Game 4 (April 23 - 29, 2007)

Okay, I am a fair man. When I get things wrong, I stand corrected. So here goes... yes, We Want a Touchdown is the real deal. There! I've said it. The 'Footballers... are in first place...I was so wrong about this team and its capabilities that I contemplated taking a nose dive of the Zakim Bridge this morning. But then I reconsidered after the RED SOX SWEPT THE YANKEES this weekend! For those of you paying attention, the Red Sox on Sunday night became the fifth team in the history of Major League Baseball to hit four consecutive home runs, and it happened on 10 pitches. Am I a gloating Red Sox fan? Absolutely. The real question is, why aren't you gloating with me???

GAME 3 RECAP

Sadly, in the fantasy world, New York beat Boston, as the WickedGreen Monstahs offense fizzled out in the closing days of the contest, resulting in a 6-5 victory by the Tiger Bandwagon. The Pawtucket Red Sox of Providence pulled of their first victory of the young season, edging the Philly Cheesesteaks 7-5. A similar match played out in the west with the Knights besting the Howitzers 7-4. The 'Footballers dominated the pink Roos with a solid 8-4 victory, bested only by a routing of the Gninjas by the Margaritas with a score of 8-3. The Loons continued their solid pace by defeating the Triple D's 5-4. And finally, Stingrays can admit victory, with their come-from-behind, last minute win over Mike Made Me Do This, 5-4. Game 3 featured many close matchups, and was without question, the closest week of the season thus far. Just look at the notable stats and how many records were shared this week!

NOTABLE STATS

Most Runs: Pawtucket Red Sox, Margaritas (42)
Most HRs: Pawtucket Red Sox (12)
Most RBIs: Margaritas (47)
Most Stolen Bases: We Want a Touchdown, Gnome Gnorth Gninjas (10)
Fewest Es: Loons, Dirty Diamond D's, Gnome Gnorth Gninjas (0)
Highest Avg: Tiger Bandwagon (.331)
Most Wins: Pawtucket Red Sox, We Want a Touchdown (5)
Most Saves: Margaritas, WickedGreen Monstahs, We Want a Touchdown (6)
Most Ks: Stingrays (65!!!)
Lowest ERA: Philly Cheesesteaks (1.82)
Lowest WHIP: Margaritas (1.01)


GAME 4 PREVIEW

WickedGreen Monstahs (1-2) @ Pink Roos (1-2)
This week begins with another Boston-Providence match up, with the Monstahs traveling to see the Roos. The Roos pitching has suffered of late, with a high ERA and high Home Run count. But the Roos have enough of an offense to counter the lackluster AAA batting the Monstahs have been sporting this past week. If the Roos can sport a little better from the mound, look for them to rally against the Monstahs... unless the Monstahs suddenly get hot.

Philly Cheesesteaks (1-2) @ Tiger Bandwagon (2-1)
With the first loss of the Anti-Mikes last week, the Tigers are well on their way to becoming the Eastern hegemon. The Cheeseteaks had a very rough outting last week, in spite of their excellent pitching performance. This looks to be a pitching duel! And, watch out Mr. Belsky... Chien Ming Wang comes back from the DL to pitch for the Cheesesteaks this week!

Pawtucket Red Sox (1-2) @ Mike Made Me Do This (2-1)
The record-tying 4 consecutive home runs by the Boston Red Sox proved huge for the Pawtucket Red Sox of Providence as they achieved their first victory of the season in Game 3. The Anti-Mikes however, are coming off their first (and very tough) loss. The PawSox tied for a bunch of offensive records last week and their pitching looks to be in good shape. The Anti-Mikes have been an offensive stat producing machine all season. If their pitching can hold out long enough, they could keep the pressure on their competition from New York.

Knights of Darkness (1-1-1) @ We Want a Touchdown! (3-0)
The Footballers pulled off another resounding win last week, but did so with one of the weaker pitching performances of the week (6.59 ERA, 1.74 WHIP). This was not enough however to weigh them down, as they still pulled enough wins, saves, and offensive stats to win convincingly. This will likely continue next week, especially if their ERA can improve. The Knights, on the other hand have pulled off the trifecta with a win, loss, and a tie. And, coming off their first win, the Knights won just as convincingly, but managed to do so by winning the exact opposite stats than We Want a Touchdown. This one will likely be a close call, probably bouncing 6-5, 6-6 for most of the week.

Loons (2-1) @ Hoot's Howitzers (0-3)
The Loons continue to manufacture wins in true National League style fashion, amassing a list of players and making it into a stat producing machine. This week they take on the league's Washington Nationals, the Howitzers, who continue to narrowly lose most of the stat categories. This may be the Howitzers' week, however. They're hungry and not as easy as they seem.

Margaritas (2-1) @ Dirty Diamond D's (1-2)
The Triple D's close loss last week sent them lower in the division, but with a team ERA averaging under 4.00 since the second week, there's a good chance that they have the pitching necessary to remain competitive throughout the week. The Margaritas are truly on a roll, with a routing of the Knights last week and they are one of the most well-rounded teams in this league. The Margaritas will continue to nip on the heels of the Footballers, perhaps catching them this week in the West.

Stingrays I (1-2) @ Gnome Gnorth Gninjas (1-1-1)
Anyone else find it ironic that after dubbing the 'Rays the "Yankees" of the league that they, like the actual New York Yankees, feature a sub-500 record? Not that I actually wanted to curse the Rays such, but they have been struggling of late, that is until last week, when the 'Rays pulled off their first win. The 'Rays record 19 moves seem, at least for the moment, to have stopped the bleeding, just in time to take on a beat-up Gninjas franchise with three pitchers on the DL. The better offense is likely to win the day in this matchup.

DIVISION STANDINGS

Hoaggie-Grinder League (Team, Record, Games Back)
1. Mike Made Me Do This (2-1, --)
2. Tiger Bandwagon (2-1, --)
3. Pawtucket Red Sox (1-2, 1.0)
4. WickedGreen Monstahs (1-2, 1.0)
5. Philly Cheesesteaks (1-2, 1.0)
6. Pink Roos (1-2, 1.0)

Deep Dish League
1. We Want a Touchdown (3-0, --)
2. Margaritas (2-1, 1.0)
3. Loons (2-1, 1.0)
4. Knights of Darkness (1-1-1, 1.5)
5. Gnome Gnorth Gninjas (1-1-1, 1.5)
6. Dirty Diamond D's (1-2, 2.0)
7. Stingrays I (1-2, 2.0)
8. Hoot's Howitzers (0-3, 3.0)