Sunday, July 30, 2023

Verlander's last Met Start? Vs Cueto's 1st Marlins Start

 Well, Justin Verlander is so far still a Met and we've waiting long enough for his start. A fun matchup since he will face Johnny Cueto, back as a Marlin in time to fill the sport for Trevor Rogers who has missed 2 months and is still not rehabbing - a threshold for us not using a card.

Update - Verlander 6 shutout innings, and Cueto gave up 3 runs in 5.2 innings. However it was newly traded David Robertson who kept it from getting worse by coming in with bases loaded to get his recent teammate Tommy Pham to ground out as shown in this photo.


And Verlander perhaps a fitting Mets end. After 6 scoreless innings the Mets horrible fielding resulted in a bad news bears 7th inning as 5 runs scored on an error and allowing 3 clutch defense plays to go through for hits. It was almost a disasterous David Robertson win and Verlander loss in what could be his finale, but the Mets did tie it so neither got the decision, before the Marlins scored in the 9th to win 6-5.



Our second game was a 5-1 Marlins Win to cap a 4 games to 2 series. The game was rained out after 4 1-2 innings. Cooper hit a grandslam in the 3rd inning to break a 1-1 tie, the with he tying run at the plate and bases loaded in the top of the 5th, Wendle made a diving catch on a clutch defensive play and doubled off the runner as the last play if the game before the rains halted the game.



Click for the free Statis-Pro Master Baseball Game. Click here for 60 of the all-time great MLB teams, or on teams of many of the all-time great players on teams by nation or state with one sheet for each team. Or click on the 2023 pitchers and 2023 batters in card form. You simply print two teams cards and then either print theaster link above and fast action cards in master link or buy the dice to start playing. 

If you are playing the current 2023 season, you can use these optional adjustments for 149 players who were playing much better or worse than than their projected 2023 pitchers or 2023 batters in card form. 






Average Statis-Pro Runs/Gm 4.59, Actual MLB 4.61 - ERA Leaders Listed

 The game log of our current NL Statis-Pro season yields the following stats based on our 184 games played this year - all home-and-home 2-game series. We had not compared in a while, but in an amazing comparison, in actual MLB play 14,437 runs have been scored in 3,144 games for a 4.59 runs per game average. In our Statis-Pro games and average of 4.59 runs per game have been scored in our 184 games.

This is satisfying, because of the time we spent calculating updated stolen base and advancing an extra base on a hit charts to match the percent success rate this year with the bases being closer together and bigger.

In chose to play the Dodgers-Giants series Saturday to see all the Dodgers new talent, while holding off on the Mets-Marlins series to see if Verlander is still on the Mets after the trade deadline. Verlander's card has the 7th best ERA in our Statis-Pro seasons at 1.83 of pitchers with at least 14 innings pitched.

In our games the Dodgers destroyed the Giants 7-0 and 8-1, with Julio Urias starting the first game and going seven shut out innings to lower his ERA to 1.33 - moving up to 4th in the league and four spots ahead of teammate Clayton Kershaw who was 6th at 1.69. All four of the Braves starters are in the top 14 pitchers in our Statis-Pro season, but the bullpen has blown some of our games, so the team has the third best record in Statis-Pro while the best record in actual MLB play.

The "record" we list actually includes games in which the pitcher starts and the team gets credit for a 3 games to 0 sweep with a 5-run or more win, or gets a 2 games to 1 win for a closer win, and vice versa on losses. Spencer Strider has been the biggest victim of bad luck with the 8th best ERA at 1.93 but the Braves have gone only 5-7 in his starts due to scoring only 3.0 runs per game (support) and some of those bullpen collapses occuring in his games.

Here are all starting pitchers in our game in order of ERA, but only those with at least 14 innings pitched ranked.



Click for the free Statis-Pro Master Baseball Game. Click here for 60 of the all-time great MLB teams, or on teams of many of the all-time great players on teams by nation or state with one sheet for each team. Or click on the 2023 pitchers and 2023 batters in card form. You simply print two teams cards and then either print theaster link above and fast action cards in master link or buy the dice to start playing. 

If you are playing the current 2023 season, you can use these optional adjustments for 149 players who were playing much better or worse than than their projected 2023 pitchers or 2023 batters in card form. 

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Even Better Statis-Pro Dodgers Blitz Giants 7-0 and 8-1 (New Kelly and Hernandez Contribute

Two new Dodgers cards from trades made them an even more dominant looking Statis-Pro team. We just wrote in the new cards from the last couple of blogs and Enrique Hernandez singled in his first at bat, and Joe Kelly had a 1-2-3 inning as the Dodgers "swept" the hated Giants rivals with a 7-0 win to improve to 34-14.

Then in the second game (below the Statis-Pro board below) Hernandez homered to key and 8-1 sweep to make a t 6 games to 0 in the standings.

The Giants fell to 13-17, a big disappointment since they had their ace Logan Webb in the 1st game but he was tagged for 5 runs in 5.2 innings.








Friday, July 28, 2023

6 More Big Statis-Pro Card Moves Due to MLB Trades

 With the August 1, 6 pm trade deadline approaching for MLB teams (no team will be playing at that moment, the first games on August 1 starts 40 minutes after the deadline), we have six new moves to add to our list of trades and 60 day DLS from yesterday's post. 

The big winners today were the Dodgers, who picked up a strong PB 2-8 card for Joe Kelly back from the White Sox, and also grabbed what will be a solid middle reliever in our 4-man rotation league in Lance Lynn. The Dodgers already have the best record in our league (in real MLB play they are 2nd to the Braves, while the Braves are 3rd in Statis-Pro). The Dodgers are looking like our big NL favorite pending moves the next three days.

The Astros gained a nice reliever in Kendall Graveman, also from the White Sox and like Kelly returning to a team. The Marlins also picked up a nice card in reliever David Robertson, who has been even better in the real season. The Marlins have the only downside, as Matt Barnes will not be used in our games because he is not on 60 day DL - and while we keep a player card if they drop to the 40 man roster or short DL, we stop using them if they are on the 60 day DL

The only batter to change was the Rangers getting Kevin Plawecki from the Padres (and Pirates beginning of the year), but he is really just a backup for a loaded Rangers line-up. Click here for yesterday's post on 12 Statis-Pro cards changing status or team. Rules for the game appear below.



Click for the free Statis-Pro Master Baseball Game. Click here for 60 of the all-time great MLB teams, or on teams of many of the all-time great players on teams by nation or state with one sheet for each team. Or click on the 2023 pitchers and 2023 batters in card form. You simply print two teams cards and then either print theaster link above and fast action cards in master link or buy the dice to start playing. 

If you are playing the current 2023 season, you can use these optional adjustments for 149 players who were playing much better or worse than than their projected 2023 pitchers or 2023 batters in card form. 


Thursday, July 27, 2023

12 Big Statis-Pro Card Moves Via Trade & 60-day DL

 Here are 12 key cards whose team or status had changed in our Statis-Pro baseball game as the trade deadline approaches.

Winners include:

Los Angeles Angels with two nice pitching pickups in Lucas Giolito and Jorge Lopez, which of course more importantly goes with announcing they will NOT consider trading Ohtani.

Los Angeles Dodgers with two more nice bats who also play key positions in Amed Rosario and Enrique Hernandez. Already our best Statis-Pro team they get even better.

Miami Marlins who upgrade in our game with a PB2-7 Jorge Lopez coming and a not quite as good PB 4-7 Dylan Florio going to the Twins in return - but more important Johnny Cueto coming off 60-day DL.

Milwaukee Brewers, our second best team in the Statis-Pro NL season also had a nice pick-up in 1st baseman Carlos Santana, though in this case to offset an injury to an even stronger hitter.

Losers include:

Cleveland Guardians with the huge loss of Shane Bieber going to 60-day DL, which disqualifies his card from being used unless he comes back. While they picked up Noah Syndergaard in the Dodgers trade, he is only a PB 2-4 and the two batters they gave up to the Dodgers are good Statis-Pro cards. Guardians are the only huge loser of the last few days.

Minnesota Twins had a slight Statis-Pro downgrade in getting Dylan Florio (see Miami above in winners).

Seattle Mariners losing Marco Gonzales to 60-day DL, not huge as he is a PB 2-5, but he was a starter with an SR of 17 who could give them innings.

Washington Nationals with he speedy Victor Robles, whose card was upgraded for improving dramatically this year to lower opposing pitcher's PB by 1 - to take advantage of his AA speed stealing.





Sunday, July 23, 2023

Hall of Famer Fred McGriff's 1995 Braves Statis-Pro Team Features 3 top 100 Players

Unfortunately Scott Rolen played for the Phillies in between their great 1980 and 2008 teams and we did not pick his St. Louis Cardinals World Series teams among the four Cardinals champs we included in the Statis-Pro 60 All-Time great teams game. However, we do have today's other Hall of Fame inductee Fred McGriff with his 1995 Atlanta Braves. 

In the all-time great teams game we do not have individual cards, but sheets for each player, and McGriff's card homers on 28-32 with deep drives that can go out on 33-35. In 1995 the usually did, leaving the park on 11-58. In our game the Braves opened the season with playing in 1924 at the Washington Senators when deep drives only went out on an 11-18 as the dead ball era wrapped up.

The first game was not only the dead ball era, but the ultimate pitcher match-up with Greg Maddux (14th greatest player of all-time on our list) going up against Walter "The Big Train" Johnson (9th greatest player of all-time). As you might expect, it was a 2-1 game in 10 innings with the Braves winning. In the nightcap back in 1995 in Atlanta, the Braves won 7-2 for the sweep.

In our game the Braves have two more top 100 all-time players in #78 Chipper Jones and #93 John Smoltz. 

McGriff had the second best OPS on that 1995 championship team at .850 behind slugger Ryan Klesko's incredible 1.004. However, the Braves will love playing in eras with a DH, because Klesko has the worst fielding card in our league with an E-10 error prone card and the worst throwing arm rating of T-2. However, he may have been the best bat in the game for the title run. 

I was actually at an exhibition game in my youth between the AAA Richmond Braves playing the parent Atlanta Braves. Klesko was so trying to impress the big club that he fielded a single to left and fired toward home, but about 10 feet over the catcher's head and into the stands, turning around so the big club wouldn't see him yelling at himself.

Congrats to the Crime Dog Fred McGriff as the cleanup hitter for the team of the 1990s as the slugging lefty first baseman.








Monday, July 17, 2023

Statis-Pro Teams Playing Better and Worse Than This Year and Last

We compared our current standings in the AL Statis-Pro season being played in Montana and the NL Statis-Pro season being played in Milwaukee.The table below lists both leagues in alphabetical order - 10 teams in the AL and 11 teams in the NL. Teams in green are playing better in Statis-Pro then their actual record the last two seasons, and teams in red are playing worse in Statis-Pro than the last two season. Most, 12 of 21, are playing almost exactly the same in Statis-Pro as their real standings.


By each team we list what their spot would be in the Statis-Pro playoffs if the season ended today - which looks very close to where the actual MLB playoffs would be today. 

All six NL teams that would make the playoffs if our Statis-Pro season ended today and if the real MLB season ended today. However, Atlanta is the best team in baseball but playing a bit below that level as the No. 3 in the NL so would need to host a 3-game series in Statis-Pro but be one of two teams with a bye in the real season.

The only two differences in playoff teams are in the AL, where Baltimore and Texas would make the real season, while in our Statis-Pro season they would be replaced by Seattle and the New York Yankees - who have Aaron Judge in Statis-Pro but not the real season. However, in the AL the best team Tampa Bay is the same in both Statis-Pro and the real season.

Teams should have a slightly worse records in Statis-Pro because they do not get games against the worst/relegated teams.  In the AL the five relegated teams do not play any games, and in the NL they play a limited schedule. 

One item we find interesting is that as disappointed as the Padres have been this season, so far they are even worst in Statis-Pro.

Click for the free Statis-Pro Master Baseball Game. Click here for 60 of the all-time great MLB teams, or on teams of many of the all-time great players on teams by nation or state with one sheet for each team. Or click on the 2023 pitchers and 2023 batters in card form. You simply print two teams cards and then either print theaster link above and fast action cards in master link or buy the dice to start playing. 



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Several Statis-Pro Strategies Result in Marlins-Reds Split

 Fun split between Cincinnati (5-4 win at home) and Miami (4-3, 10 inning win at home) with plenty of speed on the new charts (bases closer together with more steals and extra bases taken) and other Statis-Pro strategy.

First, the Reds have two PB 2-7 starting pitchers and the rest drop off to PB 2-5. That lead to the key moment below.

Hunter Greene's + for starting the season well above projections took him up to a PB 2-7, while last year's best pitcher Sandy Alcantara's - lowered him to a PB 2-7 for an even match-up on the mound.

That led to this key moment as both teams were back to the top of their line-up in the bottom of the 4th, with Jazz Chisholm of the Marlins already having used his AA to steal a base (see the stolen base and runners taking extra base on a hit chart below) and Elly De La Cruz having already stolen two bases. But this time a PB 8 on the cards was not on Alcantara's card, putting the action on De La Cruz card where the 23 you see was a 2-run double to make it 3-1 Cincinnati en route to the 5-4 win.


The fact that Greene's pitched seven innings was also key. The Reds only have two relievers with better than a PB 2-6 card, so by getting them into the 8th the Reds could use them both including Alexis Diaz getting the save in the 5-4 win.

The Reds were left with a PB 2-5 starter in Ashcraft, but because of Green's long start Ashcraft only had to get through three innings. This was also because of gaining another PB 2-6 in Joel Kuhnel from the Astros earlier to leave six PB 2-6 pitchers to pitch the 4th through the 9th which almost was enough as the Reds led 1-0 until the bottom of the 8th. 

Another strategy move that almost worked occurred after Kevin Newman committed his second error in as many games at shortstop. Because he and De La Cruz can play shortstop or third base, we flipped them and it worked initially as De La Cruz CD-4 resulted in a diving stop in the 6th inning that saved a run. However, in the 10th it backfired with Chisholm on 3rd base with the tying run and the Reds leading 3-2. 

This time the L5 - line drive to third base - was to Newman who caught it for an out but with a CD3 could not double the runner off. De La Cruz would have doubled him off to end the game and give the Reds a 3-2 win.  Instead Jorge Soler and  Jesus Sanchez followed with hits and an error by Fraley on the first hit put Soler on third base so he could score on the 2nd single to give the Marlins the split 4-3.

The Marlins slipped one spot to 4th place, one behind the Braves at 20-16, while the Reds remained two games out of 6th place at 21-27. The following is the revised runners advancing chart for the 2023 season.

Click for the sheet that tracks all our league standings and results.


Click for the free Statis-Pro Master Baseball Game. Click here for 60 of the all-time great MLB teams, or on teams of many of the all-time great players on teams by nation or state with one sheet for each team. Or click on the 2023 pitchers and 2023 batters in card form. You simply print two teams cards and then either print theaster link above and fast action cards in master link or buy the dice to start playing. 

Sunday, July 16, 2023

Big Statis-Pro Card Trades Before Deadline - Chapman to Texas and Escobar to Angels

With the trade deadline 16 days away, it was not fun as an Astros fan to see Aroldis Chapman mowing down the Guardians for his first save as a Texas Ranger, then Eduardo Escobar deliver two hits to help the Angels rally for a wild 13-12 win against the Astros.

In our Statis-Pro game, those are the two biggest pick-ups as we follow major league trades. We all expect a bunch of trades as the August 1 deadline, but here are the five trades that moved a Statis-Pro card from one team to another already. Three are just average relief pitchers, but Chapman and Escobar have great cards. 

I took a grandson to a Brewers-Royals game and told him to watch Chapman throw well over 100 mph. He already has a GREAT PB 2-8 card in the game that will help the Rangers a lot, but in real play he has been ever better - facing 17 batters in five games and allowing only two to reach while striking out 7 with no walks, and of the 10 who made contact against him two went for hits and the other eight were out. With no runs allowed in the five games for the Rangers, his season ERA is down to 2.10.

Escobar has a great five home run card (24-28 are homers) and while almost all of the Deep drives of 31-33 were caught in the pitchers heaven where the Mets (only home run on 11-13 and fly out on 14-88) many of those are homers in the Angels park (11-54 homer, 55-88 fly out) as shown on our ballpark home run chart. The average is 11-35 homer. In fact, Escobar was not playing up to this projection with the Mets with only four homers after having a bit of decline each year from his monster 2019 when he led the league with 10 triples and added 35 homers.

Click for the free Statis-Pro Master Baseball Game. Click here for 60 of the all-time great MLB teams, or on teams of many of the all-time great players on teams by nation or state with one sheet for each team. Or click on the 2023 pitchers and 2023 batters in card form. You simply print two teams cards and then either print theaster link above and fast action cards in master link or buy the dice to start playing. 


Below we listed cards that have either changes teams or that we are not using in our game (we use players on the 40-man roster unless they go on 60-day DL) and players we had out but are now using again because they were on 60-day DL but are no longer. Even if a players has just gone to minor league rehab or moved down to 10-day DL, we start using their card again in the game.

Most injuries occur to pitchers (this a lot of "1" under position) but as you can see the first position player on the list is Boston's Yu Chang would would normally be a shortstop (thus the "6" before the dash) and occasionally 2nd base or 3rd base (thus the 4 and 5 after the dash). We also listed the OPS or ERA of each player card to give an idea on how strong the card in question is, and if they changed teams like the five above, are on the 60-day DL and thus we are not using the card, or "Use Again, Off DL" to note we were not using the card but are now using it again.

We have moved the traded cards on the google doc of the 2023 pitchers and 2023 batters in card form.
 
Card nowPos    Player                                       Change in card       Card Stats             Update
ARI1Drey Jameson60-dayCard ERA: 4.228-Jul
ATL1Dylan Lee (Pitch: L)60-dayCard ERA: 3.6530-Jun
ATL1Max Fried (Pitch: L)Use Again, off DLCard ERA: 3.585-Jun
ATL1Nick Anderson60-dayCard ERA: 4.4113-Jul
BAL1Mychal Givens60-dayCard ERA: 4.061-Jul
BOS6/45'Yu Chang60-dayCard OPS: 0.70122-Jun
CIN1Joel KuhnelHou via tradeCard ERA: 4.1817-Jun
CIN1Nick Lodolo (Pitch: L)60-dayCard ERA: 3.683-Jun
COL1Antonio Senzatela60-day DLCard ERA: 5.3911-Jun
COL1Ryan Feltner60-dayCard ERA: 5.4529-May
DET1Matthew Boyd (Pitch: L)60-dayCard ERA: 4.2227-Jun
DET1Tyler Alexander (Pitch: L)60-dayCard ERA: 4.264-Jul
DET8/Riley Greene (Bat: L)Use Again, off DLCard OPS: 0.72931-May
KCR1Josh Staumont60-dayCard ERA: 4.1915-Jul
KCR1Josh Taylor (Pitch: L)60-dayCard ERA: 3.654-Jul
KCR3/Vinnie Pasquantino (Bat: L)60-dayCard OPS: 0.82618-Jun
LAA1José Suarez (Pitch: L)60-dayCard ERA: 4.4220-Jun
LAA5/46'Eduardo Escobar (Bat: S)NYM via TradeCard OPS: 0.70924-Jun
LAD1Dustin May60-dayCard ERA: 3.6523-May
LAD87/9Trayce Thompson60-dayCard OPS: 0.74111-Jun
MIA1Trevor Rogers (Pitch: L)60-dayCard ERA: 3.7814-Jun
MIA/8HJonathan Davis60-dayCard OPS: 0.63311-Jul
NYM1Trevor GottSea via TradeCard ERA: 3.914-Jul
NYY1Nestor Cortes (Pitch: L)60-dayCard ERA: 3.968-Jul
OAK1Drew Rucinski60-dayCard ERA: 4.0820-Jun
OAK1Zach Jackson60-dayCard ERA: 3.7721-Jun
PIT1Vince Velasquez60-dayCard ERA: 4.6823-Jun
SDP1Luis GarcíaUse, off DLCard ERA: 3.355-Jun
SDP/2Luis CampusanoUse, off DLCard OPS: 0.6732-Jun
SEA1Penn Murfee60-dayCard ERA: 3.915-Jul
SEA1Robbie Ray (Pitch: L)60-dayCard ERA: 3.7712-Jun
STL78/Tyler O'NeillUse Again, off DLCard OPS: 0.7796-Jul
TB1Robert StephensonPit via tradeCard ERA: 4.122-Jun
Tex1Aroldis Chapman (Pitch: L)KC via tradeCard ERA: 3.4530-Jun
TEX1Jacob deGrom60-dayCard ERA: 2.655-Jun

Saturday, July 15, 2023

Alphabetical List of the 68 Groups/Singers WIth At Least 4 Incredible "Turn It Up" Songs

We will return to baseball this weekend, but a random side project diverted me from the sports board games I normally use as my break from work. Here are the 68 groups I define as GREAT based on having at least four songs I consider so awesome that I have cranked them with headphones.

As I posted on Facebook a couple of days ago, I walked out of Daily Mass at the Cathedral and a local group called the Foo Foo Dolls was doing an incredibly great job with Cake's "Girl with a Short Skirt and a Long Jacket," which I posted here. After watching them I thought to myself that Cake actually four songs I consider incredible and would turn up and replay anytime - that one as well as Going the Distance, Will Survive and Never There.


Singer/GroupYrsMy Favorite2nd "Turn it up!"3rd "Turn it up!"4th "Turn it up!"
50 Cent21stIn Da Club 21 QuestionsOutta ControlWindow Shopper
AC/DC80sYou Shook Me All Night LongIt's a Long Way to the Top if you Wanna Rock 'n RollHighway to HellBack in Black
Aerosmith70sSweet EmotionWalk this Way (with Run-DMC)Dream OnLivin' on the Edge
Alanis Morissette90sHand In My PocketIronicYou Oughta KnowYou Learn
Allman Brothers Band60sRamblin ManWhipping PostOne Way OutMidnight Rider
Aretha Franklin60sRespect(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural WomanThink (best in Blues Brothers)Chain of Fools (best with John Travolta Dancing)
Avett Brothers10sMurder in the CityI And Love and YouAin't No ManLive and Die
B-52's, The70sPrivate IdahoRock LobsterLove ShackRoam
Beatles, The60sI Want to Hold Your HandShe Loves YouI Want to Hold Your HandLet It Be
Beck21stLoserGirlWhere Its AtLost Cause
Beyoncé21stSingle Ladies (Put a Ring On It)IrreplaceableLove on TopCrazy in Love (Beyonce & Jay-Z)
Billy Joel70sYou May Be RightIt's Still Rock 'n Roll to MeScenes From an Italian RestaurantBig Shot
Blondie70sOne Way or AnotherHeart of GlassCall MeThe Tide is High
Bob Seger70sOld Time Rock & RollNight MovesTravelin ManYou'll Accompany Me
Bonnie Raitt70sSomething to Talk AboutI Cant Make You Love MeRunawaySweet Home Chicago
Britney Spears21st...Baby One More TimeToxicSometimesOops! I did it again
Bruce Springsteen70sRosalitaBorn to RunThunder RoadBorn in the USA
Cake90sGirl with a Short SkirtGoing the DistanceWill SurviveNever There
Cars, The70sGood Times RollJust What I NeededSince You're goneShake It Up
Cheap Trick70sI Want you to want meSurrenderAin't That a ShameDream Police
Chuck Berry50sJohnny B. GoodeMaybellinePromised LandYou Can Never Tell
Clash, The80sLondon CallingShould I Stay or Should I Go NowRock the CasbahI Fought the Law
Creedence Clearwater Revival60sProud MaryFortunate SonBad Moon RisingDown on the Corner
David Bowie70sChangesPressureSpace OddityYoung Americans
DC Talk90sJesus FreakBetween You and MeMy Friend (So Long)In the Light
Dolly Parton70sMagic Man9 to 5JoleneWorld on Fire
Doors, The60sLA WomanLight My FireBreak on ThroughPeople are Strange
Eagles, Don Henley, Joe Walsh70sLifes Been GoodHotel CaliforniaBoys of SummerSeven Bridges Road
Earth, Wind, and Fire70sSerpentine FireSeptemberBoogie WonderlandLet's Groove
Elton John70sRocket ManTiny DancerYour SongBennie and the Jets
Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks70sGo Your Own WayDreamsGypsyLandslide
Garth Brooks90sFriends in Low PlacesThe Beaches of CheyenneWorkin' for a Livin'Callin Baton Rouge
Grateful Dead, The70sFriend of the DevilTruckin'Sugar MagnoliaCasey Jones
Green Day21stBasket Case (Do you have the time to listen to me whine!)Wake Me Up When September EndsHolidayBoulevard of Broken Dreams
James Brown60sGet UpPapas Got a Brand New BagI Got You (I Feel Good)Living in America
Janis Joplin60sMe and Bobby McGeePiece of My HeartMercedes Benz (because its too funny, and she doesn't need instruments)Maybe
Jimi Hendrix60sCrosstown TrafficLight My FireFoxey LadyPurple Haze
Joan Jett80sI Love Rock 'n RollBad ReputationCrimson and CloverLove Hurts
Johnny Cash50sRing of FireI Walk the LineI won't back down (Before Tom Petty did it)Folsom Prison Blues
Kanye West00sJesus WalksAll of the LightsStrongerGold Digger
Killers, The00sMr. BrightsideSomebody Told MeWhen You Were youngRead My Mind
Kinks, The60sParanoiaAll Day and All of the NightYou Really Got MeLola
Lady Gaga21stPoker FaceBad RomanceShallow (from Star is Born)Hold My Hand (Top Gun)
Led Zeppelin70sWhen the Levee BreaksWhole Lotta LoveKashmirRamble On
Lynyrd Skynyrd70sGimme 3 StepsFree BirdSweet Home AlabamaTravellin' Man
Marvin Gaye70sI Heard It Through the GrapevineWhats Going OnGot To Give It UpLets Get It On
Melissa Etheridge80sCome to My WindowI'm the only oneI want to come overPiece of My Heart (Tribute to Janis)
Nirvana90sSmells Like Teen SpiritCome as You AreLithiumIn Bloom
Pat Benatar80sHeartbreakerHit Me with Your Best ShotLove is a BattlefieldI Need a Lover
Police, The80sRoxaneDon't Stand So Close to MeMessage in a BottleEvery Little Thing She Does
Pretenders70sMiddle of the roadBrass in PocketBack on the chain GangMy City Was Gone
Prince80s1999Purple RainRaspberry BeretLittle Red Corvette
Queen70sBohemian RhapsodyUnder PressureWe Will Rock YouCrazy Little Thing Called Love
R.E.M.90sEnd of the World as We Know ItLosing My ReligionThe One I LoveRadio Free Europe
Rage Against the Machine - though they hate political people like me :-)90sKilling in the NameBulls on ParadeRenegades of FunkTestify (they attacked both parties LOL)
Ramones70sBlitzkrieg BopSheena Is a Punk RockerRock 'n Roll High SchoolSomething to Believe IN
Red Hot Chili Peppers90sUnder the BridgeCalifornicationCan't StopOther Side
Rolling Stones, The60sShatteredStart Me UpJumpin Jack Flash(I Cant Get No) Satisfaction
Rush80sTom SawyerLimelightSubdivisionsFly by Night
Stevie Wonder70sSir DukeSuperstitionSigned, Sealed, Delivered Im YoursI wish
Supremes, The (Diana Ross)60sStop! In the Name of LoveIm Coming OutBaby LoveYou Can't Hurry Love
Talking Heads80sBurning Down the HouseOnce in a LifetimePsycho KillerTake me to the River
Tina Turner80sProud MaryWhats Love Got to Do With ItRiver Deep, Mountain HighThe Best
Tom Petty70sI won't back downAmerican GirlFree Fallin"Don't Come Around Here No More
U221stBeautiful Day With or Without YouI Still Havent Found What Im Looking ForBloody Sunday
Van Halen80sYou Really Got MeJumpPanamaCalifornia Girls
Weezer90sBeverly HillsBuddy HollySay It Ain't SoTake on Me
Who, The70sReal MeWho Are YouMy GenerationWont Get Fooled Again
I thought, "Wow, there can't be too many bands that have four or more songs I consider that good."

Anyone who knows me knows that thought led to a spreadsheet and dump of all the greatest bands and songs. Well, it turns out there are actually 60 additional bands which I listed below alphabetically along with the decade in which they primarily performed, and my favorite four songs from each band starting with my favorite - but the other three not necessarily in order.

I am more Classic Rock but also Kanye, and a couple of country etc. I listed the bands alphabetically, and did not put "the" in front of words, so the list starts with AC/DC and ends with (The) Who, meaning my favorite band is listed last.

For fun, how many groups would say are responsible for at least four of your favorite songs?

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Braves Olson Glove Saves 4-2 Win; 3-Run HR Keys 10-0 Win vs. Marlins

The best team in real MLB action this year was the first to cool the hottest team in Statis-Pro baseball so far this season, as the Braves won their home-and-home 4-2 and 10-0 in our series.

In the bottom of the 7th Matt Olson stole a hit due to his E1 on a Z-play that could gave become a hit otherwise, and then he singled to start the bottom of the 8th and game home on Ozzie Albies second double of the game for the final 4-2 winner to make a winner of Max Fried. In the second game Olson hit s 3-run homer in the 2nd inning to chase Marlins starter Trevor Rogers with a 5-0 Braves lead en route to the 10-0 victory.


The Marlins came into the game with the best record in our Statis-Pro league, albeit benefitting from consecutive series against relegating teams to help them start 16-8. The Braves meanwhile were disappointing compared to their dominant season in real MLB, playing slightly above .500, before the games propelled them to a 27-21 mark - technically still percentage points behind the Marlins.

The following is the combined box score for both teams, followed by the standings and games remaining to get to 48 games played - with the Braves the only one to hit that mark.


Game 1       123     456    78   9 RHE
Marlins011 000 000 290
Braves002 010 01x 480
                
Game 2123 456 789 RHE
Braves230 130 010 10130
Marlins000 000 000 060

The box score for both games follows with links to all the players.

Atlanta batters                       Pos     AB   R   H   RBI             Notes
Ronald Acuna Jr.rf9330 BB, SB, 3-2Bs
Austin Riley3b8211 2-BB
Matt Olson (Bat: L)1b5335 2-BB,SF,2B,HR
Ozzie Albies (Bat: S)2b9031 2-2b
Travis d'Arnaudc9130 2b
Sean Murphydh8021  
Orlando Arciass7110 2-bb
Eddie Rosario (Bat: L)lf6221 2b, BB, SF
Michael Harris II (Bat: L)cf8234 2b, HR
Braves 2 game totals 69142113  
        
Braves Game 1IPHR ERBBKNotes
Max Fried*872219Win
A.J. Minter*110001 
Totals9822110 
        
Braves Game 2IPHR ERBBKNotes
Charlie Morton750018Win
Collin McHugh110000 
Raisel Iglesias110001 
Totals970019 
        
Miami battersPosABRHRBI Notes
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Bat: L)ss8010  
Luis Arraez (Bat: L)2b8020  
Jorge Solerrf8000  
Jesús Sánchez (Bat: L)cf8020  
Garrett Cooperdh8110 2b
Yuli Gurriel1b6010 bb
Joey Wendle (Bat: L)3b7030  
Nick Fortescf8010  
Garrett Hampsonlf4120 2-SB
Bryan De La Cruzlf4020  
Marlins 2 game totals 692150  
        
Marlins Game 1IPHR ERBBKNotes
Jesús Luzardo*563325Loss
Tommy Nance110000 
Huascar Brazoban100000 
A.J. Puk*111111 
Totals884436 
        
Marlins Game 2IPHR ERBBKNotes
Trevor Rogers*255524Loss
Dylan Floro120002 
Matt Barnes121102 
JT Chargois0.313320 
Andrew Nardi*0.710012 
Steven Okert*100001 
Tanner Scott*110010 
Edward Cabrera211121 
Totals9131010812


And finally, here are our Statis-Pro standings to date.

Getting each team to 8 series (16 games for 48 "games)

1. LA Dodgers 28-14 - play SF

2. Milwaukee 27-15 - play SF

3. Miami 17-13- play Cin, NYM, Phil, SF

4. Atlanta 27-21 - at 48 games

5. San Fran 13-11 - play LA, Mil, Mia, SD

6. Arizona 20-22 - ChC

Playoff Cut off

7. Chicago Cubs 20-22 - Arz

8. NY Mets 20-22 - play Mia

9. Cincinnati 18-24 - play Mia

10. Philadelphia 17-25 - play Col

11. San Diego 16-26 - play SF

Friday, July 7, 2023

Tampa Moves Into 1st in Balanced (except for ChiSox) AL Statis-Pro

Most of our Statis-Pro updates are on our NL season this year since that is the league your writer is playing out. However, my best friend out west has been rotating leagues with me on and off since our youth in the 1980s, and he provides this update on the parallel AL season. We will ultimately meet in the World Series - which if we did with the top team in our respective leagues right now would be the Tampa Bay Rays against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

 Click for the free Statis-Pro Master Baseball Game. Click here for 60 of the all-time great MLB teams, or on teams of many of the all-time great players on teams by nation or state with one sheet for each team. Or click on the 2023 pitchers and 2023 batters in card form. You simply print two teams cards and then either print theaster link above and fast action cards in master link or buy the dice to start playing. 

Parity continues to rule in the Statis-Pro American League.  Nine of the ten teams still have a legitimate shot at the playoffs.  (poor White Sox)

 

It took a while, but the Rays finally got hot (winners of 8 straight) and now lead the east.

Dominant pitching has been the key for Tampa Bay with the fewest runs allowed in the league. (3.06 rpg)

 

Toronto led the division most of the first half but a recent four game losing streak opened the door for Tampa Bay.

 


In the west, no one is taking control. Seattle is the surprise but everyone is waiting for the Astros to eventually move ahead. Houston dropped 3 of the last 4 to slide back again.

 

The Rangers (2-7) and the Guardians (6-13) have overcome terrible starts to get back in the race.

 

Individually, Anthony Santander of the Orioles is putting together an MVP caliber season. (leads league in HR’s & RBI’s & Runs Scored)

 

Teammates Shane Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs of Tampa Bay as well as Nestor Cortes of the Yankees are Cy Young contenders through eight starts.

 

EmmanuelClase continues to dominate in relief going 12-12 in save opportunities.

 

AL East

Tampa Bay       20-13

New York          18-15

Toronto             18-15

Baltimore         16-17

Boston               16-17

 

AL “West”

Seattle               18-15

Houston            17-16

Cleveland         17-16

Texas                  16-17

Chicago               9-24

 

 

Batting

Cedric Mullins, Bal      .321

StevenKwan, Cle          .312

Harold Ramirez, TB   .308

 

Hits

Kwan, Cle          44

Mullins, Bal      42

Alex Verdugo, Bos   41

 

Runs Scored

Santander, Bal 25

Kyle Seager, Tex       24

Kwan, Cle          24

 

Home Runs

Santander, Bal 11

Cal Raleigh, Sea     10

Aaron Judge, NY           8

 

Runs Batted In

Santander, Bal               28

Brandon Lowe, TB                       24

Ryan Mountcastle, Bal          23

 

Earned Run Average  (8 starts)

Drew Rasmussen, TB              3-0        1.50

Nestor Cortes, NY                      4-1        1.84

Jeffrey Springs, TB                     3-3        2.03

 

Relief

Emmanuel Clase, Cle          0-0        12-12

Paul Sewald, Sea      0-0        12-12

Jason Adam, TB          0-0        13-15