Mayday in the UMEBA
The calendar has flipped to the month of May in the Middle East, and that has started to show a few things. For one, the standings in both the Burt and the Bancroft leagues are exceptionally balanced. Ok, sure, the top four teams in the Burt would be in first place in the Bancroft, but let’s not overstate that. Of the 10 teams in the UMEBA, seven are at least at a .500 record. Granted, lots can change in the next several months, but one month in and a lot of teams should have optimism in the league.
The expansion Athens Fighting Centaurs, currently in first place in the Bancroft holds a 17-14 record, but only one game ahead of last season’s Bancroft League champion Bucharest Impalers. Last year’s Burt League champion and current league leading Istanbul and the Bosphorus have the UMEBA’s best record at 21-10 and deservedly so with competent pitching that is the bright spot on the roster. Ace Frances Wiles has a 4-1 record and has only walked five batters in 42 innings, sprinkled over six starts.
Wiles isn’t the only star on the Istanbul pitching staff however. The starters have mostly been rock solid, and all they have to do is hold the lead for a while and then closer Charlie Simmons comes in and slams the door. For Simmons, 13 games, 13 innings pitched, seven saves and a 2.08 ERA. And all of that equals trouble for opponents late in the game. Simmons leads a talented bullpen which has bridged the gap wonderfully from the starting staff to Simmons saving the game in the final inning. Combine that with timely hitting and that has led to a nice start for Instanbul.
The Istanbul Bosphorus are flooding the rest of the teams in the UMEBA
Hot on Istanbul’s tail, just one and a half games behind, is the three time Burt League champion (2038-2040) Cairo Chariot Archers at a 19-11 record. Still, Manama (17-12) and Baghdad (18-13) are both just three games behind in the Burt. That looks like it could potentially be a great pennant race all the way to the end of the season. Manama won the inaugural Burt League title in 2037 and would certainly like to add another flag this year.
While the top four teams in the Burt League are on a torrid pace, the Bancroft League is starting a bit slower. Still, while you might look at the last place Bancroft team, the Mumbai Metro Stars and scoff, be sure to note before you do that while the Metro Stars have a 11-19 record, they are just five and a half games out of first place. There is lots of time for Mumbai. The Bancroft is close from top to bottom and that should be another exciting pennant race.
Now that things are crystalizing just a bit for the UMEBA franchises, roster moves with greater clarity can be made. There has been upheaval with the front offices of many of these squads so fans of these teams will have to be patient as scouting gets underway and more understanding of the team’s rosters happens. The hope in the future is for more ramblings and rumblings about the UMEBA and in greater detail.
