Starlings Perched On Top

Congratulations to Mr. Rob and his Slipstream Starlings squadron on their 2007 DCBA Championship.

Showing a cat-like sense of balance, the Starlings offset a disappointing year from keeper shortstop Miguel Tejada and an inconsistent season from 1st round pick Jeremy Bonderman with standout seasons from Matt Holliday and Josh Beckett. This impressive management enabled the Starlings to field a high-octane lineup that was able to accomplish a league-high 4 top performances during the regular season - and then carry on with 2 more in the playoffs.

Hear what I said? The leaders are them.

Congratulations to Mr. Brent and The Consummate Bastards for another fine season. At 0/4 in his playoff payoff as a GM, he's still one behind Billy Beane (0/5), but has a chance to overtake John Schuerholz (1/14), or perhaps with a good run tie Branch Rickey (4/8).

I'd also like to thank Commissioner Johnston and rookie TDS Hooker for their superlative work on this here league blog, contributing to an invaluable resource of statistics, insight and commentary that no doubt contributed directly to 9 of 10 teams not winning the championship.

Finally, if anyone has an extra Cubs playoff ticket....

Sailing to the Championship

While the battle between The Consummate Bastards and the Slipstream Starlings rages on to determine the third DCBA champion in three years, let us reflect on how they got here.

Matt Holliday (Week 24)
11-27
6 HR, 11 RBI
.407 avg/.500 obp/1.148 slg
59 points - most in the league this season


Alex Rodriguez (Week 24)
4-22, 4 1b
0 HR, 1 RBI
.182 avg/.308 obp/.182 slg
13 points - his lowest total of the year

FACT: No team has ever won the championship with Alex Rodriguez.

Good luck to Slipstream Starlings and The Consummate Bastards, certified ARod-free.

Playoff Watch - Final Edition

I look forward to anything and everything possibly happening between now and the final pitch Sunday night, but seriously, this is all over. Good season, everyone, but even better for these guys:

Congratulations, All The Wrong Cubs, on winning the Unstoppable Forces division, the only division to ever produce DCBA champions. Do them proud.

Savage Sickos, despite a late-season losing streak, have captured the slot of Wild Card #1. They'll be seeded #3 for the playoffs. 3 straight years in the playoffs, well done.

Slipstream Starlings, slow and steady the whole year, creep in the backdoor as Wild Card #2, seed #4. This will be the first appearance for them in the playoffs. Have a ball.

The matchups for the semifinal round look to be as follows:

All The Wrong Cubs (#1) vs. Slipstream Starlings (#4)
The Consummate Bastards (#2) vs. Savage Sickos (#3)

Having learned nothing from Dan Rather, the matchups for the final round will be:

The Consummate Bastards vs. Slipstream Starlings.

All of that is not written in stone, however, just a simple blogging program, but one thing is certain: Da Infidels hold the #1 pick in 2007 (unless they trigger the 2,000-point bonus).

Playoff Watch 2007 - The Final Week

For those of you who may have lost track, it's true - the The Consummate Bastards, with their defeat of the Savage Sickos in Week 22, have clinched a playoff berth.

Thus far, that is all that has been settled, as in the Unstoppable Forces Division, the Cubs and Flowers battle for control with the winner claiming the divisional title.

What does that mean for everyone else? It means that the Sickos, having lead in the points race for nearly the entire year, are all but guaranteed entry into the playoffs as a wildcard team, leaving room for only one other.

Who will it be? The odds at the moment favor the Slipstream Starlings, who hold a nearly 100-point lead over their next closest competitor.

My prediction: the Da Infidels score 1,000 points, triggering the much discussed but little known 1,000-point bonus, which places them as the 4th team in the playoffs. This also grants them the right to claim 5 players from each team to form a 'superteam.' The superteam scores 1,500 points in the first round of the playoffs, which causes the 1,500-point bonus to take effect. Unfortunately, the 1,500-point bonus prize is taking batting practice against Rick Ankiel, who beans Aamer. Aamer is unable to submit a lineup for the championship game and loses; Ankiel then forgets how to hit, and after 15 straight plate appearances where the bat travels farther than the ball, he retires. He then goes back to the minor leagues to become an umpire. During his very first game, he's forced to toss a manager from the game - and that manager travels 375 feet at 90 miles per hour.

Wild Card Standings -- as of 9/2/07