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Pick'em: Hope and Futility Pick TWO! Albany Pessimists Burma Imperialists Cuba Smokers Rochester Generics Also, I liked the EC standings page, if only because it put into context how mind-bogglingly horrific my defense was.
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Feb 5, 2013 00:18
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Pick'em: Hope and Futility Pick TWO! Albany Pessimists Burma Imperialists
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Feb 5, 2013 00:23
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Smasher Dynamo posted:Pick'em: Hope and Futility Riding this gravy train to the ground, Smasher! Burma and Rochester!
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Feb 5, 2013 00:32
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Pick'em: Hope and Futility Pick TWO! Burma Imperialists Cuba Smokers
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Feb 5, 2013 00:34
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UltimoDragonQuest posted:I'd rather see team OBP, SLG, or OPS than HR and BA. HRs and BA are listed on the team overview and lineup screens which are already captured, so no need to provide those - I generally avoid stats you can already get at. I could definitely do OBP and SLG though. I can use 4 or 5 stats - I've been keeping streak at the request of Mrnoun from last season - So maybe Defensive Efficiency, Opponent Slugging, team OBP, team SLG and streak? Or drop one of OBP/SLG for opponent OBA?
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Feb 5, 2013 00:51
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Pretend I had a long-winded wrestling promo diatribe about how the Oranges deserved better than a second-round Gauntlet defeat and how I didn't understand why we couldn't do better than .500 against the second-worst foursome of this iteration of the Super League, and marvel at how some advice transcends time, space and even Super League teams:Smasher Dynamo posted:More to the point, at a certain point, you really had to roll the dice and trade Bonds or Pujols for multiple pieces, including pitching help. Yeah, that might have made things worse but, at a certain point, it became clear that your pitching staff, as presently constituted, was not good enough to survive, and you had to try something else. Would trading Bonds or Pujols for pitching have saved your team? Probably not. But it was worth a shot. E: I had a really good time throughout my stay in active competition, and I guess I fell victim to the old owner mentality. The guys I had were successful once, so instead of following the trends and leveraging those talents to continually improve my team I stood pat, confident that the guys who won 90 games 4 seasons ago would just keep doing so forever, through League after League, Mogul version after Mogul version. Even after last year saw me enter the Gauntlet for the first time, I drafted a power-hitting first baseman to trap Pujols' poor defense at third, traded away two very good pitchers mid-season for one that was horribly injured & would miss the season, and then spent the only time I did spend on trades searching for the missing players from Homer at the Bat while neglecting the fact that my closers-only bullpen stopped working in Mogul 13 and was getting my starters killed, leaving me with deadballers and ground ball pitchers against an unbelievably poor infield. I'll be back and I sincerely hope I remember to not make the same mistakes again. StupidSexyMothman fucked around with this message at 01:11 on Feb 5, 2013 |
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Feb 5, 2013 00:59
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 Pick'em: Hope and Futility Burma Imperialists Cuba Smokers
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Feb 5, 2013 01:30
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Pick 'Em Burma Imperialists & Albany Pessimists Go 'Ists!
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Feb 5, 2013 01:35
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 And so it ends, with not so much a whimper as a barely audible sigh. The Arguments get dispersed. But I would have liked to see a 93-rating Snuffy all season long. Now he can rest. It would be easier to list the things I did right over all the mistakes, because there were so many mistakes. Yeah, Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle were bound to go well together, and that's about it. But my initial feeder selection was poor, leading to a roster full of holes. I could have traded away Williams and Mantle for pitching, but in the end I think there was too much ground to make up, and too much Snuffy. If I may, I will return with a new team in the next Expansion Cup and I hope I've learned my lessons well. Now the survivors get to enjoy the bounteous riches of my team!
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Feb 5, 2013 01:48
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Smasher Dynamo posted:Pick'em: Hope and Futility REPEAT! REPEAT!
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Feb 5, 2013 02:20
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Jobbers are gonna pick.. Pick'em: Hope and Futility Pick TWO! Burma Imperialists Rochester Generics
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Feb 5, 2013 02:27
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I am concerned that this groundswell of support will doom my team 
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Feb 5, 2013 02:40
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Pick Em: Burma and Albany.
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Feb 5, 2013 05:27
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Grinnblade posted:Expansion Cup VIII Special Edition: Divisional Races/Dispersal Draft Order  Aw, come on.Congrats cbx. Hard fought division. Smasher Dynamo posted:Pick'em: Hope and Futility
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Feb 5, 2013 14:05
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I know, your team had mine for the vast majority of the season. I don't know where that sudden burst of competence came from.
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Feb 5, 2013 14:35
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Pick'em: Hope and Futility Pick TWO! Burma Imperialists Cuba Smokers Pick 'em FOREVER! Pick the winner, the number of games (best-of-five), and score of the final game Luna Landers @ South Bolton Eazy W's, 5 games, 4-3 Finger Lakes Phoenixes @ Lombard St. Gumshoes, 4 games, 4-2 Coburns @ Fukuoka Finger-Bangers, 4 games, 5-3 Rockford Losers @ Cancun Tornados 4 games, 3-2
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Feb 5, 2013 15:41
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 I'm embarrassed to admit I don't know if this is happening in the same save as the regular season or not, so let's just hope everyone keeps playing out of their minds. SLDS Roster LF Henderson DH Oh CF Mays 3B Grich RF Baines/Evans SS Larkin C Downing 2B Utley 1B Murray C Slaught (catches for Rijo) UT Kruk IF Dark CF Dykstra SP Plank SP Tanana SP Rijo SP Ryan CL Wilhelm SU Bedrosian SR Jackson SR Brantley MR Pettitte LR Reuschel MU THE T. Lee
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Feb 5, 2013 15:47
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Pick 'em FOREVER! Gumshoes in 5, 7-4 Landers in 4, 5-2 Finger-Bangers in 5, 4-3 Tornados in 4, 7-3
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Feb 5, 2013 16:13
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cbx posted:I know, your team had mine for the vast majority of the season. I don't know where that sudden burst of competence came from. We were basically neck and neck all season, just waiting for a slip-up on either side.
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Feb 5, 2013 16:24
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While I'm at it, Pick'em: Hope and Futility: Imperialists Generics
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Feb 5, 2013 16:30
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  : Well, two legs of our three-fold strategy succeeded, and two legs are enough to run away with the Hopp Division. Cust and Bellhorn were symbolic sacrifices, just as The Bard sacrificed virtue for convenience. Divisional Series Roster LF Rickey CF Carey RF Giles/Lemon 1B Gehrig DH Ortiz/Piazza 2B Collins/Gordon SS Alomar C Lombardi 3B Rolfe OF Beltran IF Crosetti SP Bunning SP Sutton SP Schilling SP Ruffing CL Fingers SU Hoffman SR Bard SR Aceves MR Roebuck LR Gomez MU Mays ugggh why would you pick me over the Gumshoes
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Feb 5, 2013 17:14
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The Merry Marauder posted:ugggh why would you pick me over the Gumshoes 
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Feb 5, 2013 17:18
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  : "Whom Coburn would destroy, he first makes thrice Champion," eh? DLDS Roster 2B Lajoie LF Bonds 1B Thomas RF Williams 3B Martinez CF Snider C Berra/Tenace SS Lloyd UT Berkman 3B Chipper OF Cobb IF Polanco 1B Olerud SP Joss SP Vance SP Williams SP Ryan CL '82 Rollie SU '75 Rollie SR Wood SR Hiller MR Mulholland LR Schilling MU Hershiser
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Feb 5, 2013 17:54
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 Owner: ManifunkDestiny Location: Spokane, WA Home Grounds: Olympic Stadium Teams Used 2000 San Francisco Giants 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks 2012 Los Angeles Angels Past Records Expansion Cup VII 64-99, 5th Place, Laissez-Faire Division Super-League VIII 51-86, 5th Place, Norris Smythe Division, Gauntletted Gauntlet VII Round 1: 16-24, 4th Place, Relegated Titles Won 1x Heavyweight 1x Television The battered old 1989 Ford Taurus cruised down the highway at a rate that would have been alarming, if this stretch of road didn't run through a barren, desolate wasteland, bereft of obstacles or even life. The car's occupants didn't seem to mind, though. It had been a long season, and neither wanted to be here any longer than they had to. "You know, I never did figure out. Why were we called the Air Raids? What were we raiding?" "Air," said Jeff Kent. The grizzled vet smirked a bit as he elaborated, "We were raiding for air." "I don't get it," said the youthful Mark Trumbo. "Really air? Why?" "Really air. Oxygen's a valuable commodity, you know. Scarce and expensive, especially around Spokane. And you know why?" "Why, Mr. Kent?" "Pollution. All those factories spitting out their smog. There's the steelworks, and Cicero Plastics is always pumping out their garbage, too. And when the wind is blowing in from Wilkes-Barre, that just makes everything worse. No, raiding for oxygen is big business in Spokane." "Uh... I think that's Scranton." Rather than respond, Kent hit 'play' on the tape deck and pretended not to hear. The soothing sounds of "(Highway to the) Danger Zone" filled the car for a few minutes. When he could take it no longer, Kent admitted defeat and hit 'stop' again. "All right, all right, that's not the real reason." Mark had been content to let the whole conversation drop, but since the alternative appeared to be Kenny Loggins' Greatest Hits, he decided to ask again. "So then, what is it?" "It's all metaphorical," the vet said. "You know, like the Gumshoes aren't actually 1940's film noir detectives." "Oh, I get it! Like the Suicides never actually killed themselves!" "Exactly! Well, except for when they played Carlos Guillen at 2nd, but you get the general idea. Or, like, the Finger-Bangers don't really finger-bang." "Um. Actually, there's this video..." Trumbo never completed the thought. Instead, both men sat in silence for a moment, then shuddered with revulsion. To clear his mind, Kent hit 'play' once more. The final chords of "(Highway to the) Danger Zone" faded out, and Kenny's next biggest hit, "(Highway to the) Danger Zone" started. Jeff considered his options, but saw few alternatives. He tried fast-forwarding, but the deck sounded like it was dangerously close to eating the tape, and it was the only tape they had in the car, so he had to stop. Thankfully, it was right at the end of the song. Not willing to press his luck, he shut off the tape deck and spoke again. "All right. God's Honest Truth this time. The real reason we're called the Air Raids? Dingers. We were supposed to mercilessly rain dingers on all our opponents. I know, it's stupid, and not nearly as fun as stealing oxygen to keep our pollution-wracked city from dying, but it's the truth." "Oh." "Yeah, pretty boring, huh?" "But Mr. Kent, didn't you only hit like eleven all year?" In a panic, Jeff mashed the 'play' button. A few seconds of "The Gambler" played, the tape's compiler apparently having confused Loggins and Rogers, but then the side ended. The player was supposed to reverse automatically, but that never seemed to work right. So he tried to flip it by hand, only to discover the deck was eating their last cassette. Cornered, he had no choice. "All right, all right! You win! We were terrible. Terrible! Is that what you want to hear? Yeah, Bonds and Pujols hit a few home runs, but it didn't matter! Solo shots never won poo poo! And our fielding... oh god, our fielding! George Brett was our best infielder! "But none of that matters, because of our pitching," Kent continued. "We had a team ERA of 5.15. That's worse than the Stevie Mitch Specials! Worse than the Hill Valley Biffs! Worse than the Honolulu Lava Flows! Dingers rained, all right! They rained on us!" Mark thought about this for a moment. "But they rained, didn't they? And in the end," he said, "isn't that all that really matters?" And he was right!
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Feb 6, 2013 00:56
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Pick 'em FOREVER! Pick the winner, the number of games (best-of-five), and score of the final game South Bolton Eazy W's 4 games, 7-1 Lombard St. Gumshoes 3 games, 6-4 Fukuoka Finger-Bangers 4 games 3-2 Rockford Losers 5 games 5-3
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Feb 6, 2013 01:44
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 The following contest, scheduled for the best three-out-of-five games, is for a berth into the Smasher League Finals and the Television Championship.  The Luna Landers are mrnoun's latest and greatest attempt at building a winner in the Super-League. They mainly rely on drawing a lot of walks, hitting a lot of home runs, and hoping that their pitchers throw enough strikeouts to make their poor defense a non-issue. For the most part, this has been a successful strategy, as they have made the playoffs once again, and are the current Larkin-Downing champions, but they are still looking for their first Divisional Series win, and questions still abound as to whether or not the many trades mrnoun made in the offseason truly made the Landers a better team.  Moonbase 0-2, The Moon Moonbase 0-2 will host Games 3 and 4 of this series. The following smart dudes picked the Landers Gabriel Pope (OMA) (4 Games, Final Score 5-2) gingemidget (WAL) (4 Games, Final Score 8-5) ScottyJSno (LOV) (4 Games, Final Score 6-5) theacox (CER) (5 Games, Final Score 4-3)  The W's have been around forever. Granted, in the seven seasons coming into these playoffs, they still have not made the Super-League Finals, but they have won five division championships, and had numerous secondary title reigns. They have the best rotation in the Smasher League, that much seems rather close to certain. McDowell, Koufax, Alexander and Young have been dominant this year, admittedly with a bit of smoke and mirrors from McDowell. The W's offense is grounded on two principles: 1. Supporting that great pitching staff with top-notch infield defense, and Babe loving Ruth. And, really, when you have Babe Ruth, you can ignore a lot of problems with your offense.  Memorial Coliseum Bolton, Lancashire Memorial Coliseum will host Games 1, 2 and 5 of this series. The following grandmasters of strategy picked the Eazy W's GrickleGrass (MAN) (3 Games, Final Score 5-1) cbx (DEC) (4 Games, Final Score 6-3) Monathin (CNT) (4 Games, Final Score 5-3) mooseontheloose (4 Games, Final Score 7-1) Pander (SAD) (4 Games, Final Score 7-3) Senerio (NOW) (4 Games, Final Score 3-2) Armitage (JAC) (5 Games, Final Score 6-4) CVE (MDM) (5 Games, Final Score 4-2) NotThatSamBeckett (5 Games, Final Score 4-3) Game 1 Don May posted:
Box Score   Game 2 Don May posted:
Box Score   Game 3 Don May posted:
Box Score   Updated Playoff Bracket 
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Feb 6, 2013 03:58
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Expansion Cup VIII Playoff and Gauntlet Pick Em Scores Through SLCS Series 1 pre:Senerio 16 Pander 14 Armitage 13 cbx 12 Gabriel Pope 12 Monathin 12 NotThatSamBeckett 10 CVE 9 Gricklegrass 9 theacox 9 Mooseontheloose 6 ScottyJSno 5 gingemidget 4 Bograt 3
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Feb 6, 2013 05:15
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Never expected to be so close to the top still. Small victories!
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Feb 6, 2013 05:52
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 The Oranges are from Florida. That's pretty awful and all you really need to know. Florida Oranges Owner: oldskool Location: Florida City, FL Home Grounds: Tropicana Field Teams Used 1991 New York Mets 1998 Philadelphia Phillies 2004 Philadelphia Phillies 2006 Minnesota Twins Past Records Expansion Cup III 93-69, Taggart League Champions Lost to Deadwood Cutthroats 3-4 in Finals Super-League IV 90-72, 2nd Place, Vae Victis Division, Wildcard Lost to Boston Skyhawks 0-3 in DLDS Super-League V 93-69, Vae Victis Division Champions Defeated Dorchester Phantoms 3-2 in DLDS Lost to Fukuoka Finger-Bangers 1-4 in DLCS Super-League VI 92-70, 3rd Place, Vae Victis Division, Wildcard Defeated Dubai Dervishes 1-0 in Wildcard Playoff Lost to Rockford Losers 2-3 in DLDS Super-League VII 76-86, 2nd Place, Vae Victis Division, Gauntletted Gauntlet VI Round 7: 22-18, 2nd Place, Survived Round 8: 28-12, T-1st Place, Survived Round 9: 19-21, T-2nd Place, Survived Super-League VIII 65-97, 5th Place, Vae Victis Division, Gauntletted Gauntlet VII Round 2: 20-20, 3rd Place, Relegated Juiced: The Best of the Florida Oranges Expansion Cup Championship: Florida Oranges vs. Deadwood Cutthroats Post-Season, Expansion Cup III, Best-of-Seven Series -Going into this match, the question was whether Bonds and the Oranges' bullpen would be able to withstand the Cutthroats' power hitters. The Oranges had been playing a typical "Florida Heel" role, and were being positioned for a mid-card push at the time. In addition, the winner would receive Babe Ruth for the upcoming Super-League IV. -The Oranges start out with their typical (for that time) Schilling opener, which the Cutthroats try and reverse with Eppa Rixey. This goes nowhere, and the teams trade scoreless innings until Chase Utley finally manages to push a run across to win the game for the Oranges 2-1. Oranges Lead 1-0 -Seeking to pick up another fall on the Cutthroats, the Oranges send out Santana to take on Dolf Luque. After a lot of stalling to start the match, the Oranges finally tag in their bullpen, and pick up a run in the ninth. But the Cutthroats, with time running out, are able to kick out of the deficit with a run of their own, sending the bout into extra innings. After a near-fall in the eleventh, John Olerud finishes off the Oranges with a curtain call single in the twelfth. Series Tied 1-1 -Both teams try and rest before the series continues, but the Oranges take a cheap shot when the umpire's back is turned, and David Cone is able to ride the momentum for an easy win. Oranges lead 2-1 -With the Cutthroats still reeling, the Oranges strike fast again, with Viola hitting Sweet Music for the easy pin, and the Oranges move within one more fall of winning the vacant title. Oranges lead 3-1 -Schilling comes out and cuts a promo on the Cutthroats, who look like they're on their last legs. This gives the Cutthroats time to regroup, and Dale Murphy manages to get a shot off of Schilling, laying out the Oranges starter, and leading to an easy win. Oranges Lead 3-2 -The Oranges, near exhausted, put all of their energy into beating the Cutthroats one last time to end the series as Santana starts for the team. Unfortunately, it's not enough, as the Cutthroats slowly but surely change the momentum of the match. Billy Wagner makes a hot tag, and tries to slow down the Deadwood team, but gets pummeled for the Cutthroats win, and the series is tied! Series Tied 3-3 After the match, David Cone comes out to argue with the umpire, and manages to get beaten down by the Cutthroats, and it's announced that he'll miss the final game of the series. -Running out of steam, the Oranges put the rest of their power into one fourth-inning Sunshine State Stunner that sees them score five runs. But that proves not to be enough, as their lead slowly crumbles, and eventually the Cutthroats manage to take the lead and the series. Winner and NEW Expansion Cup III Champion: Deadwood via 4-3 decision -A lot of interesting things happened, but this was ultimately an underwhelming debut for the Oranges. Granted, the Cutthroats weren't the greatest workers in the world, but you would have liked to see a more dynamic performance from the Oranges, who too often looked completely green out on the diamond. Still, better days would be ahead. **1/4 Smasher League Intercontinental Title: Des Moines Dervishes (c) vs. Florida Oranges Super-League IV, Week 12 -Coming into this match, the Dervishes had managed to hold the Intercontinental Championship for six weeks, which seems almost unthinkable now. The Oranges, who had spent the previous month intentionally tanking their record in order to be able to take Albert Pujols in the Super-Draft, were on a hot streak, and had won the first two game of the series, setting up this title bout. -Pete Alexander, essentially the only good thing about the Dervishes at this point, starts off for his team against Francisco Liriano from the Oranges. Kind of amazing to think that a team that would have Liriano start games for them would ever amount to anything. In one of the bigger shockers in Super-League history to that point, Liriano is able to keep pace with Alexander, lasting over six innings before tagging in the bullpen. Eventually, the Oranges are able to tag Alexander for a run, and he is reeling. The Dervishes, though, are able to pounce on the Oranges, as the bullpen chooses to taunt the Dervishes rather than just finishing them off, and the Des Moines team battles back to a tie, sending the game into extra innings. The Dervishes try to finish off the Oranges with Billy Wagner, but Justin Morneau reverses him into a long home run to give the Oranges the lead. Jeff Reardon comes in and the Rear-done finishes it in 10 innings. Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champions: Oranges via 2-1 decision in 10 innings -Definitely an exciting match, as Pete Alexander made the Dervishes almost watchable. Almost. The Oranges were slowly turning into the "Sunshine Vultures" that would win a lot of games over the next few years, even if they hadn't quite Albert Pujols yet. The ending did feel a bit rushed, as Morneau was hardly the most effective finisher in the world, but it was still a solid match. *** Intercontinental Title: Florida Oranges (c) vs. Boston Skyhawks Super-League IV, Week 17 -The Skyhawks, as you might expect, get a huge reaction from the crowd, especially when it's announced that Nolan Ryan will be starting the game for them. Interestingly, the Oranges are starting to get a bit of heat of their own, likely because people weren't exactly thrilled by their tanking earlier in the season. -Ryan, as usual, is dominant, allowing only one run through seven innings. But the Oranges are able to come back thanks to an Abreu home run, and Billy Wagner closes things out with the Ferrum Fireball to score the upset win. Winner and STILL Intercontinental Champions: Oranges via 2-1 decision -Not really much of a match, and really just a set-up for later. With the playoffs coming, it was clear that the Oranges were going to be facing the Skyhawks, who, despite losing in the playoffs the year before, were considered close to invincible. So by letting the Oranges score a win against the Skyhawks' best pitcher, it made the idea of the Oranges somehow pulling off the upset in the playoffs theoretically possible. Still, it was a game to set up other games, and not that great in and of itself. *1/2 Intercontinental Title: Florida Oranges (c) vs. Cleveland Unicorns Super-League IV, Week 17 -For context, the Oranges had held the Intercontinental Title for five weeks at this point, and had just been rolling, and so it was thought that it was time for them to drop the Intercontinental Title to another mid-carder and then move up to challenging for the Super-League Title. -The Unicorns roll out Sam Leever, in the midst of his "Unstoppable Deadballer" period, to take on Johan Santana. The Oranges tease a late comeback, but the outcome is never really in doubt as the Unicorns dominate from beginning to end. Urbina then gets the pin with the Machete to send the Intercontinental Title back to Cleveland. Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champions: Cleveland Unicorns -It was time for the Oranges to move on, and the Unicorns were the team to take the Intercontinental Title from them. That said, this could have been more dramatic of a match, as the Oranges just kind of rolled over. ** Dynamo League Divisional Series: Boston Skyhawks vs. Florida Oranges Super-League IV, Post-season, Best-of-Five Series -This was during the Skyhawks' farewell tour, so, as you might guess, the crowd was fully behind them. The Oranges, for their part, had snuck into the playoffs over the Finger-Bangers of all teams, and no one expected much. -Because of Ryan's sore arm, the Skyhawks decided to rest him for this series, leaving Pete Alexander to pitch Game 1. You can probably guess how that went for the Oranges. Skyhawks lead 1-0 -Game 2 is more of the same. The Skyhawks take a lead at the beginning of the game, and then just ride it out for the easy 4-2 win. Not exactly the most scintillating of performances, but the Skyhawks were always more technically proficient than dynamic. Skyhawks lead 2-0 -The Oranges start off hot in Game 3, scoring three runs, and then taunting the Skyhawks. As you would expect from the Skyhawks, their comeback is more a matter of slow attrition rather than any big spots or anything. The Skyhawks were always more interesting on paper than they were in the real games, although they are still probably the greatest Super-League team to ever play. Eckersley hits the Ecks Factor, and that is that for the Oranges. Skyhawks win 3-0 Winner: Boston Skyhawks via 3-0 decision -How much you like this match depends entirely on how much you like the old-school Super-League. The Skyhawks were the definitive team in the Super-League's early years, with a offense that was just good enough to allow them to slowly choke out their opponents with pitching. Of course, that's not the most exciting thing to watch compared to the high-octane Bobbleheads or Finger-Bangers, or even the more overtly dominating pitching of Losers, but you can't deny how effective it was. This series follows the traditional formula, with the Skyhawks just slowly wearing the Oranges down with the millstone of their pitching until they won. Not exciting, but a brilliant display nonetheless. **** Dynamo League Divisional Series, Game 5: Florida Oranges vs. Dorchester Phantoms Super-League V, Post-Season -Going into this series, the Oranges had the best record in the Dynamo League, and the smart money was on them to win the Dynamo League. -We start this series already in progress, so a quick summary: The Oranges had managed to beat the Phantoms twice in Florida, only to end up losing two straight to the Phantoms back in Dorchester. This led to the infamous promo where oldskool called the entire city of Boston "a bunch of racist White Trash urban hillbillies", and promising to send them all home crying. Obviously, they did not take this well, and oldskool barely got out of Massachusetts alive. -Before the game even officially starts, the Oranges make a sneak attack on Brooks Robinson, injuring him badly. The Phantoms come out to make the save, but Robinson is badly hurt, and it shows as he makes an error, letting the Oranges take a lead, and with Santana on the mound against the Phantoms' weakness, that wraps it up. The Oranges celebrate their first series win. Winner: Florida Oranges via 3-2 decision -This was about as good a series as a team was apt to have with the Phantoms, who couldn't really work at all. It's a real testament to the Oranges of this period that they could make a series with as patchwork a team as the Phantoms even slightly exciting. The only problem is that, by not giving the Oranges a clean win here, they did hurt the credibility of the Oranges as real contenders. Then again, given what was about to happen, it's not the worst thing that ever happened to the Oranges. ***1/4 Dynamo League Championship Series: Florida Oranges vs. Fukuoka Finger-Bangers Super-League V, Postseason (Best of Seven Series) -Oh boy, this series. Listen, I get why this happened the way it did. The Bangers needed to be built as a credible contender going into the finals, but this was no way to build up a young team. Let's just get down to the carnage. -Since the opener is in Florida, the Oranges get a huge reaction. Marauder the Bangers aren't impressed, though, and don't even seem to acknowledge the Oranges. And then the Oranges smack Fingers in the back of the head and he blows the save, and he is down, and the Oranges win Game 1! Oranges lead 1-0 -And then Don Sutton crushes the Bangers with the Black & Decker. Series Tied 1-1 -And Dazzy Vance connects with the Dazzler. Bangers lead 2-1 -And Joe Williams hits with the Smoke Bomb, and the Oranges could not look worse. Bangers lead 3-1 -And Schilling with the Chapter 11 finally ends the slaughter. Bangers win 4-1 Winner and NEW Dynamo League Champion: Fukuoka Finger-Bangers -Not a lot to say about this one. Management obviously felt more comfortable with the Bangers as champions than the Oranges, and so cut the Oranges off at the knees. I'm not exactly sure what they thought would happen to the Oranges after this loss, maybe settle into the mid-card or something, but it's pretty clear that it pretty much signed the death warrant for the Oranges. *1/2 Intercontinental Title: Rochester Generics (c) vs. Florida Oranges Super-League VI, Week 25 -We're in Super-League VI now, and the Oranges are starting to slip a bit, as the Rockford Losers are going to win the Vae Victis Division by seven games. Still, with the season winding down, the Oranges are pretty close to locking up a wildcard slot. But first they have a date with the Generics, who are the current Intercontinental Champions. The Oranges won the first two games to set up this title game. -Bob Welch starts for the Oranges, and either he is on something, or the Generics just didn't feel like putting in much effort, because they fold, losing 11-0. The Oranges are the new Intercontinental Champions! -After the match comes the part that got this included in this set, as oldskool cuts a vicious promo on the Generics, declaring that, "I've seen Rochester, I've lived in Rochester, and let me tell you all something, the day that I get beaten by some punk from Rochester is the day I retire, because that place is Satan's rear end in a top hat, except with more loving snow." Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champions: Florda Oranges -Well, this was a thing. 1/2* Dynamo League Divisional Series: Florida Oranges vs. Rockford Losers Super-League VI, Postseason, Best-of-five series -The collection skips over the playoff between the Oranges and Dervishes, which is fine, because it wasn't very much good, and it's not like the Dervishes ever had much charisma anyway. Humungus, however, the frontman for the Losers at this point, has scads, and immediately gets the Rockford crowd going by declaring that the Oranges are relics of the past that must now be disposed of. Well, he said it better. -Bob Welch starts again. If anyone ever wonders why it is that the Oranges were forced into retirement, the answer can pretty much be summed up by "Bob Welch starts again." Anyway, the Oranges dominate the early going, and the Losers eventually concede the game to save their energy. Oranges lead 1-0 -The Losers come storming back, and are able to use the old Skyhawks trick of just slowly choking the life from the Oranges with better pitching. The Losers really are the successors to the Skyhawks in a lot of ways...except for, you know, actually winning the Super-League. Series tied 1-1 -The Oranges had avoided Ryan in their matchup with the Skyhawks, but they can't avoid him here, and, even though they try, they can't escape the Ryan Express. Losers lead 2-1 -Down 2-1, the Oranges are desperate, and bait the Losers into making a bunch of errors. It's not the cleanest of wins, but it gets them to Game 5, and that's all that matters. Also, a rough postseason debut for Satchel Paige, who really struggled here. Series tied 2-2 -Game 5! Who starts for the Oranges? That's right, the immortal Bob Welch! You can probably guess where this is heading, as Bob Welch is the jobbiest jobber who ever pitched in the Super-League. The Losers score a few runs off him, and that's all there is. Losers win 3-2 Winner: Rockford Losers via 3-2 decision -One of the better series of the later days of the Oranges, although getting to work with a team as solid as the Losers probably had something to do with that. Some have called this a 'passing the torch' moment, but I'm not sure I buy that, as the Oranges were never really anything more than transitional champions in the Vae Victis Division and, if anything, it was the Losers beating the Murderbots for the wildcard in Super-League V that really was a changing of the guard moment. Still, a good series, and important for developing the Losers. Didn't do much for the Oranges, though. ***3/4 -The collection also skips over the Oranges losing the Intercontinental Title to the St. Paul Bearers, which is probably for the best given how badly their push fizzled. Intercontinental Title #1 Contender's Match: Polyarny Postmodernists (c) vs. Florida Oranges Super-League VII, Week 18 -Thankfully, this is the only match for the Oranges from Super-League VII, which was just a bad period for the team, as they just couldn't get any momentum going. -The story behind this match is a bit complicated. The Postmodernists had just won the Intercontinental Title, and the Oranges were the next team in line to face them for the title. The Oranges won Game 1, setting up this game, and if they won here, they would receive a title shot in the next game. The secondary title rules are sometimes a bit arcane. -Postmodernists start off fast under Vic Willis, and the Oranges are reeling. Or maybe they're just gassed, it's hard to say, but, like I said, this wasn't the best period for them. Anyway, they manage to battle back into a tie on points, and the bullpen gets tagged in to keep the game going. But then Denny Rainwater's music hits, and you know that poo poo is about to get real. For those who don't remember, Denny Rainwater was a nobody that the Postmodernists made into their closer thinking it would get them over with the crowd. It sort of did, but Rainwater was one of the worst performers in Super-League history, and played a major role in ending the Postmodernists' career. Anyway, Rainwater comes out, and the Oranges are not impressed...and then the massacre happens as the Oranges ring up Rainwater for six runs. Even more brutally, the Postmodernists just keep him in there the whole time, not letting him tag out. Just brutal. -The Oranges then go on to win their third Intercontinental Championship in the next game. Winner: Florida Oranges -I know that a lot of people liked Denny Rainwater for the camp value, but he just doesn't do anything for me, and ruined what could have been a tense game between two teams tried to move up the ladder in the Super-League. * -The Oranges would lose the Intercontinental Title again a couple of weeks later to the Old Hoss Radbourns. It's hard to see why that happened, but it did. -The Oranges then got sent to the Gauntlet, where they won a couple of round before participating in the most confusing match in Gauntlet history. Gauntlet Match, Final Round: Florida Oranges vs. Second City Saints vs. Cleveland Unicorns vs. Portland Bulldogs Gauntlet VI, Round 9 Winner receives the vacant Intercontinental Title -Okay, let's break this down. The Bulldogs and the Saints had been feuding for months over Senerio's allegations that TKBomber7285 was a cheater, and should have been barred from the Super-League. Meanwhile, past stalwarts Unicorns and Oranges had down seasons, and were trying to fight their way out of the Gauntlet. After the typical attrition of the Expansion season, it was ruled that only the first team to lose in this round would be relegated. But then Senerio announced that the Saints would be retiring regardless of the outcome, making the round meaningless, until he convinced Smasher Dynamo to add a stipulation to the match, whereby if the Bulldogs finished in last place, they would be relegated, and the Lombard St. Gumshoes would take their place in Super-League VII. The net effect is that all the Oranges were fighting for was the Intercontinental Title. -Oranges start out against the Saints, who rough them up a bit, but neither side is particularly eager to do damage to the other, especially since Senerio needs to make sure that the Oranges don't end up in last, or else the Bulldogs will survive. This goes on for a while until the Bulldogs come in. -The Bulldogs, as the only team who are facing relegation, are on fire against the Oranges, and just start mauling them over and over until the Saints finally manage to rescue the Oranges, who try and regain their equilibrium for a bit, but are clearly pretty badly beaten, and spend the final part of the match just hanging on and hoping that the Saints can do enough damage to the Bulldogs to slide the Intercontinental Title over to the Oranges. -The Saints are putting the finishing touches on the Bulldogs, and look like they're about to finish their nemesis off when they run out time, and it goes to a judge's decision...and the Bulldogs score a win over the Oranges! And because the Saints aren't eligible to receive the Intercontinental Title, the Bulldogs get that too! And the Saints storm out, fuming over the loss as the Bulldogs celebrate their win. Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champions: Portland Bulldogs -Confusing and with far too many stipulations that hurt the drama of the round, since only one team was actually facing any sort of existential threat. Still, there was the compelling story of the self-righteous Saints trying to finish the Bulldogs once and for all before they retired. Of course, that made the Oranges somewhat of a third wheel, as being in a match just to take the loss isn't exactly good for a team. ***1/4 -No mention of the Oranges winning and losing the Hardcore Title in Super-League VIII, which is for the best, since we've already seen the Bangers destroy the Oranges once, and don't need to see it again. Intercontinental Title: Florida Dickshots (c) vs. Florida Oranges Super-League VIII, Week 14 -Might as well call this the 'retirement watch' match. The Dickshots weren't going anywhere, so it didn't really hurt them to lose the Intercontinental Title here, and it was worth a nice nostalgia pop for the Oranges in their last bit of greatness. -Oranges start Pedro, and I think this was just a few weeks before they flipped him to the Spooners for the injured corpse of Pete Alexander. He's excellent, and the Oranges get a nice easy win over the not-exactly-stiff competition of the Dickshots, who had themselves taken the Intercontinental Title on a fluke win over the Unspecifieds a few weeks earlier. -Not shown is the Oranges losing the title the very next week to the Imperialists, and probably for good reason, as it wouldn't be much fun to close this out with two straight beatings courtesy of Viscount Slim. Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champion: Florida Oranges -At least it was short. Still, it was nice to see the Oranges with some gold, if only for old time's sake. ** Gauntlet Match: Florida Oranges vs. New England Arguments vs. Rochester Generics vs. Burma Imperialists Gauntlet VII, Round 2 Two bottom teams are relegated -Most people, going into this round, thought that the Oranges were close to locks to escape this round, especially since the Generics hadn't been particularly impressive in Round 1. -Oranges start off against the Arguments, and they actually look strong, not that looking strong against the Arguments is particularly impressive. More worryingly, though, all of the trading they did in Super-League VIII meant that Bob Welch had to go back into the rotation, which wasn't so much a red flag as a red flag with flashing lights and alarm bells going off. But hey, I'm sure things will work out! -Oranges take on the Imperialists next, and they manage to mainly hold their own, and they seems like they're pretty close to making it to the next round of the Gauntlet. -In an anti-climax, the Burma Imperialists snap the neck of the Arguments with a barrage of wins. Relegated from the Super-League: New England Arguments -The Generics and Oranges now face off to see which one of them will live, and which will die. The Oranges just have to fight the Generics to a standstill to win, but the Oranges are slowly but surely pushed back and, fittingly, it is Bob Welch who starts the deciding game for the Oranges, which ends in a 6-0 Generics win, and the Oranges are relegated! -The Generics taunt the beaten Oranges, and I guess this counts as karmic justice for oldskool's comments about Rochester back in Super-League VI. Relegated from the Super-League: Florida Oranges Surviving to Round 3: Burma Imperialists and Rochester Generics -Again, kind of an uneven match. The Generics-Oranges bit was compelling, as both were veteran teams who had been scrapping to survive for a while. Still, the Oranges were so broken down by this point that it's not really all that surprising that the Generics were able to take them down. Kind of a sad end to a team that once had promise, though.
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Feb 6, 2013 06:42
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That was pretty amazing, Smasher. A worthy tribute to a veteran team.
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Feb 6, 2013 07:25
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Genuinely didn't expect that to happen...
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Feb 6, 2013 08:51
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 Pick 'em Burma Pessimists Mooseontheloose, I owuld love to see your Dispersal Draft thoughts even if the players in it aren't fixed yet. Getting a third party opinion on my problem zones can only be considered helpful.
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Feb 6, 2013 10:57
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Throughout all the seasons, I never dreamed that my favorite obituary would be my own.  Glorious.
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Feb 7, 2013 00:36
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It occurs to me that my bullpen will more than likely be wrecked once I enter the Super League proper, so I'm shopping my first-round pick for top-notch bullpen help. This is a first-round pick, not a dispersal or second round.
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Feb 7, 2013 00:37
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Expansion Cup VIII Remaining Update Schedule Thursday 2/7 - September Summary Saturday 2/9 - McQueen League Championship Series Monday 2/11 - Taggart League Championship Series Wednesday 2/13 - Expansion Cup VIII Championship Series If anybody wants to do mock drafts/extra content, feel free.
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Feb 7, 2013 00:40
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cbx posted:It occurs to me that my bullpen will more than likely be wrecked once I enter the Super League proper, so I'm shopping my first-round pick for top-notch bullpen help. This is a first-round pick, not a dispersal or second round. Soria? He's always done well for me.
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Feb 7, 2013 01:28
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cbx posted:It occurs to me that my bullpen will more than likely be wrecked once I enter the Super League proper, so I'm shopping my first-round pick for top-notch bullpen help. This is a first-round pick, not a dispersal or second round. I'll offer Rollie Fingers and Robin Roberts for the pick if I survive into Super League IX. CVE posted:Mooseontheloose, I owuld love to see your Dispersal Draft thoughts even if the players in it aren't fixed yet. Getting a third party opinion on my problem zones can only be considered helpful. I think you have your moose based usernames mixed up, because I was the one who originally offered to go over this. No worries, though. I'll post my thoughts on teams sometime soon, along with potentially a mock draft.
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Feb 7, 2013 01:55
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cbx posted:It occurs to me that my bullpen will more than likely be wrecked once I enter the Super League proper, so I'm shopping my first-round pick for top-notch bullpen help. This is a first-round pick, not a dispersal or second round.
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Feb 7, 2013 02:04
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CVE posted:
Not sure what help I could be to you but here are the three things that come to mind. Essentially, why me?  1. Why aren't you starting Wally Pip? 2. I think you have to find two sluggers in the draft if possible. Your first priority has to be offense, I think your SP and Bullpen are fine. If you could, best hitter you can find, and then a high OBP guy as your second pick. For your third, I dunno, maybe another RP. 3. Use your glut of SP to maybe trade for another hitter as well.
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Feb 7, 2013 02:20
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  Well, let's Albany Pessimists cbx (DEC) CVE (MDM) GrickleGrass (MAN) NotThatSamBeckett (PAR) theacox (CER) Burma Imperialists Armitage (JAC) cbx (DEC) CVE (MDM) Gabriel Pope (OMA) gingemidget (WAL) GrickleGrass (MAN) Monathin (CNT) mooseontheloose (HRV) NotThatSamBeckett (PAR) Pander (SAD) ScottyJSno (LOV) Senerio (NOW) theacox (CER) Cuba Smokers mooseontheloose (HRV) ScottyJSno (LOV) Senerio (NOW) Rochester Generics Armitage (JAC) Gabriel Pope (OMA) gingemidget (WAL) Monathin (CNT) Pander (SAD) There was some divergence in picking one of the survivors, with five people each picking the Generics and Pessimists, and three others picking the Smokers. I'm not so sure about the Smokers, who never really looked all that good in the Super-League, but I can understand picking the Pessimists over the Generics, especially since the Pessimists were better in the same league this season. Everyone picked the Imperialists. Everyone. That's how sure you all are that the Imperialists are going to win this round, that not a single one of you tried to get ahead by picking against the prevailing opinion, because it just wasn't worth it. But, you know something, the craziest things can happen in a Gauntlet Round... Standings   Sometimes the conventional wisdom is actually right. Imperialists and Generics survive!    Imperialists took two of the last three against the Pessimists, and that sealed their fate. Well, that and Ryan Braun being a complete and utter failure. Which is odd, because you would think moving him closer to BALCo would have helped...    The Imperialists continue to roll. Can they survive all nine rounds? I don't know. Probably not. But I really would like to see them do just that. They'll probably be favorites until clear into Round 7 or 8.    NED GARVER! So, what happened? Well, it appears that the Smokers' hitters got together, and, for the sake of the Super-League, agreed to work together to not hit, and ensure the total destruction of your team. As a man who located his team in one of the last Communist countries on Earth, surely Shadow_gamer can appreciate a successful labor action such as this.    That's right, the Generics survived Walter Johnson having an ERA over 7 for the round. I feel like the only way to kill the Generics now is to throw them in Mount Doom. Then have a meteor hit Mount Doom. Then detonate the entire Earth's supply of nuclear weapons on the rubble. And then they'd still probably win another few rounds in the Gauntlet. Pick 'em: Also Sprach Babe Ruth-stra Pick TWO! Burma Imperialists Rochester Generics Saturn Biosparks Seattle Suicides A note on the obits I'll definitely get to most of them...eventually. Just give me a bit of time. Also, anyone want to memorialize the Smokers?
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Feb 7, 2013 03:49
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