rBBL Season 15 Playoff Preview - Part 2!

The 2001 tiebreaker games have concluded and the 2003 League is already in the second round, so here is part 2 of my playoff preview! Click here for the first part. This is my first time actually following up and writing part 2, so go me!

**2001 LEAGUE**

The Crew and Cheesers have won the tiebreaker games and have advanced to the playoff bracket! Both of my picks to win the tiebreaker games lost their first match, so my predictions can only go up from here. 

*American League*

First Round Byes:
1. Baja Blasters (crazyei8hts): 13-1
2. Golden Glove Retrievers (Vissery): 10-4

• First Round Matchups:
• 3. Green Reds (personizzle): 10-4 vs. 6. Condiment Crew (Heinz): 7-7
  • Previous Matchup: Reds defeated Crew, 11-4
  • Background: After a down year, personizzle and the Greens are back in the playoffs for the 5th time in the last six season. They once again are offensively-minded, having recorded the most hits (446) and scored the 2nd most runs (245) in the 2001 League, led by Francis Blewer and custom player Anakin Skywalker (99 power). The Crew may be most famous for potentially changing a rule next season, as they lost to every other team in the AL tiebreaker but emerged victorious as the AL's 6 seed. This team has more defense than the Reds, led by Ichiro and Christina Beattie, but a mid-season acquisition of Rafael Hendrix has really sparked this team's offense. 
  • Analysis: On paper, the Reds seem like the heavy favorite. But they don't play the games on paper! The only thing working in the Crew's favor is that the Reds are playing their worst baseball at the worst time; the Reds' only two games under 10 runs scored are their last two. The Crew's scores have been pretty volatile this season, with three games of 20+ runs and three games of 5 runs. The X-factors here will be the power hitting clones: Petra Chekov of the Reds and Rafael Hendrix of the Crew. Whichever player has a better series could swing the series in their team's favor. Ultimately, I think the power of the Reds will win out at their two home games, while the Crew might steal their home game at Cement Gardens, not a very friendly field for the Reds.
  • Prediction: Reds in 3. 
• 4. Mid-County Moose (alex7456): 8-6 vs. 5. Grand Tree Gnomes (Charguyder): 8-6
  • Previous Matchup: Moose defeated Gnomes, 16-11.
  • Background: alex came on as a mid-season replacement for Mid-County, taking over for psanchez and going 3-3 in his time as coach. The Moose's runs per game have decreased from 15.6 with psanchez at the helm to 11.1 with alex. Pablo Sanchez is the main draw for the Moose; he drove in 58 runs, almost triple the amount of anybody else on the team. The Gnomes have had coach Charguyder the whole season and they've been on a roller coaster ride. They've eclipsed 20 runs four times but have also scored single digits five times. They are led by Parker Collum (who won MVP with Charguyder in the '02 League last season) and Cheryl Reynolds, who have combined for 39 homers and 102 RBIs.
  • Analysis: The Moose get a slight advantage here, as (in our new mods) Pablo Sanchez gets a boost at Casa de Pablo, the Gnomes' home field. This partly contributed to the Moose's earlier win against the Gnomes in Week 11 (which was indeed with alex as coach). However, since that game, the Gnomes have been having some of their best performances while the Moose haven't hit double digits. I honestly think the road team could win all three games in this series. Pablo will have another good game with his boost, but Cheryl and Parker could feast at Playground Commons.
  • Prediction: Gnomes in 3.

*National League*

First Round Byes:
1. Stubborn Royals (CRK): 12-2
2. Stoop Kids (lillwaws26): 10-4

• First Round Matchups:
• 3. Wild Cat Ray DJs (Natetastic28): 8-6 vs. 6. Chuck E. Cheesers (matt95): 7-7
  • Previous Matchup: Cat Ray DJs defeated Cheesers, 10-9.
  • Background: The Cat Ray DJs are playing with house money, as they're just happy to blow my preseason prediction for them out of the water. They are led by Sophie Meyer, who is having an MVP-type season with 22 homers and 53 RBIs. The Cheesers had a rough first half, traded away more than half their team (biggest add: Sammy Sosa), and immediately scored 61 runs in their first two games with the new squad before cooling off. They beat the Goobers and Rays in the tiebreaker matches to get here, where they played good but not great. 
  • Analysis: The previous matchup is fresh in the minds of both teams as it happened in Week 13. The Cat Ray DJs narrowly defeated the Cheesers at home, in a game that many expected the Cheesers to win. That will give the DJs confidence heading into this series, but perhaps two wins at Steele Stadium in the tiebreaker games will give the Cheesers confidence, as that's also the DJs' home field. Steele might be a hindrance for the Cat Ray DJs; they scored fewer than 10 runs in five different games this season, and four of those were at Steele. I think if Sammy Sosa wakes up, the Cheesers will be able to put up the necessary runs for this series.
  • Prediction: Cheesers in 3.
• 4. Fine Wines (hciii, 7-6-1) vs. 5. Florida Marlins (7-6-1)
  • Previous Matchup: 20-20 tie.
  • Background: You could almost write the exact same description for both of these teams. Both teams are coached by past champions, play at Dirt Yards, had some rough losing streaks, love the grounder swing, and both were disappointed at their performances but surprised they still made the playoffs. In fact, these teams are so similar, they tied each other 20-20 in their previous meeting! So what are we to do with this information?
  • Analysis: With two teams that are carbon copies of each other, it's gonna come down to who is more locked in. And hciii clearly wins that battle. After nearly being an early elimination at 3-6-1, the Wines beat the previously undefeated Stoop Kids in Week 11 and haven't lost since, scoring 16 runs per game in the process. Meanwhile, Loba and the Marlins are lucky to be here, as they have only scored double digits once over their last four games and in a do-or-die game 14, they won by a measly score of 6-2 (at Sandy Flats, but still). The Wines look to be in much better shape than the Marlins right now.
  • Prediction: Wines in 2. 

**2003 LEAGUE**

*Frontyard League*

• Divisional Round Matchups:
• 1. Benched Warmers (Vissery): 13-1 vs. 4. Harlem Shaking Grimaces (Natetastic28): 10-4
  • Previous Matchups: Warmers defeated Grimaces 16-8. 
  • Background: The Warmers are the pinnacle of everything Vissery has done to terrorize this league for the past 5 seasons. They led all three leagues in runs with 293 and racked up 451 hits, which is the 5th-most by a team in the Lulu era. Claudia Villarta is practically a shoo-in for the FL MVP, with 26 homers and 84 RBIs to her name. 8 of their 9 batters hit over .600 in the regular season. The Grimaces easily dispatched the Marvels in two straight games to reach this round. Ken Griffey Jr. was the top performer of the series, batting 7/10 with a double, two triples, two homers, 11 RBIs, and 4 runs scored.
  • Analysis: If you can remember way back to Week 3, the Warmers were fresh off a shocking loss to the Swimmers and the league was wondering if Vissery was still a dominant force. That next game, the Warmers easily beat the Grimaces and haven't lost since. They've won 12 in a row and show no signs of slowing down. The Warmers are one of four teams throughout all three leagues who scored at least 10 runs in every game (in fact, they scored at least 13 runs in every game). Meanwhile the Grimaces have had some power outages at times, with five single-digit run performances this season. The consistency of the Warmers might be too much for the Grimaces to handle. If the Grimaces want to pull off the major upset, they might have to have the best game of their life....twice.
  • Prediction: Warmers in 2.
• 2. Green Giants (crazyei8hts): 10-4 vs. 3. The I.J.L.S.A (AnjouPays): 12-2
  • Previous Matchup: I.J.L.S.A. defeated Giants, 17-12
  • Background: The Green Giants have an offense that can hang with the big boys of the 2003 League, and they're built on speed. The Giants stole 106 bases this season, the first time any team stole 100 since Season 8 (when teams could first decide exactly how to arrange their defenses). Kenny Lofton had 30 of those and Pete Wheeler had 29, and those two individual totals are the highest by any players since Season 7. But the Giants also have the big bats to bring em in, as Debby Nagasawa and Sophie Meyer drove in 61 and 57 runs, respectively. The I.J.L.S.A. had a mini scare in the Wild Card Round as they lost Game 2 on a runs-allowed tiebreaker, but they advanced after handily winning both home games. 
  • Analysis: Despite a worse record and a head-to-head loss, the Giants get the home field advantage here after winning their division. But that might be a blessing in disguise for The I.J.L.S.A., who beat the Giants on their home turf of Parks Dept. #2 when they faced off this season. In fact, the only three times The I.J.L.S.A. scored 20+ runs all occurred on the bouncy fields of either Parks or Dirt Yards. On the other hand, the Giants can also hang at Cement Gardens. In both of their games on cement fields this season, the Giants scored exactly 14 runs. Okay, obviously I am biased as this series involves me. But I do think that the Giants' previous loss against The I.J.L.S.A. was a game where they lacked the clutch hit. A few runs here and there but no big rallies and only 2 home runs hit that game. If Debby and Sophie's bats can wake up, this will go a lot better the second time around. However I wouldn't put it past AnjouPays to put up another 20+ performance at Parks Dept. #2....in Game 1 OR 3!
  • Prediction: Giants in 3.

*Backyard League*

• Divisional Round Matchups:
• 1. Houston Astros (Freakshow55): 12-1-1 vs. 4. Junior Bombers (CRK): 9-5
  • Previous Matchups: Astros defeated Bombers, 15-12.
  • Background: The Astros have had a fantastic season, first led by coach psanchez55 who took the team to 8-0 but resigned. After resigining, Freakshow took over right where psanchez left off and scored 31 runs in his first game with the Astros. Overall, Freakshow is 4-1-1 at the helm of the Astros with the loss and tie happening in the final two games of the regular season. Julie Dunkel and Joella Minotti handle most of the offense for this team (and most of the pitching too, for some reason...). The Bombers quickly dismantled the Mathematicians in two games to reach this round, first by grinding out a defensive 8-4 win at Casa de Pablo, and then by running them into the ground at Dirt Yards by a score of 28-9. 
  • Analysis: You can throw these teams' previous matchup out the window, as psanchez was the coach of the Astros at the time. Both of the coaches involved know how to maximize opportunities with aggressive baserunning and great pitch selection at the plate. It could come down to some minute details when determining who will emerge victorious. It may come down to whether or not Heidi Thurman gets good power up opportunities or comes up with the bases empty. The Astros have solid hitters from top to bottom and don't have a designated power up user which allows them to use their power ups in the most advantage situations. Also, the Astros defense will not fall apart as the Mathematicians' did. 
  • Prediction: Astros in 2. 
• 2. Outfield Angelas (personizzle): 10-4 vs. 6. Dimmsdale Bankees (sternwizardd): 8-6
  • Previous Matchup: Bankees defeated Angelas 24-11. 
  • Background: Since this is the 2003 League, personizzle likes to have some fun, and that's what the Outfield Angelas are. They are a parody of "Angels in the Outfield", but this time it's Angelas in the Outfield, as Angela and her two clones, Bobby Bulgrien and Betty Houston, man the outfield for the Angelas. As expected, that allowed for some high scores for the Angelas thanks to power hitting, but also some high scores for their opponents, thanks to having the worst outfield of all time. The Bankees shocked the league in upsetting the Neon Knights to get here. The Bankees ALMOST had the worst collapse of all time, allowing 5 runs to the computer in the 6th inning of Game 3, a game which they won by 1. But hey, a win is a win and the Bankees are still alive!
  • Analysis: At the start of the playoffs, I had the Knights winning this matchup, so now I must reevaluate. To beat these Angelas, you have to be dedicated to running on the outfield arms (or lack thereof). And the Bankees did just that when they were one of the 4 teams to beat the Angelas this season, hitting an impressive 10 doubles and racking up 27 runs along the way. The Bankees could definitely hang with the Angelas at Parks Dept. #2, especially if the Angelas' power hitters are popping up. Playground Commons, the Bankees' home field, will play very similarly. If the Bankees are locked in, they could very well sneak away with the series win. But if they get psyched out by thinking "uh oh, I have to score SO many runs to beat this team", that could play into the Angelas' hands. 
  • Prediction: Bankees in 3. 

See you soon for part 3!