Week 9 and All Star Preview
We haven't seen a column on this site all season, unless you count the couple of blog entries from Nate and Mac. That's about to change as I play Nostradamus and tell you how week 9 and the all star voting are going to go down.
opie & the e street band over honest abe's truth brigade - Honest Abe has been on a rollercoaster lately, looking good in week 7 but not so good last week. Meanwhile, Opie has won its last five games, four of which have been played with Terry Shernisky nowhere in sight, thanks to some hot shooting from Matt McClelland and Kip Corbett. If Shernisky shows up, no way Opie loses. If he doesn't show up, Honest Abe will get the better of this matchup. I'm going to say he comes this week and give the win to Opie.
pj & the ladies over honest abe's truth brigade - Honest Abe has another chance to knock off a top opponent and make a statement. PJ & the Ladies, sans Billy Weisberg, should be extra motivated in this game, considering their competition in their other two games. They have to win either this game or the one against Queenie in addition to beating Opie and the E Street Band later in the day. PJ will get the win they need unless Chris Errett proves to be better than Will Williamson.
queenie mentrek over jukebox hero - Could we see the Milivanilliseconds in the yellow mesh again? Probably not, but Queenie and its trio of .600 hitters should cruise past the Heroes.
the millivanilliseconds over jukebox hero - The 'seconds need a win here desperately. They can't possibly be as bad as they played last week. I say Nate shows mercy on John Offutt and co. and gives them an easy Jukebox team. The Millivanilliseconds get their first win since trading Katie Kelly.
the millivanilliseconds over walker told me i have aids - Walker is better than their record suggests and has a chance to make a Cinderella run in the playoffs, but I'm predicting a loss here by virtue of Bob Spohn being the only one who shows up.
queenie mentrek over walker told me i have aids - Walker beat Queenie by one in their last matchup. Queenie will win this by more than that, no matter who shows up.
queenie mentrek over pj & the ladies - The Ladies have had Queenie's number this year, coming back from a huge deficit in week 2 and edging them out in a shit show in week 5. If Billy Weisberg weren't on vacation, I'd give the commies the advantage since they have more to play for. However, PJ & L just isn't the same team without him. Queenie will gain some measure of revenge and take this one. Also, I look for Nate and Rando to do some serious humping in the scrum.
opie & the e street band over pj & the ladies - Based on my predictions, I expect Opie to come into this game at 15-4 and PJ to be 14-5, meaning this one will be for all the marbles (if both teams are tied after this game, PJ & the Ladies would hold the tiebreaker). If Billy were around, I say the ladies win whether or not Terry shows up. I'm going with Opie here since I expect them not to have to use Will Williamson. If they do, however, it's anybody's game.
Now, for my all star predictions. I'm assuming that the Pittsburgh Pirates rule is no longer in effect.
Sharon All Star Starters
Nate Tomko - He's likely to receive more votes than Shernisky. That can certainly be justified the way he's played recently. He's still third in homers and RBI, has his average above .600 and leads the league in double plays. Not bad for someone who got off to a "slow" start.
Terry Shernisky - Do I need to explain this one? It's a shame he couldn't make it every week. He'd be approaching 200 RBI if he did show up.
Billy Weisberg - If it weren't for his vacations, we'd be talking about him in the Player of the Year race. He's set personal bests for At Bats and RBI this season.
Rando Knight - I'm giving him the last starting spot partly because it's a popularity contest and partly because he's had a hell of season. He not only has a great stat line (.460 AVG, 19 HR, 75 RBI, 3 AST, 43 DP), but he has also captained PJ & the Ladies to be in position for an automatic finals berth, something nobody expected after learning of Gavin St. John's whereabouts for the summer.
Sharon All Star Reserves
Katie Kelly - That .623 average should be enough.
Opie Neff - Could end the season in the top 5 for homers and RBI.
Snubs: No one. John Olsavsky or John Offutt could make a case if we did go with the Pirates rule.
World All Stars
PJ O'Connor - He's right up there in every statistical category. If his average were a little higher, he'd be a serious threat for POTY and he might be anyway. He makes John Offutt look dumb not for drafting him at number one, but for trading him after the draft.
Ben Smith - From POTY finalist in 2005 to being labeled a has been in 2008 to being at or near the top in every offensive category that isn't home runs in 2009, Ben's career has seen its share of ups and downs. This would mark his fourth all star selection and third as a starter.
Matt McClelland - Another player who was said to have "lost a step". Though he won't match his peak numbers of 04-06, he is having a great season and has carried his team without its star player. Let's also not forget his perfect game in week 7.
Bryan Frankovich - Bob Spohn deserves this spot more, but Bryan Fagass will probably end up with more votes. I wouldn't be surprised to see him left off the team if he isn't voted in and doesn't show up this week. The 18 dumb things and .374 average don't help either.
World All Star Reserves
Bob Spohn - Could end up as a starter. He has proven that last season was no fluke. He also held the record for home runs in a game for approximately an hour.
Bily Deforest - This spot is up for grabs, but I'm going with Billy D for now. You can make arguments for Tim Martin, Chris Errett and Mike Moroco. Unlike Martin and Moroco, he has shown up in the last month. Unlike Errett, he has never been taken out of a game for Will Williamson.
Snubs: Errett, Moroco, Martin