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...