Illowa
APBA League
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Current articles by IAL Managers
LINEUP FITS, HITS, CAUSES FITS
The Chicago Champions played some October baseball versus Nick Ventresca & his State Street Sluggers. After the series was won by the Champs 5-4 Nick commented how hot my dice were. I commented, "My lineup really fits together". Nick just kind of looked at me like I was nuts, not the first time I've seen this look over the years. Let me explain myself, I'm not naive enough to believe hot dice don't play into this game, I'm not delusional enough to think I'm playing baseball, APBA is a dice game. Of course dice & luck enter into the game, as we all know there are ups & downs, especially during a 162 game schedule. Sometimes I've got a big mouth, it helps me when eating, but sometimes gets me in trouble, saying stupid things. When your APBA baseball team hits nearly two home runs per game, your rolling pretty hot dice. However there also is something to the way lineups fit together. I often try different lineups throughout the year, as we all do, to maximize run production, based on the way the APBA cards fit together. I think I've found two lineups that work pretty well for the Champs, that's not to say we will not go into a slump, but sometimes APBA cards don't seem to fit together, no matter which combinations you try.
There is a big difference between APBA and real life baseball. One of the differences is the players (cards) really don't react to pressure situations, they do in real life. A couple of examples are Javier Vazquez, who in real life crumbles under pressure, and tries to nibble around the plate rather than challenging hitters with his great stuff. In APBA Vazquez will get his strikeout letters, usually have control, and when he has a good grade, he's pretty dominant. Carlos Zambrano is a dominating presence on the hill, surely his control sometimes abandons him, and he loses his composure, but his talent allows him to pitch around these flaws, and he's generally considered one of the best pitchers in the game. Carlos seems to have more problems in APBA. There is no way a C-W pitcher can be considered one of the best in the game, and will have trouble winning. Another question that's come to my mind, Nick Swisher is quickly approaching 100 strikeouts. After watching him play for the Chicago White Sox, I have to wonder whether all of those strikeouts were looking.
I'd like to talk a little bit about my major league baseball team, the Chicago White Sox. Even though I've always lived on the Northside of Chicago, I've always been a White Sox fan. I started following baseball in 1968, the first game I went to was a preseason Boys Benefit game in Milwaukee, in which the Sox beat the Cubbies 3-2. 1968's Fall Classic featuring the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals, which is still talked about 40 years later. I was with my team through thick & thin, the Sox lost 90+ games in 1969 and lost over 100 games in 1970. The southside of Chicago almost lost their baseball team to Milwaukee, Seattle, and St. Petersburg over the years. Maybe Sox fans aren't as loyal as Cubs fans, but I can remember going to Wrigley Field alot as a kid when the upper deck was chained off because there weren't enough fans going to the ballpark that day. I will say, now Wrigley fans seem to be more of a white collar, suburban base than fans that come out to the Cell. But there are enough corporate fans on both sides of town to drive up ticket prices so that the real baseball fans cannot afford to take their families out to the old ballgame. Tony, the friend I used to play APBA with as a boy, called me to say, he couldn't believe Cub fans were sitting on their hands during the playoffs, booing their guys, rather than cheering on the Cubbies to victory.
Don't get me wrong, like I said before, I've got a big mouth that sometimes gets me into trouble, when people don't understand what I'm saying, other times people understand exactly what I'm saying, and I still get into trouble. I can feel the pain Cub fans are going through. There is something extremely frustrating in rooting for a baseball team with great talent, falling short of high expectations. Cub fans really believed this 2008 team was going to win the World Series, not just be in it, but win it, wiping out 100 years of futility. And who could blame those fans? This Cub team had a great regular season, surely there were some weaknesses, some question marks going into the playoffs, but I don't think anyone anticipated the Cubs being swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Dodgers, extremely disappointing.
My White Sox, on the other hand, weren't expected to do anything. In fact GM Kenny Williams was nearly laughed out of the newspaper when he claimed the White Sox were the team to beat in the A.L. Central after picking up Nick Swisher. His other key(?) acquisitions were the oft injured Carlos Quentin and the untested Alexei Ramirez. The Sox also picked up injured relievers Octavio Dotel & Scott Linebrink. And we'd traded away a starting pitcher Jon Garland for a shortstop Orlando Cabrera, after just signing our SS Juan Uribe to a contract, and already having two major question marks John Danks & Gavin Floyd. There was also the question of whether Jose Contreras could rebound from a truly awful 2007. Then there was the question of whether Joe Crede's back was going to be okay. And where would the team use the talented Josh Fields, would he just be insurance in case Crede couldn't do it? All this was happening on the southside of Chicago, while Detroit had added Dontrelle Willis & Miguel Cabrera (the Cabrera Sox fans had wanted), the Tigers seemed loaded to go back to the World Series. If their pitchers could field their position, maybe even win the whole thing.
But everything seemed to fall into place. Ramirez, Quentin, Danks, Floyd, Dotel, & Linebrink all did better than anyone could've ever have imagined. In fact Quentin was a leading candidate for A.L. MVP, until a broken wrist knocked him out for the last quarter of the year. Alexei Ramirez did a great job filling a hole at secondbase, even though his best positions in Cuba were CF & SS, and will probably be the runner up to Evan Longoria as A.L. Rookie of the Year. Alexei set a record for rookies with four grand slams, his cannon-like arm turned many doubleplays from the keystone position, while his glove flips to first were breathtaking. Nobody stepped it up more from one season to the next than starting pitchers Danks & Floyd. But in the long run the Sox couldn't overcome the losses of Jose Contreras, Joe Crede, & Carlos Quentin. Ken Williams did what he could to help down the stretch, bringing in Ken Griffey, Jr. to try to replace Quentin's bat in the lineup. Another solid job was turned in by Ozzie Guillen. While Guillen loves managing baseball the way the game was meant to be played, this wasn't the hand he was playing, so he took a page out of Earl Weaver's book, played for the three run homer, and managed his ball club to a first place finish in the A.L. Central. Sox fans weren't satisfied with a first place finished, but were satisfied with an all out effort turned in by the players. One year ago I made up a White Sox tee-shirt that said, "We just talk care anymore", based on the way the 2007 team seemed to have quit. But I stood & cheered as the White Sox left the field after losing in the playoffs to the Rays for a job well done. I'm excited about next year.
I really enjoyed meeting friends at the Cell this past year, am looking forward to watching the playoffs & World Series on TV, going to Arizona to watch the game's top prospects play in the Arizona Fall League, and then looking forward to Spring Training. Of course there is life outside of baseball. Tonight I'm going to see the Bulls in a preseason game and watching the talented local point guard Rose run the offense. Sunday the surprising Bears play the Falcons in Atlanta. Big Mike & I were thinking about going to the game, but I didn't want to plan anything in October, because the White Sox might've been in the playoffs, didn't want to miss that. Still it'll be great watching the Bears on TV, Scott & Cheryl will be there. I can't get over what my cousin told a Packer fan in Wisconsin when the team was cutting loose Brett Favre. He said, "The Packers are not a good football team and without Favre, you're the Bears"! Funny thing is, the Packers might not even be as good as the Bears. Then there's the Chicago Blackhawks. I remember as a kid watching the Blackhawks on black & white TV on channel 9. That's really the last time Chicago had a hockey team in the NHL. There was Bobby Hull & Stan Mikita, and there was the owner William Wirtz. With the passing of William Wirtz, his son Rocky has brought this team out of the shadows of forty years of bondage. This year the young Blackhawks with Jonathan Tewes & Patrick Kane will be on TV, home games, and all. I'll be out there at the UC on the opener, it's going to be a fun offseason.
Before I close this month's book called the Champions article. I must comment on playing APBA this month. Nick Ventresca was my opponent, the series could've gone either way, I was lucky enough to win. No matter what it was going to be fun. First off we played nine games in 4 1/2 hours, not a record, but not a snail's pace either. We had the whole night, with a Jewish holiday the following day, so it would be a slow day for Nick at work, but still it was important to play the games in a timely manner none the less. APBA was meant to be played at the rate of about one half hour per game, IMHO, quicker seems hurried, while slower seems to be dragged out. More than that though, it was good to see Nick again, it's been a while, too long. We've gone on baseball trips together, hung out at softball, the bar after the games, and on lots of other occasions. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I really would like to see Nick stick around in the IAL, he's really a good friend.
Three Rivers Gamblers
The Gamblers took on the Highlanders this month. The Gamblers were coming off of a 15-15 All-Start weekend where the offense sputtered and the pitching struggled. Three Rivers got their swagger back against the Highlanders in a big way. The offense came to life and the pitching was about as good as it can be. Three Rivers doubled up the Highlanders 52-26 in runs scored and took of 8 of 9 games in the series. There were a couple of tough wins in there. In game 6 Roy Oswalt dominated the Gambler hitters limiting them to 4 hits in his 8 inning outing. However, a miscue by Miguel Tejada in the 5th inning with 2 out allowed Derek Jeter to score the games only run. CC Sabathia got tossed in the 4th for arguing balls and strikes. Dontrelle Willis came in and pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings to get the win. In game 7 Jon Garland held the Gamblers without a run through 8 innings and entered the bottom of the 9th with a 3-0 lead. Shane Victorino walked and stole second and Dustin Pedroia hit a pinch 2 run homer to make it 3-2. Magglio followed with a double and after Prince Fielder grounded him to 3rd Ryan Braun hit a game winning 2 run shot.
With 27 games left the Gamblers are 19 over at 77-58. However, we have the Hitmen, Sluggers and Champions to finish out the season. We are going to have to play our best baseball over these last 27 games to secure a post-season spot.
Later, Todd
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