Newsletter for games through 4/27/2014

THANKS for getting in the lineups; 28 were submitted this week!  Not one manual change was required before the run of the games, which is both unusual and awesome.

COMMENTS: Congrats to Jim Casey’s Giants, who had the only perfect record this week…and they’re still chasing Leo’s Rockies, who are a game and a half up….4 other teams only had 1 loss, all in the NL….3 in the NL east….Detroit, KC, and Minnesota all tightened up the race in the AL central with winning records; 1 game separates the CWS from the other 3 teams….The Yankees held to first in the AL East while going 3-3….Jose Abreau leads the ASFBL with 13 HR…no team has 2 players in the top 14 in HR…Adam Eaton has scored 25 runs, one more than Mike Trout for the ASFBL lead…Four ASFBL pitchers have 5 wins, and all on teams with winning records…The Congaltonian mojo has kept the Cubs in first in WOR, a full 3 games over the Rockies…as the person with the office next to hers, I must report that I can smell the faint odor of voodoo smoke coming out from under the door on Wednesday mornings….The Braves and Brewers each have team ERAs under 2.00….yes, 2.00….Giant pitchers have allowed only 9 HR, tops in the league….the Rays have 119 walks, tops in the league…The Mets are the only club with a team batting average under .200….Nationals’ fileders have robbed 52 hits, tops in the league…

FEATS AND FAILURES:

Collin Cowgill of LAA struck out 5 times against WAS on 4/21/2014
Eric Young of NYM struck out 4 times against STL on 4/21/2014
Jose Abreu of CWS hit 3 home runs against DET on 4/21/2014
Angel Pagan of SFG robbed 3 hits against COL on 4/21/2014
Jose Bautista of NYY had 5 hits against BOS on 4/22/2014
Tsuyoshi Wada of DET had 12 strikeouts against CWS on 4/23/2014
Drew Hutchison of TOR had 13 strikeouts against BAL on 4/23/2014
Aaron Harang of ATL had 14 strikeouts against MIA on 4/23/2014
Jose Fernandez of MIA had 14 strikeouts against ATL on 4/23/2014
Lucas Duda of SFG struck out 4 times against COL on 4/23/2014
Curtis Granderson of NYM struck out 4 times against STL on 4/23/2014
Scott Kazmir of OAK had 17 strikeouts against HOU on 4/24/2014
Kevin Gausman of BAL had 12 strikeouts against TOR on 4/24/2014
Tanner Roark of WAS had 14 strikeouts against SDP on 4/25/2014
Josh Rutledge of COL struck out 4 times against LAD on 4/26/2014
Johnny Cueto of CIN had 13 strikeouts against ATL on 4/26/2014
Jon Niese of SFG struck out 4 times against CLE on 4/26/2014
Eric Young of NYM struck out 4 times against MIA on 4/26/2014
Christian Yelich of MIA struck out 4 times against NYM on 4/26/2014
Jarrod Saltalamacchia of MIA struck out 4 times against NYM on 4/26/2014
Drew Smyly of DET had 12 strikeouts against MIN on 4/26/2014
Collin McHugh of HOU had 13 strikeouts against OAK on 4/26/2014
Christian Yelich of MIA struck out 4 times against NYM on 4/27/2014

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Newsletter for games through 4-20-2014

RANDOM COOL STUFF ANNOUNCEMENT:  If you haven’t seen Leo’s galloping bison footage that went viral and got him interviewed by a bunch of places, like the LA Times, here’s the link: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/04/04/the-very-important-detail-about-that-video-of-bison-running-for-their-lives-out-of-yellowstone/

I think this version includes the actual facts of the matter and not the internet chatter.

COMMENTS: The Braves not only swept the Mets in their 3 game series, they shut them out for all 27 innings…Kudos to the Rockies, who tied the Braves for the best league record at 6-1…Minnesota and Miami were also 5-1…I am pleased to announce that in the ASFBL there were no brawls between the Brewers and Pirates and that neither Dan Wildes or Chris Zewiske will be suspended…Congalton’s Cubs stayed hot and she still leads the league with a +5 WOR…Albert Pujols hit his 8th HR of the season three days earlier in the ASFBL…The CWS lead the AL Central and the entire ASFBL in runs scored with 109….the Angels lead both the ASFBL and the MLB in HR; the ASFBL mark is 33….the Arizona bullpen has stranded all 21 runners it inherited….Indian pitchers lead the league with 215 strikeouts; the Rays are second with 210….the Reds’ Mescoraco hit .538 last week, tops in the league….watch out for Detroit; they’ve got a team ERA of 3.02 and they’re in the top 3 in the league batting average and homers….

FEATS AND FAILURES:

Brandon Phillips of CIN struck out 4 times against PIT on 4/14/2014
Roger Kieschnick of ARI had 6 RBI against NYM on 4/14/2014
Tony Campana of ARI struck out 4 times against NYM on 4/14/2014
Joe Mauer of MIN struck out 4 times against TOR on 4/15/2014
Giancarlo Stanton of MIA had 7 RBI against WAS on 4/15/2014
Jesse Chavez of OAK had 12 strikeouts against LAA on 4/16/2014
Martin Perez of TEX had 14 strikeouts against SEA on 4/16/2014
Matt Cain of PIT had 15 strikeouts against CIN on 4/16/2014
Cliff Lee of PHI had 12 strikeouts against ATL on 4/17/2014
Justin Upton of ATL struck out 4 times against PHI on 4/17/2014
Marlon Byrd of PHI struck out 4 times against ATL on 4/17/2014
James Shields of KCR had 14 strikeouts against HOU on 4/17/2014
Jordan Zimmermann of WAS had 14 strikeouts against STL on 4/18/2014
Aaron Harang of ATL had 13 strikeouts against NYM on 4/18/2014
B.J. Upton of ATL had 6 RBI against NYM on 4/18/2014
Yu Darvish of NYY had 11 strikeouts against TBR on 4/19/2014
Justin Verlander of DET had 11 strikeouts against LAA on 4/19/2014
Tony Campana of ARI struck out 4 times against LAD on 4/19/2014
Marwin Gonzalez of HOU had 5 hits against OAK on 4/19/2014
Ervin Santana of ATL had 18 strikeouts against NYM on 4/19/2014
Ruben Tejada of NYM struck out 4 times against ATL on 4/19/2014
David Murphy of CLE robbed 3 hits against TOR on 4/20/2014
Carlos Gonzalez of COL hit 3 home runs against PHI on 4/20/2014
Carlos Gonzalez of COL had 6 RBI against PHI on 4/20/2014

TO GET IT OFF MY CHEST: I hate instant replay in baseball.  Hate, hate, hate.  Napoleon had more affection for Lord Wellington than I have for replay.  Paul Ryan likes Obamacare more than I like replay.  Hydrophobic bacteria like water more.  I staunchly oppose the death penalty, unless it’s instant replay, and then I’d gladly throw the switch.  If I were Jack Hamilton and instant replay were Tony Conigliaro, we’d never have to wonder if the beaning was intentional.  It is an abomination before God and all that is Holy.  Lo, I sayeth unto you, it shall come to pass that there will be a World Series with a bang-bang play at the plate to decide the 7th game, and as the fans erupt the World Champion will not be decided for another 5 minutes in a replay booth 2,000 miles away where 3 hapless saps will pour over 3 equally indecisive camera angles.  And it will suck.

Weekly replay update:  Last night, instant replay failed to correct an inaccurate counting of balls and strikes.

I solemnly swear that this is the last time all year that you will be subject to my rants about the MLB rules committee.

Newsletter for games through 4-13-2-14

Season starter!  Our first ever Easter opening day!

COMMENTARY:  Congrats to the Braves and Angels, who have raced off to identical 9-3 starts and are tied for the best record in the league…Chicago was well-represented; Congalton’s Cubs are FIRST in WOR and second in the NL Central, while their white-stockinged friends across town lead the AL central and finished on a 6-1 run….The Reds and Rockies are each 1 game back in WOR…So in most years I worry that if I do well it looks bad, since I programmed this thing, but with Rick, Ben, Andy, and Johnny Mac in the division, I was just worried about not embarassing myself…week 1, mission not accomplished…even with all that managerial talent packed in the same division, the NL east as a whole was a net of -7 WOR….the NL west was +4…Yee’s Yankees are so stacked for pitching Yu Darvish is closing…welcome newcomers Chis Linhardt and Ben Leckie to the league!  Ben is 3rd in the NL central one set of stats in…both figured out the first set of lineups!…the Brewer team ERA is a ludicrous 1.78….The Angels lead the ASFBL with 26 HR; in real-life, they led MLB at the same point with 20.

LOGISTICS and LINEUP REMINDERS:  All teams now have 2 free waivers, and all waived players will be available for others to claim….please review the waiver rules for a refresher if you need it…The real stats will be updated tomorrow, although all the fantasy and weekly stats will remain visible until they are updated on Wednesday…Remember, stats are updated Monday morning, lineups are due Tuesday night, and games are run Wednesday morning…please remember that after you set your roster you must still visit the pitching rotation and lineups pages…the status of each is visible on the dashboard, and as of this week all should be accurate.

FEATS AND FAILURES:

FIRST WEEK NO HITTER!  Tyson Ross of SDP threw a no-hitter against DET on 4/13/2014.

MONSTER DAY: Joey Votto of CIN hit 5 home runs against TBR for 12 RBI on 4/13/2014 vs. Tampa.  We don’t keep track, but those must be league records.  It makes Jay Bruce’s 3 solo shots that same day seem fairly tame…

Chris Archer of TBR had 12 strikeouts against TOR on 3/31/2014
Edwin Encarnacion of TOR struck out 4 times against TBR on 3/31/2014
Brett Gardner of TOR struck out 4 times against TBR on 3/31/2014
Everth Cabrera of SDP struck out 4 times against LAD on 4/1/2014
Garrett Richards of LAA had 17 strikeouts against SEA on 4/1/2014
Daniel Murphy of NYM struck out 4 times against WAS on 4/3/2014
Carlos Gonzalez of COL struck out 4 times against ARI on 4/4/2014
Trevor Plouffe of MIN struck out 4 times against CLE on 4/4/2014
Yordano Ventura of KCR had 13 strikeouts against CWS on 4/4/2014
Xander Bogaerts of BOS struck out 5 times against MIL on 4/4/2014
Mark Reynolds of MIL struck out 5 times against BOS on 4/4/2014
Edwin Encarnacion of TOR struck out 4 times against NYY on 4/5/2014
Jason Kubel of MIN struck out 4 times against CLE on 4/5/2014
Chase Utley of PHI had 5 hits against CHC on 4/5/2014
Hank Conger of LAA had 6 RBI against HOU on 4/6/2014
Alex Wood of ATL had 11 strikeouts against WAS on 4/6/2014
B.J. Upton of ATL struck out 4 times against WAS on 4/6/2014
Ian Desmond of WAS struck out 4 times against ATL on 4/6/2014
Alexei Ramirez of CWS had 5 hits against KCR on 4/6/2014
Tyler Flowers of CWS had 5 hits against KCR on 4/6/2014
Sonny Gray of OAK had 14 strikeouts against SEA on 4/6/2014
Justin Smoak of SEA struck out 4 times against OAK on 4/6/2014
Yunel Escobar of TBR robbed 3 hits against KCR on 4/7/2014
Jed Lowrie of OAK struck out 4 times against MIN on 4/7/2014
Jonathan Villar of HOU struck out 4 times against LAA on 4/7/2014
Jose Quintana of CWS had 12 strikeouts against COL on 4/7/2014
Andrelton Simmons of ATL had 5 hits against NYM on 4/8/2014
Carlos Beltran of KCR had 7 RBI against TBR on 4/8/2014
Masahiro Tanaka of NYY had 12 strikeouts against BAL on 4/9/2014
Colby Rasmus of TOR struck out 4 times against HOU on 4/9/2014
Mike Zunino of SEA had 7 RBI against LAA on 4/9/2014
Alexei Ramirez of CWS had 7 RBI against COL on 4/9/2014
Alexei Ramirez of CWS had 5 hits against COL on 4/9/2014
Abraham Almonte of SEA struck out 4 times against OAK on 4/11/2014
Jonny Gomes of BOS struck out 4 times against NYY on 4/11/2014
Alfonso Soriano of KCR struck out 4 times against MIN on 4/11/2014
Bryce Harper of WAS struck out 4 times against ATL on 4/11/2014
Sonny Gray of OAK had 18 strikeouts against SEA on 4/12/2014
Nelson Cruz of BAL had 6 RBI against TOR on 4/12/2014
Scott Kazmir of OAK had 12 strikeouts against SEA on 4/13/2014
Robbie Ross of TEX had 11 strikeouts against HOU on 4/13/2014
Aaron Harang of ATL had 10 strikeouts against WAS on 4/13/2014
Tyler Flowers of CWS struck out 4 times against CLE on 4/13/2014
Jason Kipnis of CLE had 6 RBI against CWS on 4/13/2014