Brains! 2061.10: Zombies Take Geoghegan, Charm City Ahead

[aaronweiner]

Maybe it just SEEMS like Charm City is the team bouncing Jacksonville from the playoffs every year lately, since only the Zombies and the Jimmies have made the playoffs as often in the JL over the last seven seasons. However, it might just be that the losses to Charm City stand out more because they represented the hope of the Jacksonville organization to possibly win a title, whereas most of the other losses were, well, embarrassing: all wild card sweeps. On the other hand, maybe they stand out because every one of those series has been fairly tight.

"So we got Charm City again," said ace Bob Anderson, one of the few Zombies who has competed in every one of the eleven playoff series the Zombies have played since 2055. "Be ready for a war."

The last two bouts between these two heavyweights both went to the Jimmies, a 4-2 loss in the Cartwright Cup two years ago and a 4-3 series win for Charm City in the Doubleday in 2055. However, this time feels a little different. Maybe it's because the Jimmies, who were projected in the preseason predictions to win 81 games actually won a JL-high 104. Maybe it's because Jacksonville finished 18 games behind them, or won just three of fourteen games against the Jimmies. Yes, this series probably feels different because...

"Because this is way harder, I think," said starting pitcher Cheslav Evgrafov, who blew out his arm against the Jimmies in 2059. "But maybe easier, too."

Why might it be both? Because teams like Mexico City, who the Zombies downed in the Geoghegan, and more famously Charm City load up their roster with quality lefty starters to neutralize most starting lineups, Jacksonville has done the work in the front office to try to load up against left handed pitching. They have added players like Majd Nawaf and Billy McKay, and developed stars like Don Colbert and Pepe Aragon.

Has it worked? Yes, for the most part. Nawaf and Aragon were downright dominant against Charm City pitching this year, and most players were reasonably solid. However, Jacksonville has not been able to quiet the Charm City bats, and while they averaged almost five runs a game against the top-rated Jimmies' pitching staff in a series late in August, they also gave up over five runs a game, losing two one-run games in the process.

"We're going to have to tighten up on defense and get good production out of our starters to have a shot at this one," said Jacksonville rookie manager Shoiab Kardar, who is now one for one in getting BBA teams to the playoffs. "But we can do it."

[trmmilwwi]

Love this rivalry! Go into battle men!