2015 Season             Edition No. 12           June 8, 2015

Greetings My Fellow HSL Brethren:

Rarified Air

     As I pen this edition of “The Mousetrap”, I find myself breathing the rarified air of the upper division, at least for the Bombers, and temporarily bumping elbows with the Elite.  I feel like I went to one of those new age “Oxygen Bars” you find in some airports or swanky lounges that sell you purified oxygen to make you feel better, and WOW do I feel better!  But I know realistically that it is better to cast me as a character in one of those “Which one doesn’t look like the others” questions.  I mean the only thing separating me from them is previous Championships, proven winners, copious amounts of free time, and pitching.   The Bombers have no pitching!  Proven by the fact that last Saturday and Sunday I had a combined 7 pitchers going who proceeded to garner a combined line of 40 innings pitched, 1 win, 2 losses, and 50 points total.  With 31 of those points coming on the strength of Odrisamer Despaigne’s   outing on Sunday night.  Did I mention I picked up Odrisamer off the FA list on Saturday?  As much as I have enjoyed my time in the upper division, I know all good things must end, so I hope my old neighborhood will take me back when I fall.

Weekly Standings

     There was little movement in the standings this week as the Wahoos continue to lead the pack and were one of four teams to post over 500 points last week.  The Skipjacks led the way this week with an impressive 592.20 week which included 341.50 pitching points.  And the reigning Champion Monarchs had a not so impressive week scoring 311.60 points.  One of the highlights this week was the debut of Texas’ third base man, Joey Gallo of the Bums, who had a very impressive 19.00 points in his Major League debut and finished the week with 27.90 points.

Draft Selections

     I always find it curious to see how our first round draft picks perform compared to the rest of our teams since we spend so much time discussing and contemplating that first pick.   As you can see on the chart below, there are three teams whose first round pick  is currently their highest point leader , while three teams “hit the lottery” with late round or free agent pitchers. Kudos to the Tigers for grabbing Aaron Harang!  It is interesting to see that 11 of the 13 top scorers are pitchers; maybe it is all about pitching after all.

Modisett Ball Park

     At a recent meeting for the College World Series, our Guest Speaker was Jeff Barnes, an author and historian from Omaha, who recently wrote a historical perspective book on Modisett Ball Park in Rushville, Nebraska, current population 856.  The original Modisett Ball Park was built in 1940 and was proclaimed to be …” one of the finest, most modern in the state…” at the time.  The Milwaukee Braves held an annual Baseball School there from 1954 to 1962 and the New York Yankees were the sponsor for the baseball school from 1962 to 1965.  Modisett Ball Park was recently renovated with John Gottschalk, former Omaha World Herald Editor and native Rushville resident, leading the effort and Jeff Barnes was hired to chronicle the history of the Ball Park.  Extra Innings, the Story of Modisett Ball Park, is a quick easy read and a step back in time and baseball lore.

Mouse’s Minute

     Some random closing thoughts;

·       The College World Series constructed a waffle ball field on 15^th and Douglas Streets last year and due to overwhelming success, they are bringing it back this year.  It is on a first come, first served basis and everyone is welcome.  I thought with the HSL collective hours spent playing waffle ball when we were young, would we be up for one more game?

·      Thanks to Ernie for arranging an HSL trip to the Triple-A All-Star Game.  It will be exciting to see the next wave of Major Leaguers and watch their progress when they make “The Show”.  And to get the first glimpse of the Bears 2016 3^rd round pick.

·       I like Johnny’s idea about looking into a DL, but I would need a DL of 10 to accommodate my team this year.  Geez, I have jinxed at least two FA pitchers by my selection of them resulting in season ending injuries.

·       Looking forward to the League trip.  Is it still on?

·       I am selling General Admission ticket books for the College World Series, so if you need some, please let me know and I can set you up.

·       MLB is trying to speed up games this year, with time clocks and warm-up pitching rules, resulting in an average savings of 9 minutes per game.  I have to ask, why? I enjoy my time at a baseball game and can’t believe that a 9 minute shorter game will be attracting many new fans.  You waste more time in parking lot/traffic congestion than the 9 minutes you save at the game.

·       Has anyone taken the leap to play one of the daily Fantasy Games such as DraftKings, FantasyAces, FanDuel or some of the others?  Sounds intriguing but as this point I am of the belief that if I can’t win a day in our League where no money is involved, why would I wager money in their game and think my luck would be better. 

Looking forward to College World Series week,

Mouse