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So, what happens when the improbable object meets the unlikable force?
I guess we're about to find out.
The Montreal Blazers one-upped last year's Charlotte Flyers in the Cinderella zone, making it to the Monty Brewster championship series after winning only 84 games (to the Flyers' 87 in 2060). Beyond that, the Blazers entered the post season with a firmly negative Run Differential, a state that doesn't mean as much as maybe some think it should, but that geez - still feels deeply wrong. Montreal pitching was good, not great. Especially for their park. The Blazers' 677 runs allowed was the fourth best in the Johnson, behind Las Vegas, Charm City, and Atlantic City. And their offense? Holy Bill James, Batman, but the offense was literally the worst in the league at scoring runs.
Dan Wilkinson had a 3.5 WAR year at first. Clancy Leet his .294 and did 3.1 WAR in the outfield. Roosevelt Davis hit a somewhat hollow 27 homers, the Blazers were not in a position to be picky. 27 homers is 27 homers. Tom Allen had a year at third (18 homers, .256/.314/.450) that at least wouldn't make his wife embarrassed. Ed Rooney stood in centerfield well enough.
But Geez, Louise. On the whole one would expect a casual observer to glance at the Blazer's numbers and wonder how far down the draft list they fell this year.
Instead, thirty other teams are going to watch them take on the Nashville Bluebirds.
Which, really, no one wants to see, right?
Sure, the Blazer bullpen is great, but the fact is they are going to need them a LOT.
Montreal's rotation of Sanuel Nebraska, Stephen Grant, Lucio Juarez, and Jose Barron are really just three Bikini cast-offs and a kitschy guy whose career has been mostly made so journalists can make cheesy references to Snoopy and his Sopwith Camel.
And Nashville?
Crap, the less said about Nashville, the better.
Their pitching led everyone in the Frick who didn't have the Basilica as their home park in runs prevented. Their offense led the Frick by 69 runs scored. Is that a lot? I dunno, but Charm City led the Johnson in runs scored with 909, which is a lot of runs until you note that Las Vegas had 907. So, yea, the Bluebird dominance was total. They destroyed the Heartland as thoroughly as Sherman ran through Atlanta.
Eric Stevens will win the Nebraska this year. He anchors the rotation. Mark Lolololo, Bin-ying Yan, and Jim Ploughman will take turns trying to ensure that Game ne is Stevens' last outing of the year.
The bullpen is just silly.
Silly, I say.
The offense? Well, let's say there are holes. I mean, only seven of them registered WAR of 3.1 or better. And Crissy Tingle in center had an embarrassingly small 2.6 WAR. One assumes the Nashville Kangaroo court fined his ass good for that one.
Add it all up, and it means that the Bluebirds are going to have to field a lineup that has at least one guy you can maybe pitch to.
I assume that's the guy who will be named series MVP.
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So, who wins when the unlikely object meets the unlikable force?
Well...in my response to the forum poll, I said Nashville in five games. But, no, the fact is that anything but a Nashville sweep is probably unacceptable.
