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Clancy's vs Bowser Series
Well I was right about one aspect of this series.......that it would go 4 games. I was wrong about who would emerge victorious though. I honestly thought that once Clancy's Lou Kammermeier started flapping his chops about how his squad was going to do this and that to Bowser and how his team was superior to them and so on that Bowser would just do what they normally do and pummel the offending shit talker and his team. Did Lou actually get inside Bowser's heads? I think he did more than the guys from Bowser would care to admit. Lou came off looking like a prophet after the series. Clancy's backed his words up with wins and in the end Actions do speak louder than Words. Some of Lou's actions were indeed eyebrow raising to say the least. I'm still in shock that he didn't get tossed from the game for tossing a Bowser bat over the hill side. I'm even more surprised that somebody from Bowser didn't beat his ass. Tossing somebody's bat like that is bush league and I was quite surprised that Lou did that. Clancy's had a good game plan for the series and it included running and more running. Although Corey Rodgers is still one hell of a hitter, his D skills aren't what they used to be and Andy Brettschneider admittedly was in over his head behind the plate. In the end, you gotta give props to Clancy's for stunning Bowser and bringing an end to their 6 year reign as King of the DNL hill.
Harvey's vs Quinn Series
A lot of excitement in this series! Harvey's takes the first 2 games then Quinn roars back and spanks Harvey's the next 2 games then Harvey's pulls out Game 5 in their final at bat with 2 outs. I gotta thank Jeff Kuzma for making my prediction look good. I guess I should thank Tommy Simcho too. I wouldn't have been disappointed either way in this series. Both teams are filled with a lot of good young men. Some of whom tortured me half to death in my Legion days but somebody had to do it I guess. I got to see most of the games and they were fun to watch. Tommy's meltdown was CLASSIC! I missed Jeff's mini meltdown but I've seen a few in the past and just the thought of them makes me laugh. Ain't nobody in the league can fill em up like Jeffrey Haha ! Anyway's Harvey's moves on to face Clancy's in the finals and this should be fun to watch.
Clancy's vs Harvey's
Ahhhh we got the battle of the Gin Mills here! The Annex vs Dravosburg! Wings vs Cheap Booze! Lou and John vs Jeff! How will things play out you ask? We got Clancy's coming off a League Stunning series upset of Bowser and then we got Harvey's coming off a very tough and competitive series win vs Quinn. With the series win over Bowser in the Semi Finals it's looking like the stars are aligned for Clancy's to win the League Strap this year. Harvey's is saying "Not soo fast guys". Clancy's looks to have the edge in the Pitching Dept. I gotta give the nod to Harvey's as far as hitting goes although Clancy's lineup is nothing to sneeze at, especially when they have all their guys there. Clancy's ran a lot vs Bowser and was highly successful doing so. I'm not so sure they will be able to run Tyler Scruggs eyes out though. Tyler got the kind of arm that will make up for a slower pitcher to the plate. Harvey's has a lineup that's filled with power. They have a handful of guys who can steal a base when needed. Clancy's doesn't have the power that Harvey's has but there aren't any easy outs in that lineup and they can score in bunches with the best of them. Would I mind seeing Harvey's win it all? Not at all ! As I said earlier, a lot of good young men on that team and Kuzz is a great guy, I don't give a damn what his wife Lorraine says about him. On the flip side of the coin, it wouldn't bother me to see Clancy's take it, especially when it comes to John Jumba. John has been in the league for years and he has wore it more than his fair share of times. Johnny has definitely earned his DNL bones as far as I'm concerned. Lou already has a title under his belt from his days with Bowser. If Clancy's does win it all then nobody will be more happier for John than me. So what do I think will happen? Well after giving this series a lot of thought I have come to the conclusion that Clancy's basically blew their wad vs Bowser. With Chris Douglass missing this week, that takes away a valuable arm from Clancy's. The Harvey's lineup is a buzz saw regardless of who is pitching and not having all your arms is not a good thing when facing that buzz saw. Harvey's has been knocking on the championship door for awhile now and I think they break it down in a big way this year. WINNER and NEWWWWWW DNL CHAMPIONS........HARVEY WILNER'S ...................in 4 Games.
Other Thoughts
Contrary to what some people say. I thought this was a pretty competitive year throughout the league. Yeah Bowser basically ran away with the Regular Season title but they fizzled in the playoffs and Graham's continued their mastery over them at Wylie Field. Had Graham's had more team loyalty I think they could have had more of a say so in the Playoff Picture. Harvey's and Quinn had successful Regular Season and both teams could have fared even better if they hadn't had the occasional defensive or pitching meltdowns. Klingensmith got their act together in the latter part of the Regular Season but was a victim of craziness in the playoffs. As I said in my last write up, I don't feel they got screwed out of any wins outright but I do feel they got cheated out of a couple of CHANCES to win games. Clancy's made it to the Championship Round and who knows, may even win the title outright. Steel Valley made a good accounting for themselves overall. They took their lumps a handful of times but were usually competitive and pulled off some big wins in their 1st year. I don't see how they won't be better next year as they will have a year under their belt and will have more of a knowledge of the teams in the league. Another good bat or 2 and another legit pitcher or 2 and this could be quite the team to be reckoned with next year and for years to come. As I said in a previous write up about these guys. Knowing baseball in itself will win you X amount of games in this league but knowing your opponents and their weaknesses will be what ultimately gets you over the hump. Look at Clancy's, they took advantage of a Bowser weakness thoroughly and it got them to the Championship Round.
Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes
Once again, Like some people throughout the league, I think the league needs to get with the times and either follow College/High School standards bat wise or possibly switch to wood. Wood would definitely be an expensive proposition. Following the College/High School guidelines would be a change for the good all in all. Good hitters will be good hitters no matter what you put in their hands. Trust me, with the new bats out there today, you can still hit balls a long way. The sweet spot is smaller but the ball still jumps off it quite well. Another thing that should go is the replaying of a game in its entirety if a game gets suspended. Pick things up where they left off. I really don't see the benefit of starting over from scratch. The last thing that should be considered is a restructuring of the Regular Season and/or the Playoffs. If the league remains at 7 teams next year then just go with a basic 4 team Playoff Format. Do 5 teams in a 7 team league really need to make the playoffs? Personally I think it's a bit much.
League All Stars
After looking at the League All Star team I figured they came up with a prety good selection. There were a few that I thought would be named but weren't and there were a couple that surprised me a little bit but all in all I didn't see any glaring omissions or guys on there who definitely didn't belong. Occasionally I will get asked who I would like to have if I got a team together. I'm not going to sit here and name names simply because you just never know, I may indeed put a team in the league at some point. Naturally you would like to have 5 tool guys 1-9 in the lineup but that will never happen. What I would ultimately look for is this 1. Ball players who have great baseball sense and play a smart game. 2. Unselfishness! Hitting behind runners, putting a bunt down when called to do so, no stupidity on the bases, hitting the cutoff guy consistently and making pitchers work, none of this 1st pitch swinging bullshit when leading off an inning or after the batter before you drew a 4 or 5 pitch walk. If you can hit the ball 400+ feet, fine! I'll take the good contact hitter over a power hitter who strikes out every 3rd or 4th at bat any day. Pitchers? I just want them to THROW THE BALL OVER THE PLATE! Simple procedure really. I'll take the kid who throws 75mph with great control over the kid who throws 85mph but has no idea where the hell it's going to go.
Post Season Predictions
Andy Brettschneider will pronounce himself the Starting Catcher next year for Bowser. This will be after he consumes 19 beers at Pisci's of course.
Mike Sikorski will have a chance encounter with exiled DNL Umpire Nate Caldwell while enjoying dinner one evening at the Olive Garden. Mike will immediately beat the piss out of Nate with an Endless Salad Bowl, throw him over 8 different tables knocking down 5 servers, a hostess, a shift manager and numerous patrons in the process. He'll finally drag him in to a Men's Room stall and give him a swirlie in a turd filled commode. Mike will then immediately vacate the premises, head to Red Lobster and enjoy a Lobster and Shrimp dinner as if nothing ever happened.
Keith Reynolds will form a team in the off season but will be kicked out of the league at the very 1st meeting when he shows up wearing a T-Shirt that says "The Commish is a Douche"! Nick will find a decades old by law that addresses proper attire at meetings as the basis for sending Keith packing. Keith will immediately head to Josh Yohe's office and launch into a 3 hour tirade over how Nick sucks as commish, the league in general blows, what a tramp one of his ex girlfriends is, the effects of global warming, why Corona is his beer of choice, what he likes most about Ann Hathaway's ass, the traffic on the Parkway East, which Gentleman's Club is the best and why, what he would do if he were the Pirates GM and finally wonder aloud why KaBoom gets to cover the Steelers and not Joshua which launches another 2 hour tirade.
During Game 4 of the DNL Championship Series, Kirk Dominick (The People's Umpire) will be sneak attacked in the backstop between innings by a returning Lou Bucci. After the flogging, Lou will stand over a prone DP (Kirk) and say "That's what you get for screwing my brother a few years ago and selling me a garbage phone you ham and egger youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"
That's a wrap and hope all have a good off season. Stop by the shop and say Hello. See ya!
