Looking at the Game of Baseball from all ends of the Spectrum
According to AP, the decision whether to keep LaRussa is being delayed. Basically, they’re waiting for a decision on who the new Cardinals GM will be since Jocketty was let go last week. Word has it there has been a lot of infighting and power plays within the upper management which drove Jocketty out. The … Continue reading “LaRussa decision on hold”
According to AP, the decision whether to keep LaRussa is being delayed. Basically, they’re waiting for a decision on who the new Cardinals GM will be since Jocketty was let go last week.
Word has it there has been a lot of infighting and power plays within the upper management which drove Jocketty out. The decision may be delayed but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
A piece of trivia on Jocketty… he was a fan of APBA baseball.
Our Illowa APBA League All-Star Game is almost a week away. Our managers have voted for the starters and their voices have been heard. You can see the results here. A very decisive vote as eight of the sixteen starters were voted in unanimously. We had a tight race at our second base position with Cano, Valentin … Continue reading “Gearing up for the ILLOWA APBA All-Star Game”
Our Illowa APBA League All-Star Game is almost a week away.
Our managers have voted for the starters and their voices have been heard. You can see the results here. A very decisive vote as eight of the sixteen starters were voted in unanimously. We had a tight race at our second base position with Cano, Valentin and Hudson all within three votes of each other.
Not surprisingly, this will be the first year that my firstbaseman Albert Pujols will not start. Despite his 26 homeruns, he is only hitting .252. Mark Teixeira has him beat with much superior stats.
I mentioned before that I am the manager of our division this year due to our first place finish last year (yay!). My job as manager now is to pick the substitutes and pitchers. I’ve pretty much have finished that task but that is perhaps for another post.
Some people don’t understand our fervent appreciation for the game of APBA baseball. I remember once about fifteen years ago I inquired about a rotisserie baseball league. The guy I talked to was someone I just met and the league where stats were done manually not online (they were all done that way back then).
On the phone with the guy, I asked guy if he ever heard of APBA. I could just see the sneer on his face. He said no, and that his rotisserie league was a much more “sophisticated” league.
I never called the guy back.
The Illowa APBA League web page
I finally got off my duff an updated the web site of the Illowa APBA League. It’s been a couple months since I touched it. I’m no web designer but I have fun doing it.
Our All-Star Game is coming up in October. Aside from the draft weekend, that one of highlights of the IAL season for me. We vote in the best players and the best of East battle the the best of the West.
I remember when my buddy Brando was in his first year in the league and was attending his first All-Star weekend. In the beginning, he didn’t see the big deal of a APBA All-Star Game. What was the big deal watching two guys playing APBA?, he thought.
As it came nearer to “Play Ball!”, and the rest of the managers were grabbing their dice, he understood. We weren’t simply going to watch two guys play APBA baseball; we were all part of the game. Each one of us got to roll for our own players. With the managers from one division on one side of the table and the managers of the other division on the other, the friendly trash talk began. It was constant fun chaos for the entire game.
A scene from the 2005 IAL All-Star Weekend
Speaking of managing, we determine the manager by the standings of the previous year. Guess who was in first place last year? Yes, yours truly. That makes me the manager of the West Division which pretty much includes the non-Chicago teams in our league.
Aside from on-the-field decisions, the IAL All-Star manager is responsible for choosing the pitchers and substitutes as well as making a lineup.
You can see the online version of the ballot to determine the starters to get a sense how players are doing in our league (My Albert Pujols will probably not start for the first time in his career. Mark Teixeira has THAT wrapped up).
The results of the balloting will be out soon. Stay tuned.
Baseball Prospectus recently interviewed Twins setup man Pat Neshek. You can listen Will Carroll’s interview with him here. I follow Neshek for a couple reasons. One, I took a chance on him in the Illowa APBA League’s rookie draft. So far I haven’t been disappointed. As a fantasy sports game, APBA doesn’t just value a reliever … Continue reading “BP interviews Pat Neshek”
Baseball Prospectus recently interviewed Twins setup man Pat Neshek. You can listen Will Carroll’s interview with him here.
I follow Neshek for a couple reasons. One, I took a chance on him in the Illowa APBA League’s rookie draft. So far I haven’t been disappointed. As a fantasy sports game, APBA doesn’t just value a reliever on the save alone.
Also, Neshek is a blogger. Check out his blog, On the Road with Pat Neshek. From the looks of it, he finds the time to update it frequently.
It’s a pretty awesome site, full of photos, articles by Pat, as well as a description of his delivery. I particularly liked his My Baseball Cards page showing his cards going back to his minor league days.
Keep the ball down low, Pat. You might be my closer next year.
It looks like a lot of fun was had at the 2007 APBA Convention. I’m sorry I missed it. Over 60 APBA-philes attended with 56 participating in the tournament. You can read the summary here. Who won the tournament? The 1927 Yankees, any knowledgeable baseball fan will recall, steamrolled their way to the pennant and … Continue reading “2007 APBA Convention and Tournament”
It looks like a lot of fun was had at the 2007 APBA Convention. I’m sorry I missed it. Over 60 APBA-philes attended with 56 participating in the tournament. You can read the summary here.
Who won the tournament?
The 1927 Yankees, any knowledgeable baseball fan will recall, steamrolled their way to the pennant and swept the Pirates in the World Series that year. Now they can add one more momentous achievement to their storied history: THEY FINALLY WON AN APBA TOURNAMENT!!!
John Duke took the top prize with a three-game sweep of Dan’s 1970 Orioles, setting two records in the process: he won six games in a row en route to the title, and he became the tallest Champion ever at six foot, eight inches!
Conrgrats to John for the tourney win! And thanks to the guys at APBA for putting this on. I’ve been to two of these in the past and I think it’s great to get together with APBA fans around the world. It’s a great time.
APBA players note: The annual convention is one week away. This year, it will take place in Frazer, PA, not too far away from Lancaster, the home of APBA. It is scheduled for July 20-22. You can find out more details on the convention and how to register on APBA’s company web page. I won’t … Continue reading “2007 APBA Convention one week away”
APBA players note: The annual convention is one week away. This year, it will take place in Frazer, PA, not too far away from Lancaster, the home of APBA. It is scheduled for July 20-22. You can find out more details on the convention and how to register on APBA’s company web page.
I won’t be attending this year but I would encourage any APBA fan who has the time to consider attending. They are a lot of fun. I’ve attended two APBA conventions in the past and had a blast both times.
A big part of the convention is the tournaments. I participated in the basic baseball game tourney both times. The first time (which I attended with DonS), I chose the Boston Red Sox of 1977. Lots of power, some pitching, and NO speed. Alas, Yaz, Rice, and Evans didn’t take me too far. I won the first round then was defeated.
The second time (the 50th anniversary convention which I attended with my friend Brando), I chose the Milwaukee Braves of 1965. Again, won the first round then fell flat. I did have the honor of losing to Eric Naftaly, former editor of the APBA Journal. Couldn’t have lost to a nicer guy.
As an aside, one guy used his 1953 original St Louis Cardinals cards in the tournament. It would have been a quite a scene if someone had spilled their soda on the cards (they are quite rare). Luckily, such an accident never happened.
Besides the tournaments, there are speakers, booths, and contests. But the best part of the whole thing is meeting folks from all over that play the silly dice game that you play and sharing stories.
For those attending, HAVE FUN!!
I wish I had seen The Saberoticians’ post on relievers BEFORE last weekend. I might not have been so gun shy on picking Takashi Saito in my APBA draft. As it was I ended up picking Pat Neshek who doesn’t even appear on their list. Well, if it’s not too late for you, take a … Continue reading “The Saberoticians have advice I needed last weekend”
I wish I had seen The Saberoticians’ post on relievers BEFORE last weekend. I might not have been so gun shy on picking Takashi Saito in my APBA draft. As it was I ended up picking Pat Neshek who doesn’t even appear on their list.
Well, if it’s not too late for you, take a look at Fantasy Baseball Rankings – Closers by The Saberoticians.
Jocketty: Liked to roll dem bones A Star Tribune article about St Louis GM Walt Jocketty includes a revealing fact about him. Actually, he came here to do what he did Friday — win a championship. That’s been his goal since he was a kid growing up in Minneapolis. He and a buddy named Vic … Continue reading “Walt Jocketty: This explains everything”
Jocketty: Liked to roll dem bones
A Star Tribune article about St Louis GM Walt Jocketty includes a revealing fact about him.
Actually, he came here to do what he did Friday — win a championship. That’s been his goal since he was a kid growing up in Minneapolis. He and a buddy named Vic Perlbachs would play a baseball strategy game called APBA — American Professional Baseball Association.
“That’s how I first knew I wanted to get into this business,” Jocketty said.
Well, that speaks volumes. He had plenty of practice as a young lad before getting into the business.
Many of us APBA players, especially those who play in leagues, fancy ourselves as managers, GMs and owners all rolled into one. Sometimes (a lot of times) we think we could do a better job than some of those who get paid to this work. Jocketty must have taken his love of the game and taken to the higher level when he “grew up”.
Jocketty isn’t the only baseball person who has played the game of APBA. It is known that Joe Torre and Curt Shilling play or have played the game. Supposedly, George W. Bush is a fan of the game.
Further on in the article, Jocketty talks about the moves he made as GM with the Cardinals (emphasis mine):
Twice he’s been named baseball’s executive of the year. He’s built teams that have won 105 and 100 games. He was instrumental in bringing in manager Tony La Russa, with whom he worked in Oakland. He has traded for Mark McGwire, Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds and Chris Carpenter; he signed David Eckstein and presided over the rise of Albert Pujols.
Well, Walt and I have one thing in common.
Last night Houston Astro Manager Phil Garner moved Lance Berkman from firstbase to the outfield, it was his 40th game played in the outfield this year. To every other baseball freak on the planet this move meant nothing, but it meant alot to Tabletalk Teddy. We have a rule in the Illowa APBA League, in … Continue reading “CHAMPION OUTFIELDER: LANCE BERKMAN”
Last night Houston Astro Manager Phil Garner moved Lance Berkman from firstbase to the outfield, it was his 40th game played in the outfield this year. To every other baseball freak on the planet this move meant nothing, but it meant alot to Tabletalk Teddy. We have a rule in the Illowa APBA League, in which I’ve managed the Chicago Champions for over 30 years, where you need to play 40 games at a position before you can play them all at that position. So now Lance Berkman can join Grady Sizemore & Carlos Lee as everyday performers in the outfield. Justin Morneau is my firstbaseman. Too cool!
LET’S GO CHAMPIONS!!!
Illowa APBA League. Yes, winning is fun but the people is what makes it important. The IAL is made up of some diverse people folks coming from different backgrounds and beliefs but somehow our love of baseball ties us together. Our diversity spreads to our team loyalty as well. Between the five us, I think … Continue reading “Busy weekend of APBA”
Illowa APBA League.
Yes, winning is fun but the people is what makes it important. The IAL is made up of some diverse people folks coming from different backgrounds and beliefs but somehow our love of baseball ties us together. Our diversity spreads to our team loyalty as well. Between the five us, I think we represented the Cubs, Angels, Cardinals, and Dodgers.
Enough of waxing philosophical. It was good to see DonS who drove into town Friday night. It was even better to see my Thunderchickens defeat his Marauders 6 games to 3. Pitching and timely hitting was the key.
Saturday we played two more nine game series. The commish and his son, Marc came barreling into town early enough for us to get a good start. Well, we didn’t do so hot against Marc’s. He informed me that he was resting Helton and was playing Russ Branyan. See, I drafted Branyan way back when and though he’s never been an MLB star, he’s still a fav of mine.
…except when he plays against me. Between him and the Jones’ “brothers” (Andruw and Chipper), they crushed us. All told the Upperdeckers hit 22 dingers in 9 games and won 5 games to 4.
Side note: while we were playing our games, we had the ESPN on in the background and they were showing last year’s Home Run derby (the one where Abreu won). I have to admit I’ve never watched a homerun derby. Never had the urge. Now I can see why. Yikes! Talk about homerun overload!! I felt like I was watching a video game or something. That spectacle was not the aspects of baseball that I enjoy. Guess I’ll just be skipping this year’s derby especially if I have to hear Berman’s homerun call ad nauseum… it’s hit, it’s back… back-back-back-back-back-back-back-back, gone!
The commish with his Bombers. He made the mistake of insulting of few of my players (Ray Durham is NOT a jerk) and they responded in kind. We took six of nine quite easily. I do admire his pitching staff. L. Hernandez, Marquis, Zambrano. Not so much for their pitching ability but they’re pretty much a 9th hitter in his lineup. No point in walking the 8th place hitter to get the pitcher when he can hit like they can.
Final results for the weekend: 16-11
That puts my Thunderchickens at 55-41 and in good shape for the homestretch.