game losing streak was none other than Felix White! That's right, Felix the Cat is on the 'Who's Hot' list with a 2-0 record in his last couple of outings, though he only amassed 8 measly strikeouts in that period. The Big Three (London-McDaniel-Parker) are doing well, but relatively, are just that... 'well'... not great, outstanding, or spectacular, just well. Sure, they lead the team in home runs, but overall aren't hovering near the high end of the valuable production categories. The games we've been losing are really tough ones. We're down and we nearly catch up, before our opponents go insane and explode for 5 runs in the 8th or 9th. Sometimes it's those games where they score 1 run in the 2nd and we can't manage to get a guy even on THIRD, much less in to score. What gets my blood boiling is that it's not the usual suspects who are to blame (White's arm, Martin's bat, Masters' fielding) it's everyone. Enfin forgetting how to control a pitch. Lopez becoming as stable as an elephant on roller skates atop of a 2-foot Jenga tower. London simply... not hitting the ball. Queiroga SERIOUSLY under-performing with no sign of 'awakening'. Bell, Lopez, Kear, London, Turner. Those people we knew we could turn to are inexplicably not answering the call. Why?

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/22/2008 6:09:59 PM)
WE Can Make It If He Tries Though he has had a rough outing or two, I am overall pleased with my selection of Winston "WE" Elliot to fill in for White/Enfin while they were out for their respective injuries. In his first two games, he went 2-0, pitching 7 innings each and allowing just 1 run between the two. His next three games weren't as pleasant- he went 0-2 surrendering 20 hits and 12 runs in a combined 20 innings. Currently his ERA sits at a respectable 4.05 and he helped eat up 34 innings. With Enfin back and White only recently returned, I decided to keep Elliot in the bullpen, sending a control-challenged Bell and his atmospheric 5.85 ERA down to AAA. Well, it seems that Elliot will have another opportunity to fill the spotlight. Eric Dang just sprained his right index finger really badly in the first inning of our game against Minneapolis. Doctors suspect he will be out 8 weeks (OUCH), which pretty much means he will be out for the rest of the season. I'm going to shift up the rotation and have Elliot take in the number 5 slot, filling in for Dang even if it's not as the #2 man. Let's hope someone can remain consistent. On a first side-note, London is starting to hit a little better, closer to his regular output levels. With only 30 games to play, he's going to have to make up some serious ground if he wants to catch up. As I've said before, I'm not about standings and "Who's is bigger", but I would really like to see London keep that title of "consistent and reliable" that he has worked so hard to earn. Currently, Joshua is hitting .370 with 27 HR. On a second side-note, Franklin Turner has really grown into his shoes and grown into his role. As the #6/#5 hitter, he is really maturing. After a rough start to the season and several questions regarding his ability to live up to the expectations set unto him, Turner has exploded. As I type this he's hitting .276 with 17 home runs and an impressive 86 RBI, tied for 2nd in the team. With London leading the team with 94, Turner is not all that far back. His ratings may appear a little misleading though. He has a RANGE of 61, ARM of 69 and HANDS of 63, but still accumulated 10 errors so far this year. The bright side in this is that this is still fewer errors than my starting 2nd basemen in the last 5 seasons before him.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/22/2008 6:11:59 PM)
What Time Is It? It's Call-Up time! Yes, that's right, it's September everyone and time for the spring chickens to start clucking. Let's see which of the kids HAVE what it takes... and which WILL HAVE. To be fair, I don't expect to bring up too many youngsters. Not because I'm worried about keeping our lead intact or that I may "rock" the major league "boat", but more because I may "rock" the minor league "boat". I have several young players who are doing 'well', a few who are simply 'unremarkable' and a handful that area truly shining. Those who are doing well or who aren't standing out will not be touched. They're like a model car that's just been glued together; leave it alone- touch it too soon and it could fall apart. Whether or not it's true and whether or not Puresim handles things this way I don't know. I, internally, feel that these players are fragile and should be left alone until they radiate light or burn out. Then there's the other bunch; that small, green team of budding superstars whore are just now beginning to show their stuff. Pitchers with good W-L figures, good ERAs and a good number of innings pitched or hitters with good averages and respectable power. The one hindrance in all this is that Puresim doesn't list fielding stats for players in the minor leagues. Ever since my thread on the Key West Rum Runners, for who I was considering a serious rebuilding effort, I decided to give fielding and defense the attention it deserves. However, for minor leaguers, that means putting a lot of confidence and trust in three simple ratings- for there are no stats to justify (or counter) them.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/22/2008 6:13:27 PM)
A Day Off Man, I get bitter when I have to work a Saturday. We just had our first day off after 13-straight games.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/22/2008 6:14:26 PM)
Familiar Faces Another testament to how immersed I get in Puresim and how I make the game 'real' is seen when the opposing team contains a former player of mine. We're playing another game today against Minneapolis and their starting pitcher is Alejandro Roche. Roche was a former reliever/spot-starter of ours who was with us the last 3 years. I wasn't fond of the lethal combination of his age, his potential rating and his asking salary, so I chose not to resign him during the off-season. The Huskies moved in and inked him to a 2-year deal. So now I envision what the pre-game warm-ups must be like. I can see someone like London or Garras or Fisk, jogging over and shaking hands with Roche. They talk, they laugh, they recall old times and talk about new ones. London and Roche joke about who's going to 'win', since Roche is the starting pitcher and London is on the lineup, and they all probably make plans to get together after the game. Does this matter to the game? Will this affect the score? Does it really do ANYTHING to my association, my Win-Loss ratio or the performance of my team? No. Does this make Puresim an AMAZING game? Yes- it's just one of the many things that do. AN EDIT MADE AFTER THE GAME AND AFTER THE INITIAL POST WAS DRAFTED- Joshua's treating tonight! Minneapolis won, 6-0 and Roche pitched a complete game 7-hitter, with 10 Ks. London went 0-for-4.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/22/2008 6:24:31 PM)
4+6=10 We're 4-6 in our last 10 games and I haven't the foggiest idea why. I suspect it's because we're letting the other team score more runs than we do. I'm not sure that's it, but I'm leaning in that direction. Possible causes: Poor pitching, inconsistent hitting. Possible solutions: Fire everyone, drink a lot. Outlook: Grim, with mild optimism. Decision: Invest heavily in retirement accounts, cross fingers, stop whining like a baby.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/22/2008 6:26:13 PM)
It's Kind Of Like 'Wife Swap', But Different... Do teams ever have a starting catcher who after a year or two or three or more, starts to deteriorate, so they get his backup/up-and-coming player and swap them out, making the newbie backup the starter and the veteran starter the backup? I'm not sure if I've ever witnessed it or if some recessed childhood memory has forced me to block this out. Somehow, I see veteran catchers moving to other teams who will take them as starters, instead of accepting a backup role. I could surely be wrong here, and I most likely am, but I am curious to know if this happens. If so, what renown, infamous, grizzled catching veteran has opted for this downgrade? I can't imagine seeing a team's depth chart with someone like Ivan Rodriguez, Jorge Posada or Jason Varitek as the backup. That's like driving around in a Yugo and keeping a Corvette in your garage in case the Yugo gets a flat. If not, why do you think they won't and then what happens to them? Is it like the fabled line where 'legends' (or catchers in this case) don't die, they just fade away (or become announcers)? Do catchers have an underestimated, oft-overlooked ego that prevents them from stepping down or are they so confident in their abilities they cannot rationalize or justify the demotion? I'm not taking a jab at catchers, I'm just truly, genuinely curious.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/22/2008 6:31:35 PM)
Why Does This Happen To Me? When I have a need for a player, a starter at position-X, I can't seem to find one. I desperately sift through my farm system and find nothing. I even take a trip to the 99-Cent Position Player Superstore Warehouse and I still can't grab one. However, when I DON'T need a player BAM! I've got plenty to choose from. This is something I�ve suffered from with pitching. I find that once I have a very satisfactory starting rotation, I discover two or three great hurlers wallowing in the minors with a faint likelihood of hitting the majors, barring a drastic injury. That�s been the past. This time around, things have changed slightly. Right now, I�m feeling the pinch with my position players. I have two very impressive minor leaguers that are posting some serious numbers which cannot be overlooked: (2B) Desmond Umbotto, 25, and (C) Patrick Rice, 22. Umbotto first came into the spotlight when I noticed HUGE gains in his statistics during the off-season. He was immediately flagged as someone to keep an eye on. Rice was signed in the 2016 draft because with the position was suffering from serious problems; Haag's offense and defense were slipping while (at that time) Martin wasn't meeting expectations. I knew I would need someone soon. The problem of course, is that I have both positions filled. Martin's offense is 'holding in there', but his defense is solid. I cannot justify pulling such a great backstop in favor of an unproven sprout with a stronger bat. At the same time, I already have too many choices for second baseman in McDaniel and Jones, so adding Umbotto to the mix doesn't help. McDaniel is hitting really well but with mediocre fielding ability; Jones' fielding is superb but his hitting is just... well... 'eh'. If I could splice their DNA and create McJonesiel, I'd be set. However, that's not an option yet. Below is a screen shot of Rice. Umbotto will follow in the next post. [image]local://upfiles/17791/B6F99732AB094C638EF798A87C7B1066.jpg[/image]

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/22/2008 6:32:06 PM)
Desmond Umbotto [image]local://upfiles/17791/2CCB74FB067542148C7DD7AEC040B180.jpg[/image]

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/22/2008 6:34:33 PM)
They're Not The Same As Cufflinks, Right? Christopher Kear, 2nd on the team with wins, just suffered a Serious Rotator Cuff injury. If this weren't a family-friendly message board I would be cursing. A lot. Lopez stepped in and went the distance, giving up just 3 runs in the 2nd inning. However, we couldn't manage to score more than two, so we lost the game. No surprise there. What WAS a surprise is the duration of the injury; 4 1/2 weeks. I suppose I should be thankful that it wasn't worse, for it surely could have been, but my mind is focused elsewhere. Currently, 11-5 Eric Dang and 19-5 Christopher Kear are sitting on the DL, returning in 8 weeks and 4 1/2 weeks, respectively. This is SO not good, worse even considering where in the season it happened. We only have 20 more games to play. We don�t have the luxury of losing two of our three best starters. With Elliot already covering Dang, I�m going to go to Huff to fill in for Kear. I have a bad feeling about all this.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/31/2008 2:31:01 PM)
Going Down? So the question is; am I a pessimist, or does someone REALLY hate me? No, no, no- keep your violins in their cases. Don't call for the cheese cart. I'm not begging for pity or whining about my fate. I am not seeking consolation or anything like that. Seriously, the only reason I wonder this is because of all the things that could happen at the 159-game mark, why did it have to be this? Why couldn't we have suddenly experienced a shortage of bats? Poor inventory management is a growing problem in the world today. Why didn't the grounds crew go on strike? Yes, that would have been a nice one. Then we could have blamed the unions. Couldn't we have run over on our fuel budget? Gas prices are fiercely unpredictable in the current economy. No. See, it couldn't have been any of those things because these things are LOGICAL. It couldn't have been any of these because they only happen in a NORMAL world. No. Everyone knows that the world the Havana Galleons play in is by NO means a "normal" world- with or without the quotes. So then tell me, when I realize that my 1-2-3 pitchers are on the Disabled List with a 12-day, 9-day and roughly 38-day stint, respectively, who am I to blame? The only, single, faint, tiny, tiny atom of good in all this is that it's September so I have plenty of people on the roster to fill in for them. Sure, no one nearly as talented, but at least I have someone who knows how to pitch. I won't have to take auditions from the people in the Mezzanine seats. [image]local://upfiles/17791/6D81B5C65E654265B825E7AD4AFB15BF.jpg[/image]

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/31/2008 2:49:47 PM)
Familiar Ground Okay, so what? We went 1-2 in those last three games. Stop crying, you sissy! There's no crying in baseball. Boo-friggin'-hoo. You went 1-2 in your last three games and only ended the season with a 107-55 record instead of 109-53. [sarcasm]How do you sleep at night?[/sarcasm] After all was said and done, Havanna pulled off another division win, and now the playoffs are on the horizon. For the Division Series, we're going to go up against the wild card Annapolis Admirals (90-72), who we played well against during the regular season. We lose the first game in an agonizing manner, unable to best their 2 runs. We only managed to get just 1 person to the plate, even though Kear pitched really well and London went 4-for-4. We didn't let that loss get to us though, and after a rousing pep talk, the Galleons took the next three games and prepared for the ELCS against Bristol. Now, Bristol (98-64) was a concern- they gave us many a run during the regular season, and I do believe they were one of the few teams we had a losing record against. I'm not going to pretend I know what happened here. There are some things that you find you CANNOT explain, and others that you don't even WANT to explain. We swept the Bristol Pistols in 4 straight games and did it classic Havanna style- with power; we outscored them 32-12. Kear, Garras, White and Huff earned the wins. Next up, the BIG game. Are we playing Honolulu or Vancouver? The Lumberjacks lead the Pipelines 3 games to 1 so it doesn't look good for the beach bums. Let's wait and see...

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/31/2008 3:10:29 PM)
What It's All About So there I was. Strolling around the field the morning of Game 1 of the World Series. I watch batting practice. I see the guys testing their gloves and balancing their bats. I glance over just in time to catch some grizzled, old veteran like Parker or Queiroga or Enfin turn to one of our green, untried rookies and say "This is what it's all about son, this is what it's all about". Nope. That last part didn't happen. I don't have any rookies. I've got a couple of guys with only a year or two under their belt, like Masters and White, but no first-timers, no babies, no kids still wet behind the ears; I have no true rookies. So there goes my charming, poetic moment. Well, I'm sure I can recover after Game 1 and our unquestionable, soon-to-be 44 to 2 victory over the Lumberjacks. We're going to smoke 'em. Just then, as I'm wading in my pleasant daydream, I receive a call from the lead Team Physician who informs me that my pitchers are ready. ::blink:: My pitcher(s)? As in... more than one? He says yes. I check and see... and BAM- all three guys are ready. All three guys are ready? What the deuce? Where was my notice? (where was the pop-up? Seriously. There was no pop-up). I look to see where the three Pitcheteers had been sitting all this time and they're in the minors, AAA. The Minors?!?!??! I never sent them down!!! What are they doing in the minors? (I'm guessing this may have somehow been a game error or oversight. They were all on the DL at the time the season ended so I never had access to them to place them in the minors, accidentally or whatnot. I'm also assuming that since they were in the minors that's why there was no pop-up window). So anyway, I have Enfin, Kear and Dang, sent up. Game 1 is in Havanna and they're in AAA Santiago, which is like a 2-hour flight, including the limo ride from the airport. We make the arrangements and make it happen. I want Enfin to pitch Game 1. El Muerto made it in and gave me the show I was hoping for. The Galleons blank the Lumberjacks 7-0. Enfin turned in 7 innings of 4-hit ball, striking out 10. Lopez handled the last 2 innings being equally stingy, 1-hit and 5 Ks. Offensively, London and Spector each went deep. Parker and Turner each logged 2 RBI, while London, Spector and McDaniel added 1 a piece. Vincent Lei was also back in the lineup, he went 1-for-4. Game 2 is tomorrow.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (1/31/2008 4:46:31 PM)
Never Get Comfortable Before this game, my record for Longest Puresim Game Ever Managed was a 20-inning slugfest playing as the Marlins against the Cubs. We lost. Keep this in mind. "Never Get Comfortable", this should be the team's new motto. After an uncontested win over Vancouver, we got comfortable and then paid the price. Things started off well, until Vancouver plated two runs in the top of the 4th. The game remained silent for a while after that; there was precious little scoring going on. Kear had gotten the nod to start the game, and to be fair, other than the little err in the 4th, he was really quite flawless. We managed to catch up in the bottom of the 8th and tie the game. Little did we know how long that tie would last. There were hits a'plenty, just... no runs. Below is the result of that long, tedious World Series game 2. I will drop in additional posts, showing batting and pitching stats from the game. [image]local://upfiles/17791/0C14D5D272614F9D80D7F63D862FB327.jpg[/image]

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (2/1/2008 4:36:25 PM)
The Box Score As you can see, no hitter really dominated. A few managed 4-hit games, which would be great on any other occasion, other than when they had 10 at-bats. What's truly painful for me is watching someone like James McDaniel go 0-for-10 or Chase Spector go 0-for-9. Here's the full list of batters for that game: [image]local://upfiles/17791/88ABB130ADFB4F8D9E1F2D1F9D8F7121.jpg[/image]

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (2/1/2008 4:42:11 PM)
Speaking of Hurling... It's interesting how the AI and I handled our pitching decisions during this long, drawn-out game. I opted to spread innings out over various relivers, most of which had decent enough endurance to go more than a couple of innings. The AI on the other hand, pulled a starter out of their hat. On that note, I just want to point out how their reliever Burchette went longer than the original starter, allowed fewer hits and fewer runs. I suppose we should be thankful they opted to go with Roberts at the start? Anyway, Kear pitched a damn good game. Huff and Lopez came in and did exactly what I needed them to do. Egan, to be fair, was doing great for the first 4 innings. When the 5th came around, I hesitated and considered perhaps swapping him out. In the end, I decided to stick with him (since I know I would have had to swap him for a shorter-term reliever, such as Tijerina) and paid the price. Here's the full outlook: [image]local://upfiles/17791/DA08CE6ABC4041CFBB17E9F9C41E5860.jpg[/image]

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (2/3/2008 10:11:05 PM)
The Big Re-Focus After the devastating loss to Vancouver in seriously extra innings, the Galleons made an effort to get themselves together. However, their hunger for revenge did not stand up to the inpiration that same victory gave the Lumberjacks. Game 3: We dropped the next game, 1-5. Dang was ineffective in his first start after coming off the DL, allowing all five runs within the first 6 innings. Vancouver starting pitcher Juan Clevenger went the distance, allowing just 4 hits and a lucky RBI single by Masters, our only run. It was a tough loss, but down 1 game to 2, we knew we had to get on track or lose it all. Game 4: Finally we got an opportunity to stretch our legs and show off our power. Queiroga led off the onslaught, going 4-for-5 with 3 RBI. Spector notched another 2 RBIs in a 2-for-5 performance while Turner scored 3 runs. Garras pitched well, giving up 8 hits and 3 runs on 7 innings, and though Elliot nearly let the game get away when he surrendered 3 runs in just 1 inning, our lead held up. The series is tied 2-all. For Vancouver, Chad Branch and Brian Brown each went 4-for-5 in the loss. Game 5: Enfin was a superstar again, preserving our 7-3 win with an amazing pitching performance. He struck out 8 over 7 innings, allowing just 2 hits. The game was tied 2-2 until the top of the 8th where we exploded for 4 runs. Hugo Queiroga continued to shine in the post season with a 3-for-4 night, driving in 3 runs. Enfin helped his own cause, going 2-for-4 at the plate and driving in 1. Desmond Wright took the loss for the Lumberjacks, lasting a little over 7 innings and shouldering 12 of Havanna's 14 hits. Game 6: Going into game 6 with a 3-2 lead, the Galleons were confident, but it was clear that the Lumberjacks could not be underestimated. They called on their #2 ace, Edward Roberts, who had earned an 18-12 record in the regular season. Fortunately, the Galleons had plenty of ammunition for their guns, and they bombarded Vancouver pitching. Even Lumberjack catcher Ronald Whittington's 3-for-3 day didn't save them. In an impressive 10-1 decimation, Havanna beat Vancouver to win the World Series! Yet again, Hugo Queiroga was in the lead pack. Both he and McDaniel went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Turner added another 2 while Spector's 2-for-5 night earned him 3 of his own. One of London's 2 hits was a monstrous shot to the upper deck in left field, his 5th home run of the post season. Vancouver starter Edward Roberts was chased away early after giving up 10 hits and 7 runs in just 4 innings. Reliever Jonathan Miceli was called in to help, but he was beaten just as badly, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits in 4 innings of his own. Kear's performance on the other hand was stellar; he allowed just 3 hits on 6 innings, keeping the Lumberjacks off base entirely. The relief effort by Joseph Egan was exactly what Havanna needed- his 5 hits only yielded 1 run in almost 3 innings of work. White closed things off by pitching to the last batter; a left-hander. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HAVANNA GALLEONS! THE 2018 NATIONAL PASTIME ASSOCIATION WORLD CHAMPIONS!!

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (2/4/2008 12:34:08 AM)
Just When You Thought It Was Safe... Well, now that the headache and stress of the season is over, it's time to rest. Right? Err... no. In fact, now comes an event almost as stressful as the season itself. The OFF-SEASON!!! ::insert gut-wrenching scream of horror here:: You got it, it's time to assess who's contract is expiring and determining who's worth keeping and who's worth waving goodbye. Much to my dismay, there's a big 2018 class of departing Galleons; 17 in total. Here are the position player candidates and my opinion on each: Royce Parker: Royce really came through this season and gave us exactly what we wanted- a big bat. However, with the emergence of Franklin Turner at SS, Jones was been moved to 2B, leaving no room for McDaniel. Without a home as a position player, it looks a better option to place McDaniel as the DH, pushing Parker out. This move would be beneficial for a variety of reasons. First, though he's not nearly as good as Jones, McDaniel is still a capable fielder and could fill-in at the position should the need arise. Parker, by comparison, no longer has the ability and reflexes to be a safe, reliable backup catcher. Second, Parker is almost $6.5 million more expensive than McDaniel, a difference that can't be overlooked, even with the discounted amount Parker is asking for another year. However, McDaniel, 33, and Parker, 35, have conflicting Potential ratings; the younger McDaniel has a 6- POT while the older Parker has a 58- POT. Who is going to suffer the greater decline? James McDaniel: See above. Hugo Queiroga: I am more on the fence with Hugo than with anyone else. I find it difficult to forget his history with the team and his role as a slugger and offensive machine. However, last year reminded me that he is both still human and almost 36. Queiroga managed to rebound towards the end of the season, finishing with a .269 average, 22 home runs and 88 RBI. Granted, these are respectable numbers for any hitter, but they're still below our expecations. Then again, his amazing performance during the post-season, where he went .415 with 4 HRs and 15 RBI, must be acknowledged, as should his .465 OBP and .708 slugging percentage that same period. His asking price is $6 million less than his last contract, bringing him down to $10.7 million for a year, so he knows that he's not what he used to be. Yet is that still too much? There's also the matter of what role he will fill. He still has decent range but his Hands and Arm are just mediocre. Perhaps he would be a better fit as DH? Maybe we could move McDaniel to the hot corner? Mo Wilson: Mo has fallen by the wayside. Since Chase Spector won the starting CF spot and Boyd Masters solidified RF, there has been no place for Wilson. As much as I like him and his quickness (SPD: 86), I find him and his increased salary demands (+$1.7 million) not befitting a backup player. He's really too good for that and should have no difficulty finding a fair contract with another team. We're proud to have had him as a Galleon for the last three years, but the time has come to part ways. Sam Fisk: The consumate backup fielder, Fisk has always answered the call, no matter where we've placed him. A natural center fielder, Fisk has played both RF and LF as needed. He has a decent bat and can cover good ground, so he remains an attactive candidate for a new contract. As added incentive, he's willing to take a $900,000 price cut. Management will be moving ahead with him shortly. Edgar Rodriguez: At 24, Rodriguez looks to be a good RF in the next couple of years. Though there are a couple of other, higher-potential (and higher ability) outfielders ahead of him, it's good to have depth, and should his asking price remain reasonable, there is a good chance he will return next year. After going .283 with 13 HRs and 68 RBI in AA, he will likely get the nod for AAA. Johnnie O'Connor: O'Conner has fallen victim to a farm system overstocked with outfielders, particularly in CF. O'Conner is still young at 25 with decent potential (POT 24-) but there really isn't a future for him in the Galleon organization. Barring a bizarre wave of injuries to outfielders, O'Connor probably wouldn't receive a fair shot at the majors for another 3 or 4 years. He's too likely to waste time in the minors that could instead be valuable major-league experience with another ballclub. Next up, the pitchers... who's on the bubble?

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (2/4/2008 1:52:34 AM)
Future Of The Mound... Wilfredo Garras: Garras is that guy who I always THINK will have a bad year, and then just doesn't. His 2-0, 1.23 ERA post-season performance cannot be overlooked; there's no doubt that he steps up in the clutch. In the regular season, he walked off with a 15-8, 3.13 ERA for the year as the #4 man. He's 32 with a 42- POT, and though he just might have enough gas in the tank to go another couple of years, his asking price of $17.7 million however, makes for some expensive gas. Antonio Lopez: Antonio Lopez has two big things against him and two big things in favor of him. To start with, Lopez is 34 and shows little-to-no potential (POT 1-) for improvement. Worse still, his control has suffered (CTRL: 54) and is likely to decline further next year. To his benefit, he showed us that he's still got his stuff (STUFF: 66) and some OOMPH to his pitches (VEL: 70), evidenced by a 5-3 record and a very respectable 3.43 ERA. All this while eating up 84 innings and that from having just come over in June. The post-season was equally kind to Lopez, who pitched 12 innings and allowed just 2 runs. He struck out 14 and went 2-0. I want to resign him, and at $3.5 million less it's an attractive offer. I'm just hesitant to sign someone and then have them not pan out and effectively "waste" a spot. Brickhouse Jones: My fingers would fall off before I finished typing all the reasons why Jones will not be re-signed. I have given this pitcher chance after chance after chance, just to meet expectations. Every time, he's fallen short. I cannot remember all the times this man has pissed me off by imploding when I needed him the most. He has good power (VEL: 60) and control (CTRL: 76) behind his pitches, but he lacks the finesse (STUFF: 53). Jones went 0-1 with a 3.97 ERA in 34 innings this year. I'm sorry, but by now he should do much better than that. He's always had great potential, but it simply never materialized in the last 6 seasons with us. Me and Mr. Jones, don't have a thing going on any more. Laci Huff: Huff embodies the 6th starter. He's our go-to guy whenever a starter is going to miss his call and in this role has not disappointed us. Last year he consumed 95 innings and went 9-4 with a 4.07 ERA in a combination of starts and relief appearances. In eight years with Havanna, Huff has amassed a 66-28 record with a 4.15 ERA. His best year was 2014 when he went 15-6 with a 2.92 ERA. Like Garras, Huff is 32, but unlike him, his potential is a bit less (11-). Huff's fastball still has a lot of pop (VEL: 81) and he can get his pitches to land where he wants (CTRL: 66) and how he wants (STUFF: 67). For him, 2018 was an extension year where he signed on for $10.9 million. I feel we got our money's worth and then some. He's asking $11.5 for another year and I must confess that to me, this is one hell of a bargain. I am going to try and lock him up for at least 2 years, maybe 3. Kevin Tijerina: Kevin is a bit of a mystery. He was originally signed to be a setup man for Bergquist. However, he wasn't really setting anything up except for the other team's win. His 3-2 record would be reasonable, if it weren't for his 6.21 ERA. He earned 2 saves when Bergquist was unavailable, but otherwise only pitched 29 innings. At 33 with a hint of potential (25-) I'm not sure where his slightly-above-average ratings (STUFF: 64, VEL: 61, CTRL: 64) will go next year. What really irks me is that I knew he was a high risk investment ($10.2 million) with the potential for high return, but I jumped anyway. He didn't pan out and now it's time to cut my losses. Mark Marshall: The princess, Marshall is another pitcher who did not live up to his expectations. In fact, he performed so poorly, it made us wonder where the hell we got those expectations from in the first place! Marshall had a rough '17 and 2018 was no different. He spent most of it in the minors, spending 50 innings each in AAA and A. The 25 innings he lingered in the majors earned him a 1-2 record and a orbital 7.56 ERA. In fact, his ERA was recently mistaken for a constellation, it was so high. Marshall's tenure as a Galleon is over. Alejandro Timo: Slated to be our next closer, Timo was always ALMOST good enough. He's been with the organization since 2012 but has never made it to the minors on a full-time basis. His career 289 saves in the minors is a lot and impressive, but... what does it really mean? He's been there too long. With Joseph Egan strutting his stuff as our new setup man, it's more likely that he, not Timo, will take over closing duties once Bergquist is done. Timo is out of time-o. Winston Elliot: Elliot has a lot of promise, and readers of my blog will testify that I have always had a good feeling and a lot of confidence in him. When he started off strong, I subscribed to an "I told you so!" philosophy. Even when he started to crumble, I stuck with him, knowing that there was an amazing pitcher inside, waiting to burst out. He ended the year 3-5 with a 4.75 ERA but I know that he can still pull it off. He's 29 and his pitches don't have a lot of power behind them (VEL: 36), but he has a vicious curve and masterful slider (CTRL: 72) that he can use to paint the corners (STUFF: 62). His potential is a little low (21-), so if he's going to bust out, time's a'wastin'! I was going to give him another year until I saw his salary demand. He was paid nearly $3 million last year; he's asking $8.5 million now. I don't see this happening. I'll allow him to drift into Free Agency, then watch him closely. I'd go up to $5 million, but not a penny more. Clifford Fagan: An up-and-coming starter, the 23-year old Fagan split his time in the minors, pitching 48 innings in AA and 74 in AAA. He ended up in AAA Santiago with a 4-5 record and a 4.26 ERA. He's got tons of potential and good ratings. I think in another year, two tops, he will be ready for the big leagues. He just came off a 3-year, $2.2 million dollar contract. He's asking $5.45 million and I feel good about paying it, but only if I can lock him in for another 3+ years. Timothy King: Originally signed at age 18 to a 5-year $846,000 deal, King did well in single-A, but faltered when promoted to AA. Currently 22 with amazing control (CTRL: 85), King is asking for $4.6 million a year. It's a big increase from the original agreement, but I feel he's worth it. We'll get into negotiations and see if we're willing to take that long of a commitment for the price. I'll share results from all players shortly.

Frozen Stiffer -> RE: The National Pastime Association Blog (2/4/2008 4:27:22 PM)
The Ride's Not Over Since the last report, the front office has been busy working on retaining those identified as valuable interests within the organization. The following agreements have been reached: Wilfredo Garras: Garras agreed to a 2-year, $17.9 million contract. He's very welcomed in the clubhouse and should be retaking his #4 sot. Laci Huff: After a failed attempt to agree on a fair 3-year price, Huff was re-signed to a 2-year $11.1 million deal. Huff will again serve as the #6 starter and primary long-reliever. Should White continue to struggle and Huff were to replace him, performance incentives could push the deal over the $11.75 million mark. Sam Fisk: Fisk will be in Galleon colors for the next two years after agreeing to a $3.7 million deal. Fisk will handle backup duties for RF and share the backup CF role with Preston Henry; Henry would continue to cover LF. Edgar Rodriguez: The first of three minor leaguers to resign, Rodriguez was inked to a 4-year pact at $2.7 million per year. It's only a slight increase from his earlier contract but for an equal term, so both parties walked away satisfied with this one. Clifford Fagan: The talented AAA starter, Fagan agreed to a 3-year, $5.5 million contract just yesterday. He will again begin the year in AAA, but he's also be one of the first to get the call should an opening form in the rotation. Timothy King: As did Fagan, King also signed a 3-year deal worth $4.8 million per year. He is expected to start the year in AAA and perhaps earning a spot in the majors if no likely candidates are scooped up during the Free Agent signings.

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