STATS - Week XVI

Pre-INTRO 

Some folks have requested practice times next week.  As you know we don't have access to the diamonds and the league does not sanction their use for non-league games. 

However, anyone can walk by and hit a ball right?

Some people from the Gruesome Devils and Dodge City rounders might be doing just that on Wednesday night at 7pm at Keogh Park. 

Some members of the Grisslies and Draft Kings might do likewise at 7:00 at Thursday night.

 
INTRO 

As a general rule, what happens in the Legion stays in the Legion. 

There are exceptions. 

This is one. 

We were treated on Thursday night to a brilliant tale of a murder case at Canada's Wonderland by the Dodge City Rounders hurler and Crime Scene Investigator extraordinaire, Kevin Bryan.  The story was awesome.  Complete with murder weapon, details of where and how the victim expired, a side bar on how the killer tried to evade police by pretending to be a witness and his ultimate demise at the hands of a real witness.

It was great.  And honestly it beat the hell out the other story about a guy from Mexico with a nasal issue. 

So a few details to fill in (I told you I'd find this).
 
1. the year was 2003, not 2001.  I'm not calling out Kevin, he remembered tons of details, but this is part of why we couldn't find it that night. 
2.  Kevin thought the victim's name was french and Aresnault rang a bell for him.  Close again....it was definitely french, Marcel Lamonday. 
3.  And finally, and I have to say this I was disappointed that this one came up wrong.  The murderer who was tried and sentanced to life in prison was not Adrian Barry.  Dammit.  It was, in fact, Donald Justin Berry.  So close!

Adrian, you're off the hook.  For now. 

I can't wait for the next tales from the crypt from Uncle Kev!!!

My Email

I missed email while I was away.  I missed having full access to my phone.  I missed the BLOG.  I was fortunate that a view equally obsessed people sent me scores via txt.  Thank god. 

But I never realized just how much email I actually get and reply to in a given day.  Also how many separate streams of nonsensical conversations that are going on simultaneously.  This is an example from today between 11:45am and 12:15pm.  The different colours represent independent conversations, the only one who sees it all is me....

The Beechey:  Dude.
Me:  What's up?
The Beechey:  Tough game last night. 
Me:  Ya, sorry bro.  I had a rough outing. 
Scott Mason:  Uncle Dougie!!!
Me:  Hey Mason...how's the holiday?
Scott Mason:  It was good until I heard the score of last nights game!
Me:  Ya, Sorry about that...my bad. 
The Beechey:  Don't blame yourself everyone had a bad night.   
Me:   Ya, I guess.  Still feel bad though. 
Scott Mason:  Are you kidding?  Don't blame yourself. 
Me: Ya, I guess.  Still feel bad though.
Scott Peters:  Dougie!!!  You in one piece today?
Me:  Yep. 
Scott Peters:  Not your best game last night. 
Me:  At least one person is honest. 
Scott Mason:  Screw you Uncle Dougie, I don't blame you.  I blame Beechey. 
Me:  Beechey?
Larry Turner:  Hi Doug....Larry here.
Me:  I know...your name is on the email.
Larry Turner:  I Just wanted you to know that the Dog Catchers accept the make up game for next Tuesday. 
Me:  ????  I sent that 2 weeks ago!  Its been on the schedule for 10 days.
Carol-Ann:  I'm tracking down Dennis for that game sheet with the Rusty Rebels. 
Me:  Cool....thanks.  It might be with the Rebels too. 
Scott Mason:  Ya Beechey!  I can't got on one little camping trip with the family!  It all goes to hell in bicycle basket or whatever that stupid expression is.  I'm furious!  I could light a cigarette with my mind right now!
Me:  Easy there squirrel.  Beechey was fine.  The whole team was pretty loose...just couldn't hit.  Let it go.  Playoffs are around the corner. 
Carol-Ann:  I'm comfortable blaming Dennis.
Me: Its a good default position.
The Beechey:  Easy Does it Dwyer.  Hey .... how well do you know Scott Peters
Me: Pretty good I guess. 
Larry Turner:  Confirming....Dog Catchers are good to go!
Me:  Got it. 
Karen Junkin:  Hey, are you going to Grisslieland tonight?
Me:  Hope so, but I'm kind of bogged down right now.
Scott Mason:  Okay, I'm better.  But I think I made a raccoon blow up by thought control. 
Me:  Enjoy the rest of your vacation. 
Karen Junkin:  Bogged down doing what?
Me:  Mostly answering email...but also work and I have a stats blog to get out. 
Scott Peters:  So do you know Beechey at all?
Me:  Ya, why. 
Scott Peters:  I'm going to a dinner that he's going to be at.  Is he as "Jock" as he seems?
Me:  Jockier. 
The Beechey:  So I'm going to this dinner that Peters is going to be at.  Is he as angry in real life as he looks on the field? 
Me:  Angrier. 
The Beechey:  I need a topic for him.  Something non-baseball. 
Me: Try 17th century Russian literature ... I think he's kind of into that.   
Karen Junkin:  Well stop answering emails and get to work.
Me:  Right. 
Rob Farah:  Are you coming to Grisslieland tonight?
Me:  Dude...its not looking good.  I'm WAY behind. 
Karen Junkin:  So, if I go over what's a good time?
Me:  8:30 is perfect.  I'll try to make it too. 
Scott Peters:  I need a topic for the Beechey, something non-baseball.  You know, so that he doesn't think I'm angry all the time. 
Me:  But you are angry all the time. 
Scott Peters:  I know...but I don't want HIM to know. 
Me:  Try something along the lines of how modern agriculture techniques have contributed to the destruction of the Canadian family. 
The Beechey:  Russian Literature?  Maybe we'll just discuss how the Grisslies suck.
Me:  Sounds like a safe topic. 
Steve DeLand:  Can you confirm when we booked that practice game for next week?
Me:  Wednesday.
Scott Peters:  Agriculture?  I think we'll just talk about how the Grisslies suck. 
Me:  You should get along well. 
Steve DeLand:  Can you confirm what time Wednesday?
Me:  7pm. 
Rob Farah:  You should really try and come to Grisslieland.  Its the penultimate one before the playoffs.  And I looked up "penultimate" and used it right.  Who's on fire?  Me.   
Me:  So it is.  But I'm busy.  Might not make it tonight. 
Rob Farah:  Come on !
Me:  I'll try.  Why is this so important?
Steve DeLand:   Can you confirm who we're playing Wednesday night at 7pm?
Me:  Dodge City Rounders. 
Rob Farah:  I need smokes...can you get them on the way. 
Me:  Grrrrrrrrrrrrr
Steve DeLand:  Okay.  Can you confirm where we're playing at 7pm Wednesday against the Dodge City Rounders?
Me:  Keogh.

And so ends a 1/2 hour excerpt of my day. 
   

Weird and Wacky

This weeks "weird and wacky" comes from Scott Peters.  Scott, despite being one of the worst predictors I've ever met, has a pocket protector and the encyclopedia of baseball on a memory stick that he carries with him at all times. 

He's super-geeking....now!

Scott did some research into runs scored.  For all the "known data" (2007 and beyond) that we have readily available, the best offensive team that our league has seen were the 2011 Dusty Cleats.  Allow me to refresh your memory on that team.  They ran rough shot over the league with a 22-2 record.  The finished a full 6 games in front of the 2nd place Grisslies. 

To give their dominance some perspective, 6 games back the 1st place Tap Masters right now are the 11th place Gruesome Devils.  Wow. 

This team featured Scotty Barton winning his first of 3 batting titles and getting 96 hits.  I think there were only 7 people with more at bats than he had hits that season.  Gord Robinson was in the #10 rookie pool, Rob McCarron, Pully, Dane, Brett Mabee, Jason Jennings, John Harrett, Mike Ghaney, Dave Fleming and Craig Beatty rounded out the roster. 

These guys combined to do something that no other team (that we know of) had done before or since.  They combined to score over 400 in a single season.  408 to be exact.  They also happened to have the league's 3rd best defense but that's another story. 

So finally we have a team to threaten the 400 run barrier.  The Dog Catchers, who by some strange mystical coincidence also own the 3rd best defense, are sitting at 384 runs with a single game remaining.  Considering that they score 18.3 runs a game, breaking the 400 run mark IS achievable.  It doesn't mean it will happen, but it wouldn't be a surprise. 

What's particularly interesting is that the legendary Cleats squad had 24 games to roll up 400 where as the Dog Catchers will have to do it in in 22.  Given 3 more games from now, I'd be willing to bet Pully's house that the 408 number would fall. 

Great work Scott!  Thanks for the digging.   

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Subs

Its almost playoff time. 

A note to all Captains.   Please be on top of your sub requests and get them into Rob / Al as early as possible.  Subs are much more difficult to get during the playoffs.  We have a lot of players who simply refuse to sub because they want to be at their best for their own teams.  There's nothing at all wrong with that but it makes the selection pool smaller. 

Also our process for approving subs is slightly more complex for the playoffs.  Al and Rob always do their level best to send appropriate subs and in the playoffs we have an extra layer of approval on playoff subs.  So....if you are a player and you have playoff dates that you can not make, PLEASE give your captains as much warning as you can.  Day of is really hard to pull off in September.

ORDER OF FINISH:

Ya, I buggered it up.  Here is the correct order of finish as of this moment:

So there was a scenario that I didn't foresee.  And that was a 3 way tie with the Grisslies, Draft Kings and Dog Catchers. If the Dog Catchers lose to the Woody's next week, that's exactly what will happen.  Now, I knew this could happen but I wasn't worried, because the Grisslies have the head to head against the Draft Kings and so do the Dog Catchers.  The Dog Catchers and Grisslies tied their only game so Dogs beat Grisslies and Draft Kings; and Grisslies beat Draft Kings.  So its an obvious 3, 4, 5 positioning, right?  Right?

Nope.  Jumped the gun.  The first tie breaker is head to head.  Between the three teams no single team is the head to head winner against the other two.  There is a definitive loser (not said in a mean way) but no definitive winner.  So we go the the second tie breaker which is NOT runs scored.....its who got there with most wins.  The Grisslies and Dog Catchers both got to 28 points with 2 ties.  The Draft Kings got there with zero ties.  So if the Woody's beat the Dog Catchers, that gives the Draft Kings 3rd; the Dog Catchers would get 4th because of runs scored and the Grisslies would fall to 5th. 

Now should the Dog Catchers win, they would kill the 3 way tie and lay claim to 3rd.  That would leave the Grisslies and Draft Kings tied and the Grisslies would get 4th on head to head. 

Of no interest to anyone but me ((and a handful of geeks) not said in a mean way) is that the Draft Kings can finish 3rd or 5th but not 4th.   

Sorry. 

Now we have 3 games left. 

Blues Brothers Vs. Beer Brothers.
Hot Tub Woody's Vs. Dog Catchers
Sliders Vs. Brew Jays. 

Want to know the standings for all of the combinations????  

Okay.   

I can tell you this.  Every game will have implications.  Whoever wins the Beer Bros. Vs. Blues Brothers game will very temporarily tie the Hot Tub Woodys for 8th place.  If the Beer Bros. win they would win the tie breaker with the Woody's on head to head but the Woody's would still need to play their game against the Dog Catchers.  If the Blues Brothers win, they too would move into a tie in points with the Woody's pending the completion of the Woody's game.  They split their head to head and they have the same number of wins, so it would come down to runs scored, a stat that seems them separated by only 2 runs.  This could be interesting. 

Then for game two we move to the Hot Tub Woody's and Dog Catchers.  If the Woody's win, they will move into a tie for 7th with the Son's of Pitches.  They tied their head to head and have the same number of wins so it would come down to runs scored which the Woody's win.  So they would get 7th, the Sons of pitches fall to 8th, the winner of the Blues Brothers Vs. Beer Bros. game moving to 9th and the loser of that game still being undecided.  A Woody's win would also move the Draft Kings to 3rd; Dog Catchers to 4th and Grisslies to 5th.  If the Dog Catchers win, The Woody's would be in 8th with the tie breakers identified in the paragraph above with either the Blues Brothers or Beer Bros.  The Dog Catchers would get 3rd, the Grisslies 4th and Draft Kings 5th. 

And we still have stuff to do in the last game.  The Sliders vs Brew Jays will round it out.  If the Sliders win they will move into a tie with the loser of the Beer Bros. vs. Blues Brothers game.  The Sliders own the tie breaker with the Beer Bros and push them down a spot in that event.  With the Blues Brothers, they split the regular season, have the same number of wins so it would once again come down to runs scored.  The Blues Brothers currently lose this tie breaker but for them to turn it around they would have to score 9 more runs while losing than the Sliders do winning. 

Having fun yet?
 
SEASON LONG STREAKS

Cograts to Jason, Ryan, Sandy, Steve, Adrian, Stike, Robin, Porter and Paul who have all successfully run the table getting a hit in every game of the year.  Six more fellas with a chance!

 

Scoring a run in every game seems nearly impossible to me.  But Steve Brooks has done it and Neil Pendlebury will try to join him on Tuesday....well done!

TEAMS

Who's hot, who's okay, who's not so much (this is the quick version)  

Rusty Rebels 2-0

Wins over the Hurtin' Units and Sliders.
Sons Of Pitches 1-0

Win over the Sliders.

Draft Kings 1-0

Win over the Hot Tub Woody's. 

Grisslies 1-0
Win over the Dusty Cleats.
Dog Catchers 1-0
Win over the Blues Brothers.
Beer Bros. 1-0
Win over the Brew Jays.
Tap Masters 1-0
Win over the Dodge City Rounders.
Gruesome Devils 1-0
Win over the Hot Tub Woody's

        

     

No teams were 1-1 or had ties this week.   

 

Hurtin' Units 0-1

Loss to the Rebels.
Dusty Cleats 0-1
Loss to the Grisslies.
Blues Brothers 0-1
Loss to the Dog Catchers.
Brew Jays 0-1
Loss to the Beer Bros.
Dodge City Rounders 0-1
Loss to the Tap Masters
Sliders 0-2
Losses to Sons Of Pitches and Rusty Rebels.  
Hot Tub Woody's 0-2
Losses to the Rebels and Gruesome Devils.

 

The Beer Cup

 

 

Congrats to the Sons Of Pitches!!!  After a long and arduous campaign they are the proud retainers of the beer cup!  Final stats below, enjoy your banquet beer fellas.
   

Teams that have held the Beer Cup (8)

• Dodge City Rounders
• Sons Of Pitches (2) 
• Rusty Rebels
• Tap Masters
• Beer Bros.
• Blues Brothers
• Draft Kings
• Grisslies

Teams that have defended the Beer Cup (6)

• Dodge City Rounders (2)
• Beer Bros. (1)
• Blues Brothers (2)
• Draft Kings (1)
• Grisslies (3)
• Sons Of Pitches (3)

                                             Teams that have Played a Beer Cup Game (12)

• Dodge City Rounders (3)
• Blues Brothers (4)
• Brew Jays (1)
• Sons Of Pitches (3)
• Rusty Rebels (2)
• Tap Masters (4)
• Beer Bros. (2)
• Hot Tub Woody's (2)
• Dog Catchers
• Draft Kings (3)
• Sliders (3)
• Grisslies (5)

Teams that have yet to play for the Cup(3)

• Gruesome Devils.
• Dusty Cleats
• Hurtin' Units

STATS
TEAM

CLOSED:  Each teams record over the first 11 games of the season.  Congrats to the Woody's and Tap Masters for having the best 1st half and collecting 16 out of 22 possible points.   1st through 11th were separated by only 3 games.

And congrats to the Grisslies and Draft Kings who both had blistering 2nd halfs garnering 18 out of a possible 22 points.  A little bit more separation in the 2nd half from top to middle but overall top to bottom is closer.  Interesting that the Grisslies and Draft Kings were tied with identical 5-6 records at the mid way point. 

And here are the full standings and again, Congrats to the Tap Masters who have successfully locked down 1st overall.  Excellent job boys!  There's not a heck of a lot of separation in these standings. 

Your regular league standings with the max points a team can get in the last column. 

So this hasn't been published in a couple of weeks, so there's some more changes than normal...but there are some surprises for me.  1.  The Grisslies, despite going 2-0-1 in this stretch dropped a spot.  2.  The Hot Tub Woody's despite going 0-3 in this stretch didn't lose any ground. 

INDIVIDUAL

CLOSED;  Congrats Skip!

CLOSED;  Congrats Rick!

CLOSED;  Congrats Kieth Dell???  Ya baby, that just happened!

 Still wide open with some usual suspects and some 'nice to see' contenders!  Ride the wave boys. 

I can't call it over, but Lahey can't be caught.  I'll congratulate him next week.  Fantastic seasons up and down the line. 

And lookie here!  Jeff Behan has taken over the Rookie lead!  He still has a game left so this isn't closed yet, but holy cow, what a finish!

With a game left to play it looks like Nyers is home and cooled out.  Again, great showing by all. 

 CLOSED;  Congrats to Skip!

CLOSED;  Congrats to Laurier and Steve.

CLOSED;  Congrats to Steve (again)

 Still open, but its going to take a monumental last game to catch Porter. 

What did I tell you Adrian!  Not officially closed, but it looks like you'll lead the league. 

Again, not closed, but I don't see Lahey going 0 for 12 in his last game. 

Not closed, but I think we all know how this is going to end. 

Well, Lahey went 4/4 in his last game but only got driven home once.  Poor kid.  So he's still in reach of tying Terry but it'll take his best game of the year in the last game of the year.  Good luck!

 

Doug DeLand still has a game left.  But if he doesn't pull this off and pass his little brother; then Steve DeLand will be known as "the Good DeLand" for the entire 2015 season.  There's a lot riding on this stuff!

 

Oh, why are there (**) on Jamie Allan's name?  Good question.  1st of all these stats (all of them) aren't real and there's no awards.  Its just stuff that I've made up and bothered to track.  So the only rules that apply are mine and they're arbitrary.  For this category my minimum at bat rule is 2 per game which this season means 44 ABs.  Jamie has 42 and his season is done, so he doesn't qualify.  There are other people who would be in this list and others if they had more at bats but they aren't because I delete them out.  So why is he there with asterisks?  I'm getting there.  Jamie Allan was 2/2 in his first game of the year when he stepped on a ball crossing first and completely messed up his ankle.  He wasn't able to come back until game 10.  But during the intervening time he was at all the games wearing a walking cast and supporting his team.  Since he's come back he's hit fantastic!  So while he doesn't qualify to win this, I wanted to highlight his commitment to his team and a great bounce back from a bad injury. 

 

1st Place on the line!

Having gotten back into town about 20 minutes before game time didn't offer me enough time to get a half decent blog prepared. 

So here's some footnotes:

LAST NIGHTS GAME:

The game between the Cleats and Grisslies was typical of both clubs in that it was a one run game that could have gone either way.  Excellent defense on both sides.  Timely clutch two out hitting both ways.  The Grisslies would escape this one with a 12-11 win and as far as I can tell, secure the 4th seed for the Grisslies and the 14th spot for the Dusty Cleats. 

For the record, the Grisslies could finish in a 4 way tie or 2nd place with the Dog Catchers, Tap Masters, and Draft Kings; a 3 way tie for 3rd with the Draft Kings and Dog Catchers or a 2 way tie for fourth with the Draft Kings.  In any of those scenario the Grisslies will finish 4th with the tie breaker rules we have in place.  Personally I think the 1st tie breaker should be, "team names that start with the letter "G" but I always seem to lose that vote. 

THE BIG STORY

Thursday's game between the Dodge City Rounders and Tap Masters is a MUST ATTEND game!  If you're not playing in it, you'd better be at it because this is big.  Not 3rd game of the season and the Leafs are playing the Bruins in their 3rd "must win" game of the year big; nope....this is REALLY big!

If the Rounders win they will be regular season champs.  It will have taken all but the last 4 games of the season to decide it, but they'll finally close the door.  If the Rounders do pull off the victory the Tap Masters will be tied with the Dog Catchers, Grisslies and Draft Kings for 2nd place.  The Dog Catchers have one more game to play and if they beat the Hot Tub Woody's they'll move into 2nd alone and drop the Tap Masters to 3rd. 

If the Rounders win and the Dog Catchers lose and we still have the 4 team tie for 2nd, the Dog Catchers will still get 2nd place.  Why?  No team has the definitive head to head win over the other three.  The Tap Masters are close in that they beat the Dog Catchers and Draft Kings but they only split against the Grisslies.  As there is no clear winner it goes to runs scored.  So unless the Tap Masters score 54+ runs in losing to the Rounders, the Dog Catchers still get 2nd and the Tap Masters 3rd. 

Now that's a Dodge win.  If the Tap Masters win against the Rounders, they will be the champs!  Yes its true that the Dog Catchers could still win their last game next week, but the best that would do is tie them with the Tap Masters who have the clear head to head advantage against them.  A Tap Masters win AND Dog Catchers win would suddenly relegate the Dodge City Rounders to 3rd. 

The final scenario is a Dodge City and Tap Masters tie.  Don't rule it out.  These teams are closely matched.  A tie would see the Rounders in 1st place with 30 points.  The Tap Masters in 2nd with 29 points.  And it would take the Dog Catchers final game to declare the champ.  If the Dog Catchers lost, it would give Dodge 1st and if they win it would vault them into 1st place because they hold the tie breaker with the Rounders. 

Got it?

The Sprint To The Finish!!!

READ CAREFULLY!

UPDATE Saturday August 23rd.

Ya, I keep saying I'm not doing anymore updates....well my phone keeps going off with scores and possibilities (which I appreciate by the way) and my brain spins!  I don't have all the head to head and stats stuff in front of me so much is by memory. 

Dodge City Rounders - Win and in baby!  Last game against the Tap Masters for all the marbles. A loss and they'll either be 2nd or 3rd.

Tap Masters - A win against Dodge is 1st place!  Yes, the Dog Catchers can tie them but I'm pretty sure that the TM's own the tie breaker.  A loss?  The Dog Catchers could pass them and drop them to 3rd.  The Grisslies could tie them (but hold the tie breaker) and push them to fourth.

Dog Catchers - Best case scenario with winning their last two games would put them in a tie for 1st with the Tap Masters but finish 2nd due to the tie breaker.  They cold still finish as low as 8, but hold many tie breakers against teams other than the Tap Masters that would push them up.

Draft Kings - Fantastic 2nd half!  Last game is against the Woody's, a win would get them 28 points. The Draft Kings need to avoid ties as they currently tie breakers to the Grisslies and Tap Masters.  The Woody's tie breaker is still in play and will be decided by this game.  Can't finish 1st or 2nd and can only finish 3rd if they beat the Woody's, the Dog Catchers lose their final two and the Grisslies lose their last game.

Grisslies - a win in their final game against the Dusty Cleats should result in the league's best second half 8-1-2.  2nd place is only possible on ridiculous +/- math so we'll ignore that.  A 2nd place tie with the Tap Masters and Draft Kings would give the Grisslies 3rd and DK's 4th.  Grisslies would be in 4th if there was a 2nd place tie the Tap Masters, Grisslies and Dog Catchers.  Should the Tap Masters, Draft Kings,  Dog Catchers and Grisslies ALL tie for 2nd, the Grisslies would likely fall to 5th.  If the Woody's were to climb into this mix, they would have to displace the Draft Kings or the Dog Catchers who they still have to play and it wouldn't change the Grisslies plight (likely)

Hot Tub Woody's - With 3 games left, there's still too many possibilities to detail.  However their top en is 28 points which is a tie for 2nd potentially and a 3rd place finish if the only other team there are the Tap Masters.  It would seem 3rd is the best possible finish for the Woody's if they win out.  Also with 2 contenders (Draft Kings and Dog Catchers) still on their dance card there are too many tie breaker scenarios to contend with. Believe it or not....they could still finish around 11th if everything went to hell in a hand basket.

Sons Of Pitches - One game left and can't change their situation too much.  They could finish anywhere from 6th to about 11th.

Rusty Rebels - Were having a great 2nd half then stubbed their toes. With two games left they can still move into the 26pt crowd. They could potentially move up as high as fourth but could still find themselves 10th.

Sliders - The last team that could make a significant change are the Sliders who just might be on the rebound.  With three games left this club sitting a game under .500 could find themselves in on of the lofty top 6 positions!

Anyway....remember this isn't gospel, just a little 'off the top of my head' stuff. Monday won't do much to help us.  It will tell us if the Rebels are still in the mix.  And it will possibly determine the beer cup if the Sons Of Pitches can win their season finale!    

Have fun....I'm going to Downtown Disney!



UPDATE Thursday August 21st.

This is it for me until next Tuesday...no BLOG updates until next Wednesday.  And on top of that, I'm turning the data off on my phone.  No email.  No Blackberry PIN messages.  No Facebook.  Its as 'off the grid' as I can be.  I'll still be receiving txt messages so if anyone feels compelled to send me scores I'll likely read them.  Okay, I'll FOR SURE read them!

There are 15 games left.  By the time I'm back there will only be 10 remaining.  And lots of interesting things could happen!

THURSDAY

Draft Kings Vs. Dodge City Rounders - A Draft Kings win would keep them alive for 2nd overall and would ensure a top 7 finish.  A win by the Rounders would wrap up 1st place. 

Hurtin' Units Vs. Grisslies - The Hurtin' Units will remain unchanged win or lose.  A Grisslies win would keep alive the hopes for 2nd place and ensure a top 6 finish. 

Dusty Cleats Vs. Tap Masters - The Cleats could still move up a couple of spots from 14th, but they're building on recent successes and are trying to be in the right place come playoffs.  The Tap Masters need help from the Draft Kings to stay alive for 1st then need to take care of their own business against the Cleats to stay in the game.  A win here ensures no worse than 5th. 

MONDAY 

Hurtin' Units Vs. Rusty Rebels - The Units will close out their regular season with this game.  A win by the Rebels keeps them very much in the mix for a top 6 position which has been a playoff advantage over the years. 

Sons Of Pitches Vs. Sliders - Oh this is an intresting one!  First off its a beer cup game.  If the SoP's win this game, they close the season as Beer Cup champs!  Very cool.  Should the Sliders win they would need to defend then against the Rebels (who could finish as champs) and then play a winner take all game with the Brew Jays due to the rainouts on Wednesday night.  As for the standings, the Sons still have an outside shot at top 6 but need help.  The Sliders are just a little shy of top 6 but still have 3 games left and could finish strong in the middle of the pack. 

Well folks....a few things to communicate here. 

1. This will be the only BLOG of the week
2. I'm going on vacation Wednesday!
3. The league standings will be updated online between Friday and Sunday.
4. There will be NO STATS BLOG this weekend!

I'm due fellas and the significantly better half has been infinitely patient with the ridiculous schedule that I impose on myself, so it break time. 

The scores in the side panel on your right will be updated as the week goes along, at least until Wednesday.  I don't usually update Thursday's scores here because I'm already right onto the stats BLOG.  But this week it'll be because I'm gone.  But you find Thursday's completed schedule and scores on the league website (www.tottenhamoldtimers.ca)

Now coupled with the game scores are the OCD standings found in the tab on the top of this page.  That will be updated Monday for sure.  Tuesday for sure.  Wednesday.....maybe.  Thursday, no way. 

So because of that, let me give you some scenarios for each team. 

Beer Bros.  -  They Play the Sons Of Pitches and Blues Brothers.  If they win both they can finish has high as 4th.  Splitting would but them in a log jam with 6 other teams where tie breakers could put them as high as fifth and as low as 11th.  Dropping both games would see a best case scenario finish of 10th place. 

Sons Of Pitches - They will play the Beer Bros. and Brew Jays.  Like the Beer Bros. a sweep of their week could still have them gunning for 4th while a split puts them in the 5 to 11 traffic jam. Of course two losses looks like 10th at best for them. 

Dusty Cleats - Two games this week and they aren't easy.  The Draft Kings and the Tap Masters.  Should the Cleats sweep these teams they could potentially vault into 12 and still have a shot at 11th.  A split would mean potentially 13th place but no lower than 14th while two losses would be 14th for sure.

Draft Kings - The two games for the Draft Kings are against the Dusty Cleats and Dodge City Rounders.  Sweeping these games could possibly see them stay alive for 1st place and see them finish no lower than 7th place.  Should the Kings split their best possible finish will be 4th while they could slip as slow as 10th.  Getting swept would mean the best they could finish would be 5th and the lowest they could end up would be 12th. 

Blues Brothers - Should the Blues Brothers sweep their two games they may still have the opportunity for a top 3 finish.  A split would give them the maximum potential of achieving 4th place .  A loss in both games would put them in a 22 point mess that could go from 5th till 11th.

Sliders - Another 'middle' team with lots of room to swing.  Sweeping their two games would get them back to the .500 mark and potentially still have an opportunity to finish 4th.  A split for them puts them in 5th to 11th mix and dropping two would make finishing 10th a best case scenario.

Brew Jays - The Brew Jays are trying to catch the Gruesome Devils and hold off the Dusty Cleats.  Them sweeping this week will take care of the Cleats and ensure they can't be caught.  Depending on other results they could be as high as 11th AND avoid a 12 loss season.  A split would keep them in a 12th to 14th mix while dropping two would likely mean 13th or 14th

Gruesome Devils - The Devils play a double header this week.  If they were to sweep it they could potentially still make it to 7th place.  A split relegates them to a best finishing spot of 9th and dropping both games would see 11th place as their best showing.

Rusty Rebels - The Gruesome Devils double header opponent could still finish as high as 2nd with a sweep and as low as 12th!  A split would still potentially give them a top 3 finish and a bottom end remaining at 12th.  Losing both games would make their best possible finish 7th place and their worst possible finish 13th. 

Dodge City Rounders - They'll have to take 1st place going through the front door.  They have the Grisslies and Draft Kings this week.  They beat the Kings by 4 and lost to the Grisslies by 3 earlier.  Expect these games to be good.  Winning both will wrap up 1st place.  Splitting could potentially setup a final game for all the marbles with the Tap Masters but would ensure Dodge no worse than second place.  Losing both could keep six teams in the mix for 1st place and potentially see the Rounder finish from 1st to 5th. 

Grisslies - In the Grisslies two games they have the Rounder and the Units.  Sweeping will keep them alive for 1st place and ensure a finish no worse than 7th.  A split could possibly keep them in the hunt for 2nd but also see them as low as 8th.  Dropping both would see them finishing no higher than 4th and as low as 12th!

Hot Tub Woody's - The Woody's only game this week is against the Dog Catchers.  Should they win that game they could remain in the hunt for 2nd place but could still potentially fall as far as 12th.  With a loss, their best finish would be 4th and worst would remain at 12th. 

Dog Catchers - The Hot Tub Woody's opponents also only have a single game this week and a win could keep them in the hunt for 1st place with a guarantee of finishing no lower that 5th.  Losing this game may keep them alive for 1st but could see them fall as far as 7th. 
 
Hurtin' Units - The Units will play one game and finish 15th regardless of the outcome. 

Tap Masters - The Tap Masters one game is against the Dusty Cleats.  Should they win they could remain in the game for 1st place and will be guaranteed a finish no lower than 4th.  With a loss, there is a chance to still be alive for 1st, but could potentially fall as low as 8th. 

STATS - Week XIV

INTRO 

For full rosters and schedules for the August Tournament, please click HERE

Weird and Wacky

• Looking at the strength of schedule of the remaining games for each of the top six teams going into this week, here's how they played out from hardest to easiest:  Dodge City, Tap Masters, Dog Catchers, Rusty Rebels, Hot Tub Woody's, Grisslies.  So it stands to reason that three teams with the toughest schedules all won and the three teams with the easiest schedules all lost.  Of course. 
• A mere week ago the Hurtin' Units looked to be on the verge of reeling in the Brew Jays and Dusty Cleats.  But the Units loss and tie, the Cleats two wins and the Jays going unbeaten in 3 games has suddenly closed the door and solidified 3rd place. 
• With only 22 games remaining on the schedule there are still 13 teams that could finish in the top 6!

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TOT Tournament

Thank you everyone!  Whoever does this next year should start recruiting at the begining of the season.  Had we a little more time we probably could have got 10 team in.  9 for sure. 

As it is we have 8 which is the best showing since I've been in the league.  I feel terrible for the few people we couldn't accomodate, but hopefully we figure out how to squeeze them in before Saturday.
 

Subs

Well....

I retired as a sub last week.  No more games.  I told Rob not to call me. 

Monday he called.  The Dusty Cleats called for a sub.  I respectfully declined.  An hour later I got another call.  Rob couldn't find any "B" players and didn't want to the Cleats to play short.  Would I please sub. 

Fine. 

I sub for the Cleats at 7pm Monday.  It was great!  Then I sub at 8:15 because a team is short, then I sub at 7pm Tuesday under the same 'can't get anyone pretext' and same thing happens looking for a player at 8:15.  Then 7pm Wednesday another game subbed. 

5 games by Wednesday.  After retiring. 

Help a brother out.  If you can sub, please do!  Let Rob know and he'll get you to the top of the queue (or create a queue) should a game matching your rating come up. 
Robert.Farah@Sympatico.ca

QUICK NOTES:

• 4 more games saved at Coventry on Tuesday.  We've now avoided rescheduling 16 games to 9:30 slots thanks to Al Bales & Dave Fleming's efforts.  Mother nature 0 - TOT 16. 
• Also this week, Ryan Feehely answered the call for grounds keeping.  There's plenty of rakes and shovels up at Coventry so if you're free on a Tuesday afternoon and the weather is sketchy, swing on by and help out!       
• We carved our 'hitting in consecutive games' list from 18 to 15 players.  Dropping off this week are Donato Chiavaroli,  Paul Gyori, Tito Presenza. Here are your remaining players:

• And the run in every game list lost Kevin Moon this week, leaving only three men with a chance to run the table over the full 22 game schedule.

TEAMS

Who's hot, who's okay, who's not so much  

Dusty Cleats 2-0

Welcome to the 'hot list' you Dusty Cleats!  They entered the week in danger of being caught by the Hurtin' Units and falling into 15th.  They exit the week with a shot at 9th!  Going 2-0 with a +17 is great, but holding the Rebels and Devils to a combined 20 runs is just the defensive tonic these guys needed.  Next week will be challenging as they play two of the hotter teams in the league in the Draft Kings and the Tap Masters.

Draft Kings 2-0

The defending champs are hanging around and getting hot at the right time.  They enjoyed their best offensive showing of the season with 29-14 explosion over the Sliders and then reverted to their normal defensive game in beating the Rusty Rebels 13-8.  The Draft Kings hot second half has now moved them into the top 6 and they remain alive for 1st place overall, although they need a lot of help.  They can help themselves next week against the Dusty Cleats and then take a big step when they face the Dodge City Rounders.  Consecutive 2-0 weeks will give them a legit shot for the top 3. 

Dog Catchers 2-0

The Dog Catchers have been within a stones throw of 1st place all season.  This week they kept pace with a 12-11 win over the Sons Of Pitches and then they gained a little ground when they returned to their early season form with a 32 - 11 schellacking of the Hurtin' Units.  The Dog Catchers are a game and a 1/2 out of 1st place and need some help if they're going to close the gap.  The Dog Catchers will need their "A" game next week when they draw the Hot Tub Woody's as their opponent.  It will be nearly impossible for the loser of that game to finish in the top 3. 

Brew Jays 1-0-1

The week got off to an okay start in earning a point in a 10-10 tie with the Hurtin' Units, but it hit a big upswing with a 15-14 vicotry over the favoured Hot Tub Woody's.  The win removes any chance of finishing last and they still have the posibility of finishing as high as 9th.  Next week the Brew Jays will try to keep their 3 game unbeaten record intact when they face two teams that are in reach in the standings.  They'll play the Sons of Pitches, followed by the Sliders as they take on both expansion cousins in the same week.   

 

Dodge City Rounders 1-0

As the week began the Rounders task was simple.  If they finish the season 3-1 or 4-0, they finish 1st.  2-2 would open a whole lot of opportunities for other clubs.  They took care of business by defeating the Sliders 13-3 in a game where they took advantage of opportunites offensively and slammed the door defensively.  So now the task is winning at least 2 of the last 3.  And just to make it fun, their last 3 are doozies!  Next week they play the league's best defensive team in the Draft Kings who have won 6 of their last 8 and then face the league's second best defensive team in the Grisslies who are unbeaten in their last 8.  Anything other than a sweep will make they're final game of the season against the Tap Masters the most well attended game of the season.

Tap Masters 1-0

The Tap Masters bounced back from their split week to take down the Beer Bros. 20-8.  The Tap Masters need some significant but this win ensures nothing worse than a top 6 finish and at least 3 home games in the round robin portion of our tournament.  Even a split in the final two games give them a top 4 slot.  They'll start working toward that next week when they face the improving Dusty Cleats in the last game of the week.    

Blues Brothers 1-0

The Blues Brothers shook off the rust of a 4 game losing streak and played a sound offensive and defensive game against the Hot Tub Woody's defeating them 21-13.  The Blues Brothers are solidly middle of the pack and a good finish will have them cruise into the top 6.  Next week will be a good yard stick in facing the Beer Bros. who are only a game behind them and the Sliders who are two games back.    

       

 

     

Sons Of Pitches 1-1

The Sons of Pitches played two tight games this week, dropping a 12-11 game to the Dog Catchers and then dusting themselves off to defeat the Grisslies 12-7 and recapture the beer cup along the way.  The split leaves the SoP's a game under .500 with 3 remaining and still having a reasonable shot at a .500 or better rookie campaign.  They'll start next week against the Beer Bros. who they're tied with in the standings and finish with the Brew Jays who still have hopes of catching them. 
 

 

Rusty Rebels 0-2

The Rebels came into the week of one of two teams needing the least amount of help to finish 1st overall.  Sweeping the balance of their games coupled with 2 Dodge City losses would put in them in the cat bird seat.  The Rebels ran into the Dusty Cleats who are becoming defensively sound and dropped a 22-12 decision before dropping a 13-8 game to the surging Draft kings.

Hot Tub Woody's 0-2

The other team other than the Rebels that needed the list amount of help?  The Hot Tub Woody's.  The Woody's are out of the first place conversation due to tie break scenarios due to their 8 run loss to the Blues Brothers and 1 run nail biter to the Brew Jays.  However the Woody's are still in fine shape for a top 6 finish and will have a really tough test next week in the Dog Catchers. 

Sliders 0-2

A tough week to say the least.  The Sliders are now 2-5 in their last 7 after a 6-5 start to the season.  This week saw a 29-14 loss to the Draft Kings and a 13-3 loss to the Dodge City Rounders.  -25 makes it difficult to stay in the game defensively, but the Sliders are renewing their commitment to fundamentals and remain positive.  The Sliders are still in control of a top 10 finish and they'll get to test themselves next week against Blues Brothers and the Brew Jays.

Hurtin' Units 0-1-1

A tough week for the Units.  A 10-10 with the Brew Jays followed by a 32-11 masacre at the hands of the Dog Catchers.  The Units were ahead of the Dog Catchers 3-0 after one, 4-3 after two and 8-7 after three.  Then all hell broke lose.  It only went 6 innings and the Dog Catchers scored 25 over the final 3 innings.  The Units winless week has secured them 15th spot.  They'll begin playing out the string and setting up for the playoffs next week against the Grisslies.      

Beer Bros. 0-1

The Beer Bros. continue to hover around the .500 mark.  This week they dropped a 20-8 match with the Tap Masters which saw them move alone in 9th place with 3 games remaining.  They still have the potential to finish as high as 5th but would need to win out plus get significant help from other clubs.  They will face two clubs that are right in their wheel house next week when they meet the Blues Brothers and Sons of Pitches.

Gruesome Devils 0-1

The Devils slipped to 3 and 5 in the 2nd half of the season and continue to struggle to get the offense and defense working on the same night.  This week they dropped 15-8 game to the Cleats.  The Devils had been in the middle of the pack for much of the season, but are now in danger of being caught and passed by both the Brew Jays and the Dusty Cleats.  Next week will have a lot to do with where they finish when they face the Rusty Rebels in a the only double header the league will have this year.  If they sweep they whould have a shot at tying for 9th.    

Grisslies 0-1

So once the Rebels and Woody's lost the team that moved to the front of the "most likely to chace down the Rounders" list was the Grisslies.  So of course they lost.  The Sons of Pitches earned their 12-7 victory and the score makes it sound more flattering than it actually was.  It doesn't get any easier of the Grillies who open next week against the might Dodge City Rounders.  

 

The Beer Cup

 

 

The Beer Cup was recaptured by the Sons Of Pitches by defeating the Grisslies 12-7 this week. 

The Beer Cup is in its 2nd year.  Last years champs, the Dodge City Rounders retained the Beer Cup to start the season and defended it twice by beating the Blues Brothers and the Brew Jays.  The Sons Of Pitches then defeated Dodge to take it over before losing it to the Rusty Rebels.  The Rebels were defeated by the Tap Masters.  The Tap Masters, who waited for a year to play for the cup were only able to retain it for a single game as they fell to the Beer Bros. The resilient Beer Bros. beat the 1st place Hot Tub Woody's to become the second team to retain the cup. However, their ownership wouldn't last the week as they fell to the Blues Brothers.  The Blues Brothers would then  defend against the Tap Masters and most recently by beating the 1st place Dog Catchers!  But it wouldn't last.  They fell to last years champs the Draft Kings. The Draft Kings enjoyed a title defense against the Sliders before the Grisslies wrestled it away from them.  The Grisslies then held off the Hot Tub Woody's by a run and fought back to steal a game from the Tap Masters by one to retain the cup.  The Grisslies then dialed up a 5 run 7th inning to retain it against Slider, winning 12-11.  12 stopped being the lucky number for the Grisslies as they fell in their game against the Sons Of Pitches 12-7.   

The holders of the Beer Cup at the end of the season receive both the cup and its inherent adulation and 12 beer tickets at the banquet.

Next week the Sons Of Pitches will try to defend against the Beer Brothers on Monday.   
   

Teams that have held the Beer Cup (8)

• Dodge City Rounders
• Sons Of Pitches (2) 
• Rusty Rebels
• Tap Masters
• Beer Bros.
• Blues Brothers
• Draft Kings
• Grisslies

Teams that have defended the Beer Cup (5)

• Dodge City Rounders (2)
• Beer Bros. (1)
• Blues Brothers (2)
• Draft Kings (1)
• Grisslies (3)

                                             Teams that have Played a Beer Cup Game (10)

• Dodge City Rounders (3)
• Blues Brothers (4)
• Brew Jays
• Sons Of Pitches (3)
• Rusty Rebels (2)
• Tap Masters (4)
• Beer Bros.
• Hot Tub Woody's (2)
• Dog Catchers
• Draft Kings (3)
• Sliders (2)
• Grisslies (5)

Teams that have yet to play for the Cup(3)

• Gruesome Devils.
• Dusty Cleats
• Hurtin' Units

STATS
TEAM

CLOSED:  Each teams record over the first 11 games of the season. 

 

 

The second half is still being held down by Dodge.  There is an error in the math....the Grisslies shoudl be tied with the Draft Kings a game back.  Also, everyone who is 4 games back should be tied for 9th....sorry, been a busy day. 

 

This one is right...the rounders are on a monster 8 game winning streak and are poised to clinch 1st. 

This is the regular standings that are found on the league website with the additional "max points" column.  The max points show the most that a team can achieve if they win all their remaining games.  So if you take a team .... say the Gruesome Devils who have a Max Points of 20, you can see that the best they can do is tie the Blues Brothers and Rusty Rebels if neither of those two teams wins again. 

Don't worry....i've worked it all out for you.  If your teams name appears in a box, then they are still alive to finish in that spot.  With only 27 games left, teams are elimiated from spots with the conclusion of every game. 

You're power rankings.  They're largely unchanged.  The two significant changes are the Sliders taking a 3 spot tumble and the Sons Of Pitches jumping up 3 places. 

The current league average 2.11, a fair bit ahead of last year. 

 The Dog Catchers have led this all season but were dropping pretty steadily over the last month and a bit.  Not anymore!  Going up 6 points in a week with an average that was already crazy high is amazing!

 

INDIVIDUAL
Closed:

Closed:

Closed:

And the early start to Q4 (which isn't really a quarter due to the shortened season)

Well?  It ain't over, but it would take something tragic. 

This has gotten REALLY interesting!  The top 3 all have a shot .... Good luck fellas, finish well!

Nyers is looking like he's got it locked down at this point .... 50+ points is too much to make up I think.

There is no math with two weeks left that has Lahey missing out on this

Dancey is delivering on his bid to be a #1 next year!

CLOSED:  Congrats Mr. Cavalier!

CLOSED:  Congrats Mr Plante & Lahey.

CLOSED:  Congrats Mr. Lahey!

 

Remember, this is only a 4 game segment. 

Is anyone else fansinated by this? Neil and Steve have both passed the initial 24 game mark set 2 years ago.  And Lahey now needs to score 7 runs in his final two games to claim the all time runs record.  But doing it in 22 games rather than 24?  Thats ridiculous. 

This is pretty close and we have a shot to get a few guys over the 100 mark which I find pretty interesting in a shortened season. 

The countdown is on....this is like watching McGuire chase down Maris.