August, 2018

Chapter Four Recap

Players of the Chapter

The Charlotte Mustangs have opened up a double-digit lead in the Hrbek Division race thanks in large part to their $12 million off-season investment, Jose Altuve. In Chapter Four, the little sparkplug hit .424/.476/.696 and created 30 runs. He is our EL Hitter of the Chapter.

In the OL, the Bear Country Jamboree went 15-9 and pulled to within one game of the wild card lead. Their Chapter Four success was led by shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who hit a sizzling .478/.500/.696 on the chapter, with a league-leading 31.1 runs created. That performance earned him the coveted Chapter Four OL Hitter of the Chapter award.

The Saskatoon Sasquatch went 13-11 last chapter and kept pace in the EL wild card race, where they currently trail by three games. They owe some of their success to the EL Pitcher of the Chapter, Yu Darvish. Darvish went a perfect 4-0 last chapter, with a league-leading 2.86 ERA and 41 strikeouts.

Salem Cowtippers ace Stephen Strasburg got off to such a horrendous start to this season that it seemed as though 2018 would become yet another disappointing data point in a BDBL career filled with disappointments. Stras has turned it around of late, however, and his 3-0 record and league-leading 1.04 ERA last chapter were enough to capture the OL Pitcher of the Chapter honors.

Top Stories of the Chapter

Story #1: Rodney

The league received shocking news on June 15th when we learned that Western Kansas Buffaloes owner Rodney Wilkie had passed away after a battle with cancer. Although I never got to meet him in person, I always enjoyed chatting with Rodney during our head-to-head games. He clearly had a passion for this game and this league. According to his sister, he drove her crazy by constantly talking about the BDBL and his "brothers." He also clearly enjoyed his role as our self-appointed Birthday Czar, never forgetting to wish each of us a happy birthday, and adding fun facts about our shared birthdays with celebrities and historical figures.

Although I never got the chance to meet him in person, I always enjoyed interacting with him during our head-to-head matchups. He was such an easy-going guy, nothing ever seemed to bother him. He played this often-frustrating game with good humor and sportsmanship. He was what my father would describe as "good people." He will be missed.

Story #2: BDBL Weekend, Minneapolis

The second-largest gathering in BDBL Weekend history took place during the weekend of August 3-5 in the bustling metropolis of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ryan and I arrived (extremely) early on Friday morning and spent several hours killing time at the Mall of America. We found that it's just like any other mall, except for the three roller coasters, the movie theater, the arcade, the escape room, the aquarium, and the flume ride.

We eventually met with Mike Ranney and enjoyed a nice lunch together a few blocks from our hotel. Our gathering continued to expand throughout the day as we were joined by Greg Newgard, Matt Clemm, Jeff Paulson, Brian Potrafka, Mike Stein, Tony Chamra, and Scot Zook.

We took over the hotel bar for a while and caught up on each other's lives over a few beers before heading to the ballpark. Target Field is not unlike any of the other modern-day ballparks: wide-open concourses, comfortable seats, giant scoreboard, and plenty of statues outside the park for Jeff Paulson to mimic. Unlike some of the similar parks in St. Louis, Atlanta, and Washington, DC, Target Field's food selection was disappointing. Aside from cheese curds, there was no local "specialty food" of note, and the staples (hotdogs, burgers, pizza, nachos) were below-average. The beer selection was equally disappointing and laughably expensive. Both Clemm and Stein took advantage of the one novelty item on the menu: a standard-sized batting helmet filled with fries, nachos, burgers, tacos, pizza, and whipped topping. (At least that's what it looked like to me.)

From our seats high atop the clouds in left field, we watched as the hometown Twins built an early 3-0 lead. A two-run shot by KC catcher Salvador Perez made it a 3-2 game in the third. Then the skies opened and we dashed for cover. We eventually found shelter in one of the ballpark's bars, where Matt and Jeff entertained us by imitating various pitching windups and having us guess the identity of each pitcher.

Over an hour later, we settled into our new seats behind home plate and watched as Kansas City took the lead in the top of the fifth before giving it away in the bottom half of that inning. Minnesota tacked on an insurance run in the sixth before the skies opened yet again and the grounds crew rolled out the tarp once more. (Or, at least, they tried to roll it out, with hilarious results.)

It was midnight by the time I decided to call it a night, so I missed the dramatic conclusion where neither team scored another run and Minnesota closer Fernando Rodney did his professional wrestling act on the mound.

We met for a delicious lunch at a brewery near the hotel, and then headed to the Loews hotel for our big 20th Anniversary Trivia Contest, hosted by the league's Trivia Master, Matt Clemm. Before the contest began, the league surprised me with a few gifts. First, Tony Chamra presented me with a laminated photo that included twenty Rick Reuschel baseball cards and a thoughtful expression of gratitude. Not so thoughtful was his decision to include the final results for every BDBL World Series -- including my five painful defeats.

Next, he reminded the league that I am, in fact, the Johnny Appleseed of the BDBL. To reinforce that undeniable fact, he presented me with a children's book on Johnny Appleseed and a hat from the Fort Wayne Tin Caps with their logo, depicting an apple wearing a tin cap.

Just when I thought it was over, my good friend Greg Newgard then presented me with a custom-made jersey decorated with our red, white, and blue league colors, the "BDBL" splashed across the front with the number twenty, our logo on the right sleeve, and "Commish" emblazoned across the back. It may have been the most thoughtful gift I have ever received.

The trivia contest consisted of nearly 100 questions in dozens of categories. Not only did the topics cover league history, but the Diamond Mind game, our league's forum, our free agent form, and miscellaneous other categories such as our nation's president during World War II (don't ask.) We later learned that while we played our trivia contest at the back of the lobby, Twins Hall of Famer Greg Gagne sat at the bar and appeared to be keenly interested. Unfortunately, he didn't ask to join the league.

We could have continued to enjoy our contest, but Matt and Jeff needed to get their free toy at the gate, so we left for the ballpark to stand in line. As we stood there, there was a commotion in the crowd, followed by an entourage that walked through the crowd and directly past us. That entourage included the great Rod Carew and the day's honoree, Johan Santana.

We settled into our seats behind home plate and patiently waited for the Twins Hall of Fame ceremony to begin. While waiting, we were treated to a home run hitting contest between two softball players and the Twins' mascot, TC Bear. Shockingly, the guy in the bear costume was somehow able to see through his mask and won the contest by hitting seven out of eight pitches over the fence.

Next, we were treated to a lengthy introduction to all of the attending members of the Twins Hall of Fame. That was followed by a lengthy speech by Torii Hunter, which was followed by the lengthiest speech of them all by Santana himself. Once all 40,000 fans in attendance became sufficiently bored, the game began.

Kansas City's starter, Burch Smith, was no match for Minnesota ace Jose Berrios. Although KC briefly took a 2-1 lead, that lead was erased by seven runs scoring from the fourth through seventh innings. The Twins easily won by a score of 8-2 thanks to three home runs from Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, and Logan Morrison.

Afterward, we returned to the sports bar, where Clemm delivered the final two trivia questions. First, we were asked to name as many owners in league history as possible. Next, we were asked to name the five people who owned more than one franchise. Despite the unfair handicaps applied by Clemm during this round, I walked away with the grand prize: a $20 gift card to Starbucks. It remains the only thing I have ever won in this league.

For the next hour or so, we then played the hilariously fun game called "Did This Guy Ever Play for You?" Incredibly enough, it seems we remember very little about our own franchises through the years.

The 2018 BDBL Weekend had everything you'd ever want: tons of laughs, good beer, good food, lots of memories, Matt Clemm trivia, aimless wandering, free bobbleheads, Greg's graveyard humor, debates over league rules (including the DH!), and most importantly, good friends enjoying a great time together. I can't think of a better way to commemorate our 20th anniversary.

Story #3: Votto

The Las Vegas Flamingos are coming off a dreadful 7-17 chapter, and are 47-57 on the season. With two chapters remaining, they trail the first-place South Loop Furies in the Benes Division by seven games. If the Furies play .500 ball the rest of the way, Vegas would need to go 35-21 (.625) just to catch them. In other words, the Flamingos would need to play better baseball than every other team in the Ozzie League with the exception of Flagstaff.

Given that, it seemed odd when Vegas GM John Bochicchio announced on July 15th that he had acquired Joey Votto and Mike Minor in exchange for Eric Lauer and Luiz Gohara. Granted, he didn't give up much to get them. Lauer has posted a 5.30 ERA in the big leagues this season, but showed some promise in the minor leagues. Gohara has been a top-100 prospect in the past, but has posted a 5.95 ERA in less than 20 innings in MLB this season.

Neither Votto (a free agent after this season) nor Minor (having a mediocre season with a $5 million salary) are likely to have any future value for Vegas, so this is clearly a "now" trade. Votto presumably takes over at first base for Mark Reynolds, who has been one of the Flamingos' better hitters this season (.271/.342/.512). Minor joins the bullpen, where he has been almost exclusively effective against left-handed batters. Neither upgrade is likely to make a seven game difference in the standings, so the team won't be able to catch South Loop based on this trade alone.

It is another curious move in a career filled with curious moves by John Bocchichio.