Outlaw Stars owner Steve Weiland announced today he is leaving the league to participate in a mission trip to Uganda.
Weiland, a charter member of the ICA and a former owner of pre-ICA teams like MyAsian's and the infamous Bubba and Friends, has handed over the reigns to his franchise to some guy he works with, whose identity has not yet been disclosed. The new dude will be introduced at the winter meetings. Supposedly he knows his shit.
A two-time regular season champion who nevertheless failed to win a Fuggin Cup, Weiland's departure appears to be permanent, though he will be welcomed back to the league in the future if he changes his mind.
Weiland's departure means that only half of the members of the 5-year-old ICA were around for its founding: Adam Kirby, Tom Lyons, Mike Feigh, Jason Smith and Newman. Curt Creighton took over the Miracle Mets from Jason's choochy college roommate in year 2, the same year Figgs adopted the woeful Potato-sukin mickeys. Steve Meer and Colby Hanik joined the leage in year 4 as expansion owners.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Congrats to my Golden Sox
Your 2006 Fuggin Cup Champion Golden Sox:
Matt Belisle
Lance Berkman
Joe Blanton
David Cabrera
Mike Cameron
Roger Clemens
Doug Davis
Jermaine Dye
Prince Fielder
Chone Figgins
Jeff Francis
Ryan Garko
Geoff Geary
Aaron Heilman
Ramon Hernandez
Tim Hudson
Bobby Jenks
Kenny Lofton
Pedro Martinez
Wade Miller
Dustin Moseley
Akinori Otsuka
Hayden Penn
Albert Pujols
Mike Rivera
Scott Rolen
John Smoltz
Jeff Suppan
Miguel Tejada
Jim Thome
Carlos Villanueva
Billy Wagner
Jeff Weaver
Brandon Webb
David Wells
Bob Wickman
Ty Wigginton
Dontrelle Willis
Jake Woods
Barry Zito
Joel Zumaya
Matt Belisle
Lance Berkman
Joe Blanton
David Cabrera
Mike Cameron
Roger Clemens
Doug Davis
Jermaine Dye
Prince Fielder
Chone Figgins
Jeff Francis
Ryan Garko
Geoff Geary
Aaron Heilman
Ramon Hernandez
Tim Hudson
Bobby Jenks
Kenny Lofton
Pedro Martinez
Wade Miller
Dustin Moseley
Akinori Otsuka
Hayden Penn
Albert Pujols
Mike Rivera
Scott Rolen
John Smoltz
Jeff Suppan
Miguel Tejada
Jim Thome
Carlos Villanueva
Billy Wagner
Jeff Weaver
Brandon Webb
David Wells
Bob Wickman
Ty Wigginton
Dontrelle Willis
Jake Woods
Barry Zito
Joel Zumaya
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Minor League Draft
Now that we have final standings for 2006, here is your draft order for the first ever, upcoming minor league draft!
(Note: we do need to formalize a tiebreaker).
1 American Giants
2 Oedipus & the Mama's Boys
3 Walden Warriors
4 UD Bleacher Bums
5 Pine Tar Incident
6 Newmaniacs
7 Outlaw Stars
8 Wyoming Pigs
9 DaFaze
10 VP Golden Sox
11 Wyoming Pigs
12 Outlaw Stars
13 Newmaniacs
14 Pine Tar Incident
15 UD Bleacher Bums
16 Walden Warriors
17 Oedipus & the Mama's Boys
18 American Giants
19 American Giants
20 Oedipus & the Mama's Boys
21 Walden Warriors
22 UD Bleacher Bums
Put another way, by team:
American Giants 1 18 19
Oedipus & the Mama's Boys 2 17 20
Walden Warriors 3 16 21
UD Bleacher Bums 4 15 22
Pine Tar Incident 5 14
Newmaniacs 6 13
Outlaw Stars 7 12
Wyoming Pigs 8 11
DaFaze 9
VP Golden Sox 10
Again to remind you, "Picks in the minor league draft may not be traded under any circumstances. "
(Note: we do need to formalize a tiebreaker).
1 American Giants
2 Oedipus & the Mama's Boys
3 Walden Warriors
4 UD Bleacher Bums
5 Pine Tar Incident
6 Newmaniacs
7 Outlaw Stars
8 Wyoming Pigs
9 DaFaze
10 VP Golden Sox
11 Wyoming Pigs
12 Outlaw Stars
13 Newmaniacs
14 Pine Tar Incident
15 UD Bleacher Bums
16 Walden Warriors
17 Oedipus & the Mama's Boys
18 American Giants
19 American Giants
20 Oedipus & the Mama's Boys
21 Walden Warriors
22 UD Bleacher Bums
Put another way, by team:
American Giants 1 18 19
Oedipus & the Mama's Boys 2 17 20
Walden Warriors 3 16 21
UD Bleacher Bums 4 15 22
Pine Tar Incident 5 14
Newmaniacs 6 13
Outlaw Stars 7 12
Wyoming Pigs 8 11
DaFaze 9
VP Golden Sox 10
Again to remind you, "Picks in the minor league draft may not be traded under any circumstances. "
Monday, September 04, 2006
Best Weeks Ever
(Updated 8/17/08)
Hitting
Most Runs: 59 (Outlaw Stars, 2004)
Most RBI: 71 (DaFaze, 2003; Wyoming Pigs, 2004)
Most Stolen Bases: 16 (VP Golden Sox, 2008)
Most Walks: 49 (American Giants, 2008)
Fewest Strikeouts: 12 (Newmaniacs, 2003)
Most Bases: 175 (DaFaze, 2003)
Highest Average: .384 (UD Bleacher Bums, 2004)
Highest Slugging: .714 (DaFaze, 2003)
Pitching
Most Innings: 100.2 (Newman's Renegades, 2008)
Most Wins: 10 (Outlaw Stars, Pine Tar Incident, 2005)
Fewest Losses: 0
Most Saves: 13 (Drunken Irishmen, 2002)
Fewest Walks: 2 (Walden Warriors, 2004)
Most Strikeouts: 97 (Newmaniacs, 2004)
Most Holds: 9 (Walden Warriors, 2007; Wrigley Bears, 2008)
Lowest ERA: 0.68 (Outlaw Stars, 2008)
Lowest WHIP: 0.68 (Outlaw Stars, 2008)
Hitting
Most Runs: 59 (Outlaw Stars, 2004)
Most RBI: 71 (DaFaze, 2003; Wyoming Pigs, 2004)
Most Stolen Bases: 16 (VP Golden Sox, 2008)
Most Walks: 49 (American Giants, 2008)
Fewest Strikeouts: 12 (Newmaniacs, 2003)
Most Bases: 175 (DaFaze, 2003)
Highest Average: .384 (UD Bleacher Bums, 2004)
Highest Slugging: .714 (DaFaze, 2003)
Pitching
Most Innings: 100.2 (Newman's Renegades, 2008)
Most Wins: 10 (Outlaw Stars, Pine Tar Incident, 2005)
Fewest Losses: 0
Most Saves: 13 (Drunken Irishmen, 2002)
Fewest Walks: 2 (Walden Warriors, 2004)
Most Strikeouts: 97 (Newmaniacs, 2004)
Most Holds: 9 (Walden Warriors, 2007; Wrigley Bears, 2008)
Lowest ERA: 0.68 (Outlaw Stars, 2008)
Lowest WHIP: 0.68 (Outlaw Stars, 2008)
Single-season bests
Most Runs
1) 866 — Wyoming Pigs, 2004
2) 831 — Pine Tar Incident, 2009
3) 790 — DaFaze, 2010
Most RBI
1) 866 — Wyoming Pigs, 2003
2) 851 — Pine Tar Incident, 2009
3) 778 — Wyoming Pigs, 2008
Most Stolen Bases
1) 179 — Pine Tar Incident, 2007
2) 174 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2009
3) 161 — Bald Bombers, 2010
Most Batting Walks
1) 693 — Outlaw Stars, 2004
2) 628 — Wyoming Pigs, 2010
2) 605 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2008
Fewest Batting Strikeouts
1) 711 — Outlaw Stars, 2008
2) 719 — Outlaw Stars, 2007
3) 731 — Upper Deck Bleacher Bums, 2008
Most Bases
1) 2,539 — DaFaze, 2003
2) 2,447 — Walden Warriors, 2009
3) 2,412 — Pine Tar Incident, 2009
Fewest Errors
1) 54 — Walden Warriors, 2003
1) 54 — Newmaniacs, 2005
1) 54 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2005
Highest Fielding Percentage
1) .991 — Wyoming Pigs, 2008
1) .991 — Wyoming Pigs, 2009
3) .990 — Pine Tar Incident, 2008
3) .990 — Wyoming Pigs, 2010
Highest Batting Average
1) .304 — Upper Deck Bleacher Bums, 2004
2) .298 — DaFaze, 2008
3) .293 — DaFaze, 2010
Highest Slugging Percentage
1) .548 — Outlaw Stars, 2004
2) .510 — Walden Warriors, 2009
3) .493 — DaFaze, 2008
Most Innings
1) 1,542 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2010
2) 1,536 — Newman's Renegades, 2008
3) 1,525 — Wyoming Pigs, 2005
Most Wins
1) 112 — Wyoming Pigs, 2005
2) 107 — Newman's Renegades, 2008
3) 102 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2010
Fewest Losses
1) 47 — American Giants, 2002
2) 55 — American Giants, 2009
3) 57 — American Giants, 2008
3) 57 — American Giants, 2010
Most Saves
1) 143 — Newman's Renegades, 2007
2) 126 — Newman's Renegades, 2009
3) 119 — Newman's Renegades, 2010
Fewest Pitching Walks
1) 257 — American Giants, 2005
2) 386 — Wyoming Pigs, 2010
Most Pitching Strikeouts
1) 1,409 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2010
2) 1,333 — Pine Tar Incident, 2010
3) 1,279 — Pine Tar Incident, 2009
Most Holds
1) 107 — Walden Warriors, 2007
2) 88 — Walden Warriors, 2010
3) 83 — Walden Warriors, 2009
Lowest ERA
1) 3.07 — Walden Warriors, 2003
2) 3.27 — Newman's Renegades, 2010
3) 3.36 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2010
Lowest WHIP
1) 1.14 — Walden Warriors, 2003
2) 1.23 — Wyoming Pigs, 2010
3) 1.24 — Pine Tar Incident, 2009
3) 1.24 — Newman's Renegades, 2010
1) 866 — Wyoming Pigs, 2004
2) 831 — Pine Tar Incident, 2009
3) 790 — DaFaze, 2010
Most RBI
1) 866 — Wyoming Pigs, 2003
2) 851 — Pine Tar Incident, 2009
3) 778 — Wyoming Pigs, 2008
Most Stolen Bases
1) 179 — Pine Tar Incident, 2007
2) 174 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2009
3) 161 — Bald Bombers, 2010
Most Batting Walks
1) 693 — Outlaw Stars, 2004
2) 628 — Wyoming Pigs, 2010
2) 605 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2008
Fewest Batting Strikeouts
1) 711 — Outlaw Stars, 2008
2) 719 — Outlaw Stars, 2007
3) 731 — Upper Deck Bleacher Bums, 2008
Most Bases
1) 2,539 — DaFaze, 2003
2) 2,447 — Walden Warriors, 2009
3) 2,412 — Pine Tar Incident, 2009
Fewest Errors
1) 54 — Walden Warriors, 2003
1) 54 — Newmaniacs, 2005
1) 54 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2005
Highest Fielding Percentage
1) .991 — Wyoming Pigs, 2008
1) .991 — Wyoming Pigs, 2009
3) .990 — Pine Tar Incident, 2008
3) .990 — Wyoming Pigs, 2010
Highest Batting Average
1) .304 — Upper Deck Bleacher Bums, 2004
2) .298 — DaFaze, 2008
3) .293 — DaFaze, 2010
Highest Slugging Percentage
1) .548 — Outlaw Stars, 2004
2) .510 — Walden Warriors, 2009
3) .493 — DaFaze, 2008
Most Innings
1) 1,542 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2010
2) 1,536 — Newman's Renegades, 2008
3) 1,525 — Wyoming Pigs, 2005
Most Wins
1) 112 — Wyoming Pigs, 2005
2) 107 — Newman's Renegades, 2008
3) 102 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2010
Fewest Losses
1) 47 — American Giants, 2002
2) 55 — American Giants, 2009
3) 57 — American Giants, 2008
3) 57 — American Giants, 2010
Most Saves
1) 143 — Newman's Renegades, 2007
2) 126 — Newman's Renegades, 2009
3) 119 — Newman's Renegades, 2010
Fewest Pitching Walks
1) 257 — American Giants, 2005
2) 386 — Wyoming Pigs, 2010
Most Pitching Strikeouts
1) 1,409 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2010
2) 1,333 — Pine Tar Incident, 2010
3) 1,279 — Pine Tar Incident, 2009
Most Holds
1) 107 — Walden Warriors, 2007
2) 88 — Walden Warriors, 2010
3) 83 — Walden Warriors, 2009
Lowest ERA
1) 3.07 — Walden Warriors, 2003
2) 3.27 — Newman's Renegades, 2010
3) 3.36 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2010
Lowest WHIP
1) 1.14 — Walden Warriors, 2003
2) 1.23 — Wyoming Pigs, 2010
3) 1.24 — Pine Tar Incident, 2009
3) 1.24 — Newman's Renegades, 2010
Single-Season Worsts
Fewest Runs
1) 595 — Upper Deck Bleacher Bums, 2010
2) 615 — Potato-sukin mickeys, 2002
3) 636 — Outlaw Stars, 2008
Fewest RBI
1) 590 — Outlaw Stars, 2010
2) 593 — Wrigley Bears, 2008
3) 603 — American Giants, 2003
Fewest Stolen Bases
1) 49 — Outlaw Stars, 2007
2) 56 — Newman's Renegades, 2009
3) 61 — Pine Tar Incident, 2010
Fewest Batting Walks
1) 407 — Upper Deck Bleacher Bums, 2004
2) 422 — Bald Bombers, 2010
3) 437 — DaFaze, 2008
Most Batting Strikeouts
1) 1,068 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2006
2) 1,041 — Walden Warriors, 2010
3) 1,025 — Newman's Renegades, 2010
Fewest Bases
1) 1,913 — Potato-sukin mickeys, 2002
2) 1,928 — Outlaw Stars, 2010
3) 1,953 — Wrigley Bears, 2008
Most Errors
1) 97 — Pine Tar Incident, 2005
Worst Fielding Percentage
1) .980 — Upper Deck Bleacher Bums, 2006
1) .980 — Outlaw Stars, 2006
1) .980 — Newman's Renegades, 2009
1) .980 — Upper Deck Bleacher Bums, 2010
Lowest Batting Average
1) .255 — American Giants, 2005
2) .266 — Newman's Renegades, 2008
3) .267 — Wyoming Pigs, 2009
3) .267 — Outlaw Stars, 2010
Lowest Slugging Percentage
1) .406 — American Giants, 2005
2) .410 — Wrigley Bears, 2010
3) .412 — Outlaw Stars, 2010
Fewest Innings
1) 918 — American Giants, 2005
2) 1,069 — Outlaw Stars, 2008
Fewest Wins
1) 55 — Walden Warriors, 2005
1) 55 — American Giants, 2006
3) 56 — Outlaw Stars, 2008
Most Losses
1) 90 — Outlaw Stars, 2006
2) 89 — Wyoming Pigs, 2009
3) 85 — DaFaze, 2010
Fewest Saves
1) 4 — Walden Warriors, 2009
2) 12 — Walden Warriors, 2010
3) 21 — Walden Warriors, 2005
Most Pitching Walks
1) 561 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2010
2) 526 — Newman's Renegades, 2008
3) 525 — VP Golden Sox, 2004
Fewest Pitching Strikeouts
1) 648 — American Giants, 2007
2) 818 — Outlaw Stars, 2008
Fewest Holds
1) 0 — Upper Deck Bleacher Bums, 2008
2) 2 — Newman's Renegades, 2010
3) 3 — Newmaniacs, 2004
Highest ERA
1) 4.66 — Wyoming Pigs, 2006
2) 4.55 — Bald Bombers, 2009
3) 4.53 — Wyoming Pigs, 2009
Highest WHIP
1) 1.43 — VP Golden Sox, 2007
1) 1.43 — Wyoming Pigs, 2009
1) 1.43 — Bald Bombers, 2009
1) 595 — Upper Deck Bleacher Bums, 2010
2) 615 — Potato-sukin mickeys, 2002
3) 636 — Outlaw Stars, 2008
Fewest RBI
1) 590 — Outlaw Stars, 2010
2) 593 — Wrigley Bears, 2008
3) 603 — American Giants, 2003
Fewest Stolen Bases
1) 49 — Outlaw Stars, 2007
2) 56 — Newman's Renegades, 2009
3) 61 — Pine Tar Incident, 2010
Fewest Batting Walks
1) 407 — Upper Deck Bleacher Bums, 2004
2) 422 — Bald Bombers, 2010
3) 437 — DaFaze, 2008
Most Batting Strikeouts
1) 1,068 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2006
2) 1,041 — Walden Warriors, 2010
3) 1,025 — Newman's Renegades, 2010
Fewest Bases
1) 1,913 — Potato-sukin mickeys, 2002
2) 1,928 — Outlaw Stars, 2010
3) 1,953 — Wrigley Bears, 2008
Most Errors
1) 97 — Pine Tar Incident, 2005
Worst Fielding Percentage
1) .980 — Upper Deck Bleacher Bums, 2006
1) .980 — Outlaw Stars, 2006
1) .980 — Newman's Renegades, 2009
1) .980 — Upper Deck Bleacher Bums, 2010
Lowest Batting Average
1) .255 — American Giants, 2005
2) .266 — Newman's Renegades, 2008
3) .267 — Wyoming Pigs, 2009
3) .267 — Outlaw Stars, 2010
Lowest Slugging Percentage
1) .406 — American Giants, 2005
2) .410 — Wrigley Bears, 2010
3) .412 — Outlaw Stars, 2010
Fewest Innings
1) 918 — American Giants, 2005
2) 1,069 — Outlaw Stars, 2008
Fewest Wins
1) 55 — Walden Warriors, 2005
1) 55 — American Giants, 2006
3) 56 — Outlaw Stars, 2008
Most Losses
1) 90 — Outlaw Stars, 2006
2) 89 — Wyoming Pigs, 2009
3) 85 — DaFaze, 2010
Fewest Saves
1) 4 — Walden Warriors, 2009
2) 12 — Walden Warriors, 2010
3) 21 — Walden Warriors, 2005
Most Pitching Walks
1) 561 — Oedipus & the Mamas Boys, 2010
2) 526 — Newman's Renegades, 2008
3) 525 — VP Golden Sox, 2004
Fewest Pitching Strikeouts
1) 648 — American Giants, 2007
2) 818 — Outlaw Stars, 2008
Fewest Holds
1) 0 — Upper Deck Bleacher Bums, 2008
2) 2 — Newman's Renegades, 2010
3) 3 — Newmaniacs, 2004
Highest ERA
1) 4.66 — Wyoming Pigs, 2006
2) 4.55 — Bald Bombers, 2009
3) 4.53 — Wyoming Pigs, 2009
Highest WHIP
1) 1.43 — VP Golden Sox, 2007
1) 1.43 — Wyoming Pigs, 2009
1) 1.43 — Bald Bombers, 2009
Thursday, July 13, 2006
2006 ICA All Star Teams
Team Illinois
Manager: Mike Feigh
C: Victor Martinez (DF)
1B: Justin Morneau (UDB)
2B: Dan Uggla (UDB)
3B: Miguel Cabrera (DF)
SS: Jose Reyes (DF)
OF: Carlos Lee (UDB)
OF: Manny Ramirez (DF)
OF: Ichiro Suzuki (UDB)
Util: Adam Dunn (OMB)
Util: Ryan Howard (AG)
SP: Chris Young (UDB)
SP: Francisco Liriano (AG)
SP: Brandon Webb (UDB)
RP: Jonathona Papelbon (UDB)
RP: BJ Ryan (DF)
RP: Joe Nathan (OS)
P: Joe Speier (UDB)
P: Mike Timlin (UDB)
Bench: Grady Sizemore (OS)
Bench: Bobby Abreau (OMB)
Bench: Carlos Zambrano (UDB)
Bench: Aaron Harang (ODB)
Team World
Manager: Adam Kirby
C: Joe Mauer (WP)
1B: Albert Pujols (VPG)
2B: Chase Utley (WW)
3B: David Wright (PTI)
SS: Nomar Garciaparra (PTI)
OF: Carl Crawford (PTI)
OF: Jermaine Dye (VPG)
OF: Alfonso Soriano (WP)
Util: David Ortiz (Ren)
Util: Jim Thome (WP)
SP: Roy Halladay (WW)
SP: Mike Mussina (Ren)
SP: Johan Santana (Ren)
RP: Bobby Jenks (VPG)
RP: Tom Gordon (Ren)
RP: Trevor Hoffman (Ren)
P: Joel Zumaya (VPG)
P: Scott Linebrink (PTI)
Bench: Carlos Beltran (WP)
Bench: Travis Hafner (WW)
Bench: Curt Schilling (Ren)
Bench: Chris Capuano (Ren)
Manager: Mike Feigh
C: Victor Martinez (DF)
1B: Justin Morneau (UDB)
2B: Dan Uggla (UDB)
3B: Miguel Cabrera (DF)
SS: Jose Reyes (DF)
OF: Carlos Lee (UDB)
OF: Manny Ramirez (DF)
OF: Ichiro Suzuki (UDB)
Util: Adam Dunn (OMB)
Util: Ryan Howard (AG)
SP: Chris Young (UDB)
SP: Francisco Liriano (AG)
SP: Brandon Webb (UDB)
RP: Jonathona Papelbon (UDB)
RP: BJ Ryan (DF)
RP: Joe Nathan (OS)
P: Joe Speier (UDB)
P: Mike Timlin (UDB)
Bench: Grady Sizemore (OS)
Bench: Bobby Abreau (OMB)
Bench: Carlos Zambrano (UDB)
Bench: Aaron Harang (ODB)
Team World
Manager: Adam Kirby
C: Joe Mauer (WP)
1B: Albert Pujols (VPG)
2B: Chase Utley (WW)
3B: David Wright (PTI)
SS: Nomar Garciaparra (PTI)
OF: Carl Crawford (PTI)
OF: Jermaine Dye (VPG)
OF: Alfonso Soriano (WP)
Util: David Ortiz (Ren)
Util: Jim Thome (WP)
SP: Roy Halladay (WW)
SP: Mike Mussina (Ren)
SP: Johan Santana (Ren)
RP: Bobby Jenks (VPG)
RP: Tom Gordon (Ren)
RP: Trevor Hoffman (Ren)
P: Joel Zumaya (VPG)
P: Scott Linebrink (PTI)
Bench: Carlos Beltran (WP)
Bench: Travis Hafner (WW)
Bench: Curt Schilling (Ren)
Bench: Chris Capuano (Ren)
Friday, June 30, 2006
My turn to play mad innovator
There's been talk for as long as the ICA's been in existence of breaking off into two divisions, for the purposes of an unbalanced schedule favoring rivalries and to add to playoff excitement by creating two separate (but equal!) races.
The straight divisional concept would be a great addition to the league, although there remain some hangups. First, technology is a factor -- we would either need to find a site that allows for free divisional play, or we would have to pony up the extra $200 to upgrade to Yahoo Plus. Second, there is the question of how to fairly align the divisions. We'd want to account for natural rivalries, but then the default alignment would probably end up as "Guys Who Went to High School Together" and "Everybody Else." That's neither equitable nor good for the longterm stability of the league.
Instead, I'd like to propose the ICA adopt -- after expansion to 12 teams -- a fairly radical divisional concept, based on the model of European soccer.
As is my understanding of it, in European soccer, the leagues are realigned each year based on teams' performance the previous year. That is, the bottom-feeders of the Elite League are banished the following season to the Intermediate League, and the top teams from Intermediate move on up to Elite.
Now, I'm not suggesting we banish the Giants and the Mamas Boys.
Rather, we would have two divisions, a Group 1 and a Group 2. These groups would be initially established based on the final standings at the end of our next expansion year. Group 1 would be comprised of the top 6 teams, and Group 2 would be the bottom 6. The groups would play an unbalanced schedule, with games against all teams, but the majority of games against teams in their own group.
But here's the catch: Only teams in Group 1 are eligible to win the Fuggin Cup. Teams in Group 2, on the other hand, are fighting for the right to jump up into Group 1 the following year. The way I envision it (and this can certainly be tweaked), the teams that place in fifth and sixth -- i.e., miss the playoffs in Group 1 -- would be bounced to Group 2. The top two teams in Group 2 would then elevate to Group 1.
Before you scoff at the concept, consider the positives:
Thoughts?
The straight divisional concept would be a great addition to the league, although there remain some hangups. First, technology is a factor -- we would either need to find a site that allows for free divisional play, or we would have to pony up the extra $200 to upgrade to Yahoo Plus. Second, there is the question of how to fairly align the divisions. We'd want to account for natural rivalries, but then the default alignment would probably end up as "Guys Who Went to High School Together" and "Everybody Else." That's neither equitable nor good for the longterm stability of the league.
Instead, I'd like to propose the ICA adopt -- after expansion to 12 teams -- a fairly radical divisional concept, based on the model of European soccer.
As is my understanding of it, in European soccer, the leagues are realigned each year based on teams' performance the previous year. That is, the bottom-feeders of the Elite League are banished the following season to the Intermediate League, and the top teams from Intermediate move on up to Elite.
Now, I'm not suggesting we banish the Giants and the Mamas Boys.
Rather, we would have two divisions, a Group 1 and a Group 2. These groups would be initially established based on the final standings at the end of our next expansion year. Group 1 would be comprised of the top 6 teams, and Group 2 would be the bottom 6. The groups would play an unbalanced schedule, with games against all teams, but the majority of games against teams in their own group.
But here's the catch: Only teams in Group 1 are eligible to win the Fuggin Cup. Teams in Group 2, on the other hand, are fighting for the right to jump up into Group 1 the following year. The way I envision it (and this can certainly be tweaked), the teams that place in fifth and sixth -- i.e., miss the playoffs in Group 1 -- would be bounced to Group 2. The top two teams in Group 2 would then elevate to Group 1.
Before you scoff at the concept, consider the positives:
- This model rewards smart, longterm planning, by requiring our champion to be a solid team for at least two consecutive years. It would eliminate the possibility of a flash-in-the-pan winner, a la the 2004 Newmaniacs, not to take anything away from Newman's championship.
- It would provide serious annual incentive for mediocre or bad teams to compete. Currently, our system discourages middle-of-the-pack teams from really trying to improve themselves in any given year. Instead, it's often beneficial for a mediocre team to merely trade good players and stockpile draft picks with an eye to the future. This system would give every year more urgency, as non-contenders would be fighting to make the jump or to hold on to their position for the next season.
- It would give legitimate hope to the worst teams. Right now, Colby and Jason have little hope of winning anything of any importance in the near future. But in the group format, they would have a realistically attainable goal -- beating out the mediocre teams for a shot at placement in the top group. Let's face it, Oedipus isn't going to outdo my Golden Sox anytime soon, but it's not unreasonable to think Colby's team could edge out the Pigs -- especially with more games against poor competition.
- It raises the level of excitement for everybody, even the top teams. With the current model, contenders often get several "weeks off" during the season when they play the lesser squads. Not only are the teams mismatched talentwise, but often the bad teams aren't managed as aggressively because they really aren't playing for anything. With the group format, both of these factors are mitigated -- top teams play other top teams more often, and the bottom teams will be more involved because they'll have an attainable goal.
Thoughts?
Monday, June 26, 2006
Tom's Revised All-Star Ballot
25-man teams, each team represented
NL
OF - Beltran, Abreu, Soriano
3B - Wright
SS - Reyes
2B - Utley
1B - Pujols
C - Estrada
SP - Arroyo, Zambrano, Capuano, Webb, Schmidt
RP - Fuentes, Saito, Wagner, Coffey, Gordon, Hoffman
Bench - Berkman, Giles, Bay, Johnson, Rolen, McCann
4 Mets...I don't like it either...
AL
OF - Granderson, Crawford, Wells
3B - Crede
SS - Jeter
2B - Lopez
1B - Giambi
C - Mauer
SP - Santana, Halladay, Kazmir, Zito, Schilling
RP - Papelbon, Ryan, Nathan, Otsuka, Jenks, Rivera
Bench - Hernandez, Thome, Hafner, E Brown, O-Cabrera, Youkilis
NL
OF - Beltran, Abreu, Soriano
3B - Wright
SS - Reyes
2B - Utley
1B - Pujols
C - Estrada
SP - Arroyo, Zambrano, Capuano, Webb, Schmidt
RP - Fuentes, Saito, Wagner, Coffey, Gordon, Hoffman
Bench - Berkman, Giles, Bay, Johnson, Rolen, McCann
4 Mets...I don't like it either...
AL
OF - Granderson, Crawford, Wells
3B - Crede
SS - Jeter
2B - Lopez
1B - Giambi
C - Mauer
SP - Santana, Halladay, Kazmir, Zito, Schilling
RP - Papelbon, Ryan, Nathan, Otsuka, Jenks, Rivera
Bench - Hernandez, Thome, Hafner, E Brown, O-Cabrera, Youkilis
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Euclis
"Hello. My name is Kevin Youkilis. I'm an on-base machine. I was featured in Moneyball as Euclis: the Greek God of walks. My manager doesn't know that I'm his best hitter in 2006, so I don't get nearly the at-bats that I deserve.There's only a couple of ICA 3Bmen better than me, and only a couple of 1Bmen. I'm really good, and nobody knows it. "
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Tom's All-Star Ballot
Tom's All-Star Ballot
AL:
C- Hernandez, Bal
1B - Giambi, nyy
2b - Lopez, Sea
3B - Chavez, Oak
SS - Jeter, NYY
OF - Crawford, Granderson, ManRam
DH - Thome, CWS
Filling out the team (25-man roster, each team represented)-
SP - Kazmir, Contreras, Santana, Buehrle, Halladay
RP- Papelbon, Shields, Otsuka, Ryan, Rodney, Ray
Bench- Hafner, Gomes, Youkilis, Grudzielanek, Mauer
Best player not going: Alex Riox, Tor
(First time since 1999 that ARod doesn't go).
NL:
C- Estrada, Arz
1B- Pujols, StL
2B- Utley, Phi
3B - Ensberg, Hou
SS- Lopez, Cin
OF- Abreu, Giles, Beltran
(DH- Berkman)
SP- Webb, Glavine, Arroyo, Mulder+, Oswalt
RP- Fuentes, Dempster, Benitez, Baez, Gonzalez, Gordon
Bench- A. Jones, Cabrera, Soriano, C. Lee, McCann
Best player not going: Delgado
+Mulder isn't as good of a pitcher as Pedro, but he's actually contributed offensively. I hemmed and hawed on whether to count total value or just pitching value; I went with the former. Both the Cards and Mets already have guys in there, so if you went Pedro instead of Mulder it would be fine by me.
Some predictions:
*Not nearly as many Yankees deserve to go (Jeter & Giambi) than will actually go (Jeter, Giambi, Posada, Cano, Matsui, ARod). It's very refreshing to not have Joe Torre manage the AL team.
*ESPN will again sound like morons when they complain about snubs from the AL roster.
*There's no way that a Kazmir v. Webb matchup is going to fill seats, and neither team's manager is smart enough to pick those two anyway.
*The AL will once again clobber the NL.
*It's only difficult to represent every team in the NL - more teams, less talent - but ESPN will still complain about the every-team-ought-to-be-represented rule.
AL:
C- Hernandez, Bal
1B - Giambi, nyy
2b - Lopez, Sea
3B - Chavez, Oak
SS - Jeter, NYY
OF - Crawford, Granderson, ManRam
DH - Thome, CWS
Filling out the team (25-man roster, each team represented)-
SP - Kazmir, Contreras, Santana, Buehrle, Halladay
RP- Papelbon, Shields, Otsuka, Ryan, Rodney, Ray
Bench- Hafner, Gomes, Youkilis, Grudzielanek, Mauer
Best player not going: Alex Riox, Tor
(First time since 1999 that ARod doesn't go).
NL:
C- Estrada, Arz
1B- Pujols, StL
2B- Utley, Phi
3B - Ensberg, Hou
SS- Lopez, Cin
OF- Abreu, Giles, Beltran
(DH- Berkman)
SP- Webb, Glavine, Arroyo, Mulder+, Oswalt
RP- Fuentes, Dempster, Benitez, Baez, Gonzalez, Gordon
Bench- A. Jones, Cabrera, Soriano, C. Lee, McCann
Best player not going: Delgado
+Mulder isn't as good of a pitcher as Pedro, but he's actually contributed offensively. I hemmed and hawed on whether to count total value or just pitching value; I went with the former. Both the Cards and Mets already have guys in there, so if you went Pedro instead of Mulder it would be fine by me.
Some predictions:
*Not nearly as many Yankees deserve to go (Jeter & Giambi) than will actually go (Jeter, Giambi, Posada, Cano, Matsui, ARod). It's very refreshing to not have Joe Torre manage the AL team.
*ESPN will again sound like morons when they complain about snubs from the AL roster.
*There's no way that a Kazmir v. Webb matchup is going to fill seats, and neither team's manager is smart enough to pick those two anyway.
*The AL will once again clobber the NL.
*It's only difficult to represent every team in the NL - more teams, less talent - but ESPN will still complain about the every-team-ought-to-be-represented rule.
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