2017 Season           Edition No. 16       May 31, 2017

Wahoos are on the Warpath! And truth be told, with all respect and attempts to be politically and socially sensitive to all Native Americans, a case can be made that our top three teams are having a "War Party" of their own as they grapple for first place. On the strength of his fourth consecutive week of 500+ points the Wahoos have gone from 12th place on April 30th to the top spot this week. Quite an impressive run I must admit! But the Chiefs and REDbirds are not going to wave the white flag to the Wahoos as they continue to fight for the top spots hoping for that monster night to give them some breathing room. As for the Monarchs, I would be happy to meet them soon and have that cold beverage he offered.

I have added some comparison thoughts on our current standings for your viewing enjoyment. Not to be critical of Skipper's pre-season pick's, I thought it would be interesting to see where we all stand with 30% of the season in the books compared to his prognosticating. Some hits, some misses but overall I am glad he is a better litigator than a prognosticator.

Due to the current standings of MLB, I thought it would be fun to compare them with the HSL since both have a few surprises so far. Who would have guessed that the Rockies, Brewers, Twins, and Yankees would be in first place in their respective divisions at the end of May? Or the Royals, Toronto, and Giants would already be considered "sellers" due to their dismal starts. It's good to see the Redbirds fighting for the top spot after all these years, and maybe it is his year to collect on a few of those bets. After a few good years of contending, the Monarchs are in the unfamiliar cellar spot but still have faith.

The Skipjacks have three of the top ten hitters this week representing 25% of his weekly points total which leads me to believe he has some team depth issues. The Bombers had Melky last year and I think 47 points might have been a monthly total for him. Good pick Skipper!

It looks like the draft was true to form for most of the top ten hitters for the year with the exception of Aaron Judge and Ryan Zimmerman. I know you have to have a little "lightning in a bottle" to win the League, and I would think both of these players would fall in that category. Still just a little mad the Skipjacks pulled the trigger on Judge before me, he was supposed to be the unsung Yankee that only I would want.

Just a few surprises here as I am sure we all expect Ramirez, Blach, and Santana to be Cy Young candidates.

No surprises here as we expected most of them to be Fantasy stars. It's just interesting to see the rounds they were drafted and compare that to the hitters above. Maybe it is the philosophy of when to draft a pitcher versus a hitter or maybe it's just plain luck. But an interesting comparison to me.

Last Sunday the Omaha World Herald had an editorial written by Steve Chapman of the Chicago Tribune titled "The wussification of baseball a good thing" . It does not deal with the current hot button issue of players going on the DL, rather it is his perspective on some of the "office-created rules" that have wussified the sport according to Cubs Manager Joe Maddon and Jon Lester. Some of his thoughts or references that I found interesting are:

·    --   The over-sliding second rule that violates a rule adopted last year to protect fielders from dangerous collisions. It's an old tactic used by everyone but has now been deemed too dangerous for baseball after two players suffered serious injuries from sliding runners.

·    --   Old-timers would laugh at five-man rotations, pitch counts and "quality starts" requiring a mere six innings.

·    --   Lester threw 202 innings in the 2016 regular season. From 1962 through 1965, Don Drysdale logged more than 300 innings four years in a row.

·    --   Philadelphia coach Dave Bristol, who in 1982, after one bench-clearing melee, was asked how to stop such brawls. "I don't see anything wrong with them," he replied.

While I might not have recapped it enough to spark your curiosity, it was an interesting article and worth pulling

up on the Chicago Tribune or Omaha World Herald online editions.

Speaking of interesting, what can you say about Aaron Judge and his start to the 2017 season? With all my Yankees bias pushed aside, you have to admit he has been fun to watch and good for MLB. As of May 29, he is leading the Big League with 17 homers , a leading candidate for Rookie of the year and possibly AL MVP of the year with Mike Trout out for an extended period of time. Should be fun to watch, just wish he was on the Bronx Bombers. Good Luck with him Skipjacks.

Mouse's Minute

·    --   Had the chance to watch the Yankees at Wrigley a couple of weeks ago and hadn't been to Wrigley for several years. Was surprised yet pleased to see how they are trying to "modernize' the area yet keep the old -time charm that keeps it in the rankings for best ballpark. Maybe worth a HSL trip to stay in the new hotel right across the street.

·    --   I was disappointed to see Mike Trout go on the DL with the year he was having, but raise your hand if you feel sorry for the Cubs. He has enough transactions left to stay competitive.

·    --   It may be a dream, but what would it be like if the Cornhuskers actually made it to the College World Series? A long shot for sure having to beat the number 1 seed on their home field but maybe this is the year.

·    --   With the REDbirds new found success this year doesn't it make you question how much influence the Russians had on our draft? Should we have our rules committee investigate the Russian influence?

·    --   "Hi, I'm Buster Posey and I have your back in the next brawl." Modern day wussie??? Politics anyone??

·    --   Thanks to all for making this the best Fantasy League! Ever!

Mouse