A
By nate
tomko
If the all-star teams were
announced today, here’s who’s looking at a spot in the biggest game of the
summer:
the starters
Terry Shernisky, Kathleen Turner
Overdrive
17gp, 32hr, .674avg.,
120rbi, 6ast, 63dp, 0psyche, 0dumb
Shernisky has
practically carried Kathleen Turner Overdrive on his back this season, and it’s
shown in the stats, as Terry has himself right in the middle of a 2-man race
with Nate Tomko for player of the year.
He’s currently first in batting average, well ahead of the pack and will
likely end the season tops in that category for the first time in his
career. A shoo-in for
the
Nate Tomko, The Sparkling Wiggles
15gp, 36hr, .651avg, 131rbi, 10ast, 73dp,
8psyche, 2dumb
As usual, Nate is at the top of the pack in
just about every category, and as usual, he’s a lock for an all-star spot. However, for the first time in his 7-season
career, Tomko may not be the top vote-getter in the league and runs the risk of
not captaining his all-star team, as Shernisky may
actually be having a better campaign.
Billy Weisberg, PJ & the Ladies
17gp, 2 hr, .516avg, 73rbi, 4ast, 27dp,
1psyche, 5 dumb
When a six-time sbl
all-star puts up career numbers in both average and runs batted in, it’s a
pretty safe bet he’ll be getting votes to start an all-star contest for the 7th
time. Weisberg is doing that, and after
last week, has a suprising ladies team in the hunt
for a first round bye. The most
consistent player on his team, while perhaps not the most talented, Weisberg
has earned this spot.
Katie Kelly, The Sparkling Wiggles
16gp,
3hr, .643avg., 61rbi, 2ast, 6dp, 0psyche, 0dumb
After being snubbed for her first all-star
appearance last season, Katie is well on her way to knocking the door down this
year. Her batting average is good for
second in the SBL, while her runs batted in numbers have her in the top
five. On top of that, she’s done what
the SBL fans have been asking her do for years- step back beyond the single
line. In doing so, and keeping her
numbers up, Katie has solidified her spot on the
the subs
Aryn Christman, Team Double Stuff
16gp, 4hr, .516avg.,
49rbi, 0ast, 8dp, 0psyche, 3dumb
In captaining a very shaky Double Stuff team
to a 6-10 record, still not out of the hunt for a first round bye, Aryn may very well have locked up her second consecutive
all-star appearance. She currently sits
at 11th in the SBL in batting average and 10th in
RBIs. Given those numbers, plus the fact
that nobody on Double Stuff is as deserving as she is, all Aryn
has to do is maintain her level of play over the final couple of weeks and
she’s in.
Terry Hall, The Screamin’
Seagulls
14gp, 13hr, .336avg.,
44rbi, 1ast, 39dp, 1psyche, 4dumb
In a close battle with teammate Jon Olsavsky for the final spot on the
the snubs
Big Rando
Knight, PJ & the Ladies
14gp, 3hr, .451avg.,
48rbi, 1ast, 27dp, 7psyche, 6dumb
The Detroit Tigers clause, stating that
every team must have a representative, is really going to job Rando on this one.
He’s having a better year than either Olsavsky
or Hall, and if not Christman, then he’s right there
with her. Strong play over the next few
weeks may convince the voters that Rando absolutely
cannot be left off this squad, but right now he’s got some work to do.
Jon Olsavsky,
The Screamin’
Seagulls
11gp, 8hr, .554avg.,
31rbi, 3ast, 15dp, 2psyche, 1dumb
Opting to sit out for the first three weeks
has really hurt Jon here. He’s running
neck and neck with four other players for two all-star spots, but he’s been the
better of the four since he began playing full-time again. His batting average is 4th in the SBl, and his inside play is superior to most of the players
in the league. He’s a 5-time SBL
all-star, but he’ll need a big finish to make it 6.
THE WORLD
the starters
Bryan Frankovich,
Hot Fuzz
16gp, 20hr, .503avg.,
93rbi, 6ast, 66dp, 0psyche, 1dumb
While he’s fallen out of the player of the
year race over the last few weeks (though one good week could get him right
back in it)
Matt Mcclelland,
The Nappy Headed Hos
16gp, 4hr, .541avg.,
46rbi, 4ast, 39dp, 2psyche, 2dumb
As one of only a handful of players in the
SBL capable of lighting up every statistical category, Mac is well on his way
to his fourth straight all-star appearance.
He’s the best player on a very good Ho’s
squad, and given his history, could very well wrestle the captain spot away
from B.Frank by seasons end. He’s top six in the league in batting
average, assists and double plays.
Mike Moroco,
Hot Fuzz
11gp, 14hr, .508, 54rbi, 3ast, 21dp,
4psyche, 4dumb
Though he’s played in fewer games than any
all-star starter, Mike has done just enough in his limited time to earn his 4th
all-star spot in a row. He’s running
neck and neck with Ben Smith and Pat Lackey for this starting spot, and being
in the top nine in the league in every category save batting average is
certainly not hurting him here. Besides,
don’t we need a 2-time all-star MVP in the all-star game?
Ben Smith, The Nappy Headed Hos
16gp, 13hr, .414avg.,
54rbi, 4ast, 20dp, 0psyche, 5dumb
The captain of the NHH should have done
enough, assuming he can keep up his play, to make his third straight all-star
game. While as usual he’s not performing
up to his abilities, he’s still one of the best players in the game, and being in the top seven in homers, runs
batted in and assists goes a long way in proving that. Furthermore, he’s led his Ho’s
to the second-best record in the game, which should help him grab some extra
votes.
the subs
Pat Lackey, The Sparkling Wiggles
14gp, 7hr, .519avg.,
51rbi, 1ast, 9dp, 0psyche, 1dumb
Can someone please tell me why Pat Lackey
has zero psyche outs and only one dumb thing?
This former all-star has really put up some impressive numbers this
year, especially considering who he bats behind. While he won’t actually be able to play in
the all-star game as he’ll be living in Carolina at that time, he should
certainly be recognized for his effort this season, as he’s on pace to shatter
his career high batting average.
Greg Lackey,
Kathleen Turner Overdrive
12p, 2hr, .486avg.,
38rbi, 0ast, 15dp, 5psyche, 4dumb
While other world players may have put up
better offensive numbers, few can also bring the solid defense Greg brings to
the table. No one else in the running
for the 6th and final World spot possesses Greg combination of
offense, double play ability, and psyche out potential. He has his work cut out for him if he wants
to hold on, but as of now Glack is lined up for his
first all-star appearance.
the snubs
Jamie Moroco,
The Nappy Headed Hos
14gp, 3hr, .523avg.,
42rbi, 0ast, 1dp, 0psyche, 1dumb
Jamie is thisclose
to earning only her second all-star appearance, but her first since 2001. She’s putting up some stellar offensive
numbers; her .523 average is the highest it’s ever been, and she’s on pace to
break her previous best in RBI.
Unfortunately, she lacks the defensive play of most other all-star
candidates, and right now her offensive numbers aren’t quite far enough ahead
to get her the nod. She will get a lot
of votes now, but I expect her to really turn it on over the final 2 weeks.
Jamie Fabian, Team Double Stuff
16gp, 4hr, .438avg.,
36rbi, 0ast, 22dp, 2psyche, 2dumb
Mr.
Fabian has gone, in only one year, mind you, from jukebox hero regular and
2-innings a week on his regular team to an all-star candidate. Amazing. While he’s not as talented as Biddle or Dank
(at least not yet), Jamie is consistent for Double Stuff. He consistently shows up, and he consistently
plays well. He’ll have a hard time
cracking the World all-stars without some incredible play down the stretch, but
what Jamie does have going for him is a handful of Sharon players who could
well pass Aryn Christman for
an all-star spot, meaning Jamie would end up on the World team as part of the
Tigers clause.
Dennis Lackey, PJ & the
Ladies
7gp, 11hr, .451avg.,
50rbi, 0ast, 8dp, 5psyche, 2dumb
Had he shown up even half the time, he’d
not only be an all-star, but would likely be in the player of the year
race. And the Ladies wouldn’t be 6-10,
either.