See "35 Finals Start Tonight" thread.

what was the score???

An 11-0 drubbing... Dodgers scored early and often, then coasted home... 4 in the first on 4 Cub errors, 4 in the second, 3 in the third... And all the while Shook pitching his normal outstanding game... No need to keep him in and they took him out after five... Seriously ~ the Dodgers are younger, faster, and have ALL the pitching... It'd be nice to see JJ play for a different team next year so as to have it be a competitive league, otherwise the Dodgers are going to continue running over everyone in the 35's... They are playing a different game than everyone else... Even though they have some clear weaknesses, they never get truly exploited because so few of us at this level can actually hit against either JJ and/or Shook... Not to mention Mick is a hell of a shortstop and damn good pitcher too... Day ain't too shabby either and is everyone else's ace, so they go 4 deep when everyone else scrambles to go past 1 or maybe 2...

Say what you want, but anyone with a baseball IQ above retarded could see the obvious...
And as much as I appreciate the heart of the Cubbies and many (most in fact) other teams in the division, there's ZERO competition for the Championship at present... Everyone else is playing for second... And always will be until someone else who can pitch like they do comes into the league...
Thing is, the up & comers from the 25's will likely want to play for the powerhouse too, so what to do???
Does the league actually want this total lack of competition???

I mean I get it's a rec league and people are just trying to have fun for the most part ~ but c'mon, we ALL know it's WAY more fun to have some friendly competition... I mean hell, the Cougars thread is nice to see and apparently there's talk of disbanding them for being so awful, yet it's ok to essentially allow the Dodgers to "bully" the 35 division and jus beat the hell outta everyone in their path to the Championship?
Is not an 18-1 shellacking in the semi's, followed by the 11-0 drubbing yesterday (and again, they definitely eased up) not enough proof???

Jus saying... Facts are facts and the fact is that I am aware many of you whom have been around this league for years do not want to hear the cold, hard truth and will prolly come up with all kinds of nonsense to say about me personally. Truth is, I have no real substantial investment in this debate one way or the other, quite the contrary... I'm simply saying what MANY are thinking and have almost certainly spoken about in private conversations ~ if not just with themselves...

Irony is, it truly makes very little difference to me personally as I'll just keep doing my thing either way, but after not touching a baseball for over 20 years, one of the things that attracted me back to the love of playing the game was the sportsmanlike competitiveness that I saw in this fine league you gentlemen have developed. It was rather impressive... And I am not easily impressed...

Loaded teams beating the bejeezus out of everyone else is not impressive...

And I can't help but wonder if JJ and/or Shookie don't have it in their make-up to look for that spirit inside themselves, then maybe the powers that be in the league could do something??? Or rather, choose to bury their heads in the sand and pretend it's perfectly alright under the guise of whatever semantic wording they choose to use as the facade???

Anyways, jus a lil food for thought as I had a little time to kill this am and well hell ~ I was really just going to answer the question about the damned score from last night!

And just for the record and in order to alleviate some the certain bs accusations that re sure to fly ~ My name is Mark Marshall. My cell is 269-2775... And I hide from no one these days...
Err, except my ex-wife of course...

I agree..... BUT... that is what you'll get with the free agency rules the way they are. This was brought up during the time of voting for the free agency rules - and shot right down. The majority of guys voting wanted the new rules. So now you have to deal with it. Too late for changes now.

Any team would be happy to have one starter like JJ, Day, Shook and Dedrick. Not only do they have all four of those guys, but they have Mickey, Bolt and Burns to step in if those guys want to take a breather. I know I'm probably missing someone, but those are the guys I can think of off the top of my head. Plus, they are surrounded with good players.

Hats off to Mickey for getting that team together. After 17 years in this league (being a bridemaid 6 times and never a bride) I wish at some point in time I could have pulled something off like this... and I'm sure many feel the same way.

The Dodgers would be the front runners every year if they choose to stay together, and theres no reason why they shouldn't - other than parity.

Hey.... don't crown them just yet..... there is still more game(s) to be played.

Ed Class
on the A's since 1994

-- Edited by class on Tuesday 13th of September 2011 02:00:50 PM

-- Edited by class on Tuesday 13th of September 2011 02:01:28 PM

Silly talk started from a silly post.
Glad you finally "manned" up and put your name on your posts, Mark.
Although it didn't take Felini to figure that one out, with your pro-Highlanders and
pro-Yankees referrences.
I see why you want to break the Dodgers up.
Competitive men with a modecum of pride don't give up so easily.
Yes, the Dodgers are younger, faster, and have a cache of talented pitchers, but are they unbeatable, no!
The Cubs will hope to show you that tonight, but if we don't, we will tip our caps to the better team and come back next year with the same goal: win it all!
Dynasties don't last forever. Egos get in the way.
Pitchers that would be number ones elsewhere get tired of being after-thoughts to the likes of JJ and Shook. Players that do nothing but play in the meaningless games and sit the bench throughout the playoffs get tired of that and go elsewhere. Don't take a snapshot of this situation and call it anything more than what it is...a great season by a loaded roster. Give props to the guys responsible for putting it together and quit your crying.
You should be spending your time trying to improve the team that you are on or finding a better situation for yourself. Although I don't know if there are many teams that are going to stand in line for the services of someone that gives up so easily.
As for the Cougars, I give them a ton of credit for sticking it out through a 0-17 season.
The unbalanced schedule in the 45's is as far as the league can go and should go. I agree with John Corrigan. If you can field a team with a minimum of paying players
(18, I believe) and pay the league fee, then why should they not be allowed to play.
If the Yankees don't like playing them, then win more games during the regular seson and you will only have to play them once the following year.

Oh contrare Mr. Girrard sir ~ I have not said anything about leaving the Highlanders and/or Yankees... And there is Zero crying here buddy ~ Among other things, I am an Army Ranger (hence my 20 year baseball hiatus)... I'm simply stating facts and am indeed trying to improve my current teams which I will stay with no matter what... It's part of why I respect the Cougars and like their nice posts to each other... Hell, I am new to this whole league and the politics involved, much less have any control over even the teams I play on... Donnie and Cos are both fine, fine men with big hearts and and good baseball IQ's... They call the shots and I just play where and when I'm told...
Funny how the Highlanders became "good" come playoff time...
And the Yankees have just been biding time all year with playing everyone that shows up (often 16 guys) ~ but now it's time for business and we'll see how we fare... Your predictions are not just bulletin board material, but hell, they haven't been too good thus far from what I've seen anyways...

Cos has however asked me to take over the Highlanders next year and I am doing precisely as you say ~ trying to make it a better team, NOT giving up...

If you interpreted anything I said as anything other than being honest and respectful, then that's on you...
And to question my "pride" says FAR more about you than it does me...

I'll be a Yankee until I go to the 55's or they fold...
Same goes for the Highlanders...
It has been an honor to play for Cos and I am equally privileged that Donnie wanted me to be on the Yankees as I turned 45 a few weeks back...

Now let's let our playing on the field do the talking as I do admire your competitive flow, you definitely got that...
But just like you underestimated the Highlanders in the playoffs ~~~ Well...

We'll see what happens next...

But my prediction is the Marlins go down to the Yankees in the semi's...
And JJ shuts the Cubs out again...
Dodgers take tonight's game easily to close out their easy road to the Championship...

Though I trust you'll show your own pride and still show up to make them play the game???

Oh yeah, btw ~ I don't realllly hide from my ex-wife either...
She's actually a hell of a good woman!
And pretty hot too!


Sheesh Louise...

Let's laugh a lil, shall we???

-- Edited by Marcus Aurelius on Tuesday 13th of September 2011 01:41:15 PM

Arms can do that Rob if you do not have any muscles!

PLEASE!!!
TY Kind sir!

Can you Start with pitchers please???
Hahaha...
But I'm not kidding...

Q,
You would make a great Cubbie!
Let's talk with Mr. McQuade when the season is over.

MARCUS I TOTALLY AGREE AND COULDNT HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF..WELL SAID..IT WILL BE SAME THING AGAIN NEXT YEAR...IT ISNT ANY FUN AND THIS WAS MY 1ST YEAR PLAYING IN LIKE 15 YRS AND IT WAS AWFUL. I LIKED MY TEAM THE ORIOLES WHEN WE ACTUALLY SHOWED UP AND HAD PITCHING..WE WERE PRETTY GOOD BUT THAT WAS VERY RARE AND TOO FAR IN BETWEEN. GOING UNDEFEATED AND BLOWING EVERYBODY OUT IN THE PLAYOFFS JUST SHOWS HOW UNEVEN THE TEAMS ARE...N IT'S BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALL THE PITCHING ESP PITCHING THAT LEVELS ABOVE THE COMPETITION IN THE 35'S..I HOPE IT GETS BETTER NEXT YEAR..WHICH I HAVE TO FIND A NEW TEAM TO PLAY WITH..BUT I JUST DONT SEE IT UNTIL WE SEE SHOOKIE VS PEARSALL GOING AT IT

PREMOSIX NEEDS TO LOCATE THE CAPS LOCK BUTTON.

There are ways to make the league competitive if they get creative. If they don't then we'll continue to have juggernauts like the Dodgers, Cubs, Humm'n'birds, etc. I've tried a bunch of different suggestions but each time I was told I hated freedom or hated America or something like that.

So instead of trying to change the system I joined a great team. What I found about the Dodgers was that it was a great group of guys to play with.

And those who focus on JJ and Shook miss out on naming great talent like:

Dave Ames
Mike Bintz
Bob Bolt
Scott Bonnano
Joe Burns
Mike Burns
Jason Day
Ryan Johnson
Josh Kenniston
Rick Koster
Carlos Llera
Ralph Marrero
Brian Musella
Mick Novak

And don't forget, we get back a healthy Chris Dedrick and Jim Keegan next year.

I look forward to getting back together with these guys next year and defending our title.

Hi Marcus Aurelius, can I pitch to you????

Bahahaha...
Of course you can brother man, fire away, whatcha got???

Cause you see, here's the thing ~ I'm new to the politics of this whole thing and just trying to build a better team is all...
As I was off fighting for the liberties we all enjoy in the great land which we live, I haven't exactly been part of the old boys network around here...
And well, since I'm not from here anyways, what the hell, that prolly works against me to a degree as well..

But let's just say that my worldview is a lil bigger than then the cdmsbl...
And yet, it's all good fun and it just happens to be a LOT MORE fun when you get a few W's is all...

And since I am only one guy and play shortstop, you can't blame a guy for trying to recruit talented pitchers like yourself, can ya???
Though I did pitch a complete game gem against the Padres in the first round of the playoffs...
Funny considering I haven't really been on a mound since little league...
But since this is essentially little league for adults, I can definitely throw against the lower tiered teams, but the Cubbies hitting machine (almost all those guys can hit at least a lil) knocked me around pretty good in our pivotal game 3... Errors of course hurt also, but they were ripping me hard...
I'm not a pitcher ~ I belong at short...

But we already have one fine pitcher in John Kalinski and another one in Kevin Jackson...
They are just getting a lil old for this age group and get hit hard often, so everyone has to make plays, which is not likely to happen at this level...
And we need some young, talented pitching or the team is going to have another hard season

We also have the BEST centerfielder in the league and 2 of the best the best pure hitters in the league too (and no, I am not referring to myself ~ though I am pretty damn good too considering I didn't touch a bat for 20 years)...
Plus Kevin and John still have a little gas left in the tank even when not pitching as they have both been hacking for years in this league and are still formidable...

So yeah, there's a fine, fine nucleus ~ just w/out much in the way pitching...
And how's anyone gonna win if a damned shortstop has to get out there and pretend he's pitching???
Hell man, we'll be fine if we don;t add to the team over the off-season, but it's not gonna be because I didn't try and recruit some pitching...

And this just seems like the perfect place to do so...


So there you have it...
And if you really wanna see what you're made of, then maybe try playing for another team besides just riding second or third fiddle to JJ and Shook???

Or not???

And that's my pitch to you!