The reverse pennant race - the chase for the 2007 #1 pick

[Iceblink]

Team         L-W      Pct   GB    
------------------------------------
Kansas City  88-52   .371   --   
Tampa Bay    84-55   .396   3.5    
Chicago Cubs 83-55   .399   4.5
Pittsburgh   83-56   .403   5   

 

As of 8/28, it looks like a 3 team race, with the Cubs and Nationals working hard to sneak into consideration.

 

Look at those 'Last 10' records for the contendors, folks. Now that's a dogfight. You can't put up 4-6 for long and hope to maintain your spot. You've gotta get it push it to 3-7 or 2-8 to hold your position in this battle.

 

7-3 records for Cleveland and Baltimore. 5-5 for Seattle. Sheesh. They're starting to fade from the race. They clearly don't have their hearts in this battle. They don't have the need in their gut for that last-minute push you've got to put in to get the job done. Heads may roll if that kind of performance keeps up down the stretch.

 

Colorado is trying to sneak in with a strong 3-7 mark, but their pathetic .500 play earlier in the season has them out of contention.

 

Big matchup this week: Cubbies at Pittsburgh. They meet up for 4 more huge games next week.

 

Tampa Bay is a darkhorse after totally owning the Orioles and giving up 3 games this weekend. They're now playing cupcakes in the ChiSox, Seattle, Twins, A's, and Yankees over the next two weeks. Huge ground can be made up with that weak schedule.

 

However, Kansas City might have this already won. They finish up with a cakewalk of: Minny, ChiSox, Yankees, Red Sox, Cleveland, Seattle, Anaheim Angels of Anaheim of Ventura, Detroit, Minny, and Detroit again. With the schedule-makers handing them this crown all gift-wrapped like that, Selig should investigate.

 

Still, the Royals have put together a team that seemingly can't lose this race. Kudos to KC for trying to pull of the rare repeat to go with 2005's #2 pick. I don't want to start the dynasty talk too early, but there's something special going on there.

 

The real races appear to be Tampa's chances of running down Pittsburgh, and the Cubs trying to hold off a hard-charging Nationals team who are trying to close the gap despite Alfonso Soriano's efforts to sabotage their record.

 

The Cubs should be commended for having twice the payroll of any of the three teams below them, and $30M more than the Nationals. Folks, in this day and age of moneyball, you just don't see fiscal planning like that very often. No complaining about having to be a large fish in a small pond, no moaning about how these small-market teams can seemingly not spend whatever they want to not land any quality player and field a team of non-all-stars at every position. No sir. The Cubs just suck it up and stay focused on the goal. Just when you think the bar can't get any lower, they find a way. Kudos.

 

This won't be for the weak of heart of stomach. Gauntlets have been thrown. Battle lines have been drawn. Families have been torn apart. Monster trucks are revving their engines. We're barrelling down the stretch like Namath on a Kolber chase. Tune in for all the drama (MLB blackouts not-withstanding.)

Edited September 6, 2006 by Iceblink

[jtownie]

how does the talent for next years draft look?

[wade]

That was an outstanding post.

 

Go Cubs!

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Well done.

[NCCubFan]

If the Cubs can continue to "gain" on the other teams at the rate of two games every ten days they would move up to second place. With as many games as there are against Pittsburgh they largely control their own Dustiny. :D

[Mephistopheles]

how does the talent for next years draft look?

 

 

Good very good.

 

As for this thread, wouldnt it be better to look at the race this way?

 

Team		    W-L	   Pct	GA	 Streak	L10
---------------------------------------------------
Kansas City  47-85	.356	-- 	  Lost 1	4-6
Pittsburgh	50-81	.382	3.5	  Lost 3	4-6
Tampa Bay	 52-79	.397	5.5	  Lost 4	4-6
Chicago Cubs 54-76	.415	8	    Lost 3	2-8
Washington	55-75	.423	9	    Lost 2	2-8

[Iceblink]

how does the talent for next years draft look?

 

 

Good very good.

 

As for this thread, wouldnt it be better to look at the race this way?

 

Team		    W-L	   Pct	GA	 Streak	L10
---------------------------------------------------
Kansas City  47-85	.356	-- 	  Lost 1	4-6
Pittsburgh	50-81	.382	3.5	  Lost 3	4-6
Tampa Bay	 52-79	.397	5.5	  Lost 4	4-6
Chicago Cubs 54-76	.415	8	    Lost 3	2-8
Washington	55-75	.423	9	    Lost 2	2-8

 

You are correct, sir. A fine suggestion.

[NCCubFan]

how does the talent for next years draft look?

 

 

Good very good.

 

As for this thread, wouldnt it be better to look at the race this way?

 

Team		    L-W	   Pct	GA	 Streak	L10
---------------------------------------------------
Kansas City  85-47	.644	-- 	  Lost 1	4-6
Pittsburgh	81-50	.618	3.5	  Lost 3	4-6
Tampa Bay	 79-52	.603	5.5	  Lost 4	4-6
Chicago Cubs 76-54	.585	8	    Lost 3	2-8
Washington	75-55	.577	9	    Lost 2	2-8

It would look even better the way I arranged it. :D

[jtownie]

how does the talent for next years draft look?

 

 

Good very good.

 

As for this thread, wouldnt it be better to look at the race this way?

 

Team		    W-L	   Pct	GA	 Streak	L10
---------------------------------------------------
Kansas City  47-85	.356	-- 	  Lost 1	4-6
Pittsburgh	50-81	.382	3.5	  Lost 3	4-6
Tampa Bay	 52-79	.397	5.5	  Lost 4	4-6
Chicago Cubs 54-76	.415	8	    Lost 3	2-8
Washington	55-75	.423	9	    Lost 2	2-8

 

 

Is it pitching or offensively rich or both? I basically have no idea what type of players are going to be in the draft. If it's going to be really good i hope the plan with Pierre all along was to let him walk for the draft picks with the idea that the talent pool was better than what he could have gotten in return at the deadline.

[Mephistopheles]

You can find a lot of stuff on most of the top guys somewhere in this thread.

 

Right now the top five prospects are probably two college arms (Vandy's David Price and NC State's Andrew Brackman), one college bat (Georgia Tech's Matt Wieters), a prep pitcher (Connecticut's Matt Harvey) and a prep toolsy shortstop, (North Carolina's Justin Jackson).

 

The strength of this draft lies in the high school class. There's also a bunch of talented college lefties, both starting and in relief.

 

Next year's college bats should be even more impressive. It might be worth losing 100 games to get Pedro Alvarez or Justin Smoak.

[Iceblink]

Now that is how it's done. The Cubs figure out a way to have Chris Duffy - he of the .520 OPS and 0 for his last 15 or so - to go 3 for 5 with 3 runs and 2 RBI. They make up a full game on the Pirates.

 

THAT's the kind of effort that can win this thing.

[NorthsideAvenger]

Dustiny awaits for no man.

 

Come on Cubs...continue to play no-so-well, you ne-er do wells.

 

Now, the Cubs are doing the reverse Rachel Phelps.

[RichHillIsABeast]

As long as we keep running Rusch out there with his gas can, the first pick in the draft is ours.

[TruffleShuffle]

I'd just like to say that the first post in this thread is very, very good. Go Cubs!

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Yeah, kudos, Iceblink.

[Mephistopheles]

Team          L-W     Pct   GB   
-------------------------------
Kansas City  85-48   .361   --    
Pittsburgh   81-52   .391   4      
Tampa Bay    80-52   .394   4.5     
Chicago Cubs 78-54   .409   6.5
Washington   76-55   .420   8     

 

The Cubbies gained a game on the Royals and Pirates today!

[inari]

....lame.

[RichHillIsABeast]

#1 pick, here we come. Mateo going tomorrow. Kid gives up too many hits for his luck to last. Another game on the Pirates in the bag!

[Mephistopheles]

RichHillIsABeast, less is more. Edited August 30, 2006 by Mephistopheles

[Iceblink]

Team          L-W     Pct   GB   
-------------------------------
Kansas City  85-48   .361   --    
Pittsburgh   81-52   .391   4      
Tampa Bay    80-52   .394   4.5     
Chicago Cubs 78-54   .409   6.5
Washington   76-55   .420   8     

 

The Cubbies gained a game on the Royals and Pirates today!

 

I'm going to bogart your finely formatted standings for the first post. :)

 

Pittsburgh just doesn't look like they want to win this thing. Allowing the Cubs to give the game over with errors and walks isn't going to win you squat.

 

We may have underestimated just how serious the Cubs are about this race, however. That was inspired. It's a long-shot to catch KC (even if Mark Redman keeps throwing shutouts), but Pittsburgh and Tampa shouldn't feel too comfortable in their #2 & #3 spots.

 

The Nationals quietly keep plugging along, as well. Three in a row for them.

[TruffleShuffle]

....lame.

 

Hey, at least we can root for the Cubs in one race this year.

[Iceblink]

That was so sad that I can't even joke about it. I'll need 10 minutes of deep breathing first.

 

Pittsburgh & Tampa now tied (percentage-wise), Cubs 1.5 games back of them.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

You're good mojo, Iceblink.

[TruffleShuffle]

Boy, sometimes you can just see that one team wants it more. The Cubs went out and proved that the last two days... they're really playing inspired baseball right now.

[Mephistopheles]

Tampa Bay is up 4-2 in the bottom of the 8th and Kansas City just beat Minnesota 4-3. We could pick up a game on all!