16 September 2004

Vol. X No. 23

FIN 99-43 .697 -
QUI 92-50 .648 7
MOO 74-69 .517 25.5
NES 69-74 .483 30.5
MEA 66-76 .465 33
WIL 55-87 .387 44
PIO 26-116 .183 73

PYT 94-49 .657 -
NOM 88-54 .620 5.5
NOI 88-55 .615 6
DIR 83-59 .585 10.5
GIA 58-84 .408 35.5
BEA 57-85 .401 36.5
RAC 54-88 .380 39.5

 

 

 ISBL HOME    WEEK 23 DISKS & PAST FILES    FINANCES    AUCTION SITE    FORUMS    E-MAIL 

   WEEK 23 MATCHUPS    USAGE ISSUES    VIOLATIONS    NOTES    TRANSACTIONS    AUCTION    DL REPORT    POWS  

 

Ichiro extends hit streak to 36 games

It took until his final at-bat Sunday against Toronto Crown Royals hurler Jamie Moyer, but a leadoff single to right in the bottom of the 8th extended the hitting streak of the Beltway Bandits' Ichiro Suzuki to 36 games, a modern ISBL record. Ichiro broke the record of 33 games set by Brent Mayne of the New Orleans Blues in 2002 with a 3-for-5 night on Friday.

Ichiro began his streak on August 3 against the St. Louis Finns and has batted .461 (70-for-152) over those 36 games.

The Bandits went 5-2 against the Royals to stay three games ahead of the Chicago Force (who swept the Washington Gridlock this week) in the race for the American League title.

 


THREE WEEKS TO GO ...

The Finns split six games with the Orange Crush, shrinking their lead in the NL to seven games as the Quicksteps (their last remaining threat for the NL title) won all seven against the Willows. The Finns face the Willows this week, while the Steps take on the Junior Circuit-bound Pioneers.

In the race to secure a spot in the NL for 2005, the Nessmen went 6-1 against the Moose to move to within five games of Manchester for third place. But the Nessies stayed closer to fifth than third, as the Meat Possums swept the Pioneers to close to within 2.5 games of L.A. for fourth. That sets the stage for a crucial seven-game showdown this week between the Nessmen and Possums. The Willows' hopes of avoiding the relegational playoff were severely dimmed by the Steps, as they fell 13.5 games back of fourth, and the Finns may extinguish those hopes this week.

 

The Bandits, counted out just a few weeks ago, have benefited from a relatively light schedule to take a three-game lead in the AL title race. But they face significant tests the next two weeks against the Orange Crush (who slipped to eight games back after splitting with St. Louis) and Force (who are just three back and face the Crown Royals this week).

As for the fight to stay in the AL next year, the Royals (despite their 2-5 week) have secured no worse than a fourth-place finish. That leaves the Gridlock and Legends as the likely combatants in the relegational playoff, though the Cardinals are still within sniffing distance of sixth place, closing to within nine games of the Legends (after going 4-3 against them this past week) and within 11.5 games of the Gridlock (who they face this week).

 

The Pythons continued in their efforts to secure their grip on the FL title and automatic promotion to the NL by going 4-3 against the Noise this week. That dropped the Noise six games back of the Pythons and into third, as the Nomads went 4-2 against the Bulldogs in interleague action to move into second, 5.5 games back. The Dirt Dogs remain in the hunt for a spot in the promotional playoff after going 6-1 against the Raccoons to move to within 4.5 games of the Noise for third. 

None of the four teams still in contention face each other this week, but a Week 24 matchup between the Noise and Nomads looms large on the horizon.

 

The Sidewinders and Prairie Fire went head-to-head last week, with the Winders opening the week just five games ahead of the Fire. After a 6-1 series victory by Albuquerque, that lead has now doubled, and the Winders look poised to become the first team this year to clinch their respective league title, earning automatic promotion to the AL in the process.

The Fire are now as close to fourth as first, sitting just 4.5 games ahead of the Cyclones in third and 10 ahead of the fourth-place Bulldogs. But a favorable Week 23 schedule could go a long way toward helping them nail down a spot in the promotional playoff, as they play the Wolverines, the Bulldogs face the Winders and the Cyclones take on the Pythons.

 


ROSTER EXPANSION

ADDITIONAL NOTE ON THIS: You CAN now make moves in mid-series if you want, what with the roster expansion, if you're looking to protect players from overusage.

 

Just remember that you CAN NOT bring up <<Junior Draft>> or ++Overused++ players. And overusage rules still apply, so doublecheck where your guys are with usage before you bring them up so that you don't take them over 110% and lose them for the postseason/cup.

 


WEEK 23 MATCHUPS  

All series are seven games, scheduled 9/13-19 (EXCEPT interleague, six games, 9/14-19, with Monday off).

 

First team listed is the away team for the first three games.

 

Be sure to get in contact with your opponent early ("e-mail him before he can e-mail you" is always a good rule to follow) and figure out if you're going to NetPlay or MP them, then schedule accordingly.

 

 

SENIOR CIRCUIT

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Willows v Finns

Nessmen v Meat Possums

Pioneers v Quicksteps

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Cardinals v Gridlock

Orange Crush v Bandits

Force v Crown Royals

INTERLEAGUE

Moose v Legends

 

JUNIOR CIRCUIT

FEDERAL LEAGUE

Beavers v Dirt Dogs

Noise v Giants

Nomads v Raccoons

UNION LEAGUE

Wolverines v Prairie Fire

Sidewinders v Bulldogs

Underdogs v Sluggers

INTERLEAGUE

Cyclones v Pythons


NEW DISK CODING

1. Players who are Junior Draftees are marked as such: <<NAME>>. Don't bring them up.

2. Players who are overused and mandatorily farmed are marked as such: ++NAME++. Don't bring them up.

3. Players who are placed on the DL, but were injured for less than 15 days, have had their return date amended so that they can't be brought up until those 15 days have passed.

 

Additionally, the usage and DL lists provided here each week will remain in place and continue to be updated. Hopefully that knocks out most of the violation buggaboos. 

 


USAGE ISSUES

The following players have exceeded 110% usage for the year. New additions are in bold. They have been mandatorily farmed for the year, can not be traded, and are ineligible for postseason and cup play. These players are noted in your roster with the coding ++NAME++.

BATTERS
  • Fernando Vina (LEG) -- 119%
  • Brian Daubach (LEG) -- 119%
  • Mo Vaughn (LEG) -- 117%
  • Javy Lopez (LEG) -- 117%
  • Ryan Freel (SLU) -- 116%
  • Rod Barajas (SLU) -- 115%
  • Kevin Witt (CAR) -- 115%
  • Kevin Mench (SLU) -- 114%
  • Adam Melhuse (GIA) -- 114%
  • Mendy Lopez (CAR) -- 113%
  • Austin Kearns (RAC) -- 112%
PITCHERS
  • Al Reyes (GIA) -- 145%
  • A.J. Burnett (CAR) -- 140%
  • Scott Strickland (GIA) -- 137%
  • Josh Hall (SLU) -- 132%
  • Tommy Phelps (Released) -- 129%
  • Justin Duchscherer (WIL) -- 128%
  • Chad Cordero (SLU) -- 128%
  • Aaron Taylor (Released) -- 126%
  • Ricardo Rodriguez (GIA) -- 123%
  • Grant Balfour (GIA) -- 121%
  • Kazuhiro Sasaki (RAC) -- 119%
  • Jaime Cerda (SLU) -- 118%
  • Jeremi Gonzalez (GIA) -- 118%
  • Terry Adams (LEG) -- 116%
  • Terry Mulholland (UND) -- 116%
  • Julio Mateo (SLU) -- 114%
  • Mike Gallo (GIA) -- 114%
  • Andrew Good (PIO) -- 113%
  • Adam Bernero (GIA) -- 112%
  • John Franco (LEG) -- 112%
  • Felix Rodriguez (LEG) -- 111%
  • Nelson Figueroa (GIA) -- 111%
  • Mickey Callaway (LEG) -- 111%
  • Seth McClung (CRO) -- 111%
  • Carlos Reyes (CRO) -- 111%
  • Jesse Foppert (WIL) -- 111%

RULE VIOLATIONS

  • NONE

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CUT YOUR ROSTER DOWN TO 25 MEN BEFORE STARTING THIS WEEK. 

BE CAREFUL TO KEEP PLAYERS ON DISABLED LIST FOR MINIMUM 15 DAYS. Check the DL listings below to be sure what date players are eligible to return. PLEASE NOTE: The game program allows players to be brought back before they've served 15 days. ISBL DOES NOT, so please consult the DL listings to ensure that you're bringing players back on the correct date.

DON'T MAKE NON-DL-RELATED MID-SERIES ROSTER MOVES. The only moves you can make during a series are to put someone on the DL or to take them off (and an accompanying promote/farm to cover THAT player). And be sure to consult the list below to see when your player is eligible to come off the DL.


CHECK YOUR MANAGER PROFILE

Remember what Troy always says. Recheck your manager profile weekly to make sure phantom zeros aren't popping into your usage limits. Check to see if you have injured players, or players eligible to be reactivated. Be sure to check that your roster is at 25, especially if you have acquired new players through trade or free agency, as the game tends to make all of these players active.

We would advise those of you that constructed preseason manager profiles (before the Week 1 disk was released) to double check them to ensure that playing limits are correct. The last preseason disk that was posted showed several players with settings of zero, and the CM will pass over many of these players when your team is away. You can see this on the final page of the profile where the players are listed. The playing limits were corrected to the actual usage numbers on the Week 1 disk. If you put together an MP using an older V9 disk, you can correct the playing limits this way:

  1. Click on the "Other Actions" button in the lower right corner of either the "Pitching," "Saved Lineup" or "Depth Chart" page of your Manager Profile.
  2. Click on "Generate Manager Profile."
  3. Uncheck everything EXCEPT "Generate playing time limits," keeping that one checked, and click OK. This should retain your other settings while ensuring that the playing time limits are correct.

Of course, once you've corrected these playing time limits, you can manipulate them as needed to make sure that players are used only in the specific roles you want them to play (i.e. if you have a pitcher rated both to start and relieve, and you only want him used as a starter, you can set his relief appearances to zero). Also, be sure to note that in Version 9, there's a new page for setting player-specific tendencies, as well as team tendencies.

PAY ATTENTION TO OPPONENT'S INSTRUCTIONS

If an owner takes the time to send you an MP and/or instructions as to how to install his pitchers/lineups, take care to use these. Seen a couple of instances this year where MPs have been sent, only to be ignored/looked over/forgotten by opponents. If they're sending you an MP, it means they have changes from what's on the disk that may affect their rotation, or player usage, or whatever. So use them. Otherwise, you're risking having to play the games over again. And might get fined for repeated occurances.

When your opponent has taken the time and care to create an MP for your series that week, make sure to import it into the database. If you're unsure that you're doing things correctly, please contact Micah, Troy or Tim for help. Some important things to consider:
  • Merely downloading the zip file from the e-mail doesn't install it. You have to go to Import Statistics (found in the game menu under Transfer), find the zip file, click it open and import it.
  • If you do this, and the initial import screen comes up, and you don't see your opponent's team name there highlighted, there's a problem. Contact your opponent or one of us to resolve this.
  • You need to make sure the new disk for the week is installed BEFORE you import the MP. Otherwise, when you install the new database, it will overwrite the new MP with the old one.

SOME ADDITIONAL DIRECTION ON PLAYING IN NETPLAY

When FTF players set their rosters to 25 (or make changes to their roster between weeks), whoever the host is won't have those handy, so you'll need to at least make whatever pre-series changes on your disk, generate an MP file with those changes (just like you would a file with played games to send), and send it to whichever of the two of you is hosting. That's an extra step we haven't had to contend with before with the NetMeeting, where you could just make the changes yourself or instruct your opponent to do so. And you can STILL instruct your opponent to do so, but you'll need to do that before you link onto the NetPlay, 'cause there's no way to get to the MPs once you've linked. Because of this, it's advisable that for the series, one team remains the host throughout, who will have made his changes and installed the MP (or made the changes as directed) of their opponent.
 
Switching between who is the home manager and who is the away manager is pretty simple if you're mid-series and already connected with one as home and one as away. The host needs only to click on "NetPlay" in the top menu line and then "Swap manager roles" to flip them.
 
As for changing options, this is done by the host. Make sure the settings for the host are "Human" and for away are "Remote." If for some reason, you get into the game and one party doesn't have control of, say, baserunning, have the host go in and fix it.

If you have any additional questions about V9 play, please direct them to stats@isbl.com.


TRANSACTIONS

  • NONE

You can track your finances, as well as your payroll ceiling, at the ISBL Finances page (http://www.isbl.com/isbl_2004/isbl_finances.htm).


AUCTION

  • Sidewinders sign Geoff Geary for $100k
  • Nessmen sign Carlos Pulido for $300k

If you want players put up for auction, you need to send an e-mail to stats@isbl.com by Thursday afternoon stating what players you want put on the board. Players will typically be put on the board at 9 pm Eastern Thursday night and stay there for 72 hours. If you are a new owner and need to set up an auction account, please contact stats@isbl.com.


DL REPORT

Please be sure to check if you have injured players. This lists only players already placed on the DL.

NOTE: Not sure if V9 handles DL'ed players the same as V8. With V8, you typically could call a player back up on the day listed as his last day on the injury line (i.e. if if said "Out from 4/20/2004 to 5/17/2004," it'd let you call him back up on the 17th), so that's what I've used here. If it turns out that it's one more day, let me know so I can start accounting for the extra day. Sorry if this causes any confusion.

These players were DL'ed during the past week and must remain there for at least 15 days:
  • NONE
These players are eligible to come off the DL at some point (see below) this week:
  • Sparks (BUL) -- OK to return
  • Wilson,E (FOR) -- OK to return
  • Bellhorn (WOL) -- OK to return
  • Stark (BUL) -- OK to return
  • Lidle (WOL) -- OK to return
  • Kinney (CAR) -- OK to return
These players were placed on the DL previously and are not eligible to come back this week:
  • NONE

POWs FOR WEEK 21

13 teams voted: BAN, CAR, NES, WIL, CRO, PRA, DIR, SID, MOO, PYT, MEA, PIO, CYC

SENIOR BATTER: Richie Sexson (Force)

Sexson (FOR): 10 votes -- BAN, CAR, NES, CRO, PRA, SID, PYT, MEA, PIO, CYC

Sheffield (NES): 2 votes -- DIR, MOO

Edmonds (QUI): 1 vote -- WIL

 

SENIOR PITCHER: Barry Zito (Force)

Zito (FOR): 9 votes -- BAN, CAR, NES, CRO, SID, MOO, PYT, PIO, CYC

Schmidt (WIL): 4 votes -- WIL, PRA, DIR, MEA

Pineiro (ORA): no votes

 

JUNIOR BATTER: Carlos Delgado (Dirt Dogs)

Delgado,C (DIR): 11 votes -- all except ...

Thome (SID): 2 votes -- CAR, WIL

Simon (UND): no votes

 

JUNIOR PITCHER: Derek Lowe (Cyclones)

Lowe,D (CYC): 6 votes -- NES, WIL, PRA, DIR, MOO, MEA

Brown,K (RAC): 4 votes -- CAR, SID, PIO, CYC

Prior (NOI): 3 votes -- BAN, CRO, PYT

 


POMs FOR AUGUST

13 teams voted: BAN, CAR, NES, WIL, CRO, PRA, DIR, SID, MOO, PYT, MEA, PIO, CYC

SENIOR BATTER: Albert Pujols (Meat Possums)

Pujols (MEA): 12 votes -- all except ...

Ichiro (BAN): 1 vote -- DIR

Huff (QUI): no votes

 

SENIOR PITCHER: Barry Zito (Force)

Zito (FOR): 7 votes -- CAR, NES, WIL, PRA, SID, MEA, PIO

Vazquez,J (CRO): 4 votes -- BAN, CRO, MOO, CYC

Moyer (CRO): 2 votes -- DIR, PYT

 

JUNIOR BATTER: Carlos Delgado (Dirt Dogs)

Delgado,C (DIR): 9 votes -- BAN, CAR, NES, CRO, DIR, PYT, MEA, PIO, CYC

Lee,D (BUL): 2 votes -- WIL, PRA

Rodriguez,I (NOM): 1 vote -- SID

Pena,C (GIA): 1 vote -- MOO

Boone,B (NOI) & Martinez,E (UND): no votes

 

JUNIOR PITCHER: Brandon Webb (Sidewinders)

Webb (SID): 9 votes -- NES, WIL, CRO, PRA, DIR, SID, PYT, MEA, PIO

Loaiza (BUL): 4 votes -- BAN, CAR, MOO, CYC

Lilly (PRA) & Prior (NOI): no votes

 


POW BALLOT FOR WEEK 22

You can vote for BOTH Senior AND Junior players. Submit by Sunday, 5 pm EDT. 

Player of the WEEK Ballots

Senior Circuit BATTERS:
BATTER TM OPP AB R H BI 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS AVG OBP SPC RC EXTRA
Cameron BAN cro 29 8 12 11 4 3 2 1 5 0 0 414 419 966 12.1 Cycle 9/11
Lugo QUI wil 25 9 10 7 2 1 4 3 4 0 0 400 464 1040 11.3
Mueller FOR gri 30 10 13 7 4 2 2 5 2 0 0 433 514 900 12.0 Cycle 9/7
Pujols MEA pio 28 9 15 7 2 0 2 6 2 2 0 536 618 821 14.0
 
Senior Circuit PITCHERS (*Kim threw one game in relief):
PLAYER TM OPP  GS CG SHO W L S IP H R ER BB K HR ERA OPS GS/EXTRA
Eaton ORA fin 2 0 0 1 1 0 13.0 8 2 2 2 15 0 1.38 459 67, 71
Mulder NES moo 2 1 1 1 1 0 16.0 10 4 4 3 12 0 2.25 427 50, 87
Neagle LEG car 1 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 2 0 0 4 2 0 0.00 305 81
Ramirez,H MEA pio 2 0 0 2 0 0 14.2 7 1 0 5 4 0 0.00 434 62, 77
Wolf BAN cro 2 0 0 2 0 0 16.0 10 4 4 3 14 2 2.25 558 75, 64
 

RC - Runs Created (see definition at http://longgandhi.com/formulas.html)

GS - Game Scores, shown in order pitched (see definition at http://longgandhi.com/formulas.html)

 

Junior Circuit BATTERS:
BATTER TM OPP AB R H BI 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS AVG OBP SPC RC EXTRA
Lowell NOM bul 25 7 11 9 1 0 5 3 3 0 0 440 500 1080 13.9
Soriano,A BEA gia 34 17 22 16 2 1 6 0 3 3 0 647 667 1294 29.4 3HR 9/5
 
Junior Circuit PITCHERS: 
PLAYER TM OPP  GS CG SHO W L S IP H R ER BB K HR ERA OPS GS/EXTRA
Johnson,Ja DIR rac 2 0 0 2 0 0 15.0 11 5 4 4 15 0 2.40 463 72, 58
Loaiza BUL nom 1 1 0 1 0 0 9.0 2 1 1 3 10 1 1.00 354 86
Mussina SID pra 2 0 0 1 0 0 14.0 12 4 4 3 19 0 2.57 527 60, 70
Tomko CYC und 2 1 1 2 0 0 17.0 13 4 4 2 5 0 2.12 505 45, 85

Name:
Team:

 

BAN 96-46 .676 -
FOR 93-49 .655 3
ORA 88-54 .620 8
CRO 80-62 .563 16
GRI 57-85 .401 39
LEG 55-88 .385 41.5
CAR 46-97 .322 50.5

SID 98-44 .690 -
PRA 88-54 .620 10
CYC 84-59 .587 14.5
BUL 78-64 .549 20
WOL 58-84 .408 40
UND 41-102 .287 57.5
SLU 27-115 .190 71