November 2, 2000

Gearing Up for the Playoffs

What will the BDBL do for an encore?

Last year at this time, three of the four former CBL owners faced each other in the BDBL playoffs.  A watered-down Litchfield Lightning pulled off the upset of the year, winning their Division Series against the top-ranked Los Altos Undertakers despite the suspensions of eleven players including their ace pitcher and their #2 RBI producer.  Game Five was won by the Lightning in the tenth inning when Los Altos closer Trevor Hoffman choked for the second time in the series. 

Longtime rivals Stamford and Salem battled to a tie game through seven innings of the fifth and final game of their division series.  In the eighth, Rafael Palmeiro clubbed a solo homer off Salem's Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux, advancing Stamford to the next round.  Maddux was forced to leave Game Four of that series after throwing just 26 pitches - the result of a 54-minute rain delay.   But the Cowtippers scored an early TKO of Kevin Brown for the second time in the series, keeping hope alive for one more game.  Maddux tossed 284 brilliant innings that season, but the 285th would be his - and Salem's - ultimate downfall.

Litchfield manager Phil Geisel and Stamford manager Paul Marazita then met in the OLCS for a rematch of their classic 1989 series.  Once again, the series went the distance.  Like Games Four and Six, Game Seven ended with a final score of 2-1.  Litchfield managed one run off Brown and a host of Stamford relievers.  Stamford scored two runs - both on solo home runs by little Luis Alicea.   With that, Stamford advanced to the first-ever BDBL World Series.

Meanwhile, over in the Eck League, a one-game playoff was needed to decide the EL wild card.  The California Storm held a 2-1 lead heading into the top of the ninth, but their closer, Matt Mantei, surrendered three runs to hand a playoff spot to the Bourbannais Bad Boys.  The Bad Boys then took on their division rivals, the Oakville Marauders, in the Division Series.  The two teams battled all the way to Game Five, then took a scoreless tie into the tenth.  In the bottom of the tenth, Oakville's Ken Griffey, Jr. came to the plate with one out and one man on.  Facing the filthy lefty Billy Wagner, Griffey deposited a hanging slider into the upper deck in right, giving Oakville a walk-off win.

In the other EL Division Series, the Southern California Slyme, who won 105 games during the regular season, easily disposed of the Massillon Tigerstrikes in four games.  It was the only playoff series in 1999 that did not go the distance.  Slyme manager Bob Sylvester then faced interim manager Bobby Sylvester, Jr. in the ELCS.  Once again, the series went the distance.  Two tough lefties - David Wells and Mike Hampton - faced off in Game Seven, but neither fared well.  The Slyme bullpen made all the difference in this game, however, combining for five innings of two-hit, shutout relief.  The Slyme won by a score of 7-3, earning a date with destiny in the BDBL World Series.

Trailing three games to two heading into Game Six, the Stamford Zoots took the final two games of the World Series.  Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson held the Slyme offense to just one run on six hits combined through Games Six and Seven, giving the Zoots the first-ever BDBL championship title.

It's hard to believe this year's playoffs could possibly come close to matching the excitement and drama of last year's playoffs.  Yet the potential is there.  Already we've seen some pretty intriguing story lines:

• We've already had a one-game playoff to decide the Eck League wild card.  Last year, Bourbannais ace Al Leiter was knocked out of the one-game showdown in the third inning with an injury.  This year, Phoenix ace Pedro Astacio was ejected from the game in the first inning after picking a fight with Big Frank Thomas.  Both Bourbannais and Phoenix managed to win the game despite the early exits of their aces.
• A rematch of the classic Litchfield and Stamford series.  It's a shame this series will only be five games.  Once again, Litchfield will be without a couple of key players due to suspension.  But if history is any indication, that won't matter.
• The long-awaited post-season match-up of Los Altos and Salem.  Last season, Los Altos and Salem both finished with 99 wins.  But both teams suffered early exits in the playoffs.  This year, one of them will finally advance to the OLCS.
• The possibility (remote as it may be) of a Stamford-Salem post-season rematch.  How great would that be?
• The possibility (even more remote) of a Stamford-Southern Cal rematch.
• An All-Sylvester Division Series featuring father against son.  Where else but the BDBL would you find such a thing?
• The possibility of a Stamford-Chicago World Series.  The BDBL's best pitching team against the league's best hitting team.  That could answer the age-old debate of pitching versus hitting once and for all.

Here now is an in-depth look at each post-season series:

OLDS: Stamford vs. Litchfield

Make no mistake about it: Phil Geisel would like to win this series more than he'd like a job selling hotdogs at Yankee Stadium.  The Lightning finished just two Luis Alicea home runs away from advancing to the BDBL World Series last year.  That's enough to give someone a winter's worth of nightmares.  Geisel didn't believe his team would contend this year, but the team set a franchise record with 102 wins.  (Which shows you what he knows.)  With an offense featuring Barry Bonds (.300/.435/.772, 42 HR and 119 RBI's in only 347 AB's), batting champion Edgar Martinez (.370/.485/.610, 27 HR, 108 RBI), likely OL Rookie of the Year Preston Wilson (.322/.395/.568, 36 HR, 131 RBI) and Brady Anderson (.285/.399/.510, 25 HR, 128 R, 69 SB), the Lightning scored over 900 runs this season - third in the Ozzie League.  They also set a BDBL record for stolen bases, with 221 (in 305 attempts) thanks to Anderson, Eric Young (60 SB), Marquis Grissom (32) and Damian Jackson (22).

Unfortunately, the Lightning will be without the services of Wilson, Young and Jackson for the Division Series due to overuse and salary cap issues.   But having Erubiel Durazo (.271/.437/.512 in 129 AB) in the lineup every game should make up for the loss of the team's RBI leader Wilson.  Young will be tougher to replace, because the team has no other second baseman (since Jackson had to be released due to cap issues.)  But don't be surprised to see Edgar playing second base.  Why not?  It's Geisel!

The Litchfield starting pitching staff has been solid, led by David Cone (15-12, 3.89), Pete Harnisch (15-11, 4.40), Denny Neagle (8-4, 4.46) and the always overachieving Hideki Irabu (13-4, 3.73.)  Litchfield finished fourth in the OL in ERA at 4.23 and set a BDBL record with 60 saves.  The Litchfield bullpen has been much better than anyone expected.  They led the league in lowest percentage of inherited runners scored thanks partly to the contributions of closer Jeff Shaw (3.09 ERA and 45 saves.) 

But the surprising part about the Litchfield bullpen is that almost no one has pitched as expected this season.  Primary left-handed setup man Rheal Cormier finished the 2000 campaign with a 7-7 record, a 5.33 ERA and 82 hits allowed in 72 innings.  Little-known pitcher Jeremy Powell - who was also sacrificed due to salary issues - finished 7-1 with a 3.42 ERA.   Arthur Rhodes compiled a 5.92 ERA over 52 innings.  Jim Pittsley's ERA was just 3.25, and he allowed just 40 hits over 44 innings.  Primary right-handed setup man Steve Karsay's ERA is 4.68.  Mac Suzuki, who started 18 of his 24 games, finished with an ERA of 4.41.  These are the types of numbers that only make sense in the Bizarro world of Phil Geisel.

There was no doubt that the Stamford Zoots would be back to defend their BDBL championship in this year's playoffs, especially after they cornered the market on pitching with the deadline acquisition of John Smoltz.  But this year's playoff spot was anything but a sure thing, as the Zoots finished just one loss away from watching these playoffs from the comfort of their homes.  When you think of the many ways that one win over a 160 game season could have been turned into a loss, it makes a grown man cry - especially a grown Salem Cowtipper man.

But alas, the Zoots are back where they always seem to be, to the chagrin of the 98-win Madison Fighting Mimes.  And with little surprise, they find themselves in the post-season thanks to their pitching.  Earlier this chapter, Randy Johnson (23-9, 2.59) and Kevin Brown (20-12, 3.15) became the first BDBL teammates in history to win 20 games.  With those two and Smoltz (7-5, 2.78 as a Zoot), Stamford could probably get away with having a three man pitching staff in these playoffs.  With 20 complete games between the three of them, there's not even a need to carry any relief pitching.

Unfortunately for the rest of the league, if Zoots manager Paul Marazita does decide to carry a relief pitcher or two in this post-season, he'll be adding one of the best bullpens in the league.  For the second year in a row, the Zoots featured surprisingly good relief pitching despite the "disappointing" performance of their closer, John Wetteland (7-6, 4.27, 82 H and 31 BB in 72 IP.)   Stamford finished third in the OL in saves, first in blown save percentage and third in inherited runners scored percentage.  Bobby "Shotgun" Chouinard (2.05 ERA over 44 innings), C.J. Nitkowski (6-4, 3.44, 69 H in 89 IP), B.J. Ryan (0.92 ERA in 20 IP) and Donne Wall (3-4, 3.29 in 77 IP) formed a strangely deep and solid bullpen.  

Offensively, the Zoots scored less runs (762) than any other BDBL playoff team.  But if you think that's a deterrent to success, consider that the Zoots also scored less runs (741) than any other BDBL playoff team (with the exception of the alarmingly-weak Bourbannais Bad Boys) last year.  This year's Zoots finished in the middle of the pack (8th) in home runs (156) and stole at a league average 67-percent rate.  They finished right around league average in batting average (.271 to .270), OBP (.348 to .348) and slugging (.425 to .435).  In short, the 2000 Stamford Zoots couldn't be any more average in terms of offense.

Like last year, Rafael Palmeiro (.310/.419/.569, 38 HR, 119 RBI) is the heart of the Stamford offense, and Omar Vizquel (.297/.364/.419, 47 doubles and 65 stolen bases in 74 attempts) is the sparkplug.  Magglio Ordonez (.266/.331/.447) was supposed to provide protection for Palmeiro, but he has been a disappointment.  And Edgardo Alfonzo (.277/.360/.455, 22 HR, 81 RBI) has also been somewhat of a disappointment as well.  But the inflated pitching numbers and deflated hitting numbers for two years running are not a coincidence, as Stamford's home ballpark, Zooterfield, has a lot to do with that. 

If there is one series this post-season that is most likely to go the distance, it is this one.  Stamford and Litchfield, who finished the season with a 6-6 split against each other, are different types of teams, but they are very evenly-matched.  As usual, the Zoots (who get the home field advantage in three of the five games) performed much better on the road this year (.687 winning percentage) than at home (.550), but that has more to do with Marazita's managing than it has to do with Stamford's ballpark.  In fact, the Lightning's home/road splits (.712 on the road, .563 at home) were even more drastic.  Neither team seems to have a weakness against lefty or righty pitching, so that is also probably not a factor.  Both teams feature a strong bullpen, and Stamford features a slightly deeper bench.  In short, look for a very competitive series between these two longtime rivals.

ELDS: Chicago vs. Phoenix

The Chicago Black Sox set a BDBL record this season with 106 wins, just one season after losing 101 games.  This is an incredible feat in any arena of competition - real or fantasy.  Black Sox GM John Gill took a risk this season, carrying three $10 million franchise players on his roster.  That strategy paid off big-time.  The Black Sox scored a record 987 runs this season thanks in part to those three franchise players, Nomar Garciaparra (.345/.394/.558, 25 HR, 122 R, 111 RBI), Scott Rolen (.287/.394/.592, 32 HR, 87 RBI) and Andruw Jones (.264/.341/.469, 26 HR, 99 RBI, 32 SB.)  Carlos Delgado (.272/.391/.572), who was acquired last winter for Fred McGriff and Troy Percival, led the BDBL in RBI's with 150 and clubbed 45 home runs.   Manny Ramirez (.342/.461/.670), who was acquired during Chapter Two in exchange for Rick "Nuke Laloosh" Ankiel and Raul Mondesi (a trade that looks better and better every day), added 31 homers and 108 RBI's in just 442 at-bats as a Black Sox.   The ageless Randy Velarde (.292/.371/.433) scored 124 runs and stole 30 bases in 40 attempts.  He also had double-digits in doubles (29), triples (13) and homers (13).   Even Black Sox catcher Todd Hundley, who batted just 282 times in 111 games, hit 27 homers.

Surprisingly, the Black Sox also led the Eck League in pitching, with a 4.12 ERA.  Three Chicago pitchers won 14 games this season, including staff ace Todd Ritchie (14-7, 3.86), the surprising James Baldwin (14-6, 4.15) and BDBL legend Andy Benes (14-11, 4.83).  Al Leiter, a mid-season acquisition who was acquired for the low, low price of Kelvim Escobar and Donnie Sadler, was 10-2 as a Black Sox with an ERA of 4.74 over 120 innings.  And Ryan Dempster was 9-6 with a 4.21 ERA over 147 innings.

Chicago was the only team in the BDBL this season without a complete game.  The Chicago bullpen was strangely effective despite an anonymous cast of characters led by closer Turk Wendell (7-3, 2.20, league-leading 40 saves.)   Brad Rigby (4-1, 4.13, 3 SV), Al Levine (7-2, 2.66, 57 H in 81 IP), and Bobby Ayala (4-5, 2.70) were the primary setup men for a bullpen that blew only eight games when the team led or was tied after seven innings.

The Phoenix Predators needed 161 games to win the Eck League wild card, but they came a long way in a short time to get into the post-season for the first time in franchise history.  They were just 36-42 at the all-star break, six games behind the Slyme, at third place in the Higuera Division.  They had the seventh-best record in the 12-team Eck League at that time.  But they fought their way back into the pennant race, compiling a 48-34 record after the break, and defeated the Cleveland Rocks in the one-game playoff in their 161st game of the season.

With the exception of stolen bases (a league-leading 212 in 307 attempts), the Predators aren't really strong in any particular area.   Offensively, they finished tenth in the EL in batting (.264), ninth in OBP (.338), seventh in slugging (.437) and ninth in runs scored.  On the mound, they finished fifth in ERA (4.51).  The deadline acquisitions of Freddie Garcia (4-3, 3.48) and Dustin Hermanson (6-1, 3.45) helped their second-half run immensely, if only because it meant less innings for Chan Ho Park (4-9, 7.71) and Kevin Appier (7-15, 5.98).  Kevin Tapani also added a 10-3 record and a 4.17 ERA.  But it has been the consistently-excellent pitching of their all-star ace, Pedro Astacio (18-6, 3.45), that has carried this team into the playoffs.

In the bullpen, Troy Percival (5-3, 2.56), who was acquired pre-season in exchange for Jon Lieber, turned in an excellent year with 39 saves.  Top set-up man Keith Foulke compiled a 2.54 ERA over 110 innings, striking out 132 while walking just 19.  Dennis Reyes (3-3, 3.90) and Scott Sullivan (8-2, 2.92) did fine jobs of setting up from the left and right hand sides.

Tino Martinez (.286/.383/.508) turned in a surprisingly good year after being acquired for Sean Casey pre-season.  He led the team in homers (32) and RBI's (118).  Rickey Henderson (.302/.417/.457 with 53 SB's) and Pokey Reese (.265/.317/.406 with 64 SB's) did a good job setting the table.  And Martinez, Raul Mondesi (.260/.359/.456, 18 HR, 70 RBI's as a Predator), Ed Sprague (.271/.358/.511, 24 HR, 75 RBI), Miguel Tejada (.257/.329/.444 with 29 doubles, 10 triples and 19 homers) and the surprising Chris Singleton (.289/.329/.475, 20 HR, 41 SB) formed a solid core in the middle of the lineup.

On the surface, the Predators appear to be overmatched by the Black Sox in every aspect of the game.  In twelve match-ups this season, the Predators have emerged with just two wins against Chicago.  But as they say, in a short series, you never know what may happen.

OLDS: Los Altos vs. Salem

When you look at the Los Altos Undertakers and Salem Cowtippers, you see two teams that couldn't be any more evenly-matched.  Both teams feature a strong bullpen, a good balance of left- and right-handed hitting, and a solid starting staff.  Yet in the history of the BDBL, no team has owned another team like the Undertakers have owned the Cowtippers (well...except for the Blazers...everyone owns them.)  Los Altos finished the season series with nine wins in twelve games against the Cowtippers.  Historically, Los Altos is 17-7 against Salem.

For the second year in a row, the Cowtippers finished with more than 850 runs scored.  But unlike last season, when their 853 runs were enough to set a BDBL record, their 902 runs scored this year were only good for fifth in the Ozzie League.  The Cowtippers finished first in batting (.285), second in OBP (.366) and third in slugging (.457) thanks to the contributions of Ellis Burks (.292/.394/.584, 31 HR, 106 RBI in 425 AB), team captain John Olerud (.307/.446/.511, 26 HR, 108 RBI), Shannon Stewart (.300/.363/.419, 130 runs scored, 42 SB in 64 attempts), Jeff Cirillo (.283/.359/.450, 23 HR, 109 RBI) and a host of bit players.  Salem will be without Stewart in the OLDS thanks to a usage gaffe, but thankfully, the team's greatest strength is the depth of its bench.  Stewart will be replaced by Armando Rios (.368/.467/.607 in 163 AB's) against the Los Altos all-righty starting staff.

Unlike last season, Salem won't have the luxury of throwing a Cy Young winner out on the mound two or three times in a short series.  They'll have to make do with Eric Milton (16-10, 3.93), Sterling Hitchcock (14-12, 4.89), Steve Woodard (10-7, 4.50) and Darren Dreifort (14-11, 5.23).  Javier Vazquez (10-10, 5.29) may also see some playing time, but only if he is called upon to pinch hit (.393/.441/.721 in 61 AB's, with more runs created than Damian Easley in less at-bats.)

The strength of the 2000 Cowtippers was supposed to be their bullpen.  For the most part, that proved true, though the pen certainly suffered its fair share of letdowns this summer.  Overall, Salem blew just one game in which they were leading by the seventh inning - the fewest total in the BDBL.  The bullpen blew nine games when tied by the seventh (tied for sixth in the OL), but blew just 14 saves overall (also fewest in the BDBL.)  Jeff Zimmerman (10-3, 2.20, 21 SV's) was the closest to a "sure thing" in the Salem pen this season.  His right-handed setup men, Derek Lowe (7-7, 4.03, 10 SV's) and Danny Graves (5-4, 3.69, 8 SV's) both had more than their fair share of ass-whoopings, but finished with respectable numbers.  And the team's primary lefty setup man, Pedro Borbon (6-3) somehow managed to compile an ERA of just 2.68 despite walking a mind-boggling 40 batters in just 54 innings.

Of course, as good as the Salem bullpen was this season, they were eclipsed by the world-beating Los Altos bullpen.  How good were the Undertakers relievers this season?  Six Los Altos relievers with at least 20 innings compiled an ERA of under 3.00, and two of those six finished with ERA's below 2.00.  Not surprisingly, Los Altos finished with the fewest number of complete games (2) in the OL.  Los Altos starters had the second-fewest percentage of quality starts this season (39%), yet the team won 65-percent of their games.  The Undertakers blew only two leads after seven innings (second only to the Cowtippers), won 16 of 24 games when tied after seven, and had the best record of any team in the BDBL in one-run games.  The Los Altos pen finished second-best in the OL in blown save percentage (trailing only the Zoots) and inherited runners scored (trailing only the Lightning.)

Offensively, the Undertakers finished second in batting (.281), third in OBP (.363), seventh in slugging (.438) and fifth in runs scored - despite playing in one of the league's best pitcher's ballparks.  Of course, the most lethal weapon in the Los Altos arsenal was the stolen base.  Los Altos successfully swiped 80 percent of the bases they attempted to steal this season - an absolutely hemorrhage-inducing statistic.  Needless to say, it was the best percentage in the BDBL.  Terry Shumpert, who stole 14 bases in 14 attempts during the 1999 Major League season, swiped 50 bags in 54 attempts.  The ageless Shawon Dunston, who stole ten bags in 14 attempts in MLB '99, stole 21 of 23.  Not surprisingly, Los Altos leadoff hitter Kenny Lofton finished with 64 stolen bases.  But the most shocking stats of all came from cleanup hitter Albert Belle.  Belle finished second on the team in stolen bases, becoming the first 30/50 player in BDBL history.  He finished one home run and three stolen bases away from becoming baseball history's first 40/60 player.

The question is: can the "Vg" pair of Salem catchers take that weapon away?  Well, in twelve games this season, the Undertakers were 13 for 14 in the stolen base department against the Cowtippers.  The last time these two teams met, Los Altos swiped four bags in four attempts - one on a pick-off and another on a pitch-out.  Let's face it: if you put Ivan Rodriguez behind the plate, and moved home plate ten feet closer to second base, Shumpert and Dunston would still steal second 99 times out of 100...on nothing but pitch-outs.

The other factor in Los Altos' favor is that the two best starting pitchers on Salem are left-handers, and the Undertakers win two out of every three games against left-handed starters this season.  With little advantage going their way, it looks like another early exit for the Salem Cowtippers.

ELDS: Kentucky vs. Southern Cal

Not since Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker have we seen father and son battle it out so passionately.  Bob and Bobby Sylvester have enjoyed a friendly (we hope) rivalry all season long, and it's been fun watching both teams rise in the standings in anticipation of this post-season match-up.  Despite winning one more game this season (87 to 86), the Fox have lost eight of twelve to the Slyme this season.   This series should be interesting to say the least.

The Kentucky Fox were one of two teams to go from worst-to-first in just one year (Chicago, of course, being the other.)  Kentucky was near the top in nearly every category this season: second in batting (.292), third in OBP (.362), fifth in slugging (.456), fifth in runs scored (867) and third in ERA (4.25).

The pre-season trade of Omar Daal (14-7, 3.58) helped this pitching staff immensely, but it was the brilliant mid-season free agent acquisition of Tim Hudson (12-4, 2.70) last season that really gave this team a boost.  2000 draftee Chris Holt (11-8, 4.57) and mainstays Dave Burba (11-13, 4.96) and Aaron Sele (6-12, 5.52) filled out the rotation.  Esteban Loaiza (7-2, 3.66) provided 84 capable innings of starting pitching, but mid-season acquisition Kent Bottenfield (3-5, 6.02 over 61 innings) was no help at all.

Doug Brocail (7-10, 4.13) was a capable closer, with mid-season acquisition Billy Koch (2-0, 1.59 over 17 innings as a Fox), Shiggy Hasegawa (1-0, 2.79), Mark Petkovsek (5-2, 2.91) and Robb Nen (3-4, 5.44) providing solid setup.  

Offensively, Bernie Williams (.309/.407/.507 with 26 HR and 88 RBI) led the way.  Former Cowtipper Mighty Joe Randa (.327/.365/.455, 39 doubles, 102 RBI) had a very solid year, Sean Casey (.347/.412/.561 with 89 RBI) filled in nicely for the departed Paul Konerko (.366/.433/.656 in 186 AB's), and Richie Sexson (.280/.331/.585) contributed 21 homers in just 282 at-bats.  Ronnie Belliard (.309/.380/.484), Jose Offerman (.261/.363/.375) and Eric Owens (.284/.341/.407) did a passable job of setting the table.  The Fox finished last in the EL in stolen base percentage, with a success rate of just 57-percent.

The Slyme won 19 fewer games this season than last season, but nevertheless managed to win the division title once again.  Once again, the Slyme featured some good pitching (4.25 ERA, second-best in the EL) and an MVP-type year from franchise cornerstone Chipper Jones (.298/.426/.629, 50 doubles, 47 HR, 126 runs scored, 118 RBI, 26 SB.)  Bartolo Colon took over for Tom Glavine as ace of the staff, posting a 16-6 record with a 3.90 ERA.  Jason Schmidt, acquired pre-season in exchange for EL MVP candidate Luis Gonzalez, added 14 wins and a 4.61 ERA.  Steve Parris, acquired pre-season in exchange for Jose Vidro, had one of the more unusual records in the league.  Despite posting a 4.01 ERA over 135 innings - on a team that won 86 games - Parris' record was just 2-8.   Steve Trachsel (8-3, 4.46), Randy Wolf (4-7, 4.76) and Octavio Dotel (5-3, 3.87) filled out the rotation.

The bullpen, led by unlikely closer Felix Rodriguez (5-9, 4.68, 19 SV), was second-to-last in the EL in saves (35).  The Slyme blew 27 saves this season (second-most in the EL), and 18 games when leading or tied after seven (fifth-most.)  Former Zoot Ramiro Mendoza (9-2, 4.17) was the primary setup man, with Albie Lopez (2-2, 3.63), John Frascatore (1-2, 5.08), Bill Simas (5-3, 5.18) and mid-season acquisition Ron Villone (3-4, 3.88) also contributing.

Offensively, the Slyme finished at or near the bottom in every category.  They placed 11th in batting (.263), 11th in OBP (.336), sixth in slugging (.439) and ninth in runs scored. The heart of the Slyme offense is Jones, Mo Vaughn (.291/.380/.535 with 36 HR and 101 RBI), Greg Vaughn (.219/.308/.482, with 41 HR and 108 RBI) and Troy O'Leary (.270/.336/.473, 22 HR, 95 RBI).  Javy Lopez (.298/.362/.491) can also be used full-time in the playoffs, giving the Slyme some extra punch.

Both teams are susceptible to left-handed pitching.   The Fox were just 14-12 against left-handed starters, and the Slyme were 14-15.   With no left-handed starters on the Slyme (aside from Wolf, who likely won't make the post-season roster), Omar Daal could be the MVP of this series (which would be a refreshing change from last year, when he single-handedly cost the Salem Cowtippers the championship.)  The Fox seem to have more elements leaning in their favor in this series, but don't discount the Southern Cal Slyme.  They always seem to rise to the occasion.  They won eight of twelve against the Fox this year, and were the only Eck League team this season that posted a winning record (10-6) against the Ozzie League in interleague play.  This series could go down to the wire.  But one thing is for sure: it will be fun to watch.