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slant.gif (102 bytes) From the Desk of the Commish

Commish

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November, 2010

These Are the Champions, My Friends

It has been a crazy, wild, unpredictable and utterly frustrating season.  What better way to cap it all off with another post-season Tournament of Randomness?

Last year, it was all but preordained that the Los Altos Undertakers would run away with the BDBL championship.  We all saw it coming before the season even began.  And although the best team rarely wins the Tournament of Randomness, the Undertakers were so good last year, they actually managed to fulfill their destiny.  (At least, I think they did.  Jeff hasn't finished his book yet, so I'm not sure how it all ended.)

This year, the Undertakers are even more dominant than last year, if you look at their runs differential.  But this year, they have a little bit of competition.  The 2010 season has been notable for the number of dominant teams in the league.  For the first time since 2002 (and only the third time in league history), there are four 100-win teams in the league.  Each team looks just as unbeatable on paper as their records indicate.  Unlike last season, this year, the BDBL trophy appears to be up for grabs.

Los Altos Undertakers

Unlike some past BDBL champions who sacrificed their farm system for one shot at the title, the Undertakers were built with a long-range plan in mind.  Last year was just the first year that plan came to fruition, and unfortunately for the rest of the league there are countless more ahead.

Los Altos won more game this season (113) than any other team in the BDBL.  Their offense ranked #1 in runs scored (969), home runs (233), walks (693), OBP (.355) and slugging (.467.)  Their pitching staff led the OL in strikeouts (1,415) and fewest hits allowed (7.2 per nine), and ranked #2 in ERA (3.42.)  And the Los Altos defense led the league in lowest batting average allowed on balls in play (.266), highest fielding percentage (.990), fewest errors (60) and lowest stolen base percentage allowed (65%.)In short, it was a total team effort.

Adrian Gonzalez had a phenomenal year, hitting .308/.415/.645 overall, with 52 homers, 127 runs scored, 142 RBI's, 111 walks, and 161.3 runs created.  If not for the historic season by Joe Mauer, Gonzalez would likely be the OL MVP.  The Undertakers' catching tandem of Mike Napoli (.335/.402/.601, with 20 HR in 328 AB) and Matt Wieters (.317/.381/.395 in 309 AB) created 128.9 runs together -- second only to Corona's catching tandem of Mauer and...well...no one.  And Raul Ibanez (.275/.358/.588, 41 HR, 104 R, 110 RBI, 109 RC) also had a tremendous season.

For the most part, the 2010 lineup was an exact replica of the 2009 championship lineup, with one major exception.  At the Chapter Four deadline, GM Jeff Paulson added Evan Longoria in a monstrous deal with the St. Louis Apostles.  Longoria hit .267/.365/.543 with 12 homers in 210 AB for the Undertakers down the stretch, while providing Ex defense at the hot corner.  Luckily for us, Longoria will only be an Undertaker for another...six years.

Like their lineup, the 2010 Los Altos pitching staff is almost exactly the same as the 2009 championship team.  Early in October, the Undertakers became the first franchise in BDBL history to have three 20-game winners on the pitching staff: Jon Lester (22-5 with a league-leading 2.26 ERA and 251 K's), C.C. Sabathia (21-10, 3.81 ERA and 229 K's) and Matt Garza (20-9, 4.60 ERA and 193 K's.)

But Los Altos has never been known for their starting pitching.  Their calling card, dating all the way back to Year One, has been their bullpen.  And this year has been no exception, as the Undertakers bullpen features no fewer than five pitchers who would be closers for almost any other team in the league: Joaquim Soria (1.59 ERA in 56+ IP, 41 SVs), Mike Adams (0.76 ERA in 35+ IP as an Undertaker), Andrew Bailey (2.08 ERA in 73+ IP), Michael Wuertz (2.29 ERA in 86+ IP, with 117 K's) and Rafael Soriano (3.43 ERA in 78+ IP, with 115 K's.)

The Undertakers outscored their opponents this season by a whopping 378 runs -- the greatest runs differential in Ozzie League history, and the second-highest differential in league history.  Incredibly enough, Los Altos was actually a bit unlucky this season, as their Pythagorean record (based on that differential) is 117-43.

Yes, the Undertakers are still the team to beat in the BDBL.

Allentown Ridgebacks

After taking a year off between championships, the Ridgebacks dominated the 2010 season as many expected they would.  Allentown led the Eck League in wins (109), and for the second time in franchise history, they scored at least 300 runs more than their opponents (316.)  But most importantly (on the John Duel Scale of Performance), the Ridgebacks led the BDBL in the ever-important category of home run differential (+127.)

On the mound, the Ridgebacks led the EL with a 3.60 team ERA.  They also allowed just 123 home runs (fewest in the league) and saved 52 games (#1 in the EL.)  But it wasn't their pitching that got the Ridgebacks to the post-season.  Allentown scored a whopping 949 runs (tops in the EL, and second only to the Undertakers in the BDBL), while leading the Eck League in slugging percentage (.485), doubles (342), home runs (250) and walks (711.)  That home run total is the highest of any team in the BDBL since 2007.  (Believe it or not, the New Hope Badgers hit 254 homers that year.)

Three different Ridgebacks hitters managed 30+ homers this season: Mark Reynolds (.257/.337/.522 with 37 HR), Ben Zobrist (.302/.401/.569 with 35 HR) and Justin Morneau (.243/.364/.472 with 32 HR.)  Ryan Braun (.324/.400/.537) was next with 23 homers.  Jason Bartlett (.319/.393/.495, 48 2B, 100 R), Jorge Posada (.289/.410/.510), Ian Kinsler (.273/.369/.477, 17 HR) and Garrett Jones (.273/.342/.514, 17 HR) also had tremendous seasons.  Jayson Werth (.252/.355/.455) also added 19 homers to that tally.

The Ridgebacks absolutely destroyed left-handed pitching this season, hitting. 306/.397/.553 against southpaws.  If a single hitter posts a 950 OPS, that's impressive; when an entire team does it, it's awe-inspiring.  This is certainly bad news for the Fire Ants, whose ace (John Danks) is a lefty.

On the hill, team ace Tim Lincecum came within one win of matching the all-time BDBL record, set by C.C. Sabathia last season.  In 42 games (38 starts), Lincecum went a remarkable 28-4 on the season, with a 2.88 ERA in 246+ innings.  He also became the first pitcher since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling (Allentown teammates) in 2003 to record 300 strikeouts in a season.

Incredibly, aside from Lincecum, the rest of the Allentown rotation was merely pedestrian: Scott Baker (16-10, 3.69 ERA in 219+ IP), Rick Porcello (15-9, 4.30 ERA in 186+ IP), Randy Wells (11-7, 4.59 ERA in 174+ IP) and Ryan Rowland-Smith (4-8, 4.54 ERA in 101 IP.)

Along with Lincecum, it was the Allentown bullpen that carried this team throughout the year.  Scott Downs (traded mid-season) didn't allow a single run through 16+ innings.  Claudio Vargas posted a 1.26 ERA through 43 innings, and managed a team-high 29 saves, despite walking 22 batters.  Ronald Belisario (acquired in the Downs trade) posted a 1.40 ERA as a Ridgeback in 19+ innings.  And David Aardsma, Brendon Donnelly and Justin Outman combined for a 2.08 ERA in 108 innings.

It's no big secret how Allentown managed to go from 78 wins to 109 in just one season.  GM Tom DiStefano made only a handful of trades this winter.  The only two players he acquired that made an impact on this team were Kinsler and Vargas (and you could make a very good case that this team would've won 109 games without those two.)  And the only really impactful free agents DiStefano signed this winter was Bartlett.  (Note: role players George Sherrill, Scott Downs and Garrett Jones were also signed this winter.)

The bulk of this team was formed well before the 2010 season.  Lincecum and Braun were acquired as farm players, in two of the more notorious trades in league history.  (I'll save you the details, Skizm and Ed.)  Zobrist, arguably this team's offensive MVP, was picked up off of the free agent scrap heap at the Chapter Five deadline in 2008.  Morneau was acquired the previous chapter in a trade with the Great Lakes Sphinx in exchange for Chris Young (the outfielder) and Mike Napoli.  And Wells was acquired through one of those cheesy farm-picks-for-draft-pick type of deals in 2009 (a trade in which the Ridgebacks made the grand sacrifice of "prospect" Juan Duran.")

When you consider that the core of this team (which has won more games than any other team in the league) consists of guys who were acquired in exchange for David Eckstein, Frank Thomas, Chris Young (the outfielder), Mike Napoli and Juan Duran, and another guy who was a Chapter Five free agent pickup, it should lift the spirits of every team out there that finds itself mired in a seemingly insurmountable quagmire.

Ravenswood Infidels

The Infidels shattered their previous franchise-high in wins, and were one of three teams in the BDBL to out-score their competition this season by more than 300 runs.  Ravenswood established a new BDBL record for team ERA, and held opponents to just 548 runs -- also an all-time record.  The Infidels staff also held opposing hitters to just 117 home runs this season -- an average of 0.7 per nine.

By now, everyone knows that the Infidels are the second team in BDBL history (missing the honor of being the first by just a few hours) to have three 20-game winners in their starting rotation: Wandy Rodriguez (23-7, 2.91 ERA, 218 K), Javier Vazquez (22-6, 3.15 ERA, 260 K) and Mark Buehrle (21-8, 3.36 ERA, 129 K.)  What do all three have in common?  They were all signed as free agents during the winter auction.  Buehrle was signed in 2008 at a salary of $10.5 million, Rodriguez in 2009 at $7 million, and Vazquez last winter at $10 million.  One of the best rotations in BDBL history came at a total cost of $27.5 million.  If you add #4 starter John Lackey's $17 million salary to the equation, that's $44.5 million worth of pitching.  Who says money can't buy happiness?

Of course, the Infidels bullpen also contributed to that record ERA.  Four different Ravenswood relievers posted an ERA below 2.00: Tyler Clippard (0.93 ERA in 48+ IP), Ramon Troncoso (1.78 ERA in 81 IP), Brandon League (1.78 ERA in 70+ IP) and Alfredo Aceves (1.95 ERA in 92+ IP.)  Brian Potrafka spread the love around, allowing seven different relievers to record a save this season.

But enough about the pitching.  Ravenswood also ranked third in the OL in runs scored and OPS (.786).  But the two stats that stick out like a sore thumb when you look at the stats sheet are Ravenswood's 980 strikeouts (the only team in the OL to strike out fewer than 1,000 times) and steal just 12 bases (in 19 attempts.)

The offense was led by the one-two punch of Adam Lind (.332/.401/.596, 52 2B, 34 HR, 103 R, 139 RBI, 139.2 RC) and Pablo Sandoval (.328/.394/.548, 51 2B, 24 HR, 118 R, 113 RBI, 132.2 RC.)  Lind was acquired in the infamous Roy Halladay trade of last season.  And Sandoval is a product of the Ravenswood farm system -- the most productive farm system in league history.  Another product of that system, Robinson Cano, hit .290/.341/.438 with 43 doubles, 15 homers and 97 RBI's.

Potrafka took a gamble this winter by signing injury-prone 35-year-old third baseman Scott Rolen at a salary of $5.5 million.  Not only has Rolen paid huge dividends this season (.329/.408/.485, 42 2B, 101.8 RC, with Ex defense), but he'll be an asset in 2011 as well.

The Infidels aren't blessed with a lot of speed (explaining their 12 stolen bases in 19 attempts.)  They also don't strike out a lot as a team, and put a ton of balls in play (4,555 -- tops in the OL.)  Add it all up, and you have a recipe for grounding into double plays -- something the Infidels did 170 times this year (27 more than the next-highest total.)  They also don't hit a lot of home runs (149, ranked 7th out of 12 OL teams), though they do hit a fair share of doubles and triples.  Basically, the Infidels wear out opposing pitching by drawing walks, putting balls in play, inflating pitch counts, and then beating up on opposing teams' bullpens.

Speaking of "beating up," Ravenswood completely beat upon the poor New Hope Badgers and Las Vegas Flamingos this season, going an incredible 26-2 against those two teams.  They also went 10-2 against the San Antonio Broncs.  Against Salem, Corona and Los Altos, they were a much more modest 17-19.  And that is why the Tournament of Randomness often appears so random.  It is literally a coin flip.

Southern Cal Slyme

The Slyme weren't supposed to be this good.  (A phrase that has practically become an annual tradition around these parts.)  In my pre-season preview, I wrote: "The rotation lacks a true ace, the bullpen lacks a stopper, and the lineup lacks a hitter who can be a major threat against both lefties and righties."  Yet, here we are nine months later, and the SoCal Slyme own the second best record in the Eck League (103-57) and won their division by a comfortable five games.  How on earth did this happen?

Well, for starters, this team indeed had a "team ace," only no one could have ever predicted his name would be Craig Stammen.  Stammen, an 18th round pick in last winter's draft, posted a stunning 10-2 record in 16 starts this season, with a mind-reeling ERA of 2.51.  Josh Beckett (18-7, 3.30 ERA in 226+ IP) was the team's workhorse, costing the team only a short-usage reliever and some salary.  GM Bob Sylvester also patched together 28 starts (nearly a full season) out of low-cost options Kevin Correia and Jordan Zimmerman.  Combined, the two went 12-3 with a 3.14 ERA in 163+ innings, with 151 strikeouts.  Former ace James Shields (11-12, 4.52 ERA in 195+ IP), Chris Jakubauskas (5-4, 4.80 ERA in 80+ IP) and Joe Blanton (10-7, 5.53 ERA in 151+ IP) then filled out the back end of the rotation.  Put it all together, and you somehow have a team that ranked #2 in the EL in ERA at 3.71, #3 in strikeouts, and #1 in WHIP.

As for the "lack of a bullpen stopper," Heath Bell (2.34 ERA in 65+ IP, 30 SVs, 17/72 BB/K ratio) and Brian Fuentes (1.94 ERA in 51 IP) begged to differ.

And that lineup that, according to my pre-season preview, "lacked a hitter who could be a major threat against both lefties and righties?"  Oddly enough, that lineup managed to score 821 runs (3rd in the EL), hit .287 as a team (tops in the EL), post a .779 OPS (also 3rd in the EL) and post a nicely-balanced split OPS of 767/784.

The tiny, speedy little duo of Scott Podsednik (.332/.394/.455, 101 runs scored, 23 SB) and Jacoby Ellsbury (.310/.361/.411, 123 R, 82 SB) led the way.  They set the table for Hanley Ramirez (.305/.362/.474, 39 2B, 23 HR, 114 RBI, 23 SB) and Aaron Hill (.302/.357/.494, 40 2B, 26 HR, 98 RBI.)  Ryan Zimmerman also contributed with a .275/.349/.485 average, 39 doubles, 29 homers and 113 RBI's.

As for those lopsided splits, they didn't seem to bother much.  Ramirez posted only a 670 OPS against lefties, but led the team in runs created.  Hill undershot his MLB OPS vs. righties by just a dozen points, but overshot his LH split by a whopping 143 points!  Zimmerman missed his RH OPS by 78 points, but overcompensated by out-performing his LH OPS by 94 points!

The Sylvester family have a long tradition of finding players who outperform their MLB numbers by a longshot.  Remember Jon Lieber in 2003?  Or Zimmerman in 2009?  Or Aubrey Huff in '09?  (I could name 1,000 other examples.)  Whatever magic formula the Sylvesters have discovered to outwit the DMB game, they are smart to keep it in the family.

Corona Confederates

As long as we're on the topic of horrendous predictions made by me in the pre-season preview, we may as well cover the most egregious of them all.  Here are just some of the unkind things I said about Corona back in January:

"[Joe Mauer] could become the the first player in BDBL history to win an MVP award for a last-place team."

"This starting rotation is just horrendous.  When Scott Feldman is the ace of your staff, you know you've got issues."

"Unfortunately for Ed McGowan, the bullpen doesn't look much better."

"The Confederates franchise is in trouble."

Boy, is my face red.

When the Confederates leapt out to a 21-7 start to the season, it was reported as if it were nothing but an amusing aberration.  When they followed that up with a 17-11 showing in Chapter Two, I wrote in my "Top Ten Stories of 2010" article, "[the Confederates] will fall fack to earth in a hurry."

When Corona went just 12-12 in the third chapter, I thought, "Aha!  The demise of the Confederates has finally begun!"  And from that point on, Corona proceeded to post a .575 winning percentage.

How this team has exceeded my expectations has been very well-documented to this point.  Offensively, the Confederates managed to hit .341 on balls in play.  The next best average on BIP was .319, and the league average was just .298!

A guy named Joe Mauer led the way, becoming the first player in BDBL history to hit .400 (.409/.498/.654), racking up 227 hits, 50 doubles and 28 homers, scoring 134 runs, driving in 116, and creating a league-best 184.4.  It was the greatest season by a catcher in league history, and it is arguably the best offensive season ever by any player in BDBL history not named "Bonds."

But Mauer was hardly alone in terrorizing Ozzie League pitchers all season.  Teammates Shin-Soo Choo (.346/.456/.586, 47 2B, 24 HR, 125 R, 109 RBI, 157.7 RC), Kendry Morales (.327/.368/.598, 54 2B, 37 HR, 106 R, 149 RBI, 129.6 RC) and Chone Figgins (.304/.415/.420, 39 2B, 136 R, 119 BB, 38 SB, 124.8 RC) also had phenomenal seasons.

Incredibly enough, two of those players (Mauer and Choo) are relics of the ancient Marazita Era.  Morales was acquired in trade this winter for Kevin Correia and James Loney.  (How's that for a bargain?)  And Figgins was a free agent signing way back in 2008.

The Corona pitching staff also benefited from a stellar balls-in-play average, as they ranked third in the BDBL with an average of .269.  (And again, the league average was .298.)  Corona ranked just seventh in the OL in ERA at 4.07, and were the only team in the OL to strike out fewer than 1,000 batters (926.)  Corona's average of 5.8 K's/9 was by far the lowest in either league.  Because so many balls were put into play, that gave Corona's defense plenty of opportunities to turn double plays -- which they did a league-leading 162 times.

The ace of the Corona staff throughout most of the season was Aaron Cook, who finished 13-5 with a 3.03 ERA (a full run lower than his MLB ERA) in 157+ innings.  At the final deadline of the season, McGowan added JA Happ to the rotation in a deal with the hapless Great Lake Sphinx.  Happ went 5-4 over the final two chapters for Corona, with a 3.03 ERA in 77+ innings, and tossed a no-hitter as well.  Jeremy Sowers (8-5, 3.34 ERA in 86+ IP) posted an ERA for Corona that was nearly TWO runs lower than his MLB ERA.  Zach Duke (16-8, 4.20 ERA in 212+ IP) led the staff in wins and innings.  Joel Pineiro (13-5, 4.35 ERA in 167+ IP) led the team with an astounding 30 double plays, and Feldman (whom I described as the "staff ace" in my pre-season preview) ended up with just a 9-5 record and 4.59 ERA in 164+ innings.

2010 was an incredible ride for McGowan, who certainly deserved a little good fortune in an otherwise difficult year.  He'll have a steep hill to climb in the Division Series, as Mark Buehrle and Wandy Rodriguez will have Corona's lefties tied in knots all series.  But no matter what happens, you have to consider this season to be an incredible success.

St. Louis Apostles

In pre-season polling, the Apostles were picked to win the Eck League, and drew more votes to win the BDBL championship than any team aside from Los Altos.  And yet, St. Louis failed to even win their division this season, settling for the EL wild card instead.

As expected, the Apostles offense absolutely punished the opposition this season, scoring 920 runs (third in the BDBL) while hitting .281/.359/.475 as a team.  Their 235 home runs ranked #2 in the Eck League, as did their 1,578 hits.

For the ninth year in a row, Albert Pujols (.313/.406/.683, 47 2B, 58 HR, 141 R, 166 RBI, 164.8 RC) was a force to be reckoned with in the St. Louis lineup.  (Yawn...just another typical, boring year of dominance.)  And as usual, Pujols was flanked in the lineup by a host of players who all performed far better than they did in MLB (a Sylvester family trait.)  Justin Upton, acquired in the ginormous Evan Longoria trade earlier this year, hit a mind-bending .366/.444/.704, with 19 homers and 53 RBI's in just 56 games (213 at-bats) in just two chapters as an Apostle.  (Amazing how quickly that Sylvester magic works.)

Magglio Ordonez hit .335/.409/.436 in 337 AB.  Jeff Francoeur (Jeff Francoeur!!) hit .332/.369/.563, with 15 homers in just 325 AB.  Kevin Youkilis (also acquired in that ginormous Longoria deal) hit .302/.402/.566, with 12 homers in 189 AB (downright reasonable!)  Brian McCann hit .293/.363/.480 with 44 doubles and 17 HR.  Nick Markakis added a .293/.370/.481 average, with 21 homers.  The list goes on and on and on.  Neifi Perez in his prime would have posted Hall of Fame numbers if only he had played for the Apostles!

On the hill, St. Louis ranked fifth in the EL in ERA at 4.45 (an average that would rank 8th in the OL.)  The Apostles' staff served up 188 homers -- tops in the EL -- and allowed more hits (1,467) than innings pitched (1,453.2).  They also led the league in GIDP -- a function of both the number of balls they allowed in play and the Ex defense of the St. Louis infield.

Adam Wainwright (19-7, 3.96 ERA in 240+ IP, 214 K) led the team in wins, innings and strikeouts.  Chris Carpenter (14-9, 4.06 ERA in 199+ IP) and the newly-acquired Roy Oswalt (8-2, 3.87 ERA in 88+ IP as an Apostle) filled out the top of the rotation.  It's unclear who would be St. Louis' #4 starter in the playoffs, but Braden Looper (8-5, 4.74 ERA in 142+ IP) had the best numbers of the rest.

Bobby Sylvester went with a "bullpen by committee" this season, as eleven different relievers earned saves for the Apostles.  Kerry Wood (4-8, 3.79 ERA, 26 SV's in 59+ IP) led the way.  And Hideki Okajima (10-1, 3.21 ERA in 53+ IP) was the team's designated vulture.  But late acquisition Brian Wilson (3.51 ERA in 41 IP, 9 SVs) is likely the team's closer in the playoffs, as he led the team in saves over the final two chapters.

The Apostles went 10-6 against the SoCal Slyme this season, and they are supremely confident that they will roll over them en route to the ELCS.  The last time these two franchises went head-to-head in the playoffs, it was all the way back in 2000, when Bill Clinton was still president, and Bobby Sylvester was just 12 years old.  These teams are overdue for a rematch, and the old man would love nothing better than to get revenge for that ELDS sweep he suffered at Bobby's hands all those years ago.

Salem Cowtippers

With all due respect to the 1999 Massillon Tigerstrikes, the 2010 Salem Cowtippers are the greatest comeback story in league history.  Down by seven games in the wild card race, with just 20 games remaining on the schedule, the Cowtippers managed to overtake the New Milford Blazers in the final four weeks of the season in hugely dramatic fashion.  To accomplish such a feat would be dramatic enough, but to do it against our hated rivals was simply too delicious.

Just how good are the 2010 Cowtippers?  It depends on what timeframe you use to look at them.  Overall, Salem finished with a 95-65 record, which is only the fourth-best record in the OL.  They outscored their opposition by 204 runs, which represents the third-best total in the OL -- but 100 runs less than the #2 team.

However, if you look at Salem's performance since the all-star break, they are 55-26 -- a .675 winning percentage that ranks #2 in the OL, and #3 in the BDBL.  Their runs differential since the break is 142 -- second only to the Undertakers in the OL, and #3 in the BDBL.

The Salem offense ranked #4 in runs scored (835) and #3 in home runs (173).  Off-season free agent signing Matt Holliday (.311/.409/.540, 42 2B, 31 HR, 116 R, 114 RBI, 133.3 RC) was far and away the team's MVP, and the team's only consistent performer from Chapters One through Six.  Mark Teixeira (.266/.366/.491, 31 HR, 133 RBI), Brian Roberts (.257/.358/.412, 55 2B, 14 HR, 106 R), Josh Willingham (.268/.364/.518, 45 2B, 24 HR), Matt Kemp (.270/.335/.451, 26 2B, 11 3B, 17 HR, 79 RBI, 23 SB) and Kurt Suzuki (.287/.327/.439, 39 2B, 12 HR, 81 RBI) also had decent, though mostly disappointing, seasons offensively.

On the mound, the Cowtippers ranked 3rd in the OL in ERA (3.74) and #2 in strikeouts (1,354).  It was a Jekyl-and-Hyde type of season for Felix Hernandez.  Through the first two chapters, Hernandez posted a 4.81 ERA, with 13 HR allowed in 91+ innings.  Through the final four chapters, Hernandez went 17-3 with a 2.45 ERA, and only 7 HR allowed in 168+ innings.  Dan Haren also got off to an atrocious start, allowing an obscene amount of home runs.  But unlike Hernandez, Haren never quite overcame that early slump.  He ended the season with a mediocre 12-13 record, a 4.26 ERA, and an astounding 44 home runs allowed in 251+ innings.  Zack Greinke then came to the team in a blockbuster BDBL Weekend deal, and after a rocky start, finished with a 4-1 record and a 2.98 ERA in nine starts as a Cowtipper.

The Salem bullpen also did a good job pulling their weight this season.  Three different Salem relievers posted ERA's under 2.00: Trevor Hoffman (1.37 ERA in 59 IP), mid-season pick-up Joe Nathan (1.60 ERA in 33+ IP as a Cowtipper) and winter free agent signing Darren Oliver (1.72 ERA in 83+ IP.)  Frank Francisco (2.72 ERA in 53 IP) and Darren O'Day (3.55 ERA in 63+ IP) also did a decent job.

The Cowtippers have been a great story this season, but it's a story that could very well come to a swift conclusion in the OLDS.  With the Undertakers throwing two dominant left-handed starters at the Cowtippers in a short series, it will be crucial for Mark Teixeira (who hit just .250/.317/.385 against lefties this season), Chipper Jones (.211/.313/.438 vs. LH), Kurt Suzuki (.228/.287/.354) and Omar Infante (.180/.329/.213) to step up, or it will be a very short series.

Atlanta Fire Ants

For one miserable nine year stretch, the Fire Ants managed to finish out of last place exactly once -- in 2005.  In 2006, they went back to last place, losing 94 games.  Then 102 the next year.  Then, a BDBL record 118 losses in 2008.  Finally, in 2009, the streak came to an end, and Atlanta captured the Hrbek Division with a 94-66 record.

Atlanta upset the #1 seed in the EL bracket in the Division Series, taking the series in just five games over the St. Louis Apostles.  Although they then lost the ELCS to the SoCal Slyme, it was of little consequence.  No one was going to beat the Undertakers in 2009, anyway.

This season, the Fire Ants missed their franchise-best wins total by one, finishing at 93-67 -- 10 games ahead of the Cleveland Rocks.  Once again, it was pitching and defense that led the way for Atlanta, as only the Ridgebacks and Slyme allowed fewer runs among Eck League teams this season.  The Fire Ants ranked #3 in the EL in ERA (3.88), #2 in fewest hits allowed (8.2 per nine), and #2 in BIP average (.278).

John Danks (a gift from the Cowtippers organization three years ago) led the Atlanta rotation with a 3.11 ERA in 219+ innings.  Jair Jurrjens (a product of the Atlanta farm system) led the team in wins (18-11), and posted a 3.51 ERA in 223+ innings.  And Kevin Millwood (a 9th round draft pick last year) went 17-7 with a 3.39 ERA in 217+ innings.  If Atlanta decides to go with a #4 starter in the playoffs, that honor will likely go to rookie Clay Buchholz (5-5, 5.21 ERA in 95 IP.)

The Atlanta bullpen is also chock-full of goodness, led by mid-season pick-up Jon Papelbon (1-2, 14 SVs, 3.10 ERA in 20+ IP as a Fire Ant.)  Papelbon took over closer duties from Chad Qualls (2.65 ERA in 51 IP.)  Sergio Romo (2.97 ERA in 33+ IP) and Jeremy Affeldt (3.52 ERA in 15+ IP as a Fire Ant) back-fill the bullpen.

Offensively, Atlanta ranked 4th in the EL in runs scored (813), hit .262/.346/.424 as a team (nearly identical to the league average of .265/.337/.421), and smoked left-handed pitching to the tune of .295/.371/.490.  Atlanta's big free agent pick-up, Lance Berkman, led the team in runs created (116), home runs (32) and walks (105), while hitting .305/.440/.586 overall.  Denard Span -- one of Atlanta's many first-round pick-ups in the 2009 free agent draft -- hit .292/.389/.398, with 118 runs scored, 94 walks, and 20 stolen bases.  And Mike Cameron hit a robust .256/.355/.462, with a team-leading 41 doubles and 96 RBI's, plus 23 homers and 83 walks thrown in for good measure.

For the most part, this Atlanta team is very similar to the one that won the division in 2009.  While they have a very tough opponent in the Division Series, they have proven -- both in 2009 and in 2005 -- that they aren't bothered by being the underdog.