Summer Newsletter ‘15

VOL. XXV1 No. 2

August 3, 2015

One-game playoff North Dakota vs. "What Eric Said"

Playoffs: New Orleans vs. Constantinople

Playoffs: Future Wax vs. "What Eric Said"

World Series: Future Wax vs. New Orleans

New League Records and Home/Away records

Minutes of Annual Meeting and Draft April 4, 2015

Summer Study No. 1 - Injuries in the SOMBILLA

Summer Study No. 2 - 2011 Draft Analysis

Summer Study No. 3 - The Cutue Ratings

Summer Stidy No. 4 - July Madness

All-star count

Ballparks

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Playoffs

One game playoff: North Dakota vs. “What Eric Said” (at Holliston February 22, 2015)

Background:  ND and WES enter the final month of the season tied for 4th at 22-22. But after ND loses 3 of 4 to OC,  WES beats CN 3 of 4 to open up a 2 game lead with one week to go. But “[w]ith a result that likely pisses off Jeff, Jed, and Robin, North Dakota swept The Pierogies to set up a final night of the season showdown for 4th place between ND and WES.”

To his credit, Jeff did not despair after losing 2 of the first 3 games, coming back to win game 4, 5-1 .  And so, it was inevitable - after a close, hard fought four games, it all came down to a one-game playoff between WES and ND.  At that point, the difference in the teams was the difference in bullpen depth.  ND already had 2 of its relievers with arms having fallen off (Reed and Clippard), while WES had its entire 7-man bullpen intact with plenty of innings,  This created matchup problems all game for ND (which also had 1/3 of its lineup down to 2-4 at bats due to their own playing limitations).  Extended one game too far, ND was held to 3 hits, and Jeff managed his pen to perfection.  (ND could have helped themselves with some better in-game managing as well).  In the 5-game series, WES actually scored first in every game, and in game 57, they jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Longoria's rbi in the 1st. Freeman's HR off Wainright made it a 2-0 in the 4th.  ND managed to score in the 4th against Buchholz (who had only 3 1/3 inns to start the game, but the bylaws clearly indicated he was eligible to start).  Castro's insurance homer in the 7th was all she wrote for ND, and WES squeezes into the playoffs, 3-1. 

New Orleans vs. Constantinople (at Natick March 4, 2015)

Background:

Both teams are picked to make the playoffs in the pre-season poll, and both finish November at .500, only 2 games out as parity hits the league at the start.  Both teams play well in December (CN 8-4, NO 7-5) to claim 2nd and 3rd place at the holiday break.  No slumps for either team in January (CN 7-5, NO 10-6) helps them (along with FW) open up a 3 game lead over the pack of teams fighting for the wildcard spot.  They both finish the way the started – a .500 month – to finish with identical 31-25 records.  New Orleans finishes in 2nd place by virtue of winning its season series vs. CN, 5-3 

Game 1:

In a series where New Orleans got all of the rolls when they needed them, they got out to a quick 2-0 lead after two innings and that was all that was needed as Sale (controversial first game starter), Fernandez (pitching out of the bullpen for the series) and Koji pitched a combined two hit shutout.  Ball park factor played a huge part in the victory as the Manatees missed three ballpark homeruns in NO’s massive ballpark (1-3 HR).

New Orleans 2 Constantinople 0

Game 2:

Doc Ellis’ crew gets off to another quick lead, 4-0 after three and 6-1 after four, but the pesky Manatees cut the lead to 6-5 in the top of the 7^th. New Orleans scores two big insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning, and the Fernandez/Koji duo hold the lead for the 8-5 win.  Ballpark again played a factor as CN missed two BP home runs and NO hit one.

New Orleans 8 Constantinople 5

Game 3:

Series shifts to the Manatees bandbox, and this 14 inning marathon game 3 was the turning point.  New Orleans again jumps out to a quick lead, 2-0 after three and 3-2 after six innings.  Mike Trout ties the game at 3 with a solo shot in the 8^th off of Gray.  At this point, the small park (1-19) plays very big – CN bullpen pitches 7 shutout inning of stellar relief.  The key bottom of the 13^th inning: Trout opens the inning with a single, Quentin doubles, and Adams walks – and then the Manatees proceed to have the THREE runners thrown out at the plate to keep the score tied.  This gives the dormant New Orleans bats life, and they proceed to score 5 runs in the top of the 14^th on Werth and Soriano HR’s.

New Orleans 8 Constantinople 3 (14 innings)

Game 4:

In what was the theme of the series, the team that took the early lead won the game, and game 4 was no different as the Manatees took a 3-0 lead after three, which was more than enough for Zimmerman and three relievers to hold for the 5-2 win to stave off the sweep.  CN hit 4 HR’s in the game.

Constantinople 5  New Orleans 2 

Game 5:

New Orleans bounced back quickly from the game 4 loss, scoring 8 runs in the first inning (it would have been more but Cano missed a 1-19 BPHR chance) to take an 8-0 lead after one.  The New Orleans manager, dreaming of dinner and wondering whom he’d rather play between Jeff and Randy didn’t realize there were 8 more innings to go.  In the third, Harper hits a 2 run shot to make it 8-2.  A Rasmus solo HR in the 4th makes it 8-3…a Martin solo HR in the 5^th makes it 8-4, and then Rasmus’s second HR of the game is a 2 run shot in the 6^th (off of Fernandez) to cut it 8-6 New Orleans.  However, New Orleans is able to add an unearned run in the 7^th, tack on another in the 8^th and 2 in the 9^th for the series ending win as the Fernandez/Koji duo close the series out.

New Orleans 12 Constantinople 8

New Orleans d. Constantinople 4 games to 1.  New Orleans is in the World Series after two consecutive last place finishes.

Future Wax vs. “What Eric Said” (at Natick, March 4, 2015)

Background:

Chosen 2nd in the pre-season poll, FW starts out hot (10-6) and never looks back, essentially finishing in first place wire to wire. An 8-4 December gives the Wax an 18-10 record and a 2 game lead at the break. A mediocre (6-6) January has CN and NO breathing down their backs, both only one game out with a month to go. But a 10-6 final month gives FW the pennant with a 3-game cushion.

Chosen 7th in the pre-season poll, Jeff is in the hunt for the wildcard from the get-go after a 6-6 November.  But they lose 3 of 4 to FW just before Christmas and are in 5th place at 13-15. After winning series from both OC and The Pierogies after the break, WES is looking good for the playoffs.  But he gets swept by Harold at the end of January bash to drop back to .500 to set up a wild final month (see above).

Future Wax beat “What Eric Said” 5-3 in the season series.

Game 1:

The Wax seemed out of step, with a Seager error leading directly to the 2-run Puig homer that provided the margin in game one.

“What Eric Said” 6  Future Wax 4 

Game 2:

Stanton’s potentially game-tying blast came up just short of the fence in game two.  FW has missed four right-handed ballpark shots in the first two games (1-6 chance).

“What Eric Said” 4  Future Wax 2

Game 3:

The first pivotal moment of the series occurred midway through Game 3. Future Wax was on the ropes two games to 0, and now, in game 3, Randy trailed Jeff 4-0 going into the 7th inning. A Moss blast made it 4-1, but the game, and season, seemed to be slipping away from FW.

Then in the 8th, the tide turned. McCutchen singled to chase starter Iwakuma. Chapman came in and dispatched pinch-hitter Mercer and Aramis Ramirez, but then walked Castillo. Righty specialist Carpenter was brought in to deal with the dangerous Stanton, only to walk him to load the bases. Now the lefty Torres was summoned to face league-RBI leader Moss, only to walk a pinch-hitting Dozier, forcing in a run. Scheppers seeks the final out against Upton to limit the damage, but Justin rips a bases-clearing double down the line, giving FW its first lead of the series. Freeman boots a Hill grounder, yielding an insurance run, and suddenly FW is up 6-4. Cishek strikes out the side in the 9th, and FW is back from the brink of elimination.

Future Wax 6  “What Eric Said” 4

Game 4:

After WES blew another 4 run lead, to lose 9-7, the series was now tied.

Future Wax 9  “What Eric Said” 7

Game 5:

The second pivotal moment of the series came in Game 5. Game 5 was a mirror image of the previous two games, with FW jumping out to a 6-0 lead, only to see it erode under the relentless pressure from WES hitters. A Stanton error, another Puig homer, 2 runs on 3 hits in the 7th, and a Holliday solo shot in the 8th, and it was a one-run game, 6-5. FW's 7th pitcher, Rosenthal, seems ready to close the deal, but a Moss error allows Jeff to load the bases with two-outs. Freeman is up, +11 in the clutch, about the best matchup Jeff could hope for -- and he strikes out.

Future Wax 6  “What Eric Said” 5

Game 6:

The final pivotal moment came at the midpoint of game 6. FW is up 5-2, but WES is looking for another comeback. With 2 on and 2 out in the 4th, McCann hits a deep fly to RF (ballpark HR chance 1-18). The WES dugout goes silent, but an 18 roll means Puig (RF-1) has a bead on it (caught on 4-20), but the second roll is a 1. (At that point, the visiting WES fans threw pens on the field and headed for the exits.) Final score 8-3.

In summary, after coming within 4 outs of being down 0-3, Future Wax storms back and takes the series, 4 games to 2.

Kudos to Jeff on a great season and on putting together a solid team that could have easily advanced to the World Series if a few pivotal moments had turned out differently.

Future Wax wins series 4 games to 2

World Series

Future Wax vs. New Orleans (at Marblehead, March 14, 2015)

Background: This is the 5th time Harold and Randy have met in the SOMBILLA World Series, but the first one in 13 years.  The others:

2002  Future Wax wins in 7 games

2001  New Orleans wins in 6 games

1998  Future Wax in 6 games

1992  Future Wax in 4 games

1991  Future Wax in 4 games

Game 1:

Future Wax takes Game 1 on a 3-run Mercer ballpark homer (1-6 chance) with 2-outs in the 5^th, on the way to a 5-3 win for Future Wax.

Game 2:

Hosmer's 3-run balpark blast (1-16) in Game 2 evens it out, and Harvey and company nail down a 5-0 win for New Orleans.

Game 3:

Deja vu. Future Wax hits another 3-run, 2-out ballpark homer in the 5^th inning of Game 3 (1-3 chance), this time by Aramis Ramirez. But Harold posts 3 runs as well, and the game goes into extra innings. Randy uses 8 pitchers, Harold uses 9. Harold's last two, Kuroda and Nova, surrender 3 runs in the 12^th for a 7-4 Wax win.

Game 4:

Randy's ballpark homer luck went into the Twilight Zone in game 4: nailing three BP-HRs on a 1-3 chance in three attempts, for a 6-1 win. (As unbelievable as that was, if all those rolls were changed to outs, but nothing else in the game changed, Future Wax would still have won 2-1).

Game 5

With his season on the line, Harold’s Harvey bested Scherzer for a second time (4-0) in Game 5, to send the series back to Waxville.

Game 6

In Game 6, Randy got an early lead on a – wait for it – 3-run ballpark homer from Hamilton (an easy 1-18 chance). Strasburg is gone after 2/3 of an inning. Through 4, Future Wax was up 6-0 and Bumgarner was working on a perfect game. Then the wheels fell off, and he gave up 5 consecutive hits, including homers to Soriano and Desmond, making it a 1-run game. An inning later, Cano and Desmond blasts put Harold up 8-6, but FW immediately takes the lead back 9-8 when McCutchen goes yard. Harold counters with a Sanchez double that knocks in the tying run – but also sees Mauer thrown out at the plate (on a blocking the plate roll). Just like Game 2, both teams empty their bullpens: all 17 available pitchers. But this time, Harold plates 3 in extra frames (the 14^th) – on 3 singles and a Hill error to force a game 7.

Game 7

Game 7!! Kershaw vs. Sale for the third time, with everyone except Uehara (used up in extra innings of game 6) in the pens. Upton hits a solo shot in the 1^st. Harold ties it in the 6^th when Sanchez clubs a 2-out double with Wright on first. Wright scores when the throw home (1-15 chance) is cut off and Sanchez (1-4) is thrown out heading for 3^rd. (The roll is 18, so if the throw hadn't been cut...)

In the bottom of the frame, Hill doubles for FW with 2 on and no outs. Hamilton scores, but Bruce is cut down at the plate (on another roll of 18) when Harold elects NOT to cut the throw. But Hill gets to third, and scores on a Ramirez single. Then, in the 8^th, Cano and Desmond homer back to back for NO to chase Kershaw and tie the score at 3-3.

Cut to the bottom of the 9^th, two outs and Seager on first. Reyes rips an open double to CF off Fernandez (in his 3^rd inning of relief). Seager is waved around by the 3^rd base coach, (speed 13, +1 not held, +2 for two-outs, Ellsbury 0 arm) and scores the World Series winning run. Game 7 walk off for Future Wax!

Future Wax wins series 4 games to 3

This is the 2^nd time in league history we’ve had a walkoff run to end it in 7 games.  The other time?  1988 when Future Wax (and Andrew) pinch-hit for Eric Davis with Strawberry against the Learned Hands’ Eichhorn in the 11^th inning of game 7.  (The following year was Harold’s first year in the league when he and Durga inherited that very same Learned Hands, the direct ancestor of today’s New Orleans).

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In past years, I’ve sent the following information in a separate email, usually in May.  But I didn’t get around to it, so I’m just putting it here now.

New SOMBILLA record set this year:

Closest to .500 home/away, league:  113-112  Old record: 113-111 '03-04 and '04-05.  (The odd number of games is due to the one-game playoff this year).

It gets harder every year to find new records.

Home and Away record this year:

HOME                       AWAY

Randy  18-10   .643        Harold 16-12  .571
Jeff   16-13   .552        Tom    16-12  .571
Tom    15-13   .536        Randy  16-12  .571  
Harold 15-13   .536        Arnie  15-14  .517
Robin  14-14   .500        Jeff   14-14  .500
Arnie  14-14   .500        Robin  12-16  .429
Jed    11-17   .393        Jed    12-16  .429
Eric   10-18   .357        Eric   11-17  .393
TOTALS 113-112 .502             112-113  .498

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THOUGHTS WHILE THINKING ABOUT THE SUMMER NEWSLETTER

Minutes of Annual Meeting and Draft April 4, 2015

1.  Dues.   Jed and Eric still owe me $9.00.   I accept PayPal!  Send to arnold.pollinger@fmr.com

2. Awards Voting - 5 points for 1st place, 3 for 2nd place, 1 for 3rd place.  Since managers cannot vote for their own players, 7 votes would be a unanimous vote. 

MVP 1 2 3 Tot

Trout, CN         3    1    1   19

Moss, FW          2    2    1   17

Cano, NO          1    3    1   15

C. Davis, BC      1    1    1    9

Puig, WES         1    1         8

Werth, NO                   2    2

Cuddyer, NO                 1    1

Harper, CN                  1    1

Cy Young 1 2 3 Tot

Zimmerman, CN     3    1    2   20

Kershaw, FW       1    2    1   12

Sale, NO          2         1   11

Wainright, ND     1    1    1    9

Kimbrel, ND            2    2    8

Uehara, NO        1    1         8

Scherzer, FW           1    1    4

Manager of the Year 1 2 3 Tot

Randy                3    4          27

Harold               2    4    1     23

Jeff                 3         3     18

Tom                            4      4

3.   Presentation of the Richman Cup by last year's champion, Arnie, to this year’s champion, Randy.

4. Rule change proposals

1. Agreement on cutting players and waiver draft.

We spent a few minutes agreeing to the time for the waiver draft and cutting of players.

2. Going for the lead etiquette

Tom and Arnie, in a moment of rare agreement, requested the league amend the “you must announce the pinch-hitter before going for the lead rule”.  After much discussion, and an even longer pre-draft newsletter write-up, the league agreed to the following playing etiquette amendments:

1. Batting team accidentally goes for the lead before announcing the pinch-hitter, but doesn’t get the lead.  The batting team can rescind the roll to go for the lead, and is allowed to pinch-hit.   The failed lead is counted toward a new pitcher (if any).  The offense does not get a chance to steal against a possible inferior hold nor a second unwarranted chance to get the lead.

2. Batting team accidentally goes for the lead before announcing the pinch-hitter, and gets caught stealing.  The batting manager can still pinch-hit, but the CS counts.

3. Batting team accidentally goes for the lead before announcing the pinch-hitter, and gets a SB.  Batting manager is not allowed to pinch-hit.  Alternatively, batting mgr can rescind the SB and pinch-hit.  If the pinch-hit triggers a pitching change, the batting manager can reroll for the lead.  If there is no pitching change, batting manager cannot reroll for the lead.

These changes were approved by acclamation.

3. Post-season Roster (hitters). A team may change his or her post-season roster by substituting as many unlimited batters who had at one point been on the roster for the same number of batters who ended the season on the eligible playoff roster before each of the two possible post-season series.

This passed 6-2.  A proposal to cap the number of substitutions was rejected 5-3.

4. Before each of the two possible post-season series, a team may change his or her postseason roster by substituting any pitcher who had at one point been on the roster, for a pitcher who ended the season on the eligible playoff roster as long as he has more playoff innings than the pitcher being substituted for,

This passed 6-1, with 1 abstention.

5. A proposal by Eric to be allowed to use his 24 draft minutes was withdrawn.

6. Randy proposed getting rid of the catcher blocking the plate rule (in light of changes by MLB). 

This failed to pass 4-4.

5. Card burning.  The league burned Ervin Santana, who had just been suspended for PEDs..

6. Draft Notes

One trade was made on draft day – Tom traded his 3rd and 7th round picks in 2016 for Lorenzo Cain (drafted by Jeff in the 7th round) and Segura.

Retread report.

• The first redrafted player taken was Mickey Brantley – 5th overall. He was cut by Robin last year
• Robin redrafted Wade Davis in the 3rd round
• CN redrafted Jake Arrieta (drafted by Jeff 4 years ago) in the 3^rd round
• Jed redrafted reliever Pat Neshek in the 4th round
• Tom picked up former Wax Seth Smith in the 8th round
• Wax drafted former New Orleans Adam LaRoche in the 8th round
• Former ND pitcher Derek Holland was picked up by WES in the 10th
• Former Wax pitcher Scott Kazmir was picked up by Arnie in the 11^th.
• Tom picked up former ND (and OC) shortstop Jimmy Rollins in the 12th
• And with the Spooneybarger pick in the 14th round, Tom snagged former OC pitcher Joakim Soria

SUMMER STUDY NO. 1 – Injuries in the SOMBILLA

With the demise of the Couch of Woe, a flurry of emails around the league brought to the forefront the always topical injury discussion.  Seeing as it’s been 10 years since the last injury study, an update is in order.

Ideally, we would examine a historical list of all players who have gone on the DL, say, over the past 10 years, and add ‘em up. Or something like that. Although such data exists, it’s ridiculously difficult to sift through, while trying to determine which players were actually in the league at the time of the injury.  So, I won’t.

Right now

At the all-star break, 42 of the league’s 360 players were on the DL, or 12%. They were spread not so evenly among the league’s teams. Unlike the all-star lists, you don’t want your team to be at or near the top:

NO – Vazquez, Morneau, A, Gordon, Wright, Wheeler, Strasburg, Werth, D. Gordon

BC – Mcab, Harrison, Cobb, Myers, Aoki, Odorizzi, Darvish

WES – Freeman, Cozart, Medlen, Garza, Holliday, D. Holland

PR – Dickerson, Weaver, Alvarez, Utley, Furbush, Zimmerman

ND – Perdoia, Nava, C Lee, Wainwright

OC – Mesoraco, Prado, d’Arnaud, Rendon, Bautista

FW – Springer, Stanton, Profar, A. Sanchez, Stroman, Scherzer

CN – W. Peralta, Doolittle, Adams

But that’s just a snapshot in time. It doesn’t prove anything and you can’t draw any conclusions from it. Indeed, the snapshot would’ve been different in May, and will be different again in September (except for people like Darvish, Wainwright, or Profar out for the season).

1. Fluke injuries.

Pitchers get sore arms. Players pull hamstrings. These are normal, almost expected. But occasionally, weird, inexplicable injuries occur to players. Is this a random occurrence by team or not? Well, some teams clearly are more susceptible to weird injuries. Coincidence?   At first I was going to list just the collection of some of the strangest injuries over the past 10 years affecting SOMBILLA players by team, but then I decided – what the heck, I’ll throw in all of the older weird injuries as well.  (Listed in order of weird injury count):

Robin:

• Clint Barmes. The 2005 NL Rookie of the Year candidate short-circuited his season, and ultimately his career, by taking a tumble on a flight of stairs while carrying groceries. Barmes, who injured his left shoulder, later admitted he was actually hauling a slab of deer meat procured while hunting with teammate Todd Helton.
• Alcides Escobar missed time due to a bug bite.
• Chris Davis went on the DL after “sleeping on his shoulder wrong.”
• Dominic Brown hurt his neck sleeping on the bus; DL
• Casey Kotchman suffers hand injury trying to prevent a pop-up machine from falling (and his batting average – Robin).  Kotchman also suffered from mononucleosis.
• Victor Martinez needed eight stitches after cutting his hand on a bat rack.
• Pablo Sandoval hurt his elbow when got hit on the elbow with a pitch.  That he swung and missed at.
• Conor Jackson lost almost a full season to Valley Fever, which turned into pneumonia.
• Giants head-case third baseman Chris Brown (now deceased, a murder victim) once begged out of the lineup because of a strained eyelid. He claimed he "slept on it wrong."
• Brewers pitcher Steve Sparks dislocated his shoulder trying to tear a *telephone book* in half as part of a motivational speech.
• Pitcher Greg Harris once "strained his elbow" while "flicking sunflower seeds."
• P Ricky Bones once hurt his lower back getting out of a chair while watching TV in the clubhouse, or so he claimed.
• RF Sammy Sosa throws his back out after sneezing.
• Pitcher Dave Dravecky has arm amputated due to cancer.
• Pitcher Dave Leiper undergoes open heart surgery.
• Andres Torres undergoes mid-season appendectomy and returns in 12 days after surgery – causing his batting average to plummet.
• I. Rodriguez breaks thumb after being hit by M. Vaughn’s bat on follow-through
• Sid Fernandez run over by golf cart. Also injured due to being hit by foul while sitting in dugout.
• Greg Walker disabled due to seizure in locker room caused by previously undiagnosed epilepsy.
• David Cone out after mother-in-law’s dog bit him on pitching hand.
• R. Ankiel (see 2000 draft - 1^st round) mysteriously contracts Steve Blass disease during the playoffs.
• Alex Fernandez goes on DL for some legitimate reason and gains 30 pounds.

• Tom Gordon hurts shoulder after losing a bet and having to carry (Bay City teammate) Jim Corsi’s luggage. (Roger "we have to carry our own luggage" Clemens should have bet Gordon, too. And, no, not that kind of luggage).

Eric

· Raul Ibanez missed time because of a sleeping injury. Seriously. It’s certainly not the most glamorous-sounding sports injury in history.

• Dioner Navarro was coming off the field when he missed a dugout step on his way to the bench. He reached for something to try to break his fall, and sliced open his hand on the netting designed to protect players from foul balls.
• Brandon Inge strained his oblique moving a pillow for his 3-year old.
• Jered Weaver missed a start after cutting his hand getting up from the bench.
• Scott Downs broke his toe while playing with his kids.
• Adrian Gonzalez hurt his back greeting a child at the mall.
• Gio Gonzalez gets rug burn on forehead after wrestling with his dog.
• Josh Beckett caught his thumb in a set of doors leading to the clubhouse.
• Adrian Gonzalez left an exhibition game against Team Australia with tightness in his back. He said the injury stems from walking around Sydney and s ightseeing.
• Akinori Otsuka was nailed by a flying bat while giving his John Hancock to fans before a game.
• Hunter Pence was the talk of spring training after he suffered lacerations on his knee and right index finger from walking through a sliding glass door at his apartment in Kissimmee while hot-tubbing with a female friend.
• A. J. Burnett took out his aggression on a pair of swinging doors. After a particularly rough half-inning, the hard-throwing righty went into the clubhouse and slammed his open hands into the doors, cutting them up badly in the process.
• Josh Outman was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained oblique he suffered while vomiting from food-poisoning.
• Jonathan Lucroy fractured a fifth metacarpal in his right hand and was placed on the 15-day DL. It occurred during an accident in his hotel room when he was reaching for a sock under the bed and his wife bumped a suitcase that fell on his right hand.
• Bad pillow positioning resulted in a stiff neck for outfielder J.D. Drew, who missed a few games
• Home is where St. Louis catcher Mike Matheny's 2000 season ended, when he severed two tendons and a nerve on his right ring finger, after he cut himself with a hunting knife he received as a birthday present.
• Outfielder Brian Jordan injured his back while picking up his son at Disneyland.

RAT

• Carlos Zambrano injured his neck while watching late night TV.
• Jeremy Guthrie was on his way to the stadium when the chain on his Cannondale Hooligan bicycle became detached. The right-hander was thrown from the bike and jammed his throwing shoulder.
• Josh Hamilton missed 5 games because of drinking too much caffeine. He missed many more games for not-so-weird substance abuse.
• Jhonny Peralta was scratched from a start after an allergic reaction to clam chowder.
• Profar was ruled out for 10-12 weeks after tearing a muscle in his shoulder back in March while rolling out of bed.
• The only reason it was the last swing of Jim Edmonds' year, and possibly his career, is that he popped his Achilles on the way around third base.
• Doug Mirabelli sprained his wrist trying to swing Ortiz's lumber.
• Craig Coughlan suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee after planting a pie in the face of teammate Wes Helms, who had just hit a game-winning single.
• Lance Berkman injured his right knee when he slipped going down the steps while getting off the plane.
• Matt Mantei needed four stitches in his right thumb after cutting it while opening a can of dog food just before spring training 2002. Mantei was *already on rehab*.
• Early in spring training 2002, Matt Williams broke his leg when he tripped over his own feet during a workout. Williams, whose latter career was injury-filled, was attempting to show the Arizona organization he was healthy enough to start at third again.
• During spring training 2002, Giants' 2B Jeff Kent suffered a broken wrist, telling the team (and the public) that this injury happened while the slugger was washing his truck. A few days later, though, the truth came out. It seems he was riding his motorcycle when he broke that wrist, an activity expressly forbidden by the second baseman's contract. But the story doesn't end there. It seems Kent was riding near the Giants' spring ballpark, doing wheelies! Then, after a 911 call due to the injury, he calls someone who WORKS FOR THE GIANTS to come get his damaged bike. Little wonder he left SF after that season.
• Oddibe McDowell once missed Opening Day because cut his finger buttering a roll. . . at the team's "welcome home luncheon."
• Juan Gonzalez's back acted up after a bad sneeze.
• David Wells said he lost his balance after kicking a 40-pound iron bar stool. According to Wells, when he fell he was holding a glass and subsequently cut his left hand and a tendon in his right wrist.
• In 1985, Giants pitcher Greg Minton showed up at spring training hurt, after he drove a nail through the middle of his pitching hand while trying to shoe a horse.

Arnie

• Justin Turner was scratched after going to the emergency room when a pimple on his leg turned into an infection.
• Andrew Cashner accidentally stabbed in the hand while cleaning a carcass after hunting.

• There are few thrills in professional sports like hitting a home run, but it wasn't all roses for Luke Scott. He pulled a hamstring during his home trot .
• Ian Kennedy was scratched from his scheduled start after cutting his right index finger while washing dishes.
• Hanley Ramirez cut his hand when he hit an electric fan after returning to the dugout following a sixth-inning groundout against the Cardinals on July 8, 2012. He left the game and received stitches for the injury. "Very stupid injury," manager Ozzie Guillen told reporters. "Very immature. ... You make an out, you hit something and you injure it, you don't just hurt yourself, you hurt the ballclub.”
• Ramon Ramirez to the disabled list after straining his right hamstring during the postgame celebration. Ramirez was injured running onto the field with teammates to mob Santana after he finished the first no-hitter in Mets history.
• Ryan Klesko once overexerted himself and pulled a muscle ... while picking up his lunch tray.
• Glenallen Hill, of the Toronto Blue Jays at the time, was deathly afraid of spiders. He cut his foot when he ran into a glass table while sleepwalking. Actually, he was sleeprunning in mortal terror while dreaming he was being chased by a spider. In an effort to get away from the imaginary creatures, Hill climbed the stairs in his apartment and scraped his knees and elbows on the carpet. "When I woke up I was on a couch and my wife, Mika, was screaming, 'Honey, wake up,'" Hill, held up by crutches, told reporters at the stadium the next day. In order to corroborate his alibi, Hill offered reporters the chance to come to his apartment to see the blood stains on the carpet.
• Believe it or not, nobody was upset with Jason Isringhausen when he stabbed himself opening a package, although when he punched a trash can, people got a bit testy.

• Rick Honeycutt injured his wrist while flicking sunflower seeds in the dugout.

• Padres pitcher Adam Eaton missed a start after stabbing himself in the stomach with a small knife while trying to cut the shrink-wrap off a DVD. Eaton needed two stitches.
• Pitcher Paul Shuey fell asleep while holding his baby and suffered a knot in his shoulder.
• Outfielder Ruben Sierra once showed up to the ballpark with a sprained ankle, thanks to chasing his daughter on a mall escalator.

Harold

• David Robertson suffers foot sprain carrying empty boxes down 8 flights of stairs.
• After the final out of Beckett’s no hitter, AJ Ellis was just following the standard post-no-hitter playbook by sprinting toward the infield with his teammates and leaping into the air (which was the only thing available to leap into). But then he made a big mistake -- by coming back to earth. Where he landed on a catcher’s mask. And not even his own. It was the mask of Drew Butera, who caught Beckett that day and fired his mask into -- you guessed it -- the air after the final out. But the mask also returned to earth, where it waited for Ellis to land on it
• Francisco Liriano broke his arm while slamming into a door in order to scare his kids.
• Frustrated over his lack of pitching control, Oliver Perez chose to take his anger out on the team's laundry bucket in the locker room. The laundry bucket won, giving Perez a broken toe and a trip to the DL.
• Kevin Brown The cantankerous hurler punched a wall in frustration and broke his non-pitching hand after being removed from a start in 2004.
• David Freese was working out when he accidentally dropped a weight on the big toe of his left foot. On the bright side, Freese was already on the disabled list with a sprained right ankle.
• Working his way back from elbow surgery, Joba Chamberlain suffered an open dislocation of his right ankle while playing with his 5-year-old son on a trampoline.
• Carl Pavano had a "freak accident" while shoveling snow at his Vermont home. He slipped on ice and fell onto a shovel handle, which jammed into his midsection. Four days later, he felt a "sudden wave of abdominal pain and nausea" -- he had lacerated his spleen.
• Rick Honeycutt, this time playing for Yitz, suffered a large scratch across the forehead when he, after being ejected for scuffing the ball with a tack taped to his finger, wiped his brow in frustration.
• Nolan Ryan was bitten by a coyote.
• Matt Anderson, Tigers' relief pitcher, once tore a muscle in his shoulder after participating in an octopus-throwing contest. He was allegedly trying to win Red Wings playoff tickets. Anderson "emphatically denied" that is what happened in many published reports, meaning it must be true, of course.

• Kevin Mitchell strained a muscle while vomiting.

Jeff

· Phillies reliever Antonio Bastardo was unavailable to pitch after he apparently was ticked off after allowing three runs (two charged to starter Cole Hamels) in relief against the Twins. The reliever took out his frustration on a squat machine, and the squat machine “returned the favor.” Bastardo reportedly ended up with a cut over his left eye, and the eye was nearly swollen shut.

· Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus was scratched from spring training action because of “sensitivity” in his left biceps. How did his arm get so irritated? From being tattooed for hours. Andrus spent nine hours getting a massive portrait of his father, Emilo, who died in 1996, tattooed on his left arm

· Michael Taylor sliced his finger after he hit his hand on a light fixture in the team’s dugout while throwing his gum away.

· Hisashi Iwakuma strained middle finger on his throwing hand. However, the injury didn’t happen while he was throwing. Instead, he got it caught in a net, the protective movable screen used for batting practice.

· Miami Marlins pitcher Henderson Alvarez was scratched from a start because of an infection in his right shin from an ingrown hair.

• K-Rod stepped on a cactus in his bare feet in 2013 spring training.
• Catcher-DH Mickey Tettleton got an infected foot from tying his shoelaces too tight.
• Five-time batting champion Wade Boggs missed a week when he lost his balance putting on his cowboy boots and fell into a couch.
• How was Bret Barberie supposed to know that you temporarily lose your vision if you accidentally rub chili sauce in your eyes?
• George Brett hit his foot on a chair and broke his toe while running from the kitchen to the TV to see Bill Buckner hit.
• DL- sneezing Goose Gossage. "I'm embarrassed as hell," Gossage said at the time. "But they say it's one of the most common ways (to hurt your back). You drop a bar of soap and hurt it. Or you put your shoes or socks on and hurt it. It happens."

Jed

• Rafel Furcal injured his thumb after he tripped over a rope near the batting cage.
• Matt Holliday left a game after a moth flew into his ear.
• Lucas Duda fractured his wrist while moving furniture.
• Cubs' pitcher Ryan Dempster went on the DL with a fractured right big toe suffered while tying to jump the dugout railing to celebrate a Chicago victory.
• Joel Zumaya missed three games of the 2006 ALCS after developing inflammation in his right wrist from playing the video game Guitar Hero.
• David Price left a preseason game with minor neck spasms sustained while he was drying his neck with a towel between innings. "It's happened to me two times before," Price explained. "The towel just catches the back of my head and it pulls my neck forward. I just felt it a little bit in back of my neck and just wanted to be cautious with it."
• Braves pitcher John Smoltz burned his chest trying to steam iron a shirt HE WAS WEARING AT THE TIME.
• Slugger Rob Deer, who holds the dubious distinctions of leading the league in strikeouts four times while finishing his career with 556 more strikeouts (1,409) than hits (853), once broke his hand, how else, by striking out.
• The Twins Marty Cordova once had to "limit his playing time in day games," because he fell asleep in a tanning bed.

Tom

· Bryce Harper took 10 stitches above his left eye after smashing a bat against a wall in frustration.

· “The ham and cheese sandwich that attacked Matt Cain”. All right, to be technical, it wasn’t the ham, the cheese or the sandwich itself that assaulted Cain. It was the knife he was using to finish off that sandwich. Cain told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman that he’s managed to successfully make sandwiches, and cut them with a knife, many times. But with this one, he “went to cut it, to make it fancy in triangles.” And, alas, the knife cut more than his fancy this time. He was slicing away when he dropped the knife, tried to catch it and learned an important lesson: Knives are sharp. That’s why they’re used to cut fancy triangles in sandwiches instead of, say, fingers.

· In 2006, Matt Wise cut his hand on salad tongs at the team buffet.

· In 2011, Indians' rookie Jason Kipnis strained his hamstring while stretching to avoid, you know, straining his hamstring.

· Who can forget Kendry Morales, who went from elation to disappointment in a matter of seconds as he broke his leg celebrating a walkoff grand slam against Seattle. The injury caused him to miss the rest of the season.

• Russell Branyan missed time with a foot injury after waking up in a hotel room at 5 a.m. to shut the curtains. In his half-sleep, Branyan knocked over a table and cut his toe,
• "DL-Sneezing," pitcher Marc Valdes in 1995.

1. Deaths.

On a more somber note, a few SOMBILLA players have actually died while on active rosters, none in the past 10 years, thankfully:

• The first SOMBILLA death occurred in the very first SOMBILLA season in 1979 when North Dakota starting catcher Thurman Munson died tragically in a plane crash.

• In the mid-80s, Robin’s relief pitcher Donnie Moore committed suicide (Robin adds "after learning he had 8 BP homers vs. lefties on his card").

• In the early 90’s a tragic boating accident claimed both Robin’s Steve Olin and Eric’s Tim Crews.

• Matt makes the study due to his pitcher Daryl Kile, who died in a Chicago hotel room.
• We certainly can’t forget about the deceased Oscar Tavares, whom Jeff attempted to draft in April.

Conclusion.

It may not be entirely based on a statistically valid sample size, but Robin’s team does appear to have an inordinate number of both normal (see current DL) and weird injuries and deaths, heading up every category in this unscientific study.  The Couch of Woe Effect is real.  But will it be sustained?

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SUMMER STUDY NO. 2 – Draft Analysis 2011

By Tom Kinney, edited by A&R

It is time for the 4-year draft retrospective analysis of the 2011 (Cards 2010) draft.  As I am writing this it is mid-July and as usual a very busy summer…We have 4 SOMBILLA Seasons, but note that we have partial or no data for the following seasons:

• Eric did not report any stats for 2014 (cards 2013)
• Harold reported for 2012 (44 games), 2011 (52 games), 2010 (24 games)

As a result, some of these teams players may lose out in the counting statistics (Wins, Saves, HRs, RBIs, SBs) and be more maligned that they deserve.

Round 1:

1. Robin - Buster Posey	0.271 / 0.322 / 0.379 / 0.701 (612 PA), 13 HR, 57 RBI, 0 SB	Still Owned
2. Jeff - Jason Heyward	0.231 / 0.311 / 0.339 / 0.65 (440 PA), 12 HR, 41 RBI, 3 SB	Traded Still Owned
3. Randy - Mike Stanton	0.241 / 0.323 / 0.457 / 0.78 (669 PA), 40 HR, 104 RBI, 1 SB	Still Owned
4. Tom - Carlos Santana	0.242 / 0.345 / 0.389 / 0.734 (229 PA), 8 HR, 23 RBI, 0 SB	Still Owned
5. Arnie - Starlin Castro	0.000 / 0.273 / 0.000 / 0.273 (11 PA), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 SB	Still Owned
6. Jed - Jose Bautista	0.207 / 0.333 / 0.393 / 0.726 (832 PA), 53 HR, 130 RBI, 4 SB	Still Owned
7. Eric - Jhoulys Chacin	3-3, 0 SV, 3.000 ERA, 42 K (39 IPS)	Cut in the last Draft
8. Harold - Stephen Strasburg	7-8, 0 SV, 3.986 ERA, 123 K (119.2 IPS)	Still Owned

Best Pick:  The once and future Giancarlo has been the best real life baseball player and all the players have worse stats in the SOMBILLA than one would expect.  He is the best RF for the future and in the current set.  Stanton is a human highlight machine hitting breathtaking homeruns to all fields.  Busty Posey comes close, as he is listed as the best C for the future and in the current set.   Posey’s bat is good enough that SF hopes that playing him at first will lengthen his career and effectiveness.  Either could have been the pick here.

Worst Picks:  This was also a two horse race.  Starlin Castro has never lived up to his early billing and may never be a starting SS in the SOMBILLA.  The Cubs are interested in trading him or letting him start a career elsewhere and if he ends up at 3B, I will predict a cut without him getting more SOMBILLA at bats.  Chacin was picked to fill a need for a partial year.  Eric was overly optimistic, but Chacin’s health and Coors has conspired to limit him to that first card.  Castro has a chance, but I am going to give him the nod.

Other:  Jed and Harold both took chances in the late part of this round.  The revamped Bautista swing amongst rumors of substances made Bautista risky, but he has out-performed the round in HR and RBIs but fell short in future value and on base/OPS values.  Strasburg is showing some signs of weakness this year, but he has been very good if not the #1 pitcher that he could still become.

Round 2:

9. Robin - Domonic Brown	0.205 / 0.241 / 0.329 / 0.57 (158 PA), 5 HR, 19 RBI, 1 SB	Cut 2015 waiver process
10. Randy - Daniel Hudson	1-3, 0 SV, 6.149 ERA, 23 K (33.2 IPS)	Cut  2014 waiver process
11. Jeff - Jeremy Hellickson	7-7, 0 SV, 3.759 ERA, 89 K (143.2 IPS)	Still Owned
12. Tom - Pedro Alvarez	0.231 / 0.268 / 0.500 / 0.768 (164 PA), 14 HR, 33 RBI, 0 SB	Still Owned
13. Robin - Logan Morrison	0.314 / 0.372 / 0.468 / 0.84 (94 PA), 0 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB	Cut 2013 waiver process
14. Jed - Brett Myers	5-6, 0 SV, 5.294 ERA, 61 K (102 IPS)	Cut 2013 waiver process
15. Eric - Drew Stubbs	0.320 / 0.404 / 0.474 / 0.878 (57 PA), 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB	Cut 2014 waiver process
16. Harold - Joaquin Benoit	2-1, 0 SV, 2.950 ERA, 32 K (39.2 IPS)	Traded Still Owned

Best Pick:  Benoit was a re-drafted pitcher (he had 3 good years (2005-2007) for CN as the best pick of that draft’s 7^th round) and may have even have had a career earlier than that…  He has had 2 seasons for Arnie (traded to him as part of the Ellsbury trade last year) and is the best relief card in the current set so he will get at least one more year for ND.  Alvarez was a power hitter that the Red Sox could not sign and CN hoped would have more value.  He still has that power potential so he might surprise when we look back after 10 years…

Worst Pick:  5 out of 8 picks in this round have been let go.  In a second round like this one, you have to go with the player that one of us had the most hope for – Dom Brown.  He has been a disappointment in Philadelphia as well.  The power shows up in short bursts but he never managed to hit or play enough defense to consistently crack the Phillies’ lineup let alone an All Star league like the SOMBILLA.

Other:. Daniel Hudson of the multiple surgeries was cut by Wax in the 2013 waiver process and then claimed back by Wax before I could take him and then they cut him in the next year.

Round 3:

17. Jeff - Shaun Marcum	8-10, 0 SV, 5.004 ERA, 92 K (154.2 IPS)	Cut in the 2014 waiver process
18. Jeff - Brandon Morrow	2-2, 0 SV, 3.857 ERA, 37 K (51.1 IPS)	Cut in the 2015 waiver process
19. Randy - Jonny Venters	5-0, 6 SV, 3.121 ERA, 70 K (57.2 IPS)	Cut in the 2014 waiver process
20. Tom - Tim Stauffer	1-4, 4 SV, 4.408 ERA, 20 K (32.2 IPS)	Cut After One Year, claimed by Jed and cut the next year
21. Arnie - Sean Marshall	2-3, 2 SV, 5.484 ERA, 65 K (64 IPS)	Cut in the 2014 waiver process
22. Jed - Colby Lewis	5-4, 0 SV, 5.088 ERA, 82 K (86.2 IPS)	Cut in the 2014 waiver process
23. Eric - Gio Gonzalez	8-12, 0 SV, 4.423 ERA, 186 K (195.1 IPS)	Still Owned
24. Jed - Evan Meek	2-5, 0 SV, 5.455 ERA, 33 K (33 IPS)	Cut After One Year

Best Pick:  You can look at this round in 2 ways: the only player still owned is Gio, who is below .500 but has eaten up a bunch of innings for Eric.  On the other hand, Johnny Venters has had the most success over his limited career.  Venters has had two Tommy John surgeries and probably will never throw another pitch in anger.  The third round over the drafts from 2006->2011 has seen 1, 5, 3, 2,  1  and 1 player (Gio) still owned five years later so maybe it is a round for short term results.  So I will give the slight nod to Venters.

Worst Pick:  No one was terrible in this round of short term pitching needs.  Evan Meek was cut after one year and not claimed, but Brandon Morrow pitched one season and then clogged a roster spot for four years.  I will give the nod to Evan though because he really did not do that much and Morrow at least had the flashy fastball that he couldn’t get over the plate.

Other:  Of particular interest to North Dakota – Colby Lewis and ND GM Arnie share a hip surgeon.  So far, Arnie has had the better post-surgery athletic results - Robin

Round 4:

25. Robin - Eric O'Flaherty	2-4, 8 SV, 1.765 ERA, 33 K (51 IPS)	Cut in 2014
26. Randy - John Axford	3-5, 13 SV, 4.408 ERA, 56 K (49 IPS)	Cut in 2015
27. Tom - Jed Lowrie	0.229 / 0.302 / 0.396 / 0.698 (53 PA), 2 HR, 12 RBI, 0 SB	Cut After One Year
28. Jeff - Hisanori Takahashi	0-1, 1 SV, 9.000 ERA, 20 K (22 IPS)	Cut After One Year
29. Arnie - Clay Hensley	2-1, 5 SV, 2.455 ERA, 25 K (29.1 IPS)	Cut After One Year
30. Jed - Aubrey Huff	0.189 / 0.268 / 0.317 / 0.585 (205 PA), 7 HR, 21 RBI, 1 SB	Traded to Robin who cut After One Year
31. Eric - Neil Walker	0.250 / 0.262 / 0.349 / 0.611 (195 PA), 4 HR, 18 RBI, 1 SB	Still Owned
32. Harold - Austin Jackson	0.238 / 0.321 / 0.343 / 0.664 (274 PA), 6 HR, 28 RBI, 6 SB	Still Owned

Best Pick:  Neil Walker has not had great numbers for Eric, but he is a solid defensive player who looks to have a future.  In MLB, he bats 2^nd or 4^th and provides power from the 2^nd base position.  He is projected to be a top 7 player which makes him a starter and he is currently a BP 8 vs. RHPs.  The only real competition here were 3 solid short term relief pitchers who did not do enough to overcome the potential of Walker.

Worst Pick:  Aubrey Huff looked to be exciting as he was drafted and then traded to Robin during the season.  But he never hit as well as he did in real life and can only be seen as a disappointment.  Maybe he is really cute and that makes all the difference (see Study 3). (Ed note: He’s cute but not ‘really cute’.  Also, I cut O’Flaherty before 2014 and redrafted him before cutting him again – Robin).

Round 5:

33. Robin - Danny Valencia	0.444 / 0.500 / 0.500 / 1 (70 PA), 0 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB	Cut in 2013
34. Jeff - Omar Infante	0.304 / 0.330 / 0.346 / 0.676 (191 PA), 1 HR, 22 RBI, 6 SB	Cut After One Year, to be claimed by Jed & traded to Robin
35. Randy - Ike Davis	0.253 / 0.335 / 0.455 / 0.79 (200 PA), 10 HR, 33 RBI, 0 SB	Cut in 2014
36. Tom - Jaime Garcia	3-2, 0 SV, 3.547 ERA, 37 K (45.2 IPS)	Cut in 2013
37. Arnie - Matt Joyce	0.234 / 0.309 / 0.392 / 0.701 (204 PA), 7 HR, 16 RBI, 2 SB	Still Owned after being cut claimed by Jed , cut again and claimed by Tom
38. Jed - Ryan Hanigan	0.191 / 0.354 / 0.268 / 0.622 (164 PA), 4 HR, 11 RBI, 0 SB	Cut in 2015
39. Eric - Brent Morel	No Stats	Cut in 2013
40. Harold - Joel Peralta	0-1, 3 SV, 2.647 ERA, 19 K (17 IPS)	Still Owned

Best Pick:  Not a great round, I have to choose between Ike Davis who was a backup 1B who never really did much but scare Loogies (‘Lefty One Out Guy’) or Jaime Garcia who looked to be a talented LH starter who blew out his arm when CN signed him.  (Same thing happened to Matt Moore, is there a pattern here.?  I am going to go with Jaimie Garcia by the narrowest of margins.

Worst Pick:  Brent Morel who never played and never looked all that good at any level.

Other:..Three of these players are still owned but they did not really enter into the conversation for best player.  Joel Peralta has 17 good innings but he is still owned and nearing 40 years old.  Joyce has been a professional left handed hitter, but he has been cut twice once by Arnie and once by Jed.  I regret picking him up instead of keeping Moustakas.  (Infante does not appear to be usable with 2014 or 2015 card – Robin).

Round 6:

41. Robin - Alex Gonzalez	0.283 / 0.353 / 0.474 / 0.827 (133 PA), 6 HR, 12 RBI, 0 SB	Cut in 2013 waiver process
42. Randy - Ryan Madson	1-1, 3 SV, 3.408 ERA, 34 K (34.1 IPS)	Cut After One Year and claimed by Robin and cut after one year
43. Jeff - Reid Brignac		Cut After One Year
44. Tom - John Buck	0.267 / 0.302 / 0.415 / 0.717 (106 PA), 3 HR, 16 RBI, 0 SB	Cut After One Year
45. Arnie - Josh Thole	0.304 / 0.418 / 0.327 / 0.745 (55 PA), 1 HR, 8 RBI, 2 SB	Cut in 2013 waiver process
46. Jed - Javier Lopez	1-2, 1 SV, 4.091 ERA, 14 K (22 IPS)	Cut in 2013 waiver process
47. Robin - Will Rhymes	0.000 / 0.000 / 0.000 / 0 (5 PA), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB	Cut After One Year (but turned out to be super cute – R)
48. Harold - John Jaso	0.098 / 0.281 / 0.078 / 0.359 (64 PA), 0 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB	Cut After One Year

Best Pick:  This round was a real washout, but we will give it to Madson who looked to be coming into his own as teams lined up to make him a closer but a couple of surgeries ended his SOMBILLA career.  He is having a resurgent year in MLB now and we wish him well in his post SOMBILLA career.

Worst Pick:  Reid Brignac and Will Rhymes did not contribute anything to their teams and share the worst pick honors.

Round 7:

49. Robin - Kija Ka'aihue		Cut After One Year
50. Jeff - Yorvit Torrealba	0.250 / 0.294 / 0.300 / 0.594 (170 PA), 2 HR, 15 RBI, 2 SB	Cut in 2013
51. Randy - Madison Bumgarner	4-7, 0 SV, 4.893 ERA, 105 K (103 IPS)	Still Owned
52. Randy - Mark Ellis	0.227 / 0.261 / 0.296 / 0.557 (115 PA), 2 HR, 9 RBI, 5 SB	Cut After One Year
53. Arnie - Ian Kennedy	7-5, 0 SV, 3.843 ERA, 71 K (89 IPS)	Cut in 2014
54. Jed - Daric Barton	0.267 / 0.329 / 0.415 / 0.744 (82 PA), 3 HR, 12 RBI, 0 SB	Cut After One Year
55. Eric - Chris Carter (Oak)		Cut After One Year
56. Harold - Jamey Carroll	0.287 / 0.340 / 0.338 / 0.678 (385 PA), 2 HR, 29 RBI, 6 SB	Cut in ??? (played 3 seasons)

Best Pick:  Madison Bumgarner has not shown it in the SOMBILLA but he has shown the most talent in MLB. He projects in the top 15 starters going forward so that makes him a potential #1 starter going forward.

Worst Pick:  Kija and Chris Carter can split this as flyers whom both teams cut after one season.

Round 8:

57. Robin - Alexi Ogando	8-5, 0 SV, 2.926 ERA, 71 K (107.2 IPS)	Still Owned
58. Randy - Drew Storen		Still Owned
59. Tom - Mitch Moreland	0.385 / 0.429 / 0.571 / 1 (14 PA), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB	Cut in 2012
60. Jeff - Jose Tabata	0.238 / 0.291 / 0.295 / 0.586 (244 PA), 3 HR, 18 RBI, 12 SB	Cut in 2013
61. Arnie - Edwin Jackson		Cut After One Year, claimed by Jed and Cut one year later
62. Jed - Brendan Ryan	0.250 / 0.250 / 0.250 / 0.5 (4 PA), 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB	Cut in 2013
63. Eric - Peter Bourjos		Cut in 2015
64. Harold - Jonathan Sanchez	3-1, 0 SV, 2.042 ERA, 41 K (39.2 IPS)	Cut in 2013

Best Pick:  Alexi Ogando is still owned (optimism as he was released and claimed by Boston before this season) and was the most effective player amongst the players taken this round.  He has been very effective as a reliever who dominated righties.

Worst Pick:  Drew Storen would take this as being still owned with no rewards for the team picking him, but he is the #35 reliever this year so he should do something.  I am going to go with Edwin Jackson because he is the most talented player of this group to do nothing at all either in SOMBILLA or as he has bounced around MLB.

Round 9-14:

65. Robin - Danny Espinosa	0.200 / 0.277 / 0.271 / 0.548 (155 PA), 3 HR, 11 RBI, 2 SB	Still Owned
66. Jeff - Jake Arrieta		Cut After One Year
67. Randy - Luke Scott	0.213 / 0.306 / 0.306 / 0.612 (144 PA), 4 HR, 18 RBI, 0 SB	Cut After One Year
68. Tom - Ernesto Frieri	0-1, 0 SV, 8.000 ERA, 12 K (9 IPS)	Cut in 2014
69. Arnie - Adam Rosales	0.235 / 0.278 / 0.389 / 0.667 (54 PA), 3 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB	Cut After One Year
70. Jed - Bill Hall	0.281 / 0.373 / 0.441 / 0.814 (102 PA), 5 HR, 12 RBI, 5 SB	Cut After One Year
71. Eric - Tyler Colvin	0.318 / 0.353 / 0.500 / 0.853 (136 PA), 5 HR, 20 RBI, 1 SB	Cut in 2014
72. Harold - J.J. Putz	2-3, 0 SV, 2.430 ERA, 33 K (33.1 IPS)	Cut in ???
73. Robin - Ryan Kalish		Cut before his first season
74. Randy - Sean Rodriguez	0.265 / 0.351 / 0.333 / 0.684 (111 PA), 1 HR, 9 RBI, 7 SB	Cut in 2013
75. Jeff - Justin Smoak		Cut After 1 year, claimed by Tom and cut in 2013
76. Tom - Santiago Casilla	4-3, 1 SV, 3.103 ERA, 28 K (29 IPS)	Cut in 2013
77. Arnie - Ramon Hernandez	0.243 / 0.304 / 0.352 / 0.656 (125 PA), 3 HR, 11 RBI, 0 SB	Cut After One Year
78. Jed - Matt Belisle	0-2, 1 SV, 3.106 ERA, 35 K (37.2 IPS)	Cut After One Year
79. Eric - Matt Guerrier		Cut After One Year
80. Harold - Chris Denorfia	0.290 / 0.357 / 0.421 / 0.778 (171 PA), 5 HR, 30 RBI, 7 SB	Cut in 2013, claimed by Arnie and cut in 2015
81. Robin - Chris Heisey	0.308 / 0.364 / 0.465 / 0.829 (187 PA), 7 HR, 29 RBI, 1 SB	Cut in 2013
82. Jeff - Juan Castro		Cut After One Year
83. Randy - David Freese	0.282 / 0.333 / 0.349 / 0.682 (126 PA), 2 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB	Cut in 2014
84. Tom - Wilson Betemit	0.273 / 0.318 / 0.415 / 0.733 (176 PA), 2 HR, 19 RBI, 1 SB	Cut After One YearCut in 2013
85. Arnie - Wilson Ramos	0.345 / 0.386 / 0.472 / 0.858 (127 PA), 3 HR, 19 RBI, 0 SB	Still Owned
86. Jed - Cliff Pennington		Cut After One Year
87. Eric - J.P. Arencibia		Traded to Jed during the draft then cut in 2014
88. Harold - Zach Braddock	0-1, 0 SV, 5.786 ERA, 4 K (4.2 IPS)	Cut After One Year
89. Tom - Coco Crisp	0.190 / 0.301 / 0.219 / 0.52 (73 PA), 1 HR, 6 RBI, 9 SB	Traded to Eric who Cut in 2013
90. Arnie - Jake Fox	0.409 / 0.435 / 0.783 / 1.218 (23 PA), 2 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB	Cut in 2013
91. Eric - Kyle Farnsworth	3-3, 1 SV, 2.374 ERA, 14 K (30.1 IPS)	Traded to TSK who Cut in 2013
92. Harold - Ivan Nova	4-5, 1 SV, 4.113 ERA, 55 K (100.2 IPS)	Still Owned
93. Tom - R.A. Dickey	11-9, 0 SV, 5.018 ERA, 152 K (188.1 IPS)	Cut in 2015
94. Arnie - Travis Wood		Cut After One Year
95. Eric - Dayan Viciedo		Cut in 2015
96. Harold - Andruw Jones	0.177 / 0.282 / 0.324 / 0.606 (71 PA), 4 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB	Cut before 1^st season to be claimed by Jed who then cut him after 1 year

Best Pick:  Wilson Ramos has been oft injured and kidnapped once but he has been an adequate C taken late by ND.  Tyler Colvin has a surprisingly good OPS in his SOMBILLA time.  Casilla, Farnsworth and Putz were all good relievers for their teams. 

Worst Pick:  Kalish wins this one as he was picked and cut immediately in the waiver draft before he even got on the bus for Bay City. (But just wanting to get on the bus was enough time for him to catch the BC injury bug – Robin).  Lots of players never played, but none so storied as JPArencibia who was drafted by Eric and then traded to Jed when he tried to draft him off of Eric’s roster the following year.

Other:. Jake Arrieta (redrafted in the 3^rd round tnever did anything in this trip to the SOMBILLA majors, but he is looking pretty good in MLB and has a good card for this year for CN.  He is probably the best player of these rounds to get a second bite of the apple.  He just can’t hold a baserunner on to save his life.

2010 Card Set Results:

Team	Stats
Arnie	0.268 / 0.345 / 0.389 / 0.734 (380 PA), 12 HR, 39 RBI, 4 SB
Eric	0.274 / 0.284 / 0.297 / 0.581 (74 PA), 0 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB
Harold	0.233 / 0.313 / 0.299 / 0.612 (364 PA), 6 HR, 39 RBI, 9 SB
Jed	0.261 / 0.316 / 0.309 / 0.625 (725 PA), 7 HR, 70 RBI, 20 SB
Jeff	0.228 / 0.332 / 0.401 / 0.733 (684 PA), 36 HR, 102 RBI, 7 SB
Robin	0.302 / 0.358 / 0.430 / 0.788 (586 PA), 11 HR, 55 RBI, 0 SB
Tom	0.252 / 0.332 / 0.368 / 0.7 (413 PA), 10 HR, 57 RBI, 9 SB
Wax	0.247 / 0.305 / 0.365 / 0.67 (534 PA), 15 HR, 58 RBI, 12 SB

Team	Stats
Arnie	3-3, 6 SV, 3.21 ERA, 54 K (56 IPS)
Eric	7-7, 1 SV, 3.559 ERA, 100 K (116.2 IPS)
Harold	4-3, 2 SV, 2.25 ERA, 79 K (80 IPS)
Jed	4-6, 1 SV, 4.88 ERA, 69 K (101.1 IPS)
Jeff	13-19, 2 SV, 4.80 ERA, 225 K (281.1 IPS)
Robin	3-2, 0 SV, 1.82 ERA, 19 K (29.2 IPS)
Tom	8-14, 5 SV, 4.82 ERA, 119 K (166 IPS)
Wax	4-7, 11 SV, 4.59 ERA, 101 K (100 IPS)

Total Reported SOMBILLA Statistics:

Team	Stats
Arnie	0.270 / 0.336 / 0.402 / 0.738 (599 PA), 19 HR, 68 RBI, 6 SB
Eric	0.283 / 0.314 / 0.420 / 0.734 (388 PA), 11 HR, 42 RBI, 4 SB
Harold	0.255 / 0.330 / 0.336 / 0.666 (965 PA), 17 HR, 100 RBI, 21 SB
Jed	0.250 / 0.307 / 0.323 / 0.63 (1045 PA), 18 HR, 96 RBI, 23 SB
Jeff	0.212 / 0.328 / 0.371 / 0.699 (1389 PA), 72 HR, 186 RBI, 10 SB
Robin	0.272 / 0.327 / 0.393 / 0.72 (1414 PA), 34 HR, 137 RBI, 4 SB
Tom	0.247 / 0.313 / 0.409 / 0.722 (815 PA), 31 HR, 112 RBI, 10 SB
Wax	0.244 / 0.321 / 0.407 / 0.728 (1365 PA), 59 HR, 181 RBI, 13 SB

Team	Stats
Arnie	11-9, 7 SV, 4.20 ERA, 161 K (182.1 IPS)
Eric	14-18, 1 SV, 3.98 ERA, 242 K (264.2 IPS)
Harold	18-20, 4 SV, 3.50 ERA, 307 K (354.2 IPS)
Jed	17-20, 1 SV, 4.60 ERA, 238 K (371.2 IPS)
Jeff	13-19, 2 SV, 4.86 ERA, 225 K (281.1 IPS)
Robin	10-9, 8 SV, 2.55 ERA, 104 K (158.2 IPS)
Tom	19-19, 5 SV, 4.64 ERA, 249 K (304.2 IPS)
Wax	14-16, 22 SV, 4.41 ERA, 288 K (277.2 IPS)

Facts about the Draft:  This draft is one of the weakest of the 6 drafts that I have looked at with only 21 players still owned and some of those questionable like Matt Joyce.  Since the 2006 draft, the number of players owned after 5 years are 20, 34, 31, 23, 24. This was back to back mediocre or worse drafts for CN setting up their run of early picks in the next two drafts, but that is another analysis.

Best Draft:  Wax!  They would have had and even better draft if arm surgeries did not disrail four of their pitching picks..The draft was:  Stanton,G, Hudson,D, Venters,J*, Axford,J, Davis,I*, Madson,R, Bumgarner,M*, Ellis,M, Storen,D, Scott,L*, Rodriquez,S, and Freese,D.  Stanton stands with Posey as the two best players in the draft.  His late round hitters added flexibility and some statistics.  Hudson, Venters, Axford and Madson could have been even better without injury.  Garcia and Bumgarner were the two young lefties and he chose the right one.

Worst Draft:  .North Dakota.  Arnie drafted:  Castro,S, Marshall,S*, Hensley,C, Joyce,M*, Thole,J*, Kennedy,I, Jackson,E, Rosales,A, Hernandez,R, Ramos,W, Fox, Wood,T*.  A draft in which he picked up four catchers and one of them worked out but that would not make up for the disappointment that is Starlin Castro.  The patented Arnie system for SP selection that has dominated more recent drafts failed him in this one as Kennedy, Jackson and Wood did not pan out for him over the long haul.  The rest was minor relief help that was adequate but not a big enough win to distance himself from the league’s basement in this draft analyses.  (I will point out that Ian Kennedy (7-5, 3.84) helped me win a SOMBILLA Championship in 2012-2013,  Nevertheless, I humbly accept this ‘worst draft of 2011’ designation. – AP)

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SUMMER STUDY NO.3 – THE CUTE RATINGS

Back by popular demand, after a 9-year absence…The Cute Ratings!  By Robin Perlow, guest columnist

To no one’s surprise, the team with the most cute players, and the cutest player in the SOMBILLA, is Bay City, sporting just over half a cute roster with 23 cuties. The team with the fewest is The Pierogies, with only 12 cute players, but it does feature the winner of “cutest newly discovered cute player” (someone whom I did not know what he looked like prior to assembling the rankings): pitcher Jarred Cosart. Below are the fascinating details (teams ranked least cute to most cute). Note that three teams are tied with 16:

The Pierogies—12: Catcher Norris loses out because of his 2014 Reddickian facial hair. Fewest number of cute pitchers with just 4. Would have even fewer if not for attractive draft (Pederson, G. Richards, R. Castillo, A Wood, and the aforementioned Cosart).

“What Eric Said”—16: The least cute of the three with 16 cuties due to deductions for extreme unattractiveness of Broxton, Buchholz, and Garza. Jeff’s infielder Cozart no match for Eric’s pitcher Cosart. Note that one of his cuties is former Bay Cityite (drafted but cut in the waiver draft) Jack Marisnick.

Oceanus—16: Boosted by Xander Bogaerts but undercut by Pat Neshek. Does have one of the top 5 cutest in Chris Archer. Scott Van Slyke, unlike his father, Andy, is not cute. Tied with Constantinople for cutest infield in number of players with 7, but Bogaerts the tie-breaker.

North Dakota—16: The cutest of the 16ers thanks to the Yankees’ no-beard policy. Andrew Miller exceptionally cute clean-shaven (although I prefer him with longer hair). Arnie’s draft also helped overall team attractiveness (Betts, DeGrom, Miller, Kiermaier, Gillaspie, Chris Taylor).

Future Wax—17: Second-cutest pitching staff (to mine) with 10. Greinke, Hamels, Kershaw make a good-looking 1-2-3 rotation. I prefer Aybar and McCutchen with longer hair, but they are still attractive enough with short hair to make the list.

Constantinople—19: Tied for cutest infield with Oceanus with 7. Sean Doolittle a detriment. Note that former Bay Cityite Kevin Siegrist makes the list (if I had assembled my cut list by looks, I’d have done better than I did by assembling by usability).

New Orleans—20: I gave both Jason Werth and Robinson Cano a half point each (Cano apparently started growing a beard the day he left the Yankees), as each would be cute clean-shaven. Sports the cutest outfield with 6.5 (everyone but Pompey and Santana). Harvey, Gray, Fernandez an attractive top 3 starting rotation. Quackenbush’s hideous beard and Joba Chamberlain bring down an otherwise very cute team. Note that former Bay Cityites Huston Street and Michael Cuddyer make the list.

Bay City—23: Features the “Cutest Player in the SOMBILLA” in former Head & Shoulders spokesman CJ Wilson (now out for the season, and, according to Dave Pinto, disliked by his teammates on the Angels). Unbeknownst to me, I drafted an extremely attractive pitcher in AJ Ramos. Reddick forgoing the “Rip Van Reddick” beard helps immensely [see comment on Norris], as does Danny Espinosa shaving the horrendous mustache he sported in Spring Training.

The rest of the league is closing the gap a bit; in 2006, I had 21 cuties and the second-cutest team (A-51) had only 14.

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SUMMER STUDY NO. 4 – JULY MADNESS

For the next study, I decided to do the SOMBILLA Summer Newsletter’s first tournament.  I originally wanted to do a 16-team tourney with the last 16 SOMBILLA Champions. 

<Stepping onto soapbox>

Unfortunately, due to Strat-O’s  arcane ‘key system’ for each computer year purchased, it is difficult to access past seasons, that had been downloaded onto a different computer.  As I’ve complained about here before, Strat-O refuses to help, you are not only supposed to have kept the access code, but also be able to access the old computer’s hard drive to relinquish the one authorized code back to the “cloud” so you can download it onto the new computer.  Ridiculous.

<Stepping off of soapbox>

I was able to access all of the past 8 seasons, which is at least a nice geometric number.  But an 8 team tournament is kind of boring, so I took all 16 of the SOMBILLA’s World Series participant teams over the last 8 seasons.  I thought about making it a 32-team tournament, using all 32 playoff teams from the past 8 years, but it is labor intensive trying to ensure each team has the correct roster as used (for most teams, they reflect my estimate of the 25-man roster that I set up, and do not include in-season trades).  So 16 it was.  (Maybe next year I’ll have time to add the rest of the playoff teams and let Jed and Jeff play.)

All managers are represented, except Jeff and Jed. Jeff has not made it into the SOMBILLA World Series since he won the Championship in 2003.  In the 12 years since then, he has lost in the first round of the playoffs 4 times, including last season.

However, Jed blows that away.  He has not appeared in the SOMBILLA World Series since 1990, when he managed the Plymouth Satellites to the 11^th inning of the 7^th game against legendary Yoknapatawpha (44-12).  We all remember that one:

**POST MORTEM** About 2 or 3 days after the series, Eric discovered to his horror and dismay that in the 9th inning of game 6, Barrett, who botched a squeeze just before Jones's single won it, was ineligible to pinch-hit for Uribe because no one was left to play shortstop. What to do? Replay it from there, and then possibly replay game 7? (Horrors!) Eric first consulted Jed, and then me. Both Jed and I came to the following independent conclusions:
     1. Barrett's at bat was inconsequential - he screwed up; it was T. Jones who won the game.
     2. If the games were replayed and Jed won, it would be a 'tainted' victory.
Because Jed & I came to the same conclusions on our own, it was agreed by all three of us to let the games stand. Thus, it is Eric who has the 'tainted' victory. (Just kidding).

Anyway, Jed, both solo and co-owning (Clint and Matt) has lost in the first round of the playoffs 6 times in the past 25 years, having gone 14 seasons, from ’92-93 to ’05-06, without even making the playoffs.

Anyway, Eric has 4 teams in this tournament – 2 as The Cheddarmen, and one each as Go Avocado! and Dem Bums.  Future Wax and New Orleans have 3 teams each, while Bay City, New Orleans, and North Dakota have two teams each.

For seeding, the World Series winning teams were seeded 1-8 of course.  For those 8 teams, I used their teams’ post-season records.  Three teams had 8-3 post-season records, so to break the tie, I went with regular season wins.  Eric had the top two seeded teams.  The number 1 seeded team in the tournament was Dem Bums ’09-10, which went 8-3 in the post-season after going 34-20 in the regular season.

Seeds 9-16 were the World Series losers, seeded in order of regular season wins.  Interestingly, none of those 8 teams had the same number of wins, so I didn’t need to have a 2^nd tiebreaker rule.

Here are the teams seeded 1-16:

1.  Dem Bums         ’09-10
2.  The Cheddarmen   ’11-12
3.  North Dakota     ’13-14
4.  North Dakota     ’12-13
5.  Future Wax       ’07-08
6.  Future Wax       ’14-15
7.  Constantinople   ’08-09
8.  New Orleans      ’10-11

9.  Future Wax       ’09-10

10. Go Avocado!      ’10-11

11. New Orleans      ’08-09

12. Constantinople ’13-14

13. The Cheddarmen   ’12-13

14. New Orleans ’14-15

15. Bay City ’11-12

16. Bay City ’07-08

This sets up a rematch of two actual SOMBILLA World Series in the first round - ’11-12 Cheddarmen/Bay City (2 vs 15 seed) and ’12-13 Cheddarmen/North Dakota (5 vs 12 seed).

Round 1:

(Seeding in parenthesis)

(8)   2010 NEW Defeats (9)   2009 RAT 4 games to 0
(10)  2010 GOA Defeats (7)   2008 CON 4 games to 3
(6)   2014 RAT Defeats (11)  2008 NEW 4 games to 2
(5)   2007 WAX Defeats (12)  2013 CON 4 games to 1
(13)  2012 CHE Defeats (4)   2012 NDK 4 games to 0
(3)   2013 NDK Defeats (14)  2014 NEW 4 games to 1
(15)  2011 BAY Defeats (2)   2011 CHE 4 games to 3
(1)   2009 DBM Defeats (16)  2007 BAY 4 games to 1

Biggest upset of the first round?  The 2011—2012 rematch – this time Bay City shocks Dem Bums in 7 games (Eric won the original in 5 games). The only other series to go 7 games was Eric’s ’10-11 Dem Bums knocking off ’08-09 CN in 7 games (CN’s World Series champs actually finished 4th that year at 27-29, so perhaps a no. 7 seed was a mistake). Eric’s teams went 3-1 overall, only Robin’s upset prevented him from claiming 4 of the 8 teams in the 2^nd round.  Randy’s 3 teams were 2-1.  CN’s two teams were knocked out, leaving 5 managers still in it.  Only 5 of the original World Series winners (the top 8 seeds) won in the first round. 

Here is the first round leaderboard

TOURNAMENT REAP REPORT - JulyMadness
 
BATTING AVERAGE     HOME RUNS           RUNS BATTED IN
M.Young   CHE .579  M.Ramirez DBM    5  A.Torres  BAY   11
N.Markaki NEW .542  C.Pena    CON    5  D.Fowler  NDK   10
Y.Molina  CHE .500  A.Huff    DBM    4  A.Huff    DBM    9
J.Thome   WAX .471  A.Torres  BAY    4  M.Napoli  NEW    9
C.Utley   CHE .462  OTHERS TIED W    3  OTHERS TIED W    8
 
WINS                SAVES               ERA
J.Peavy   NDK    2  R.Soriano DBM    3  MANY TIED WIT 0.00
C.Kershaw RAT    2  J.Papelbo CON    3
J.Weaver* DBM    2  H.Kuo     BAY    3
OTHERS TIED W    1  OTHERS TIED W    2
 
 
CUR HIT STREAK      STOLEN BASES        STRIKEOUTS
C.Crawfor DBM    7  C.Crawfor DBM    3  J.Santana WAX   21
R.Martin  CON    7  J.Reyes   WAX    3  T.Lincecu DBM   19
A.Gonzale BAY    6  OTHERS TIED W    2  J.Weaver  DBM   19
OTHERS TIED W    5                      T.Lincecu DBM   19
                                        OTHERS TIED W   17
 
 

Round 2:

So, we’re down to the Elite Eight. Here are the remaining teams:

1.  Dem Bums ’09-10
3.  North Dakota ’13-14
5.  Future Wax ’07-08
6.  Future Wax ’14-15
8.  New Orleans ’10-11 
10. Go Avocado! ’10-11 
13. The Cheddarmen ’12-13 
15. Bay City ’11-12 
 
No rematches here, although ’11-12 Bay City, after knocking off #2 seed The Cheddarmen, is once again matched up against Eric, this time the #1 seed.  Can they do it again?
 
(6)   2014 RAT Defeats (8)   2010 NEW 4 games to 2
(10)  2010 GOA Defeats (5)   2007 WAX 4 games to 3
(13)  2012 CHE Defeats (3)   2013 NDK 4 games to 1
(1)   2009 DBM Defeats (15)  2011 BAY 4 games to 2
 
No.  And, after ’12-13 Cheddarmen upsets #3 seed ’13-14 North Dakota, Eric owns 3 of the Final Four teams.  That ’12-13 Cheddarmen team, which lost the World Series to North Dakota in 5 games, is now 8-1 in the tournament.
 
Here are the leaders after two rounds:
 
BATTING AVERAGE     HOME RUNS           RUNS BATTED IN
N.Markaki NEW .542  A.Huff    DBM    8  A.Huff    DBM   18
M.Young   CHE .472  M.Ramirez DBM    6  B.McCann  WAX   15
P.Fielder CHE .472  L.Berkman WAX    6  L.Berkman WAX   12
P.Burrell CON .455  J.Thome   WAX    6  J.Upton   RAT   12
OTHERS TIED W .429  OTHERS TIED W    5  A.Torres  BAY   12
 
WINS                SAVES               ERA
C.Kershaw RAT    3  S.Downs   DBM    4  J.Howell  RAT 0.00
OTHERS TIED W    2  OTHERS TIED W    3  I.Kennedy NDK 0.00
                                        J.Weaver  CHE 0.59
                                        K.Correia CON 0.84
                                        C.Kershaw RAT 1.09
 
CUR HIT STREAK      STOLEN BASES        STRIKEOUTS
R.Zimmerm DBM   12  J.Reyes   WAX    4  M.Bumgarn RAT   32
B.McCann  WAX   11  M.Bourn   CHE    4  T.Lincecu DBM   32
B.Zobrist NEW    9  B.Upton   BAY    4  J.Santana WAX   30
M.Cabrera BAY    9  OTHERS TIED W    3  M.Scherze RAT   27
C.Utley   CHE    8                      T.Lincecu DBM   25
 

Round 3 – the Final Four

It’s the Eric show!  (And I don’t mean former North Dakota pitcher Eric Show).  Only last year’s champion Future Wax cracks the Eric monopoly.  Eric impressively has three different team names as well:

(1) Dem Bums ’09-10 vs. (13) The Cheddarmen ’12-13

(6) Future Wax ’14-15 vs. (10) Go Avocado ’10-11

Dem Bums 10 The Cheddarmen 1

The Cheddarmen 3  Dem Bums 1

The Cheddarmen 4  Dem Bums 3

The Cheddarmen 5  Dem Bums 4

The Cheddarmen 7  Dem Bums 6

The Cheddarmen wins 4 games to 1

Go Avocado! 9  Future Wax 5
Go Avocado! 3  Future Wax 2
Future Wax 7  Go Avocado! 1
Future Wax 6  Go Avocado! 5
Go Avocado! 2  Future Wax 1
Go Avocado! 7  Future Wax 5
 
Go Avocado! wins 4 games to 2
 
 
World Series

It’s the team that lost the World Series to North Dakota in 5 games (13^th seeded The Cheddarmen ’12-13) vs. the team that lost the World Series to New Orleans in 7 games (10^th seeded Go Avocado! ’10-11).

Game 1 – The Cheddarmen 9 Go Avocado! 7

Win:Verlander(1-0) Loss:Wilson(0-1) Save:Betancourt(1st)
Homeruns- P.Fielder(1st), A.Gonzalez(1st), T.Tulowitzki(1st), M.Ramirez(1st)
 
Michael Young had 4 hits and scored 3 times at the ballpark as The
Cheddarmen club beat the Go Avocado!2011 ballclub by the count of 9 to
7.Justin Verlander(1-0) was pleased to get credit for the victory with a lot of help from his teammates.  
 
Game 2 – Go Avocado! 4  The Cheddarmen 3
 
Win:Lincecum(1-0) Loss:Weaver(0-1) Save:Franklin(1st)
Homeruns- P.Fielder-2(3rd)
 
Prince Fielder rocketed 2 homeruns as the Go Avocado!2011 team defeated the
The Cheddarmen ballclub by the score of 4 to 3 at the ballpark.
 
Tim Lincecum(1-0) was very good in the win.  He allowed only 6 hits and no
walks in 8 innings.
 
 
Game 3 – Go Avocado! 4  The Cheddarmen 2
 
Win:Wuertz(1-0) Loss:Papelbon(0-1) Save:Thatcher(1st)
 
In a tight game it was the Go Avocado!2011 team 4, The Cheddarmen club 2
in 13 innings at the ballpark.
 
The score was knotted at 1 after nine innings.  Go Avocado!2011 ended up
winning it in the 13th inning.  After an out was recorded, Troy Tulowitzki
started the rally when he drew a walk.  Ryan Zimmerman followed and he
doubled.  Ryan Sweeney then doubled.  
 
Game 4 Go Avocado! 5 The Cheddarmen 3
 
Center fielder Nyjer Morgan had 2 base hits as the Go Avocado!2011 team
defeated The Cheddarmen club by a score of 5 to 3 at the ballpark.
 
Go Avocado!2011 won the game with a rally in the top of the 9th inning with 2
runs on 3 base hits.  Manny Ramirez led off the inning for Go Avocado!2011
when he slapped a single.  J.D. Drew was next and he stroked a single.
Yadier Molina then slapped a one-base hit.  Morgan was up next and he worked
the squeeze play to perfection.
 
Game 5  The Cheddarmen 2 Go Avocado! 0
 
Justin Verlander took a no-hitter into the 7th inning as The Cheddarmen
club defeated the Go Avocado!2011 team by a score of 2 to 0 at the
ballpark.
 
Verlander(2-0) was simply too much for the Go Avocado!2011 batters.  He didn't
give up much, just 1 hit and 1 walk in 7 and 2/3 innings.  Verlander racked
up 10 strikeouts, seeing his ERA drop from 9.95 to 4.50.  The right-handed
Verlander lost his no-hit bid when Adrian Gonzalez doubled with two outs in
the 7th inning.
 
Game 6 Go Avocado! 6  The Cheddarmen 5
 
Win:Lincecum(2-0) Loss:Weaver(0-2) Save:Franklin(2nd)
Homeruns- T.Tulowitzki(1st), P.Fielder-2(6th), T.Tulowitzki(2nd)
 
Designated hitter Prince Fielder launched 2 homeruns and had 5 RBI and Tim
Lincecum mowed down 12 Cheddarmen batters at the ballpark where the Go
Avocado!2011 team beat The Cheddarmen club by the score of 6 to 5.
 
The home town fans were very appreciative of the fine hitting performance
provided by Fielder.  He lost the ball over the fence for three runs in the
3rd inning and cleared the fences for a two-run home run in the 5th inning.
The Cheddarmen threatened in the 9th but their rally came up short.  
 
The win went to Lincecum(2-0), who allowed 3 runs in 8 innings. Ryan Franklin
earned his 2nd save.  Jered Weaver(0-2) was the losing pitcher.  
 
When asked about his strikeout total for the game, Lincecum offered, 'The
fans really got into it.  It is fun to see them tally up the strikeout
totals up there in the stands.  Fortunately, I kept them busy this afternoon
- of course, it would be all for naught without the 'W'.'
 
Go Avocado! wins the Series (and the tournament) 4 games to 2

World Series MVP: Prince Fielder. Go Avocado!  .259, 6 homers, 12 rbi’s.

HOW IS YOUR TEAM DOING?

Here is our first unscientific look ahead to the 2015 cards (due out in January).

THE 2015 SOMBILLA/FOX SPORTS ALL-STAR COUNT

Tom (12) – Betances, L. Cain, Donaldson, Harper, Herrera, Kinsler, Martin, Car. Martinez, Melancon, S. Miller, Rizzo, Trout

RAT (11) – Braun, Bumgarner, Dozier, Greinke, Kershaw, Machado, McCutchen, Peralta, Rosenthal, Scherzer, J. Upton

Jed (10)  – Altuve, Archer, Bautista, B. Crawford, Gardner, F. Hernandez, O’Day, Panik, Price, Wacha

Robin (9) – Britton, M. Cabrera, Cole, W. Davis, A. Escobar, Iglesias, S. Perez, Perkins, Posey

Eric (7) – Arenado, Fielder, A. Gonzalez, Y. Molina, Pederson, Pollock, Tulowitzki

Arnie (6) – Boxberger, Cruz, deGrom, Goldschmidt, Papelbon, Pujols

Harold (6) – A. Gordon, D. Gordon, Grandal, Gray, Moustakas, Sale

Jeff (5) – Chapman, Frazier, Holliday, A. Jones, JD Martinez

SOMBILLA Opening Day: Sunday, November 8!

Ballparks	Singles	Homers
Arizona	L 1-13 R 1-9	1-12
Atlanta	1-8	1-8
Chicago (NL)	L 1-14 R 1-6	L 1-5 R 1-11
Cincinnati	L 1 R 1-6	1-19
Colorado	1-19	1-16
Los Angeles	L 1-8 R 1	1-12
Miami	L 1-8 R 1-13	1
Milwaukee	1-7	1-18
New York (NL)	1	1-10
Philadelphia	1-2	L 1-13 R 1-16
Pittsburgh	1-9	1
St. Louis	L 1-11 R 1-7	1-6
San Diego	1	L 1-10 R 1-2
San Francisco	L 1-10 R 1-4	1
Washington	1-17	1-4
Baltimore	1-9	L 1-18 R 1-10
Boston	1-16	L 1 R 1-7
Chicago (AL)	L 1-3 R 1-9	1-14
Cleveland	L 1-7 R 1-2	L 1-12 R 1-7
Detroit	L 1-9 R 1-14	1-10
Houston	L 1-2 R 1-5	1-11
Kansas City	1-11	1-6
Los Angeles	1-6	1-4
Minnesota	1-12	L 1-5 R 1-8
New Yuck (AL)	L 1-10 R 1-4	L 1-17 R 1-14
Oakland	L 1-3 R 1-9	L 1-3 R 1-6
Seattle	1-4	1-8
Tampa Bay	1-4	1-5
Texas	1-11	L 1-12 R 1-8
Toronto	1-7	L 1-11 R 1-15