Fearless Predictions II

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ

Last night I had the privilege of attending a meeting for the Justin Keogh Fund.  You may not have known Justin directly, but you know multiple members of his family through baseball.  The Fund is now a legal entity and is beginning to communicate upcoming events.  To do that, I'd like us to assist in being part of the communication tool.  Please follow this link to Facebook and send a friend request to the Justin Keogh Fund:  JUSTIN FACEBOOK PAGE 

Here is an excerpt from the face book page:  "We created this fund in the hopes of continuing Justin's legacy of assisting youth when they are in need of a helping hand. The Justin Alexander Keogh Fund Inc. is a registered Not For Profit Corporation. The intention behind this organization is to raise funds for local charities that support youth in transition."

Please take a minute and send a friend request to this page and let your non-baseball friends who feel strongly about our area's sense of community to do likewise.  All are welcome.  Thank you.  

The Donini Deck

Doug: Hey....whats up?
Rob:  Not much, enjoying the weather finally.
Doug:  No kidding...now if we just get hockey off the friggin' TV it would be great!  Hashtag:  its baseball season!
Rob:   Do you like corned beef?
Doug:  Huh?
Rob:   Corned beef, you like it?
Doug:  Not particularly.  Why the interest? 
Rob:   I'm just curious about this "hashtag" business.  Is that like corned beef hash?
Doug:  No Rob, geez.
Rob:   Oh, is it like hash-browns?  Is it a potato thing?
Doug:  No....its a twitter thing.
Rob:   Like Birds?
Doug:  No....twitter like the social media application. 
Rob:  Ohhhhhh
Doug:  Ya, a hashtag links messages of the same topic....so if I say "hashtag:  its baseball season," it would link with everyone else with the same hashtag.  See what I mean. 
Rob:  I think so, but its got to be a pain in the ass to write out "hashtag" every time.
Doug:  Well you don't.  That's the beauty of it.  Its just a symbol before your phrase.
Rob:   Ohhhhhh. cool.
Doug:  Ya.
Rob:   What's the symbol look like?
Doug:  Its the pound sign.
Rob:   What?
Doug:  The pound sign.
Rob:   Then why do you say hashtag?  Why don't you say "poundsign: its baseball season?"
Doug:  Well, Canada and the US are the only places in the world that call it a pound sign.  The rest of the world refers to it as a hash; hence hash tag. 
Rob:   You made that up.
Doug:  Did not. 
Rob:   Well the English money are Pounds, they have pound signs like our dollar signs. 
Doug:  True, but those are squiggly capital L's. 
Rob:   This is very complicated. 
Doug:  Maybe you should stay off twitter for a bit. 
Rob:   Maybe.  Hey!  I've got some funny stuff for ya.  Maybe you can use it in that BLOGGY thingy.  
Doug:  Giddy up, lets go. 
Rob:  Well you know how I call my son "son" sometimes?
Doug:  Sure
Rob:   Wouldn't it funny if Kevin Moon's parents did that when he was growing up?  And his whole childhood he'd have been called Son Moon. 
Doug:  HaHa.  That's pretty funny. 
Rob:  Ya, well if Kevin gets pissed tell him Randy Rose thought it up. 
Doug:  Good call.
Rob:   Okay, here's another one.  What if the Beer Bros. won the championship this year and instead of regular jackets they got really loud, multi-coloured, fancy jackets. 
Doug: Okay.  Why?
Rob:   Then when we see Cliff Joseph around town we could say, "There's Cliff Joseph and his Technicolor Dream Coat".  
Doug:  HaHa, I like that!  Not bad at all!
Rob:   Ya, but if he gets pissed...
Doug:  I know.  Randy Rose.  Got any more?
Rob:   Sort of .... you know Dude?
Doug:  Ya. 
Rob:   You know what his real name is?
Doug:  Of course, I do the stats, its Craig Escott.
Rob:   Right and he's on our team. 
Doug:  Yep. 
Rob:   So don't you think it would be funny if we batted him after our rookie?
Doug:   Which one?
Rob:   Darren Ford.
Doug:  Why?
Rob:  Because then the line up would read Ford, Escott!  You get it?  Like the car?  Ford Escort?
Doug:  You're on fire!
Rob:   I know.  Hashtag:  Randy Rose.
 

Predictions

And so it continues.  Today we look a the Draft Kings, Dusty Cleats, Grisslies, Gruesome Devils and Hot Tub Woody's.

Now, before it gets started, here is the status after the voting closed on the first 5 teams.  We'll see how close the consensus view is when we get to the end of the year.  Don't worry, we'll revisit this!

Draft Kings

Kevin Boston:  Stike and Chuck are the dynamic duo of the League.  Nobody reads each other like these guys do.  Add to the mix a talented crew that includes Wynnyk, Argue and the speedy Muirhead and you have some real punch to this lineup.  Keys to this team will be their defence down the corners because nothing is getting up the middle.

Will finish in the top 6 if:  manage to pack all of that talent together and make it work.  Not too many holes on this squad.

Doug Dwyer:  Well this sucks.  Defending champs coming back with a deep outfield and solid infield.  Oh and they also have TWO  bona fide lead off hitters in Kapp and Muirhead in a league where some teams will struggle all season to find just one.  The rich keep getting richer, eh?  They're keystone combo is average at best with Stike still needing make up for Chuck. No? Okay, I guess not. I'm not seeing the down side of this squad.   

Will finish in the top 6 if:  The fields are declared playable before September. 

Scott Peters:  

Will finish in the top 6 if: they can apply the same strategy as last year - win more games and drink more beer than anyone else.

Geoff Keogh:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:  They are over the championship hangover from last season. The only thing harder than winning the first time is the second!

Mark Doyle:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:  The whole lineup stays consistent. They have good enough defense to take care of the rest

Rob Ford:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:   Did someone say draught kings?
  

Dusty Cleats

Kevin Boston:  Highly touted Rookie Tom Hollman is among a group that will hit a lot of line drives on this team.  Opposing teams must be on their toes or else a hard hit single can quickly turn into a double.  Richards and Gayle lead a solid outfield while Jimmy Mac is smart and always playing with some fire in his stick.  Oh yeah, don’t count out the Pie Man...he will burn you every time.

Will finish in the top 6 if:  they utilize their players’ uncanny ways to come up big in situations.  They won’t score a lot but can sting you when you aren’t looking.

Doug Dwyer:  Richards and Gayle?  You might be able to go with two outfielders and stack 6 across of the infield.  That's wicked fast.  Jimmy Mac and Lynn Foerster are as reliable as they come which puts this outfield in the "best in the league" conversation.  If "Little" Hollmann (nickname "Tiny"?) arrives as advertised from big-bro, then the infield starts to look real good with Diamond Jim as the other half of the double play combo.  Pully pitches smart and will only benefit from this go-get-it outfield.  The Cleats could be coming back this season like Return of the Jedi. 

Will finish in the top 6 if:  The 3rd, 1st, Catcher triangle becomes steady. 

Scott Peters:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:  they get creative and keep other teams off balance - mix up the line-up, play a rover in the outfield to take advantage of the speed of Richards and Gayle.

Geoff Keogh:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:  They rely on their abundance of singles hitters to line up the bats that can hit the gaps.

Mark Doyle:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:  Their outfield remains healthy. There is a lot of speed to burn

Rob Ford:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:  Please, Please. No more questions. Yes, I've used crack.  Accidentally.  And yes, I've imitated a Jamaican accent in public.  Accidentally. But its no accident that the  Dusty Cleats look really good this year!

Grisslies

Kevin Boston:  Perhaps the strongest team in this year’s draft.  The Grissles are solid from top to bottom at the plate and in the field.  Another advantage they have is their depth on the mound.  When Farah takes a break, Lenny steps in without missing a beat.  Dwyer will rebound this year to his steady stick with Clark, Chiasson, Keogh and Routledge around him.  Cal will be his Charlie-Hustle-self again.

Will finish in the top 6 if:  their defence sticks to a game plan and bats come alive in bunches.  Perhaps they are the front runners in the league to start.

Doug Dwyer:  Russell, Clark, Chiasson and Routledge across the outfield.  Another team in the conversation for best outfield in the league.  The infield of Len, Geoff, Dwyer and Dude will work in the two rookies.  Farah and Enright will be the anchors in the strength up the middle equation. 

Will finish in the top 6 if:  The captains don't over think it. 

Scott Peters:  

Will finish in the top 6 if: they don't do what they did last year - duh!

Geoff Keogh:  
Will finish in the top 6 if:  They stay off the Donini deck until after the game!!

Mark Doyle:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:  There is no rapture between now and playoff weekend. This is the best outfield I have seen in a long time. Good all around team

Rob Ford:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:  Personally, I don't care who wins, I just want an invite to the championship banquet!!!  There will be burgers, right?

Gruesome Devils

Kevin Boston:  How can you not like a team with three-time OBA Champion Barton?  Pack a lineup with him and Dickson followed by Jens and you have a solid core...oh yeah, Kolsen is one of the hottest hitters over the past three years and plays a solid defence.  This team will have some laughs on the field which helps with wins.  Good team.

Will finish in the top 6 if:  they can hit for a few extra base hits and avoid stranding runners in scoring position.  They need to capitalize on chances.

Doug Dwyer: Lepa, Cavalier, Porter, Osmond and Richards are a formidable outfield combo.  This might be the season that Kolsen becomes the regular 1st baseman which would make great target practice for Dickson and Barton.  Positions are going to have to be felt-out a bit on this squad I think.  What isn't too much of a question mark is the offense.  There are proven sticks up and down the line up.  I wonder who will lead off in front of Barton hitting 2nd.  Osmond looks like a good candidate of speed & OBA blend. 

Will finish in the top 6 if:  The defense plays half as good as the offense. 

Scott Peters:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:  they gel early and build confidence down the stretch - strong, quiet group of guys, a potent combination when working well.

Geoff Keogh:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:  Their speed and good hitters in the middle of the order are firing on all cylinders

Mark Doyle:  

Will finish in the top 6 if: They can find chemistry. There is enough talent all around

Rob Ford:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:  I'm going to hold my breath until Jens takes me to Steak Queen.

Hot Tub Woody's

Kevin Boston:  Things are always looking up for the Woody's.  The Sagert connection is dangerous and fun to watch while Gord Robinson and Will I Am Goodin pack some punch.  Add in the reliable Danceman and steady pitching from Tito and the Woody's have a good team.  Not So Fast Eddie is the leader on this team and will likely look to challenge some team again for the Legion record.

Will finish in the top 6 if:  the consistency of their play carries out through the entire season.   There is no doubt they will have a fun squad which always ends up with positive results.

Doug Dwyer:  And here we go again with the Woody's.  They have options.  The have an experienced lead off man with Art Sagert and power and average to follow him with Sags Jr, Dancey, Ross, Robinson and Goodin.  Watch for Tito's off-field gap power and Chiovitti's annoying habit of driving in runs with solid hits over the second base bag. Don't sleep on Peter Hayward either he can be difference maker.  Effective both in the field or on the mound.  Defensively, everyone has a spot.  What's not to like?

Will finish in the top 6 if:  There are no significant trips to the DL this year

Scott Peters:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:  they can keep Dancey in the line-up - nicely balanced team with age, talent and personality.

Geoff Keogh:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:  Their consistent batting from their last years players continues

Mark Doyle:  

Will finish in the top 6 if: They can find everyone a position that suits them. Again enough talent there

Rob Ford:  

Will finish in the top 6 if:   Just stay the course....1000 points of light.

FANTASY LEAGUE UPDATE:

As of this morning, we have 41 people enrolled in the Fantasy League.  We have $820.00 committed from our participants of which $410.00 is earmarked for local charities.  Yet another reason to be proud of this league.  If you are interested in joining, email me at dwyerdouglas@gmail.com with the title Fantasy League.  I'll give you the instructions.  9 more people and we will hit $500 for charity.

A number of people have asked about paying.  We've collected about 1/3 of the money.  If I see you before the season starts give me $20.00, make sure I write the name on the bill or send myself an email right away.  Otherwise I will see you during the first week of the season and hit you up then.

And another reminder....May 5th is the cut-off to submit your team.   About 1/2 the people have selected their team thus far.  Please get them in as soon as you can.