Arena The Baseball Draft Seven - Say Hey From Baseball Heaven

PLAYOFF PREVIEW

(5) San Francisco Six Demonbags of Phoenix vs. (4) Performance Enhancers

Season summary:

San Francisco Six Demonbags of Phoenix
94 - 68 .580 (4th in ALoaSD)
49-32 .605 (home) / 45-36 .556 (away)
733 Runs Scored (7th)
635 Runs Against (5th)

Performance Enhancers
96-66 .593 (3rd in ALoaSD)
50-31 .617 (home) / 46-35 .568 (away)
764 Runs Scored (5th)
667 Runs Against (7th)

San Francisco Six Demonbags of Phoenix took the Season Series 7-5.

View from the Enhancers Beat Reporter

The Performance Enhancers may be coming into this Wild Card showdown as the lower-seeded team in terms of regular-season head-to-head matchups, but they aren’t short on firepower or confidence.

Manager Jon Stewart remained characteristically sarcastic, yet focused:

“Look, I respect the Demonbags, I do. But if I wanted to be intimidated by a team named after ancient Chinese sorcery, I’d just watch Big Trouble in Little China again and call it a day. We’re not scared of Jocko Milligan.”

Despite a rough go against San Francisco this year (posting an ERA north of 7), Old Hoss Radbourn scoffed at the notion he wouldn’t show up for the postseason:

“Everyone has a bad fortnight. I once threw 55 innings in four days after eating bad stew. I’ll be ready.”

Offensively, Aaron Judge and Honus Wagner form the soul of a team that can grind out at-bats or change the game with one swing. Mariano Rivera is locked in for late-game dominance and told reporters:

“You give us a lead in the eighth? Just go ahead and turn the lights off.”

View from the Demonbags beat reporter

This is what Wang Chi has been waiting for. His Six Demonbags of Phoenix ended the season on a hot streak, won the season series vs. the Enhancers, and are roaring into the playoffs with confidence—and a sprinkle of mysticism.

“You know what Jack Burton always says at a time like this? Well I don’t. But I do know Satchel, Sandy, and Burnes are ready to make it rain forked lightning,” said Wang, grinning through his designer shades.

Ken Griffey Jr., who had a down season against the Enhancers this year, shrugged off his past struggles:

“Playoffs are a reset. It’s time to remind people why they call me ‘The Kid.’”

Meanwhile, Sandy Koufax was ice-cold in pre-series comments:

“I’ve pitched in louder cities than Queens. I’ve silenced better lineups. Let’s get to work.”

And don’t count out Jocko Milligan, who has been white-hot vs. Queens this year and told reporters:

“No one ever expects the guy with the mustache to hit .455. That’s why I love this game.”

View from the National Preview

You couldn’t ask for more intrigue in a Wild Card showdown: the historic iron men of Queens vs. the stylistic sorcerers of San Francisco.

Performance Enhancers bring a battle-tested, war-hardened roster with an edge sharpened on innings and grit. Jon Stewart has joked about time travel, lobbying umpires, and existential dread, but make no mistake—his team plays with a purpose.

On the other side, Wang Chi’s Demonbags blend sci-fi mystique with surgical execution. The San Francisco rotation doesn’t give you an inch, and their bats don’t miss their moment.

“This is the postseason. The weirdos and the warriors rise up,” said Stewart.

“This is when we bring out the big bag,” said Wang.

Watch for the pitching matchup of the series to be Koufax vs. Radbourn, a battle of history vs. legend. Aaron Judge’s power vs. Griffey’s flash. Honus Wagner’s efficiency vs. Ed Delahanty’s hunger for redemption.

But don’t underestimate the X-factor: Satchel Paige, who could swing a whole game out of the bullpen with one of his infamous “midnight pitches.”

And if things get weird? Remember, this is the same league where a ghost monkey once saved a manager from being powerbombed through a commentary table.

The view from Las Vegas

Series:

Performance Enhancers +105
San Francisco Six Demonbags of Phoenix -125
Jocko Milligan to have 8+ hits: +115
Mike Piazza to have 5+ RBI: -120
Anyone on either team to hit for the cycle during a game: +800
Ken Griffey Jr. to rob a home run: +650

Game 1:

Performance Enhancers +110
San Francisco Six Demonbags of Phoenix -130
Old Hoss Complete Game: +200
Cleveland's Own "Big" Ed Delahanty to hit a homerun: +400
Combined Strikeouts for Koufax and Radbourn O/U: 14.5
Randy Poffo to assault a player who is in the on-deck circle: +25000

 

just a 23 rarity for me today. you guys are ruining my wheezer dell rarity score, lol.

Spoiler

 

Now let me just say this up front—congratulations in advance to the Sithi of Osten Ard. I’m not calling the series over before it starts... but let’s not act like we haven’t seen this matchup before. This has Ohio State vs. SEC energy written all over it, and folks, you know exactly what happens when a Big Ten team with a glossy resume runs into an actual battle-tested contender.

The Birmingham Shaq Barons? Oh, they’ve got the stats. They’ve got the alleged MVP candidate with Ted Williams, the midseason ace with Randy Johnson, and they’ve got Shaq wearing a wig calling himself Vic Harris. But I’ve been around long enough to know the difference between regular season sparkle and postseason steel. And the Shaq Barons? They’re looking like that 2007 Ohio State team that walked into the Superdome and got hit with LSU like a freight train.

Meanwhile, the Sithi of Osten Ard—let me tell you, that team is mean. They’ve got Bob Gibson, who doesn’t just pitch—he terrorizes. That man is going to step on the mound and treat Shaq’s lineup like it stole his lunch money. Nap Lajoie? Stan Musial? Jimmy Collins? Those guys don’t need hype. They’ve got grit. They’ve got edge. This team plays like it’s already seen the end of the world and decided to win anyway.

And can we talk about how Birmingham's been handling elite pitching? Let’s just say—when George Gore is your starting outfielder and he’s slugging like a middle schooler in gym class, I don’t know how you’re planning to handle Gibson, J.R. Richard, and the Sithi pen. You can’t fake toughness in October. You can’t sabermetric your way out of 98 mph under the chin.

Look, Ted Williams can put up his gaudy numbers, but if he wants to be taken seriously as a postseason threat, he better find a way to produce against real arms—not just rack up stats like a Big Ten quarterback in garbage time against Purdue.

So, yeah. Call me old-fashioned, call me SEC-biased, call me whatever you want. But when I look at this matchup, I see another pretender with pretty numbers about to walk straight into the House of Pain. And unless something dramatic happens, we’ll all be sitting here in a few days saying: "Yup. Shoulda known. Another overhyped Big Ten-type team got smacked by the real thing."

Sithi in five.

 

Logs and Boxes from the final set of games are finally uploaded.

Division Series Schedule

Sunday, September 23rd

No Games Scheduled

Monday, September 24th

Sithi of Osten Ard at Birmingham Shaq Barons
San Francisco Six Demonbags of Phoenix at Performance Enhancers

Tuesday, September 25th

Sithi of Osten Ard at Birmingham Shaq Barons
San Francisco Six Demonbags of Phoenix at Performance Enhancers

Wednesday, September 26th

No Games Scheduled

Thursday, September 27th

Birmingham Shaq Barons Sithi of Osten Ard
Performance Enhancers at San Francisco Six Demonbags of Phoenix

Friday, September 28th

Birmingham Shaq Barons Sithi of Osten Ard
Performance Enhancers at San Francisco Six Demonbags of Phoenix

Saturday, September 29th

Birmingham Shaq Barons Sithi of Osten Ard (if necessary)
Performance Enhancers at San Francisco Six Demonbags of Phoenix (if necessary)

Sunday, September 30th

No Games Scheduled

Monday, October 1st

Sithi of Osten Ard at Birmingham Shaq Barons (if necessary)
San Francisco Six Demonbags of Phoenix at Performance Enhancers (if necessary)

Tuesday, October 2nd

Sithi of Osten Ard at Birmingham Shaq Barons (if necessary)
San Francisco Six Demonbags of Phoenix at Performance Enhancers (if necessary)

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

At this time, I need the 26-man rosters from @LMTShawn @LloydChristmas @Wang Chi and @Point Given Rosters can be changed in between series or with an injury that results in a trip to the IL. The time machine can no longer be used, nor can chemistry reports be requested.

I have very good news for the four of you. I had settings set so that after game 162 all fatigue was reset, so all your players will be fresh and at 100% for the playoffs to begin. Note: Injuries are NOT reset, including day-to-day and lingering injuries.

In addition to your 26-man rosters, I need confirmed lineups, depth charts, PH/PR assignments, and starting pitchers / bullpen roles for Games 1 and 2. Please note, OOTP wiped out regular season depth charts for all teams, so please don't post "just use my regular season stuff"

Also, since Wang hasn't logged on in a month ... would everyone be okay if we had a "guest" GM run his team until he gets back so that a team isn't on autopilot for the playoffs? I was thinking maybe heels or AmazingB since they didn't qualify, but would honestly be good with anyone who wants to raise their hand doing it (especially if they're willing and able to jump on the live broadcasts and even more especially if they're willing to cosplay at Wang on those broadcasts ... and even more more especially if they're willing to really FODEUSS it up and cosplay as Shaq as Wang on those broadcasts ...)

And, speaking of those live broadcasts ... need some suggestions for when is good to air games 1 and 2. I still need to get the stat sheets updated for end of season and post results from the predictions game. Will get to that ... maybe Tuesday?

 

If no one else will do so, I'll give it a try. Might be a good test run to see if I can handle managing an entire season better than I did last time.

However, I will be away on vacation with no computer and minimal/intermittent cell service from May 3 to May 11. (I am going on a road trip to visit all five of Utah's National Parks plus Moab in a single week, camping one night in each with a lot of hiking and some 4-wheeling and canyoneering.) So depending on how long this takes/whether the Demonbags win the first series, we might have to press pause for a week. Not sure how you all would feel about that, or if you would prefer someone else pick up the Demonbags for the playoffs for that reason.

Assuming I'm on the hook for the Demonbags, I'll need a couple of days to get up to speed on what the players have been doing and what rosters/depth charts have been used as I have been idly following the story in-thread but not paying attention to detailed stats and game-by-game results. (Having the depth charts wiped makes that harder than it needs to be... **** you OOTP.)

After that, aside from my vacation mentioned above, I am generally available for Zooms most nights except Thursdays, although Tuesdays I may be pushing it to get to a 9 PM ET start time. There is a possibility I may be traveling this coming weekend (25th to 27th) for some kayaking in West Virginia but should have no problem joining from a hotel room at night if I do.

 

The Sithi of Osten Ard Wildcard Round Playoff Roster

Hitters
C- Jason Kendall
C- Tim McCarver
1B- Hal Trosky
2B- Nap Lajoie
2B- Craig Biggio
SS- Ben Zobrist
SS- Joe Sewell
SS- Rico Petrocelli
3B- Jimmy Collins
3B- Jose Ramirez
OF- Hugh Duffy
OF- Billy Hamilton
OF- Cesar Cedeno
OF- Earl Averill
DH- Stan Musial

Pitchers
P- Bob Gibson
P- Walter Johnson
P- Smoky Joe Wood
P- CC Sabathia
P- JR Richard
P- Juan Padron
P- David Price
P- Sam McDowell
P- Mark Prior
P- Kevin Appier
P Eric Gagne

Universal Lineup
LF- Hugh Duffy (Earl Averill tired)
CF- Billy Hamilton (Earl Averill tired)
2B- Nap Lajoie (Ben Zobrist tired, Craig Biggio never)
DH- Stan Musial (Jose Ramirez tired, Earl Averill tired)
1B- Hal Trosky (Stan Musial tired)
RF- Cesar Cedeno (Stan Musial tired, Ben Zobrist tired)
3B- Jimmy Collins (Jose Ramirez 5th, Jimmy Collins defensive sub)
SS- Ben Zobrist (Joe Sewell tired, Rico Petrocelli never)
C- Jason Kendall (Tim McCarver 4th)

PH: Sewell, Ramirez, Averill, Petrocelli
PR: Ramirez, Biggio

Pitching Staff
1 Bob Gibson
2 Walter Johnson
3 Smoky Joe Wood
4 CC Sabathia

Sam McDowell, mop-up, avoid high-leverage
JR Richard, long relief, avoid high-leverage, emergency starter
Juan Padron, middle, normal, long
Kevin Appier, middle, normal
David Price, middle, normal, set-up
Mark Prior, set-up, 7th+
Eric Gagne, closer, 9th

@DarthIntegral

Best times for me for games 1 & 2: Tue after 9:30 EST, Wed after 7:30 EST, Fri after 7:30 EST, or Sun anytime. Mon/Thur/Sat are absolute no-gos for me.

 

Spoiler: Rarity 5

 

Spoiler: 9 rarity

 

If no one comes forward with an objection, I'll assume that I'm taking over the Demonbags. I have a busier week than anticipated but will endeavor to have lineups, etc. by Friday evening at the latest.

 

Spoiler: Rarity 7

@jcgoble3 I'm good with you shepherding Wang's team through the playoffs or until he's back. I'll get the stats spreadsheet uploaded tonight. That's probably the best thing I can offer up in terms of who was on the active depth chart, since that'll show only his current players (nobody he traded will be on the D-Bags tab) and the players with more games played would be the ones that were being used.

 

Sounds good. FWIW, I have a kayaking outing this evening that I should be home from by 8 to 9 PM, and can work on this after that. Tomorrow evening I have a pre-trip meeting for my May vacation that will occupy most of the evening, and Thursday is my weekly board game night at a co-worker's house. Worst case scenario, I'm off work all day Friday and can fit it in between my therapy appointment and a call with my career coach.

 

Spoiler: 4 rarity

 

As we head into the playoffs for the first time, it's time to look at some single-season record-breaking performances for the Sithi of Osten Ard in their franchise history:

On the offensive side-

• Nap Lajoie's 38 doubles broke his own team record (37) from the 1957 season. Had he not missed a month of the season, how many more could he have had?
• Stan Musial's 96 RBI broke Babe Ruth's (1993) team record of 93. Considering the dreadful 6-week stretch he had pre-all-star break, I imagine he would've challenged for the league lead.
• Hugh Duffy (43), Billy Hamilton (37), and Cesar Cedeno (17) each surpassed the team's previous record of 13 stolen bases (previously held by the 1957 season of Hughie Jennings. Jose Ramirez (12) also nearly matched him.) My guess is each of those players would have had more had it not been for Terry Francona refusing to steal bases.
• Billy Hamilton's 17 caught-stealing more than doubled the previous record held by Lou Whitaker (8 in 1993)
• And on another down note, Jose Ramirez's 24 errors in the field are leaps and bounds ahead of the next man on the list.

On the pitching side-

• Bob Gibson's 2.15 ERA supplants Joe Black's (1993) 2.50 clip of those with more than 50 innings under their belt.
• Bob Gibson also now holds the team's single-season record with 7 shutouts!
• Mark Prior and Kevin Appier have tied Andrew Miller's (1993) team record with 5 holds
• Both JR Richard and Bob Gibson have the dubious honor of leading the team with 3 balks.

 

Stat Sheets are updated through end of regular season

Here are your Individual Statistical Champions for the season:

Batting Average - Shoeless Joe Jackson; Birmingham Shaq Barons - .336
Home Runs - Babe Ruth; Albuquerque All-Seeing Angels of Hernandez - 36
Runs Batted In - Cal Mcvey; stone temple seattle pilots - 120
WAR for position Players - Willie Mays; stone temple seattle pilots - 8.0
Base Hits - Roger Connor; Northern Shores Gales of November - 202
Doubles - Shoeless Joe Jackson; Birmingham Shaq Barons - 43
Triples - Shoeless Joe Jackson; Birmingham Shaq Barons - 10
Stolen Bases - Eddie Collins; stone temple seattle pilots - 47

Earned Run Average - Pedro Martinez; stone temple seattle pilots - 2.12
Wins - Christy Mathewson; Northern Shores Gales of November - 19
Saves - Fernando Valenzuela; San Francisco Six Demonbags of Phoenix - 41
WAR for Pitchers - Bob Gibson; Sithi of Osten Ard - 8.2
Innings Pitched - Old Hoss Radbourn; Performance Enhancers - 253.2
Strikeouts - Randy Johnson; Birmingham Shaq Barons/Reseda Free Fallers - 276
Holds - Rod Beck; Every City Bandwagoners - 16
Walks Plus Hits Per Inning Pitched - Pedro Martinez; stone temple seattle pilots - 1.03

Fielding Percentage - Cool Papa Bell; Every City Bandwagoners and King Kelly; Birmingham Shaq Barons - 1.000
Innings Played - Lou Gehrig; Every City Bandwagoners - 1368
Total Chances - Todd Helton; Performance Enhancers - 1490
Range - Todd Helton; Performance Enhancers - 9.85
Zone Rating - Frankie Frisch; Performance Enhancers - 38.3
Defensive Efficiency - Yogi Berra; Game of Throws - 1.298
Caught Stealing Percentage - Roy Campanella; Reseda Free Fallers - 37.8%
Framing Runs - Gabby Hartnett; Let's Play Two - 2.8
CERA - Bill Dickey; stone temple seattle pilots - 3.02

 

Spoiler: Rarity of 6

I'm not convinced that Niekro isn't the rarest answer for that square. Spent a lot of time thinking about who else it might be, and the summary page tells me there are only seven answers. Anyone got a better score?

Also - I think we will broadcast a bonus game when we do our first playoff broadcast. The same day (in universe) as the Wild Card Game 1s, we have a Game 7 in Honkbal between Old School Playas and Wrecks of the Edmund Fitzgerald. So ... history will be made with the first ever Honkbal de FODEUSS Broadcast!

 

Spoiler: Rarity 9

I thought Scherzer and his whopping 1 game in a Blue Jay uniform would have been the rarest, but I guess recency bias played into that not being the case. My guess is Niekro is the rarest but also maybe Mark Buerhle.

 

ANNOUNCEMENT

The Office of the Commissioner is investigating Performance Enhancers outfielder/jackass Aaron Judge for conduct detrimental to the commissioner. Punishment could include suspension for the playoffs and/or constant reminders that he got struck out by a guy making his major league debut (who looks kinda like a leprechaun who forgot to stop growing) with the bases loaded.

 

Spoiler: 19 rarity

 

Spoiler: Rarity 3

Gotta love a grid where Milton Bradley is arguably the 4th or 5th best name on the grid.

So, while I was probably joking about a suspension for Aaron Judge, we do have two suspensions that were handed down within OOTP that I noticed while reviewing the league news section. One handed out by the league, the other handed out by a team. Neither figure to actually impact anything going forward.

In response to his "atrocious behavior" and "incomprehensible mistreatment of the umpire" after being ejected for arguing balls and strikes Frank Fennelly of stone temple seattle pilots has been suspended by the league for four games.

"Look, I love the fire and guts that Frank Fennelly plays with," offered up stsp Manager Tom Selleck as Magnum PI. "He's the kind of guy you'd want next to you on a case. But, here's the thing. You can't go full "red Right Hand" on an umpire just because you didn't like his strike zone. Now, look, I've stared down my share of pretty shady characters through the years - double crossing arms dealers, rogue KGB agents, Higgins with a rake - and I've learned how to keep my cool. So we're gonna take this as a learning experience for Frank, and he'll be ready to fight the right kind of battles. The ones that end with confetti and champagne, and not the clubhouse phone being left in pieces."

Meanwhile, after the conclusion of their season, the defending champion Every City Bandwagoners have announced a one-game suspension for Barry Bonds, after Bonds missed the team flight after the final game of the regular season.

"Let me make something CRYSTAL CLEAR to Mr. Bonds," said manager Judge Judy, "just because the Bandwagoners are done playing baseball doesn't mean you get to be done playing by the rules. You missed a team flight. You didn't miss a dentist appointment. You didn't miss brunch. The flight. You think just because the season's over, we're handing out free passes? Not in my dugout, mister. So yes, I stand by my judgment to suspend you for one game - a game that will never actually get played, I know. But it's a reminder, good sir, that tardiness is a character flaw. And in my dugout and in my clubhouse, character still counts. Case Closed!"

 

Spoiler: rarity 8

i gotta stop using rusty staub