by the smaller twin » February 9th, 2010, 4:55 pm
1) Which teams have stepped up more than you thought? The Midwest Mushroom Stampers are the obvious choice here but nobody had any thoughts about them before the season because nobody knew who they were. So my biggest surprise has been U're in Trouble. I know a 6-0 loss to JKI and a 4-0 loss to Balls Deeper is nothing to brag about, but it's much better than many teams around the nation could do and it shows far this team has come from the laughing stock of the league.
2) Which teams have played worse than expected? My biggest disappointment has definitely been the Scoregasms. They used to hand with all the top teams and pull off upsets in the playoffs and now they are getting mercy ruled. We were counting on them to be one of the 6 top teams and that definitely hasn't been the case. You could say the Stepdads but they are about at the level that I expected. They have the talent, but just have no direction and haven't learned the small things about the game.
3) Who are the top 3 pitchers? I don't think it is fair to list just three pitchers as I think there are four pitchers that are all very comparable. It's pretty hard to list them in a certain order because I think they are all extremely tought and can be more effective against certain teams and players. After Thursday night against Balls Deeper, Josh Martin's pitching was the hardest I have faced since Dan in the last One-Bounce Founders Cup. I think Corey, Josh Martin, Jeff and Matt Kelly are all top four pitchers that can be better than each other on any given day. I would also throw Toby in there but he hasn't played yet this season so it's hard to make an argument for him right now.
4) Who are the top 3 catchers? This is another position where it's tough to list just three. I would have to say that Kaleb is the best catcher in the league with Billy right behind him who has really improved quickly. I would throw Matt Weiner in there as well as Connor as the No. 3 catchers as they are very similar. I'm not sure which guy on Balls Deeper is Dan as I have not seen enough of him.
5) Who are the top 3 chargers/3b? My No. 1 charger would have to be Flader becaue I think he has the most of the most important tools out of all the third baseman. It's tough to grade Dave who hasn't been 100 percent in probably two years. He is probably playing at 80 percent, but when he was at full strength, he was the best I have ever seen. After that, I would place Scott, Steve from Fully Loaded and Josh Martin all at about the same level.
6) Sixth Man - who are the top 3 role players?
1. MJ from the Meatballls - I'm not sure he could be considered a role player, but he is probably the most under appreciated player in the league outside of his team. He is the driving force of the Meatballs offense and they know that, but I never hear anyone else talk about him when listing the best players in the game.
2. Big J - TLT from JKI. I don't think people understand how important he is to team chemistry. He keeps people loose and makes them laugh and he has become one of the most consistent line drive kickers in the game.
3. Nemo from Fully Loaded - The experience he brings to the team is unmeasurable and if I can ever get my lineup figured out he will settle in and come up with a big offensive play every time he gets the chance.
7) Best Girls - I'm adding this category becaue I don't think the girls get enough credit.
1. Dana from JKI
2. Palis from Meatballs
3. Jen A from Fully Loaded (I might be a little biased with this one but I think she belongs on this list)
7) MVP - Flat out who is the most important player to their team, they cannot survive without he (or she) performing? Without a doubt Flader. There is no question about it. JKI could survive without Dave but Riff Raff would fall apart without Flader.
It is better to be thought of a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
