That was Red-iculous

Reds Sweep Rockies to Claim 2014 World Series Title

Winning four nail-biter one-run games in a row, the Reds swept to the 2014 Redwood SOM championship, overcoming a valiant Rockies adversary in the 2014 World Series. In the process they completed a remarkable second-half run, establishing an 8-2 post-season record after winning 19 of their last 25 regular-season games.

Nelson Cruz claimed MVP honors, as his timely home runs, combined with their stingy pitching and defense, helped the Reds sweep four one-run games: 

Game One: Reds win 1-0 in a tense Kershaw-Bumgarner pitching duel, on a Miguel Montero walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth

Game Two: Reds win 7-6 as Cruz delivers a ninth-inning walk-off dinger

Game Three: Reds win 4-3 in an extra-inning marathon, again decided by a Cruz home run in the top of the fifteenth

Game Four: Rockies take 5-4 lead into the ninth, but then Evan Longoria hits a two-run shot to deliver the Reds a 6-5 win; Rockies load the bases in the bottom of the ninth but are forced to send Joe Nathan to the plate with two outs as they run out of relievers (Maddigan Rule strikes again!)

Congratulations to the Reds! 


Larry Division

1. x-Pirates (46-34), .575, 0.0 GB*
2. y-Giants (46-34), .575, 0.0 GB
3. Red Sox (43-37), .538, 3.0 GB

*Pirates win tie-breaker based on head-to-head record

Curly Division

1. x-Rockies (40-40), .500, 0.0 GB
2. Mets (37-43), .463, 3.0 GB
3. Cardinals (31-49), .355, 9.0 GB 

Moe Division

1. x-Reds (44-36), .550, 0.0 GB
2. Athletics (37-43), .463, 7.0 GB
3. Yankees (36-44), .450, 8.0 GB 

x=clinched division title
y=clinched wild card

Divisional Playoff Series
Pirates (Number One Seed) versus Rockies (Number Four Seed)
Rockies sweep series 4 games to 0 - Matt Adams MVP

Giants (Number Two Seed) versus Reds (Number Three Seed)
Reds win series 4 games to 2 - Tanner Roark MVP

2014 World Series
Reds (Number Three Seed) versus Rockies (Number Four Seed)
Reds sweep series 4 games to 0 - Nelson Cruz MVP

2015 Draft Order
1. Cardinals
2. Yankees
3. Mets
4. Athletics*
5. Red Sox
6. Giants
7. Pirates
8. Rockies
9. Reds

*Athletics deemed to have better record than Mets due to head-to-head tie-breaker

Next action: The Hot Stove starts now! See you in February...

Adios Lorencios! Rockies and Reds Ready to Rumble

For the second year in a row the Rockies, as number four seed in the playoffs, swept the number one seed in the Divisional Series to advance to the Redwood SOM World Series.

After sweeping the Giants a year ago to advance to the 2013 Series, the Rockies this year, seeded fourth after winning the Curly Division with a 40-40 record, swept the number-one-seed Pirates, four games to none. Matt Adams was named MVP with some very timely home runs.

Next up for the Rockies is the number-three-seed Reds, who eliminated number-two-seed Giants four games to two in the other Divisional Series. The Reds have been the hottest team in the league for a while; they won 19 of their last 25 regular season games before dispatching the Giants. MVP honors went to Tanner Roark, whose pitching shut down the vaunted Giants offense.

The Divisional Series resulted in an ignominious end to the dominance of the Larry Division this season, as both the Pirates and Giants, who finished with identical 46-34 regular season records, were eliminated. The Larry Division owned the colors for the entire regular season, with the Red Sox claiming them for the first three-fourths of the season, and after that the Giants and Pirates trading off. No longer: the Reds currently own the colors as the team with the best record among the surviving contenders, but the next four to seven games will determine whose colors will grace the standings page during the off-season.

Congratulations to the Rockies and Reds. Play ball!  


Larry Division

1. x-Pirates (46-34), .575, 0.0 GB*
2. y-Giants (46-34), .575, 0.0 GB
3. Red Sox (43-37), .538, 3.0 GB

*Pirates win tie-breaker based on head-to-head record

Curly Division

1. x-Rockies (40-40), .500, 0.0 GB
2. Mets (37-43), .463, 3.0 GB
3. Cardinals (31-49), .355, 9.0 GB 

Moe Division

1. x-Reds (44-36), .550, 0.0 GB
2. Athletics (37-43), .463, 7.0 GB
3. Yankees (36-44), .450, 8.0 GB 

x=clinched division title
y=clinched wild card

Divisional Playoff Series
Pirates (Number One Seed) versus Rockies (Number Four Seed)
Rockies sweep series 4 games to 0 - Matt Adams MVP

Giants (Number Two Seed) versus Reds (Number Three Seed)
Reds win series 4 games to 2 - Tanner Roark MVP

2014 World Series
Reds (Number Three Seed) versus Rockies (Number Four Seed)

2015 Draft Order
1. Cardinals
2. Yankees
3. Mets
4. Athletics*
5. Red Sox
6. Giants
7. Pirates
8.-9. To be determined(World Series Teams)

*Athletics deemed to have better record than Mets due to head-to-head tie-breaker

Next action: World Series, date and time to be announced. Come and be in the booth!

Final Standings and Post-Season Madness - December 5, 2014

(Updated December 7, 2014)
(Updated December 8, 2014)

The 2014 regular season is in the books. On to the playoffs!


Larry Division

1. x-Pirates (46-34), .575, 0.0 GB*
2. y-Giants (46-34), .575, 0.0 GB
3. Red Sox (43-37), .538, 3.0 GB

*Pirates win tie-breaker based on head-to-head record

Curly Division

1. x-Rockies (40-40), .500, 0.0 GB
2. Mets (37-43), .463, 3.0 GB
3. Cardinals (31-49), .355, 9.0 GB 

Moe Division

1. x-Reds (44-36), .550, 0.0 GB
2. Athletics (37-43), .463, 7.0 GB
3. Yankees (36-44), .450, 8.0 GB 

x=clinched division title
y=clinched wild card

Divisional Playoff Series
Pirates (Number One Seed) versus Rockies (Number Four Seed)
Rockies sweep series 4 games to 0 - Matt Adams MVP

Giants (Number Two Seed) versus Reds (Number Three Seed)

2014 World Series
???? versus Rockies (Number 4 Seed)

2015 Draft Order
1. Cardinals
2. Yankees
3. Mets
4. Athletics*
5. Red Sox
6. To be determined (Giants/Reds)
7. Pirates
8.-9. To be determined(World Series Teams)

*Athletics deemed to have better record than Mets due to head-to-head tie-breaker

Next action: World Series, date and time to be announced. Come and be in the booth!

Standings - November 25, 2014

(Updated November 26, 2014)
(Updated November 28, 2014)
(Updated December 1, 2014)
(Updated December 3, 2014)

Larry Division

1. y-Giants (45-32), .584, 0.0 GB
2. y-Pirates (44-33), .584, 1.0 GB
3. Red Sox (42-37), .532, 4.0 GB

Giants magic number = 2*
Pirates magic number = 2*
*Giants and Pirates have 3 games against each other remaining; Pirates would win tie-breaker; team which wins 2 out of remaining 3 games will clinch division title

Curly Division

1. x-Rockies (40-39), .506, 0.0 GB
2. Mets (37-43), .463, 3.5 GB
3. Cardinals (31-49), .355, 9.5 GB 

Moe Division

1. x-Reds (44-36), .550, 0.0 GB
2. Athletics (37-43), .463, 7.0 GB
3. Yankees (35-43), .449, 8.0 GB 

x=clinched division title
y=clinched playoff spot

Next action: Nothing Scheduled as of now. Tea party time, folks?

Standings - November 18, 2014

Larry Division

1. Giants (41-28), .594, 0.0 GB
2. Pirates (44-33), .584, 1.0 GB
3. Red Sox (40-30), .571, 1.5 GB

Giants magic number = 10

Curly Division

1. Rockies (35-31), .530, 0.0 GB
2. Mets (35-38), .479, 3.5 GB
3. Cardinals (24-48), .333, 14.0 GB 

Rockies magic number = 8

Moe Division

1. Reds (36-34), .514, 0.0 GB
2. Athletics (31-36), .463, 3.5 GB
3. Yankees (32-40), .444, 5.0 GB

Reds magic number = 9

Next action: Nothing Scheduled as of now. Tea party time, folks?

Standings - November 17, 2014

Larry Division

1. Red Sox (37-24), .607, 0.0 GB
2. Pirates (42-31), .575, 1.0 GB
3. Giants (34-25), .576, 2.0 GB

Curly Division

1. Rockies (31-25), .554, 0.0 GB
2. Mets (31-32), .492, 3.5 GB
3. Cardinals (24-44), .353, 13.0 GB 

Moe Division

1. Reds (29-31), .483, 0.0 GB
2. Athletics (28-33), .459, 1.5 GB
3. Yankees (28-37), .431, 3.5 GB

Next action: Nothing Scheduled as of now. Tea party time, folks?

Standings - November 10, 2014

Larry Division

1. Red Sox (37-24), .607, 0.0 GB
2. Pirates (41-29), .586, 0.5 GB
3. Giants (34-25), .576, 2.0 GB

Curly Division

1. Rockies (31-25), .554, 0.0 GB
2. Mets (31-32), .492, 3.5 GB
3. Cardinals (24-44), .353, 13.0 GB 

Moe Division

1. Athletics (27-30), .474, 0.0 GB
2. Reds (25-30), .455, 1.0 GB
3. Yankees (26-35), .426, 3.0 GB

Next action: Nothing Scheduled as of now. Tea party time, folks?

Standings - October 27,2014

Larry Division

1. Red Sox (31-22), .585, 0.0 GB
2. Pirates (32-24), .571, 0.5 GB
3. Giants (28-21), .571, 1.0 GB

Curly Division

1. Rockies (22-21), .517, 0.0 GB
2. Mets (23-24), .489, 1.0 GB
3. Cardinals (19-37), .339, 9.5 GB 

Moe Division

1. Athletics (24-23), .511, 0.0 GB
2. Reds (24-27), .471, 2.0 GB
3. Yankees (24-28), .462, 2.5 GB

Next action: Monday, October 27, at Larry's place.

Standings - September 16, 2014

Larry Division

1. Red Sox (27-19), .587, 0.0 GB
2. Giants (27-19), .587, 0.0 GB
3. Pirates (32-24), .571, 0.0 GB

Curly Division

1. Rockies (21-20), .512, 0.0 GB
2. Mets (22-22), .500, 0.5 GB
3. Cardinals (14-34), .292, 10.5 GB 

Moe Division

1. Athletics (24-22), .522, 0.0 GB
2. Yankees (22-25), .468, 2.5 GB
3. Reds (20-24), .455, 3.0 GB

Next action: Nothing scheduled for now but stay tuned!

Standings - August 13, 2014

Larry Division

1. Red Sox (26-17), .605, 0.0 GB
2. Giants (27-19), .587, 0.5 GB
3. Pirates (27-23), .540, 2.5 GB

Curly Division

1. Mets (21-19), .525, 0.0 GB
2. Rockies (21-20), .512, 0.5 GB
3. Cardinals (11-32), .256, 11.5 GB 

Moe Division

1. Athletics (22-20), .524, 0.0 GB
2. Yankees (21-22), .488, 1.5 GB
3. Reds (20-24), .455, 3.0 GB

Happy Birthday to the Commissioner!

Next action: Nothing scheduled for now but stay tuned!

Standings, new divisions and mid-season draft results - July 16, 2014

Larry Division

1. Red Sox (24-16), .600, 0.0 GB
2. Giants (25-17), .595, 0.0 GB
3. Pirates (26-21), .565, 1.5 GB

Curly Division

1. Mets (21-19), .525, 0.0 GB
2. Rockies (21-20), .512, 0.5 GB
3. Cardinals (10-30), .250, 11.0 GB 

Moe Division

1. Athletics (22-18), .550, 0.0 GB
2. Reds (19-23), .452, 4.0 GB
3. Yankees (18-22), .450, 4.0 GB

And those are your divisions for 2014! Loks like it's gonna be a horserace in all three divisions.

Mid-season draft results:

1. Yankees: Dellin Betances (cut: Yovanni Gilardo)

2. Pirates: Gregory Polanco (cut: Jose Tabata)

3. Cardinals: Jose Abreu (cut: Jeff Keppinger)

4. Reds: Nelson Cruz (cut: Brandon Morrow)

5. Rockies: Matt Adams (cut: Carlos Marmol) (roadkill pick: Keppinger, cutting C.C. Sabathia)

6. Athletics: Billy Hamilton (cut: Andrew Bailey)

7. Mets: Hunter Pence (cut: Josh Willingham)

8. Giants: Anthony Rendon (cut: Will Middlebrooks)

9. Red Sox: Kyle Seager (cut: Erasmo Ramirez) (roadkill pick: Gilardo, cutting Alexi Ogando)

Next action: Nothing scheduled for now but stay tuned!

Standings, 40-game records, and ping pong ball allocations for mid-season draft - July 13, 2014

1. Red Sox (24-16), .600, 0.0 GB
2. Giants (23-17), .575, 1.0 GB
3. Pirates (26-20), .565, 1.0 GB
4. Athletics (22-18), .550, 2.0 GB
5. Mets (21-19), .525, 3.0 GB
6. Rockies (20-20), .500, 4.0 GB
7. Reds (19-21), .475, 5.0 GB
8. Yankees (18-22), .450, 6.0 GB
9. Cardinals (10-30), .250, 14.0 GB

Commissioner Dog Night, the mid-season draft and the Larry-Curly-Moe division draw are scheduled for Tuesday July 15! Here are the 40-game records and ping pong ball allocations:

40-game records (for the ping pong ball rankings!)

1. Cardinals (10-30) (9 ping pong balls)
2. Yankees (18-22) (8 ping pong balls)
3. Reds (19-21) (7 ping pong balls)
4. Rockies (20-20) (6 ping pong balls)
5. Mets (21-19) (5 ping pong balls)
6. Athletics (22-18) (3.5 ping pong balls)
7. Pirates (22-18) (3.5 ping pong balls)
8. Giants (23-17) (2 ping pong balls)
9. Red Sox (24-16) (1 ping pong ball)

Next action: Commissioner Dog Night, July 15.

Standings - July 11, 2014

1. Red Sox (24-16), .600, 0.0 GB
2. Giants (23-17), .575, 1.0 GB
3. Mets (21-17), .579, 2.0 GB
4. Athletics (22-18), .550, 2.0 GB
5. Pirates (24-20), .545, 2.0 GB
6. Rockies (20-20), .500, 4.0 GB
7. Reds (19-21), .475, 5.0 GB
8. Yankees (18-22), .450, 6.0 GB
9. Cardinals (10-30), .250, 14.0 GB

We're getting close to Commissioner Dog Night, the mid-season draft and the Larry-Curly-Moe division draw! Remember to make note of your record after 40 games for ping-pong ball purposes...

40-game records (for the ping pong ball rankings!)

1. Cardinals (10-30) (9 ping pong balls)
2. Yankees (18-22) (8 ping pong balls)
3. Reds (19-21) (7 ping pong balls)
4. Rockies (20-20) (6 ping pong balls)
5. Athletics (22-18)
6. Pirates (22-18)
7. Giants (23-17)
8. Red Sox (24-16) (1 ping pong ball)

Next action: Commissioner Dog Night, July 15.

Standings - July 1, 2014

1. Red Sox (23-15), .605, 0.0 GB
2. Giants (22-16), .579, 1.0 GB
3. Pirates (22-18), .575, 2.0 GB
4. Athletics (22-18), .575, 2.0 GB
5. Mets (19-16), .543, 2.5 GB
6. Rockies (18-18), .500, 4.0 GB
7. Reds (19-20), .487, 4.5 GB
8. Yankees (16-20), .444, 6.0 GB
9. Cardinals (9-29), .237, 14.0 GB

We're getting close to Commissioner Dog Night, the mid-season draft and the Larry-Curly-Moe division draw! Remember to make note of your record after 40 games for ping-pong ball purposes...

40-game records (for the ping pong ball rankings!)

1. Athletics (22-18)
2. Pirates (22-18)

Next action: Nothing scheduled as of now, but stay tuned...

Standings - June 18, 2014

1. Red Sox (21-12), .636, 0.0 GB
2. Athletics (20-14), .588, 1.5 GB
3. Giants (20-15), .571, 2.0 GB
4. Pirates (19-17), .528, 3.5 GB
5. Mets (16-16), .500, 4.5 GB
6. Yankees (14-15), .483, 5.0 GB
7. Rockies (14-16), .467, 5.5 GB
8. Reds (16-20), .444, 6.5 GB
9. Cardinals (9-23), .281, 11.5 GB

Next action: Nothing scheduled as of now, but stay tuned...

Standings - May 20, 2014

1. Red Sox (19-11), .633, 0.0 GB
2. Giants (19-13), .594, 1.0 GB
3. Athletics (18-13), .581, 1.5 GB
4. Pirates (19-17), .528, 3.0 GB
5. Mets (15-14), .517, 3.5 GB
6. Reds (15-15), .500, 4.0 GB
7. Rockies (13-14), .481, 4.5 GB
8. Yankees (11-15), .407, 6.0 GB
9. Cardinals (7-23), .233, 12.0 GB

Next action: Nothing scheduled as of now, but stay tuned...

Standings - April 16, 2014

1. Red Sox (17-10), .630, 0.0 GB
2. Athletics (17-12), .586, 1.0 GB
3. Giants (16-12), .571, 1.5 GB
4. Mets (15-12), .556, 2.0 GB
5. Pirates (19-17), .528, 2.5 GB
6. Reds (15-15), .500, 3.5 GB
7. Rockies (13-14), .481, 4.0 GB
8. Yankees (10-14), .417, 5.5 GB
9. Cardinals (7-23), .233, 11.5 GB

Next action: Nothing scheduled as of now, but stay tuned...

Standings - March 25, 2014

1. Red Sox (15-9), .625, 0.0 GB
2. Athletics (16-11), .593, 0.5 GB
3. Pirates (19-14), .576, 0.5 GB
4. Giants (15-11), .577, 1.0 GB
5. Reds (14-14), .500, 3.0 GB
6. Mets (10-10), .500, 3.0 GB
7. Rockies (12-13), .480, 3.5 GB
8. Yankees (10-14), .417, 5.0 GB
9. Cardinals (6-21), .222, 10.5 GB

Next action: Nothing scheduled as of now, but stay tuned...

Standings - March 18, 2014

1. Red Sox (15-9), .625, 0.0 GB
2. Pirates (18-12), .600, 0.0 GB
3. Giants (14-9), .607, 0.5 GB
4. Athletics (13-11), .542, 2.0 GB
5. Reds (13-12), .520, 2.5 GB
6. Mets (10-10), .500, 3.0 GB
7. Rockies (12-13), .480, 3.5 GB
8. Yankees (9-13), .409, 5.0 GB
9. Cardinals (6-21), .222, 10.5 GB

Next action: Nothing scheduled as of now, but stay tuned...

February 24, 2014: Slumming it in Bodega, 2014 draft and regular season standings

1. Red Sox (13-7), .650, 0.0 GB
2. Giants (12-7), .632, 0.5 GB
3. Pirates (12-10), .591, 2.0 GB
4. Athletics (11-9), .550, 2.0 GB
5. Rockies (11-10), .524, 2.5 GB
6. Reds (13-12), .520, 2.5 GB
7. Mets (10-10), .500, 3.0 GB
8. Yankees (9-13), .409, 5.0 GB
9. Cardinals (5-18), .217, 9.5 GB

The 2014 Redwood SOM Draft Weekend is in the books, and a fine weekend it was.

The weekend almost didn't happen, as inclement weather in the East threatened to delay the Eagle's landing until after the weekend had come and gone. But intrepid efforts by the Pirates' front office, and their new friend Millie of the Strat-O-Matic organization, saved the day as the Eagle swooped in just in time Friday morning.

After the Commissioner reluctantly presented the Chico Escuela trophy to the Athletics, emblematic of the 2013 World Series title, the Rockies, whom the Athletics barely defeated in the series, made a very gracious presentation to the Athletics of a Bryce Harper bobblehead, honoring the Athletics' young phenom. The Pirates then made (old) Red Sox castoff Max Scherzer the first selection of 2014, and the (new) Red Sox sprinted to the lead in the standings with a 13-7 opening record. Meanwhile the Cardinals set the stage for what could be one of the great comebacks in Redwood SOM history. All in all, it appears parity has taken hold, and it was a very successful draft weekend.

There were, as always, a few glitches, although it seems some of them could have been avoided. After a three-year stretch in palatial master bedroom suites situated in properties managed by our friends at Bodega Bay Escapes, the Commissioner's Office inexplicably arranged this year's draft venue through another management company. The venue failed to live up to former standards which had been enforced by the Commissioner during years when the Giants enjoyed the master suite. First, having just endured the Eagle delay snafu, the League was chagrined to learn that the outfit selected by the Commissioner's Office refused even to allow access to the venue until quite late Friday afternoon.

And once access was finally achieved, the surroundings were, shall we say, underwhelming. For example the "master" suite, occupied for the first time in four years by a team other than the Giants, provided a cramped and spartan experience, including a "television" set approximately the size of an iPhone:

The home also featured such things as unsightly exposed wiring:

Ants and other mysterious insects and assorted vermin abounded. Moreover security was quite lax, as unauthorized persons were allowed to access the private "master" suite deck, and uninvited and unsavory individuals appeared Saturday without warning and were allowed free access to the interior of the venue.

Troopers that we were, however, we made the best of it and enjoyed another memorable Draft Weekend, including some marathon extra-inning contests and yet another "plunk" controversy fueled by certain teams' insistence on carrying years-old grudges well past any reasonable duration. We also enacted some new rules, designed to curtail pitchers' endurance-rating abuses during post-season play, and prohibiting collusion between teams to manage their "plunk" immunity. 

Herewith, the 2014 Big Board:

  

   

Next action: Nothing scheduled as of now, but stay tuned...