1. RotowireNL - Bye
Next Game: Winner of 9. Bombers. and 8. Flight NL
2. Rejected - Bye
Next Game: Winner of 7. FlightAL and 10. Carnage
3. Starfire - Bye
Next Game: Winner of 6. Ripit and 11. T.Tech
4. Hybrids vs 13. Empire
In his inception into Elite tournament play, former AS league All-Aces SniperX was knocked around to the tune of a 19.20 ERA. Empire hitters had a field day against the same pitcher who seemed to dominate the likes of Mustangs, Ripit, and Rejected just a few seasons ago.
Hybrids found late success against Empire pitcher ElDuque the last time out and are expected to hit the ball well. ToyBoy seemed to be the only consistent hitter, while Gawd's struggles in the last tournament do not expect to continue.
On the Empire front, they look to develop a modern day murderers row with Revoke, Pete998, Melky, and Prooot. Those very same 4 hitters all had multiple hits off of SniperX in the last tournament.
Pitching wise, it is yet unknown who Empire will counter with seeing as Hybrid hitters have all ready seen ElDuque. Being a prize tournament, expect Empire to try everything possible to keep a very capable Hybrids team on edge.
Prediction: Empire 6 - Hybrids 3
Players To Watch: Pete998 , ToyBoy
5. Rotowire vs 12. Masters
Rotowire has always been one of the premier teams as far as tournament and regular season play came to mind. Regardless of their lack of playoff success, Rotowire is easily one of the top 5 teams in the game. The only true concern for Rotowire at this point is whether or not their ace pitcher, Boget, and Midget have been active enough to perform at the level they are capable of performing at.
Boget's usual slow cutter has been significantly nerfed this patch, and we will see if the multiple All-Aces winner can adjust to the tune of a sub 4.00 ERA that he has put up in league play.
Offensively it all depends on who shows up. If Splif, TarHeelS, Miig, and Haskell and Snipe show up, Rotowire is in for an offensive field day even if they are heavily inactive. But if CTAP is forced to throw out Skoal and himself into the mix, it is going to be a lot more difficult to win despite the leadership both players provide. It should be interesting how difficult Rotowire makes their tournament run. Their only competition in this first round, seems to be themselves.
The Masters have been under scrutiny for controversial maj down games and controversial recruiting. JLPR, Aceme, and Ravelo are all known laggers, and Junior will have to manage around lagging complaints from CTAP the whole way through.
Pitching duties should fall to Ravelo, who if he doesn't lag out, will have to maneuver past a tough Rotowire offense. If he falters, Tau will be there to pick him up.
Offensively Masters is unproven. JLPR has never finished a game so we can not judge how good of a hitter he is. Ravelo once was a very good hitter, but we are unsure if his pitching stats will damper his ability to hit. Junior has been nothing short of mediocre. And the rest of the Masters team seems to be inconsistent at best. Nevertheless, Rotowire should not overlook any team with AceMe O.O.
Prediction: Rotowire 11 - Masters 2
Players to Watch: Boget , Ravelo
6. Ripit vs 11. T.Tech
Youtube videos aside, Ripit is a team to be taken rather seriously. In this game though, they may be overmatched in every facet of play.
Ripit will continue to struggle as long as Resinator pitches sidearm. He seems to throw the same pitches in PUG as he does in the Tournament Clubhouse. In order to win, JimmyJohn needs to find a way to manipulate the sidearm style so that the ball can be thrown in a way that keeps these T.Tech hitters off balance. This may very well be buying a plane ticket, finding NCK, fixing sidearm pitches, and releasing a patch before tourney time.
Offensively, Ripit is a very streaky team that should not score more than 3 or 4 runs in this ball game. Unfortunately, Ripit's long wait for a tournament will be made longer after tonight.
T.Tech is simply a better team, flirting with the upper-echelon teams in UBO. WCKDPERK or GATYOPIN2 should see the mound, and though statistically unimpressive, they manage to hold opponents rather impressively.
Offensively, Baptiste's team will rely on birthday boy ABSMOKE, who will hopefully not be suffering from er um post-birthday depression. Anyway, this offense should provide enough runs to win this game rather easily.
Prediction: T.Tech 14 - Ripit 4
Players to Watch: ABSMOKE , Resinator
7. FlightAL vs 10. Carnage
One of the most popular story lines in RBO this coming year will be how effective FlightAL's pitching staff will be. Not falling far behind, is Carnage's own storyline of being slapped in the easiest division and taking advantage of it and reaching the league finals. Can FlightAL win with their pitching? Was Carnage's run a fluke?
FlightAL will feature ConMan and DrDeath. A telling sign of the fall of DrDeath is his demotion from FlightNL. Though both Flight teams are apparently "equal" it is evident that Papi has lost some confidence in his former Ace. DrDeath will most likely be handed pitching duties, if not, recently re-acquired ConMan will have to take the load. The Questionable pitching staff should be FlightAL's only question mark in this tournment.
With a collection of new faces, FlightAL's offense should suffer growing pains. New Manager Kentucky will have to find the correct formula for success. ZachAtack and Kentucky should hit, the question lies on who can fill in the other 2 slots. 96 has not proven himself capable, and Crede should hit fairly well. As I said, they should not have any other problem other than pitching, as FlightAL has a very capable offense.
Carnage needs to get Megatron off to a hot start. Megatron needs to avoid making the same mistake that always seems to cause Carnage games, keeping himself in too long. Other than that Megatron is very capable of getting hitters out, and he should maneuver past the inexperienced newer Flight players. The rest, will be a battle.
Ebola, Jacke, Wiggy, and Bnutz should get the start. All very good and capable hitters and as a team arguably have deeper offense than Flight. From an outsider's point of view, Kentucky and ZachAtack are better hitters, but Jacke, Wiggy, and Bnuts are significantly more consistent than the other two Flight can throw out there. Despite that, Carnage should put up similar runs to what Flight will.
Prediction: Carnage 7 - Flight 5
Players to Watch: BNutz - 96
8. FlightNL vs 9. Bombers *Game of the Day*
It can now be argued that FlightAL is a better team than FlightNL, this would have been an afterthought in years past. Now, with new acquisitions, Papi needs to quickly figure out what works and he will not have a good game to do so against a battle-tested Bombers team.
Pitching wise FlightNL needs to figure out who the hell can give them 4-6 innings. Is it 2Nice4Dis, who was hammered in tournament play in the past, or SmokeOut, who has not been trusted with Duque and DrDeath on the roster in games past. As it usually comes down to, pitching will be what FlightNL's question mark is.
Corv, Papi, YardDog, and HugeEvil will hit. They have an incredible offense that rivals any other in UBO. The fourth spot, should alternate throughout the year and it seems that Papi has tried to hide the evident pitching flaws with an overpowering offense. That did not work for Omen, Yankees, and Stigma in leagues past.
The least of concerns for the Bombers is pitching. KMAN took a loss to Flight in a warmup tournament but should rebound. IPWN looks to establish himself as the secondary pitcher needed to make a solid run at a tournament championship.
Frogger, Jiraiya, TheMan, d1nonly2. Runs will be scored off of Flight pitching.
Prediction: Bombers 9 - FlightNL 6
Players to Watch: d1nonly2 , 2Nice4Dis
Next Game: Winner of 9. Bombers. and 8. Flight NL
2. Rejected - Bye
Next Game: Winner of 7. FlightAL and 10. Carnage
3. Starfire - Bye
Next Game: Winner of 6. Ripit and 11. T.Tech
4. Hybrids vs 13. Empire
In his inception into Elite tournament play, former AS league All-Aces SniperX was knocked around to the tune of a 19.20 ERA. Empire hitters had a field day against the same pitcher who seemed to dominate the likes of Mustangs, Ripit, and Rejected just a few seasons ago.
Hybrids found late success against Empire pitcher ElDuque the last time out and are expected to hit the ball well. ToyBoy seemed to be the only consistent hitter, while Gawd's struggles in the last tournament do not expect to continue.
On the Empire front, they look to develop a modern day murderers row with Revoke, Pete998, Melky, and Prooot. Those very same 4 hitters all had multiple hits off of SniperX in the last tournament.
Pitching wise, it is yet unknown who Empire will counter with seeing as Hybrid hitters have all ready seen ElDuque. Being a prize tournament, expect Empire to try everything possible to keep a very capable Hybrids team on edge.
Prediction: Empire 6 - Hybrids 3
Players To Watch: Pete998 , ToyBoy
5. Rotowire vs 12. Masters
Rotowire has always been one of the premier teams as far as tournament and regular season play came to mind. Regardless of their lack of playoff success, Rotowire is easily one of the top 5 teams in the game. The only true concern for Rotowire at this point is whether or not their ace pitcher, Boget, and Midget have been active enough to perform at the level they are capable of performing at.
Boget's usual slow cutter has been significantly nerfed this patch, and we will see if the multiple All-Aces winner can adjust to the tune of a sub 4.00 ERA that he has put up in league play.
Offensively it all depends on who shows up. If Splif, TarHeelS, Miig, and Haskell and Snipe show up, Rotowire is in for an offensive field day even if they are heavily inactive. But if CTAP is forced to throw out Skoal and himself into the mix, it is going to be a lot more difficult to win despite the leadership both players provide. It should be interesting how difficult Rotowire makes their tournament run. Their only competition in this first round, seems to be themselves.
The Masters have been under scrutiny for controversial maj down games and controversial recruiting. JLPR, Aceme, and Ravelo are all known laggers, and Junior will have to manage around lagging complaints from CTAP the whole way through.
Pitching duties should fall to Ravelo, who if he doesn't lag out, will have to maneuver past a tough Rotowire offense. If he falters, Tau will be there to pick him up.
Offensively Masters is unproven. JLPR has never finished a game so we can not judge how good of a hitter he is. Ravelo once was a very good hitter, but we are unsure if his pitching stats will damper his ability to hit. Junior has been nothing short of mediocre. And the rest of the Masters team seems to be inconsistent at best. Nevertheless, Rotowire should not overlook any team with AceMe O.O.
Prediction: Rotowire 11 - Masters 2
Players to Watch: Boget , Ravelo
6. Ripit vs 11. T.Tech
Youtube videos aside, Ripit is a team to be taken rather seriously. In this game though, they may be overmatched in every facet of play.
Ripit will continue to struggle as long as Resinator pitches sidearm. He seems to throw the same pitches in PUG as he does in the Tournament Clubhouse. In order to win, JimmyJohn needs to find a way to manipulate the sidearm style so that the ball can be thrown in a way that keeps these T.Tech hitters off balance. This may very well be buying a plane ticket, finding NCK, fixing sidearm pitches, and releasing a patch before tourney time.
Offensively, Ripit is a very streaky team that should not score more than 3 or 4 runs in this ball game. Unfortunately, Ripit's long wait for a tournament will be made longer after tonight.
T.Tech is simply a better team, flirting with the upper-echelon teams in UBO. WCKDPERK or GATYOPIN2 should see the mound, and though statistically unimpressive, they manage to hold opponents rather impressively.
Offensively, Baptiste's team will rely on birthday boy ABSMOKE, who will hopefully not be suffering from er um post-birthday depression. Anyway, this offense should provide enough runs to win this game rather easily.
Prediction: T.Tech 14 - Ripit 4
Players to Watch: ABSMOKE , Resinator
7. FlightAL vs 10. Carnage
One of the most popular story lines in RBO this coming year will be how effective FlightAL's pitching staff will be. Not falling far behind, is Carnage's own storyline of being slapped in the easiest division and taking advantage of it and reaching the league finals. Can FlightAL win with their pitching? Was Carnage's run a fluke?
FlightAL will feature ConMan and DrDeath. A telling sign of the fall of DrDeath is his demotion from FlightNL. Though both Flight teams are apparently "equal" it is evident that Papi has lost some confidence in his former Ace. DrDeath will most likely be handed pitching duties, if not, recently re-acquired ConMan will have to take the load. The Questionable pitching staff should be FlightAL's only question mark in this tournment.
With a collection of new faces, FlightAL's offense should suffer growing pains. New Manager Kentucky will have to find the correct formula for success. ZachAtack and Kentucky should hit, the question lies on who can fill in the other 2 slots. 96 has not proven himself capable, and Crede should hit fairly well. As I said, they should not have any other problem other than pitching, as FlightAL has a very capable offense.
Carnage needs to get Megatron off to a hot start. Megatron needs to avoid making the same mistake that always seems to cause Carnage games, keeping himself in too long. Other than that Megatron is very capable of getting hitters out, and he should maneuver past the inexperienced newer Flight players. The rest, will be a battle.
Ebola, Jacke, Wiggy, and Bnutz should get the start. All very good and capable hitters and as a team arguably have deeper offense than Flight. From an outsider's point of view, Kentucky and ZachAtack are better hitters, but Jacke, Wiggy, and Bnuts are significantly more consistent than the other two Flight can throw out there. Despite that, Carnage should put up similar runs to what Flight will.
Prediction: Carnage 7 - Flight 5
Players to Watch: BNutz - 96
8. FlightNL vs 9. Bombers *Game of the Day*
It can now be argued that FlightAL is a better team than FlightNL, this would have been an afterthought in years past. Now, with new acquisitions, Papi needs to quickly figure out what works and he will not have a good game to do so against a battle-tested Bombers team.
Pitching wise FlightNL needs to figure out who the hell can give them 4-6 innings. Is it 2Nice4Dis, who was hammered in tournament play in the past, or SmokeOut, who has not been trusted with Duque and DrDeath on the roster in games past. As it usually comes down to, pitching will be what FlightNL's question mark is.
Corv, Papi, YardDog, and HugeEvil will hit. They have an incredible offense that rivals any other in UBO. The fourth spot, should alternate throughout the year and it seems that Papi has tried to hide the evident pitching flaws with an overpowering offense. That did not work for Omen, Yankees, and Stigma in leagues past.
The least of concerns for the Bombers is pitching. KMAN took a loss to Flight in a warmup tournament but should rebound. IPWN looks to establish himself as the secondary pitcher needed to make a solid run at a tournament championship.
Frogger, Jiraiya, TheMan, d1nonly2. Runs will be scored off of Flight pitching.
Prediction: Bombers 9 - FlightNL 6
Players to Watch: d1nonly2 , 2Nice4Dis
1 comments:
May 6, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Not too bad there NEWB and Melky! It's nice to see some people still enjoy the sports writing aspect of the game. I wish your squads all the best and am happy to see someone continuing a fun (all-be-it difficult) tradition!
SMack aka UBOPress aka YrdBird
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