The American Baseball Organization - An OOTP16 Log - Page 3

dishnet34 · 05-15-2016, 03:35 PM

This will be the next-to-last weekly recap, as the rest of the season will be played out for the next update.

ABO Weekly Recap
September 19 - 25, 2016

Major Injury/Trade News

-9/20: Honolulu LHP Abdul-Alim bin Suoud out for 3 months with shoulder inflammation.

-9/25: Hollywood RHP Alfred Kolas out for 2 months with a partially torn labrum.

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Stats Leaderboards

Atlantic Conference

Pacific Conference

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Players of the Week

Atlantic Conference
The PotW award for the Atlantic Conference went to Kalamazoo 2B Martin Kerswell. Last week Kerswell went 11-for-27, notched 3 home runs and 8 RBIs and scored 6 runs. All in all, a very good week for him. Kerswell is batting .353/.424/.515 this year with 14 home runs, 78 RBIs and 73 runs scored. He has 174 hits in 493 at-bats.

Pacific Conference
The PotW/ for the Pacific Conference this week was Glendale 2B Sandy Le Gall. He racked up 11 hits in 25 at-bats (.440 AVG), 2 home runs and 4 RBIs last week in 7 games. So far this season Le Gall has hit .256/.338/.427 with 20 home runs, 64 RBIs and and scored 69 times.

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Standings

Honolulu is giving San Antonio a run for its money for the second wild card spot, and it's looking like it'll come down to the final day of the year!

Atlantic Conference
Coastal Division

This Week (Division contests bolded):
ANN: 9/26-27 @ ORL, 9/28-30 vs. BRK, 10/1-3 vs. CC
BRK: 9/26-27 @ CC, 9/28-30 @ ANN, 10/1-3 vs. CHA
CC: 9/26-27 vs. BRK, 9/28-30 vs. CHA (4 games), 10/1-3 @ ANN, 10/4 vs. ARL
CHA: 9/26-27 @ KW, 9/28-30 @ CC (4 games), 10/1-3 @ BRK
KW: 9/26-27 vs. CHA, 9/28-30 vs. ORL, 10/1-3 vs. SA
ORL: 9/26-27 vs. ANN, 9/28-30 @ KW, 10/1-3 @ SLC

Central Division

This Week:
CHI: 9/26-27 @ GR, 9/28-30 vs. IND, 10/1-3 vs. NSH
GR: 9/26-27 vs. CHI, 9/28-30 vs. KAL, 10/1-3 @ IND
IND: 9/26-27 @ KAL, 9/28-30 @ CHI, 10/1-3 vs. GR
KAL: 9/26-27 vs. IND, 9/28-30 @ GR, 10/1-3 @ SAN
NSH: 9/26-27 @ SAN, 9/28-30 vs. SAN, 10/1-3 @ CHI, 10/4 vs. ARL
SAN: 9/26-27 vs. NSH, 9/28-30 @ NSH, 10/1-3 vs. KAL

Pacific Conference
Central Division

This Week:
ARL: 9/26-27 vs. GLN, 9/28-30 @ BOI, 10/1-3 vs. NO, 10/4 @ CC + @ NSH
BOI: 9/26-27 @ NO, 9/28-30 vs. ARL, 10/1-3 @ GLN
GLN: 9/26-27 @ ARL, 9/28-30 @ NO, 10/1-3 vs. BOI
NO: 9/26-27 vs. BOI, 9/28-30 vs. GLN, 10/1-3 @ ARL
SLC: 9/26-27 vs. SEA, 9/28-30 @ SA, 10/1-3 vs. ORL
SA: 9/26-27 vs. LV, 9/28-30 vs. SLC, 10/1-3 @ KW

Coastal Division

This Week:
ANC: 9/26-27 vs. SD, 9/28-30 @ LV, 10/1-3 @ HOL
HOL: 9/26-27 @ HON, 9/28-30 @ SD, 10/1-3 vs. ANC
HON: 9/26-27 vs. HOL, 9/28-30 vs. SEA, 10/1-3 vs. LV
LV: 9/26-27 @ SA, 9/28-30 vs. ANC, 10/1-3 @ HON
SD: 9/26-27 @ ANC, 9/28-30 vs. HOL, 10/1-3 @ SEA
SEA: 9/26-27 @ SLC, 9/28-30 @ HON, 10/1-3 vs. SD

ABO Wildcard Standings

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Alright folks, let's wrap this season up! Who will win the divisions? Who will get the second wild card in the PC? Find out in the next update!

dishnet34 · 05-16-2016, 01:55 PM

I lied. So much stuff going on with the last series on deck, I made a quick post to fill you all in on the scenarios in the last weekend of the year.

ABO October Scenarios

Who's Clinched?
Atlantic Conference

-The Orlando Wizards clinched the AC Coastal Division on September 11, with a 96-44 record. They are now 109-50, and have long since clinched the best record in the ABO and the #1 seed in the AC Playoffs.

-The Nashville Music clinched the AC Central Division on September 30, after a 3-2 win over Sandusky at Bridgestone Ballpark to improve their record to 87-71. They will be the #2 seed in the AC Playoffs.

-The Sandusky Beagles clinched a spot in the AC Playoffs on the same day Nashville clinched the division. Currently, they are only 1 game ahead in the Wildcard standings, and they could fall to the second wildcard depending on how they do in their final series against Kalamazoo.

Pacific Conference

-The Glendale Copperheads clinched the PC Central Division on September 26, and will be the #1 seed in the PC Playoffs. They are the only PC team to have clinched a playoff spot as of now.

What's Still Up For Grabs?
Atlantic Conference

-The Last Playoff Spot. It's down to two teams right now, the Annapolis Angels (82-77) and the Cape Cod Beacons (78-80). They both face each other in the last series of the year, and if Annapolis wins only one game in the series, Cape Cod will be eliminated. If Cape Cod sweeps, however, it will come down to a post-final day makeup game against the Arlington Blaze to determine who gets the final playoff spot. If Cape Cod wins that game, there will be a 1-game playoff between these two teams for the last spot in the AC Playoffs. If Arlington wins, Annapolis is in. So, in essence, Cape Cod needs to win 5 games in a row to make the postseason, a streak they've done only twice this year.

Pacific Conference

-The PC Coastal Division Title. It is down to two teams at the moment, the San Diego Surge (86-73) and the Honolulu Tropics (85-74). The Tropics have been on a huge tear the last two weeks of the season, winning 11 of their last 13 games, along with San Diego going 4-8 in that same period, to put themselves in this position. The Surge's last series is on the road at Seattle (81-78), a team they've gone 10-5 against this season, but have lost 4 of their last 6 matchups, and are 38-40 on the road overall this year. Honolulu, on the other hand, hosts Las Vegas (77-82) at Rainbow Beach Stadium, a team they've darn near split against, with an 8-7 record against the Gamblers. There's a possibility of a one-game playoff in this scenario, but could be even crazier, coupled with...

-Both PC Wildcard Spots. There are 4 teams currently vying for 3 spots in the postseason. Along with the 2 PC Coastal division-mates, the New Orleans Krewe (85-74) and the San Antonio Sharks (84-75) are in this race as well. Currently, the Krewe and Tropics are tied for the Wildcard spots, with San Antonio only 1 game back of both. The Krewe draw Arlington (79-78, 8-7 against) on the road in their last series, while the Sharks head to Southernmost Point to take on Key West (72-87, 2-4 against). There could be 1-game playoff hell if stuff's tied up, and I'm not even sure Jayson Stark at ESPN can wrap his head around it.

So, those are the situations going into the last series of the year in the ABO! This is going to be a wild finish!

dishnet34 · 05-18-2016, 02:47 PM

ABO Weekly Recap
September 26 - October 4, 2016 (END OF SEASON)

2016 ABO Playoff Matchups
Atlantic Conference

#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #4 Annapolis Angels
#2 Nashville Music vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles

Pacific Conference

#1 Glendale Copperheads vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics
#2 San Diego Surge vs. #3 New Orleans Krewe

Matchup previews coming soon!

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Stats Leaderboards

Atlantic Conference

Pacific Conference

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Players of the Month - September 2016

Atlantic Conference
The Hitter of the Month for the Atlantic Conference in August went to Kalamazoo 2B Martin Kerswell. The Kalamazoo second baseman hit .381 with 4 home runs, 22 RBIs and 18 runs scored to capture the award. This season, Kerswell hit .352/.425/.518 with 182 hits and 15 home runs. He scored 75 times and had 83 RBI. He lead the AC in batting average, and put up 7.4 WAR.

The Pitcher of the Month for the AC went to Orlando RHP Bobby Davis. He threw 15.2 innings over 15 relief appearances and collected a 1-0 record with 26 strikeouts and 12 saves while etching his 0.00 ERA. This season Davis crafted a 7-3 won-lost mark, pitched in 73 relief appearances and rung up 49 saves, leading the ABO. He had a 1.80 ERA and allowed 43 hits over his 75 innings of work, struck out 122 batters and walked 13. He put up 3.1 WAR as well.

Pacific Conference
The Hitter of the Month for the Pacific Conference in August went to Seattle DH/2B Liam Shearer. With a .343 batting average (37/108), 9 home runs, 24 RBIs and 17 runs scored, he was a solid choice. For the season, Shearer hit at a .290/.347/.555 clip with 39 home runs, an ABO-leading 128 RBIs and scored 82 runs. He had 184 hits and 47 walks, and put up 5.5 WAR.

The Pitcher of the Month for the Pacific Conference went to Arlington RHP Hal Burton. He made 15 relief appearances for Arlington last month, throwing 19.2 innings and collecting 7 saves, a 4-1 record, 30 strikeouts and a 1.37 ERA. This year, Burton chalked up 70 relief appearances, worked 80.2 innings, struck out 115 and issued 19 walks. He had 31 saves with a 2.34 ERA, a 11-7 won-lost mark, and 2.2 WAR.

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Players of the Week

Atlantic Conference
The PotW award for the Atlantic Conference went to Indianapolis 2B Adri Wemerman. He racked up 12 hits in 23 at-bats (.522 AVG), no home runs and 5 RBIs last week in 6 games. In 134 games this season, Wemerman compiled a .298/.375/.421 slash line with 150 hits and 5 home runs. He also scored 66 times, knocked in 66 runs, and put up 4.2 WAR.

Pacific Conference
The PotW for the Pacific Conference this week was Hollywood 1B/LF Kane Sirrell. Sirrell punished opposing pitchers with a .533 average, 16 hits in 30 at-bats, 1 home run and 5 RBI. This season, Sirrell hit at a .345/.373/.436 clip with 63 RBIs, 6 home runs, 69 runs scored, and 4.0 WAR.

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Final Standings

Cape Cod lost the make-up game to Arlington, meaning that the Annapolis Angels have made the postseason!

Atlantic Conference
Coastal Division

Central Division

Pacific Conference
Central Division

Coastal Division

ABO Wildcard Standings (Top 5)

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Thanks for reading this regular season, and stick around for the Postseason Previews, coming up soon!

yazfan67 · 05-19-2016, 12:37 PM

Dishnet, I thoroughly enjoyed going through the posts. I am starting a dynasty league myself (still in the backstory stage and confirming regionalism) and it's great to see what other players are doing out there! Keep up the great work and story!

dishnet34 · 05-19-2016, 03:24 PM

Alright everybody it's playoff preview time yeah boiiiiiiiii

ABO Playoff Previews 2016 - Conference Semifinals

Atlantic Conference
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#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #4 Annapolis Angels

Tale Of The Tape

--------------------Orlando Wizards------------------------------------------Annapolis Angels-------------------

Matchup Summary
The Atlantic Conference, as a whole, only had one team you could conceivably call "elite" this year. And if you go outside of the Conference, the Orlando Wizards were really the only team that could fit that bill in the entire American Baseball Organization. They are clearly the favorites to win it all, and the matchup with the Annapolis Angels is seen as just another stop in the road to the ABO Championship. However, Annapolis' starting pitching, led by right-handers Mario Hernandez and Mark Rolph has been quietly good this year, with nobody in their starting rotation posting an ERA above 4. Annapolis was one of the few teams in the AC competitive against Orlando, winning 6 games in 18 tries (only Charleston (!) won more games in-division against Orlando). Both these teams are very good at playing defense, with every infielder and outfielder in this series having average to above-average defensive abilities. On the offensive side of the ball, the Angels were certainly offensive in another sense at the plate, finishing in the bottom third of many batting categories, save for stolen bases, where the only team better than them in that department in the ABO was New Orleans. Their best offensive piece, 21-year old LF Marvin Shanks, will return from the DL in time for Game 1, but even he might not be able to save the offense. Orlando has been consistent in many areas of the game, with an offense led by the "Swingin' Indians", AC home run leader Nataraja Vinutha and AC RBI leader Ramu Pratima, who hail from India, and SS Sergio Marroquin, who led the AC in WAR and runs scored, and led the ABO in stolen bases. Their bullpen was as advertised as well, led by Bobby Davis' 49 saves. Orlando is too good to lose this series, but Annapolis could squeak out a game in this 5-game set based on luck alone.

Prediction
Wizards in 3

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#2 Nashville Music vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles

Tale Of The Tape

-------------------Nashville Music-------------------------------------------Sandusky Beagles-------------------

Matchup Summary
The only other matchup in the Conference Semifinal round involving division rivals, this one will be the more competitive of the two. Nashville won the season series against Sandusky with a 10-8 record, with the Music winning 6 of the last 9 matchups. Sandusky was bit by the injury bug the last half of the season, and three key players on their team, LF Brencis Dahin (.298/24/62), SP Abram Mahtiev (12-7, 2.26), and CF Malcolm Buddenberg (debatable, he had a 0.3 WAR) will be on the DL for this round, with Mahtiev only becoming available after this round. Nashville has its own injury problems, with 3B Carl Waterhouse, CF Michael de Lange, and RP Bill Brown being the notable players on the DL for the Music. Both teams are very balanced, with Nashville holding a slight advantage offensively, and Sandusky on the pitching side, despite the Music's ace, Don Larnin being one of the top strikeout artists in the AC. If there's one thing that can decide this series, it will be the pitching. Sandusky has one of the better bullpens in the AC this side of Orlando, with Louie Connor (44 saves, 0.85 ERA) and Srinivas Jindal (1.31 ERA, 13.1 K/9) in the back end, compared to Nashville's Thomas Anderson (41 saves, 2.61 ERA) and Ron Hall (2.36 ERA, 80 G, 7.2 K/9). However, with 2/5 of Sandusky's starting rotation on the DL (Gonya Wonlyarsky is on the DL as well), Nashville could control what happens early on in the game. This will be the series to watch, no doubt about it.

Prediction
Music in 5

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Pacific Conference
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#1 Glendale Copperheads vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics

Tale Of The Tape

----------------Glendale Copperheads---------------------------------------Honolulu Tropics------------------

Matchup Summary
The Copperheads used the dry air and elevation of Arizona - and the rest of their division, frankly - to post the second-best offense in the ABO, other than Boise, who didn't have the pitching to make the playoffs. They also boast one of the 2 best pitchers in the entire ABO in Sherman Lewis, who posted a 22-2 record with a 2.23 ERA, 259 Ks, and a 6.2 WAR, which was second among Pacific Conference starters to San Antonio's Morgan Fowles, who had an 8.4 WAR. Honolulu isn't as flashy as the Copperheads are, and their pitching, for the most part, has carried them this far. The four starters they will have for the postseason rotation all have winning records, led by Vicente Pujols, who went 12-9 with a 2.30 ERA. Both offenses can hit dingers for days, as 9 players between both teams' projected lineups have 20+ homers, with the Copperheads' Dave Hammond leading them with 31 HRs, and Honolulu's Jaime Robles with 37. There won't be a lot of walks in this series, and the defenses could be better, but the one thing that could decide this series is the bullpen. Glendale's Spencer Ravenscroft has been a roller coaster ride for their fans in the 9th inning, with a 3.13 ERA, 12 HRs allowed, and a 2.7 BB/9 rate, but on the positive side, he had 12.2 K/9 and 44 saves. Their other bullpen options outside of Kennet Bartelen are not inspiring, especially in a potentially high-scoring series such as this. On the other side, Honolulu has the lowest bullpen ERA of the PC teams in the postseason, led by the 8th-9th duo of Alexandre Rodriguez (1.85 ERA, 37 holds) and Gary Inge (2.59 ERA, 43/49 SV). The bullpen might help win a couple games in this series for Honolulu, but will the Tropics' bats show up against Glendale's mighty offense?

Prediction
Copperheads in 5

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#2 San Diego Surge vs. #3 New Orleans Krewe

Tale Of The Tape

--------------------San Diego Surge---------------------------------------New Orleans Krewe-----------------

Matchup Summary
The San Diego offense surged to the Pacific Conference Coastal Division title on the back of dingers. Lots of dingers. In fact, only Boise hit more dingers than the Surge. Their short home porch to left field, coupled with the winds that occasionally blow out to that part of the field in San Diego, helped make the Surge one of the more dangerous offenses in the ABO. San Diego boasts sluggers like #1 overall Inaugural Draft pick Steve Adams (.299/44/112, .395 OBP) and 3B Hilton Avery (.204/40/101). New Orleans made it here by another route - manufacturing runs with their speed. Led by 2B Raul Trejo (.319/6/69, 37 SB, 16 3B) and 23-year old SS Carroll Hammond (.234/1/44, 22 SB), with flashes of power from RF Julian Montes (.273/19/78) and DH John Kennedy (.288/18/61), the Krewe are one of the more scrappy teams in the postseason. San Diego can steal a few bases, as well, as Adams stole 22 bases, and CF Clifton Hutchison stole 25. Pitching and defense will once again be key in this series, as San Diego's ace Phil Carter (12-6, 3.63) is on the DL for the postseason, and their starters outside of him are not inspiring any confidence, with Duane McGinnis being the only pitcher that could be considered steady enough to lead their postseason run. Meanwhile, New Orleans has one of the best rotations in the PC, led by Pablo Damhuis (15-13, 3.08) and 22-year old Jose Guzman (9-13, 3.28). The other two in the postseason rotation, Yu-hsui Liao (10-6, 3.63) and Tim Holliday (13-7, 3.52) are effective as well, and could be the difference in the series. The Krewe could conceivably pull out this series, and will be a Cinderella pick to make the conference finals.

Prediction
New Orleans in 4

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So, who do you think will win these matchups? Who wins it all? Sound off in the thread!

dishnet34 · 05-19-2016, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yazfan67

Dishnet, I thoroughly enjoyed going through the posts. I am starting a dynasty league myself (still in the backstory stage and confirming regionalism) and it's great to see what other players are doing out there! Keep up the great work and story!

Thanks for reading, and for your comment! It's awesome to know that somebody reads all these lengthy update posts I make in this thread! :P

dishnet34 · 05-20-2016, 05:08 PM

ABO Conference Semifinals Recap

A very exciting round of the ABO Playoffs, with some close games, upsets, and awesome pitching performances!

(Hopefully this post isn't too unwieldy; If possible, I could make the pictures smaller, let me know)

Atlantic Conference

#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #4 Annapolis Angels

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Game 4

Orlando wins series 3-1
Series MVP: CF Brenton Martinez, Orlando (.316 AVG (6-19), 2 HR, 5 RBI in series)

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#2 Nashville Music vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Game 4

Sandusky wins series 3-1
Series MVP: SP Tony Winter, Sandusky (2-0, 16 IP, 2 ER, 12 K, 1 BB in series)

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Pacific Conference

#1 Glendale Copperheads vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Honolulu wins series 3-0
Series MVP: 1B Jaime Robles, Honolulu (.385 AVG (5-13), 2 HR, 6 RBI in series)

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#2 San Diego Surge vs. #3 New Orleans Krewe

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Game 4

Game 5

New Orleans wins series 3-2
Series MVP: CF Toby Newey, New Orleans (.368 AVG (7-19), 0 HR, 1 RBI in series)

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With that, your ABO Conference Finals matchups are as follows:

Atlantic Conference: #1 Orlando Wizards vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles
Pacific Conference: #3 New Orleans Krewe vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics

Previews coming soon!

dishnet34 · 05-21-2016, 09:45 AM

Before we start, the rest of the series from here on out will be 7 games, and the game structure will be like the NHL, a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the higher seed (except the Honolulu-New Orleans series) having home field advantage.

ABO Playoff Previews 2016 - Conference Finals

Atlantic Conference
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#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles

Tale Of The Tape

-------------------Orlando Wizards-------------------------------------------Sandusky Beagles------------------

Matchup Summary
A few experts panicked after Game 1 of the Orlando-Annapolis series, when the Angels took a slim 4-3 win in 19 innings. They asked if the Wizards would choke their #1 seed away so quickly, or if they would falter under the pressure of the big lights against a team they (relatively) struggled against. They went on to win the next 3 games by a combined score of 19-9 to set up a Conference Finals matchup with one of the most balanced teams from the other AC division, the Sandusky Beagles. The Beagles controlled their series with Nashville, playing the Music like a fiddle, outscoring them in a low-scoring series 12-4. Their starting pitching was dominant, and the bullpen was shut-down. Will that pitching dominance continue against an Orlando team that won the season series against Sandusky 4-2, or will Orlando assert their ABO dominance again and go to the ABO Finals?

Prediction
Wizards in 5

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Pacific Conference
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#3 New Orleans Krewe vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics

Tale Of The Tape

---------------------New Orleans Krewe-------------------------------------------------Honolulu Tropics-----------------------

Matchup Summary
In the preview for the Honolulu-Glendale series, I wondered whether or not Honolulu's bats would show up against the Copperheads, and boy did they. They steamrolled the team with the best record in the Pacific Conference by a combined score 23-5, hitting nine taters in the process, including four in the clinching Game 3. Now they face off with a team that has given up the 4th-fewest home runs in the PC, the New Orleans Krewe, who had to go the distance to beat the San Diego Surge. Some might say the Krewe got lucky that Surge LF Steve Adams went down with an injury, or that their luck came from San Diego's 5 errors in Game 5 (including 3 in the 12th inning), but they capitalized on both of those situations with timely hitting, and managed to win in 5 games to make the Conference Finals. The New Orleans Superdome doesn't give up too many homers, while Honolulu's does, and the latter be the site of the first 2 games of this series, and 4 of the 7 games. The Krewe went 4-2 against the Topics in their matchups this year, with every game featuring at least one home run. This will be an interesting matchup of smallball vs. longball, and whoever strikes out less will win this matchup.

Prediction
Tropics in 7

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So, who do you think will make the ABO Finals? Sound off in the thread!

dishnet34 · 05-25-2017, 09:26 AM

Oh hey, I kinda forgot about updating this a little bit. Heh heh.

ABO Conference Finals Recap

We had a series go to 7 games this round, and I'll bet you know which one.

Atlantic Conference

#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Game 4

Game 5

Orlando wins series 4-1
Series MVP: 2B Cody Sims, Orlando (.550 AVG (11-20), 0 HR, 4 RBI in series)

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Pacific Conference

#3 New Orleans Krewe vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Game 4

Game 5

Game 6

Game 7

Honolulu wins series 4-3
Series MVP: DH Denzel Burtson, Honolulu (.414 AVG (12-29), 7 R, 7 RBI in series)

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With that, your ABO Finals matchup is:

#1 Orlando Wizards vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics

The ABO Finals Preview is coming soon!

05-19-2016, 12:37 PM	#44
yazfan67 Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Orange City, FL Posts: 264	Dishnet, I thoroughly enjoyed going through the posts. I am starting a dynasty league myself (still in the backstory stage and confirming regionalism) and it's great to see what other players are doing out there! Keep up the great work and story! __________________ When they start the game, they don't yell, "Work ball." They say, "Play ball." ~Willie Stargell, 1981

05-19-2016, 03:24 PM	#45
dishnet34 All Star Starter Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1,438	Alright everybody it's playoff preview time yeah boiiiiiiiii ABO Playoff Previews 2016 - Conference Semifinals Atlantic Conference --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #1 Orlando Wizards vs. #4 Annapolis Angels Tale Of The Tape --------------------Orlando Wizards------------------------------------------Annapolis Angels------------------- Matchup Summary The Atlantic Conference, as a whole, only had one team you could conceivably call "elite" this year. And if you go outside of the Conference, the Orlando Wizards were really the only team that could fit that bill in the entire American Baseball Organization. They are clearly the favorites to win it all, and the matchup with the Annapolis Angels is seen as just another stop in the road to the ABO Championship. However, Annapolis' starting pitching, led by right-handers Mario Hernandez and Mark Rolph has been quietly good this year, with nobody in their starting rotation posting an ERA above 4. Annapolis was one of the few teams in the AC competitive against Orlando, winning 6 games in 18 tries (only Charleston (!) won more games in-division against Orlando). Both these teams are very good at playing defense, with every infielder and outfielder in this series having average to above-average defensive abilities. On the offensive side of the ball, the Angels were certainly offensive in another sense at the plate, finishing in the bottom third of many batting categories, save for stolen bases, where the only team better than them in that department in the ABO was New Orleans. Their best offensive piece, 21-year old LF Marvin Shanks, will return from the DL in time for Game 1, but even he might not be able to save the offense. Orlando has been consistent in many areas of the game, with an offense led by the "Swingin' Indians", AC home run leader Nataraja Vinutha and AC RBI leader Ramu Pratima, who hail from India, and SS Sergio Marroquin, who led the AC in WAR and runs scored, and led the ABO in stolen bases. Their bullpen was as advertised as well, led by Bobby Davis' 49 saves. Orlando is too good to lose this series, but Annapolis could squeak out a game in this 5-game set based on luck alone. Prediction Wizards in 3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #2 Nashville Music vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles Tale Of The Tape -------------------Nashville Music-------------------------------------------Sandusky Beagles------------------- Matchup Summary The only other matchup in the Conference Semifinal round involving division rivals, this one will be the more competitive of the two. Nashville won the season series against Sandusky with a 10-8 record, with the Music winning 6 of the last 9 matchups. Sandusky was bit by the injury bug the last half of the season, and three key players on their team, LF Brencis Dahin (.298/24/62), SP Abram Mahtiev (12-7, 2.26), and CF Malcolm Buddenberg (debatable, he had a 0.3 WAR) will be on the DL for this round, with Mahtiev only becoming available after this round. Nashville has its own injury problems, with 3B Carl Waterhouse, CF Michael de Lange, and RP Bill Brown being the notable players on the DL for the Music. Both teams are very balanced, with Nashville holding a slight advantage offensively, and Sandusky on the pitching side, despite the Music's ace, Don Larnin being one of the top strikeout artists in the AC. If there's one thing that can decide this series, it will be the pitching. Sandusky has one of the better bullpens in the AC this side of Orlando, with Louie Connor (44 saves, 0.85 ERA) and Srinivas Jindal (1.31 ERA, 13.1 K/9) in the back end, compared to Nashville's Thomas Anderson (41 saves, 2.61 ERA) and Ron Hall (2.36 ERA, 80 G, 7.2 K/9). However, with 2/5 of Sandusky's starting rotation on the DL (Gonya Wonlyarsky is on the DL as well), Nashville could control what happens early on in the game. This will be the series to watch, no doubt about it. Prediction Music in 5 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pacific Conference --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #1 Glendale Copperheads vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics Tale Of The Tape ----------------Glendale Copperheads---------------------------------------Honolulu Tropics------------------ Matchup Summary The Copperheads used the dry air and elevation of Arizona - and the rest of their division, frankly - to post the second-best offense in the ABO, other than Boise, who didn't have the pitching to make the playoffs. They also boast one of the 2 best pitchers in the entire ABO in Sherman Lewis, who posted a 22-2 record with a 2.23 ERA, 259 Ks, and a 6.2 WAR, which was second among Pacific Conference starters to San Antonio's Morgan Fowles, who had an 8.4 WAR. Honolulu isn't as flashy as the Copperheads are, and their pitching, for the most part, has carried them this far. The four starters they will have for the postseason rotation all have winning records, led by Vicente Pujols, who went 12-9 with a 2.30 ERA. Both offenses can hit dingers for days, as 9 players between both teams' projected lineups have 20+ homers, with the Copperheads' Dave Hammond leading them with 31 HRs, and Honolulu's Jaime Robles with 37. There won't be a lot of walks in this series, and the defenses could be better, but the one thing that could decide this series is the bullpen. Glendale's Spencer Ravenscroft has been a roller coaster ride for their fans in the 9th inning, with a 3.13 ERA, 12 HRs allowed, and a 2.7 BB/9 rate, but on the positive side, he had 12.2 K/9 and 44 saves. Their other bullpen options outside of Kennet Bartelen are not inspiring, especially in a potentially high-scoring series such as this. On the other side, Honolulu has the lowest bullpen ERA of the PC teams in the postseason, led by the 8th-9th duo of Alexandre Rodriguez (1.85 ERA, 37 holds) and Gary Inge (2.59 ERA, 43/49 SV). The bullpen might help win a couple games in this series for Honolulu, but will the Tropics' bats show up against Glendale's mighty offense? Prediction Copperheads in 5 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #2 San Diego Surge vs. #3 New Orleans Krewe Tale Of The Tape --------------------San Diego Surge---------------------------------------New Orleans Krewe----------------- Matchup Summary The San Diego offense surged to the Pacific Conference Coastal Division title on the back of dingers. Lots of dingers. In fact, only Boise hit more dingers than the Surge. Their short home porch to left field, coupled with the winds that occasionally blow out to that part of the field in San Diego, helped make the Surge one of the more dangerous offenses in the ABO. San Diego boasts sluggers like #1 overall Inaugural Draft pick Steve Adams (.299/44/112, .395 OBP) and 3B Hilton Avery (.204/40/101). New Orleans made it here by another route - manufacturing runs with their speed. Led by 2B Raul Trejo (.319/6/69, 37 SB, 16 3B) and 23-year old SS Carroll Hammond (.234/1/44, 22 SB), with flashes of power from RF Julian Montes (.273/19/78) and DH John Kennedy (.288/18/61), the Krewe are one of the more scrappy teams in the postseason. San Diego can steal a few bases, as well, as Adams stole 22 bases, and CF Clifton Hutchison stole 25. Pitching and defense will once again be key in this series, as San Diego's ace Phil Carter (12-6, 3.63) is on the DL for the postseason, and their starters outside of him are not inspiring any confidence, with Duane McGinnis being the only pitcher that could be considered steady enough to lead their postseason run. Meanwhile, New Orleans has one of the best rotations in the PC, led by Pablo Damhuis (15-13, 3.08) and 22-year old Jose Guzman (9-13, 3.28). The other two in the postseason rotation, Yu-hsui Liao (10-6, 3.63) and Tim Holliday (13-7, 3.52) are effective as well, and could be the difference in the series. The Krewe could conceivably pull out this series, and will be a Cinderella pick to make the conference finals. Prediction New Orleans in 4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, who do you think will win these matchups? Who wins it all? Sound off in the thread! Last edited by dishnet34; 05-19-2016 at 03:28 PM.

05-25-2017, 09:26 AM	#49
dishnet34 All Star Starter Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1,438	Oh hey, I kinda forgot about updating this a little bit. Heh heh. ABO Conference Finals Recap We had a series go to 7 games this round, and I'll bet you know which one. Atlantic Conference #1 Orlando Wizards vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Orlando wins series 4-1 Series MVP: 2B Cody Sims, Orlando (.550 AVG (11-20), 0 HR, 4 RBI in series) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pacific Conference #3 New Orleans Krewe vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Honolulu wins series 4-3 Series MVP: DH Denzel Burtson, Honolulu (.414 AVG (12-29), 7 R, 7 RBI in series) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With that, your ABO Finals matchup is: #1 Orlando Wizards vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics The ABO Finals Preview is coming soon! __________________ OOTP's Official Perfect Team Hype Man / host of TWIPT Saturday Showdown and Perfect League World Series "Find a way to be alone in a baseball stadium at sunrise, when the only sound you hear are about nine birds that got lost, and found themselves in a stadium, and they’re chirping across the grandstand trying to figure out where the f*** they ended up." -Dan Besbris

05-15-2016, 03:35 PM	#41
dishnet34 All Star Starter Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1,438	This will be the next-to-last weekly recap, as the rest of the season will be played out for the next update. ABO Weekly Recap *September 19 - 25, 2016* Major Injury/Trade News -9/20: Honolulu LHP Abdul-Alim bin Suoud out for 3 months with shoulder inflammation. -9/25: Hollywood RHP Alfred Kolas out for 2 months with a partially torn labrum. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stats Leaderboards Atlantic Conference Pacific Conference ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week Atlantic Conference The PotW award for the Atlantic Conference went to Kalamazoo 2B Martin Kerswell. Last week Kerswell went 11-for-27, notched 3 home runs and 8 RBIs and scored 6 runs. All in all, a very good week for him. Kerswell is batting .353/.424/.515 this year with 14 home runs, 78 RBIs and 73 runs scored. He has 174 hits in 493 at-bats. Pacific Conference The PotW/ for the Pacific Conference this week was Glendale 2B Sandy Le Gall. He racked up 11 hits in 25 at-bats (.440 AVG), 2 home runs and 4 RBIs last week in 7 games. So far this season Le Gall has hit .256/.338/.427 with 20 home runs, 64 RBIs and and scored 69 times. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Standings Honolulu is giving San Antonio a run for its money for the second wild card spot, and it's looking like it'll come down to the final day of the year! Atlantic Conference Coastal Division This Week (Division contests bolded): ANN: 9/26-27 @ ORL, 9/28-30 vs. BRK, 10/1-3 vs. CC BRK: 9/26-27 @ CC, 9/28-30 @ ANN, 10/1-3 vs. CHA CC: 9/26-27 vs. BRK, 9/28-30 vs. CHA (4 games), 10/1-3 @ ANN, 10/4 vs. ARL CHA: 9/26-27 @ KW, 9/28-30 @ CC (4 games), 10/1-3 @ BRK KW: 9/26-27 vs. CHA, 9/28-30 vs. ORL, 10/1-3 vs. SA ORL: 9/26-27 vs. ANN, 9/28-30 @ KW, 10/1-3 @ SLC Central Division This Week: CHI: 9/26-27 @ GR, 9/28-30 vs. IND, 10/1-3 vs. NSH GR: 9/26-27 vs. CHI, 9/28-30 vs. KAL, 10/1-3 @ IND IND: 9/26-27 @ KAL, 9/28-30 @ CHI, 10/1-3 vs. GR KAL: 9/26-27 vs. IND, 9/28-30 @ GR, 10/1-3 @ SAN NSH: 9/26-27 @ SAN, 9/28-30 vs. SAN, 10/1-3 @ CHI, 10/4 vs. ARL SAN: 9/26-27 vs. NSH, 9/28-30 @ NSH, 10/1-3 vs. KAL Pacific Conference Central Division This Week: ARL: 9/26-27 vs. GLN, 9/28-30 @ BOI, 10/1-3 vs. NO, 10/4 @ CC + @ NSH BOI: 9/26-27 @ NO, 9/28-30 vs. ARL, 10/1-3 @ GLN GLN: 9/26-27 @ ARL, 9/28-30 @ NO, 10/1-3 vs. BOI NO: 9/26-27 vs. BOI, 9/28-30 vs. GLN, 10/1-3 @ ARL SLC: 9/26-27 vs. SEA, 9/28-30 @ SA, 10/1-3 vs. ORL SA: 9/26-27 vs. LV, 9/28-30 vs. SLC, 10/1-3 @ KW Coastal Division This Week: ANC: 9/26-27 vs. SD, 9/28-30 @ LV, 10/1-3 @ HOL HOL: 9/26-27 @ HON, 9/28-30 @ SD, 10/1-3 vs. ANC HON: 9/26-27 vs. HOL, 9/28-30 vs. SEA, 10/1-3 vs. LV LV: 9/26-27 @ SA, 9/28-30 vs. ANC, 10/1-3 @ HON SD: 9/26-27 @ ANC, 9/28-30 vs. HOL, 10/1-3 @ SEA SEA: 9/26-27 @ SLC, 9/28-30 @ HON, 10/1-3 vs. SD ABO Wildcard Standings ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alright folks, let's wrap this season up! Who will win the divisions? Who will get the second wild card in the PC? Find out in the next update!

05-16-2016, 01:55 PM	#42
dishnet34 All Star Starter Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1,438	I lied. So much stuff going on with the last series on deck, I made a quick post to fill you all in on the scenarios in the last weekend of the year. ABO October Scenarios Who's Clinched? Atlantic Conference -The Orlando Wizards clinched the AC Coastal Division on September 11, with a 96-44 record. They are now 109-50, and have long since clinched the best record in the ABO and the #1 seed in the AC Playoffs. -The Nashville Music clinched the AC Central Division on September 30, after a 3-2 win over Sandusky at Bridgestone Ballpark to improve their record to 87-71. They will be the #2 seed in the AC Playoffs. -The Sandusky Beagles clinched a spot in the AC Playoffs on the same day Nashville clinched the division. Currently, they are only 1 game ahead in the Wildcard standings, and they could fall to the second wildcard depending on how they do in their final series against Kalamazoo. Pacific Conference -The Glendale Copperheads clinched the PC Central Division on September 26, and will be the #1 seed in the PC Playoffs. They are the only PC team to have clinched a playoff spot as of now. What's Still Up For Grabs? Atlantic Conference -The Last Playoff Spot. It's down to two teams right now, the Annapolis Angels (82-77) and the Cape Cod Beacons (78-80). They both face each other in the last series of the year, and if Annapolis wins only one game in the series, Cape Cod will be eliminated. If Cape Cod sweeps, however, it will come down to a post-final day makeup game against the Arlington Blaze to determine who gets the final playoff spot. If Cape Cod wins that game, there will be a 1-game playoff between these two teams for the last spot in the AC Playoffs. If Arlington wins, Annapolis is in. So, in essence, Cape Cod needs to win 5 games in a row to make the postseason, a streak they've done only twice this year. Pacific Conference -The PC Coastal Division Title. It is down to two teams at the moment, the San Diego Surge (86-73) and the Honolulu Tropics (85-74). The Tropics have been on a huge tear the last two weeks of the season, winning 11 of their last 13 games, along with San Diego going 4-8 in that same period, to put themselves in this position. The Surge's last series is on the road at Seattle (81-78), a team they've gone 10-5 against this season, but have lost 4 of their last 6 matchups, and are 38-40 on the road overall this year. Honolulu, on the other hand, hosts Las Vegas (77-82) at Rainbow Beach Stadium, a team they've darn near split against, with an 8-7 record against the Gamblers. There's a possibility of a one-game playoff in this scenario, but could be even crazier, coupled with... -Both PC Wildcard Spots. There are 4 teams currently vying for 3 spots in the postseason. Along with the 2 PC Coastal division-mates, the New Orleans Krewe (85-74) and the San Antonio Sharks (84-75) are in this race as well. Currently, the Krewe and Tropics are tied for the Wildcard spots, with San Antonio only 1 game back of both. The Krewe draw Arlington (79-78, 8-7 against) on the road in their last series, while the Sharks head to Southernmost Point to take on Key West (72-87, 2-4 against). There could be 1-game playoff hell if stuff's tied up, and I'm not even sure Jayson Stark at ESPN can wrap his head around it. So, those are the situations going into the last series of the year in the ABO! This is going to be a wild finish!

05-18-2016, 02:47 PM	#43
dishnet34 All Star Starter Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1,438	ABO Weekly Recap *September 26 - October 4, 2016 (END OF SEASON)* 2016 ABO Playoff Matchups Atlantic Conference #1 Orlando Wizards vs. #4 Annapolis Angels #2 Nashville Music vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles Pacific Conference #1 Glendale Copperheads vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics #2 San Diego Surge vs. #3 New Orleans Krewe Matchup previews coming soon! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stats Leaderboards Atlantic Conference Pacific Conference ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Month - September 2016 Atlantic Conference The Hitter of the Month for the Atlantic Conference in August went to Kalamazoo 2B Martin Kerswell. The Kalamazoo second baseman hit .381 with 4 home runs, 22 RBIs and 18 runs scored to capture the award. This season, Kerswell hit .352/.425/.518 with 182 hits and 15 home runs. He scored 75 times and had 83 RBI. He lead the AC in batting average, and put up 7.4 WAR. The Pitcher of the Month for the AC went to Orlando RHP Bobby Davis. He threw 15.2 innings over 15 relief appearances and collected a 1-0 record with 26 strikeouts and 12 saves while etching his 0.00 ERA. This season Davis crafted a 7-3 won-lost mark, pitched in 73 relief appearances and rung up 49 saves, leading the ABO. He had a 1.80 ERA and allowed 43 hits over his 75 innings of work, struck out 122 batters and walked 13. He put up 3.1 WAR as well. Pacific Conference The Hitter of the Month for the Pacific Conference in August went to Seattle DH/2B Liam Shearer. With a .343 batting average (37/108), 9 home runs, 24 RBIs and 17 runs scored, he was a solid choice. For the season, Shearer hit at a .290/.347/.555 clip with 39 home runs, an ABO-leading 128 RBIs and scored 82 runs. He had 184 hits and 47 walks, and put up 5.5 WAR. The Pitcher of the Month for the Pacific Conference went to Arlington RHP Hal Burton. He made 15 relief appearances for Arlington last month, throwing 19.2 innings and collecting 7 saves, a 4-1 record, 30 strikeouts and a 1.37 ERA. This year, Burton chalked up 70 relief appearances, worked 80.2 innings, struck out 115 and issued 19 walks. He had 31 saves with a 2.34 ERA, a 11-7 won-lost mark, and 2.2 WAR. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Week Atlantic Conference The PotW award for the Atlantic Conference went to Indianapolis 2B Adri Wemerman. He racked up 12 hits in 23 at-bats (.522 AVG), no home runs and 5 RBIs last week in 6 games. In 134 games this season, Wemerman compiled a .298/.375/.421 slash line with 150 hits and 5 home runs. He also scored 66 times, knocked in 66 runs, and put up 4.2 WAR. Pacific Conference The PotW for the Pacific Conference this week was Hollywood 1B/LF Kane Sirrell. Sirrell punished opposing pitchers with a .533 average, 16 hits in 30 at-bats, 1 home run and 5 RBI. This season, Sirrell hit at a .345/.373/.436 clip with 63 RBIs, 6 home runs, 69 runs scored, and 4.0 WAR. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Standings Cape Cod lost the make-up game to Arlington, meaning that the Annapolis Angels have made the postseason! Atlantic Conference Coastal Division Central Division Pacific Conference Central Division Coastal Division ABO Wildcard Standings (Top 5) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading this regular season, and stick around for the Postseason Previews, coming up soon!

05-20-2016, 05:08 PM	#47
dishnet34 All Star Starter Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1,438	ABO Conference Semifinals Recap A very exciting round of the ABO Playoffs, with some close games, upsets, and awesome pitching performances! (Hopefully this post isn't too unwieldy; If possible, I could make the pictures smaller, let me know) Atlantic Conference #1 Orlando Wizards vs. #4 Annapolis Angels Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Orlando wins series 3-1 Series MVP: CF Brenton Martinez, Orlando (.316 AVG (6-19), 2 HR, 5 RBI in series) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #2 Nashville Music vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Sandusky wins series 3-1 Series MVP: SP Tony Winter, Sandusky (2-0, 16 IP, 2 ER, 12 K, 1 BB in series) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pacific Conference #1 Glendale Copperheads vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Honolulu wins series 3-0 Series MVP: 1B Jaime Robles, Honolulu (.385 AVG (5-13), 2 HR, 6 RBI in series) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #2 San Diego Surge vs. #3 New Orleans Krewe Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 New Orleans wins series 3-2 Series MVP: CF Toby Newey, New Orleans (.368 AVG (7-19), 0 HR, 1 RBI in series) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With that, your ABO Conference Finals matchups are as follows: Atlantic Conference: #1 Orlando Wizards vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles Pacific Conference: #3 New Orleans Krewe vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics Previews coming soon!

05-21-2016, 09:45 AM	#48
dishnet34 All Star Starter Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1,438	Before we start, the rest of the series from here on out will be 7 games, and the game structure will be like the NHL, a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the higher seed (except the Honolulu-New Orleans series) having home field advantage. ABO Playoff Previews 2016 - Conference Finals Atlantic Conference --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #1 Orlando Wizards vs. #3 Sandusky Beagles Tale Of The Tape -------------------Orlando Wizards-------------------------------------------Sandusky Beagles------------------ Matchup Summary A few experts panicked after Game 1 of the Orlando-Annapolis series, when the Angels took a slim 4-3 win in 19 innings. They asked if the Wizards would choke their #1 seed away so quickly, or if they would falter under the pressure of the big lights against a team they (relatively) struggled against. They went on to win the next 3 games by a combined score of 19-9 to set up a Conference Finals matchup with one of the most balanced teams from the other AC division, the Sandusky Beagles. The Beagles controlled their series with Nashville, playing the Music like a fiddle, outscoring them in a low-scoring series 12-4. Their starting pitching was dominant, and the bullpen was shut-down. Will that pitching dominance continue against an Orlando team that won the season series against Sandusky 4-2, or will Orlando assert their ABO dominance again and go to the ABO Finals? Prediction Wizards in 5 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pacific Conference --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #3 New Orleans Krewe vs. #4 Honolulu Tropics Tale Of The Tape ---------------------New Orleans Krewe-------------------------------------------------Honolulu Tropics----------------------- Matchup Summary In the preview for the Honolulu-Glendale series, I wondered whether or not Honolulu's bats would show up against the Copperheads, and boy did they. They steamrolled the team with the best record in the Pacific Conference by a combined score 23-5, hitting nine taters in the process, including four in the clinching Game 3. Now they face off with a team that has given up the 4th-fewest home runs in the PC, the New Orleans Krewe, who had to go the distance to beat the San Diego Surge. Some might say the Krewe got lucky that Surge LF Steve Adams went down with an injury, or that their luck came from San Diego's 5 errors in Game 5 (including 3 in the 12th inning), but they capitalized on both of those situations with timely hitting, and managed to win in 5 games to make the Conference Finals. The New Orleans Superdome doesn't give up too many homers, while Honolulu's does, and the latter be the site of the first 2 games of this series, and 4 of the 7 games. The Krewe went 4-2 against the Topics in their matchups this year, with every game featuring at least one home run. This will be an interesting matchup of smallball vs. longball, and whoever strikes out less will win this matchup. Prediction Tropics in 7 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, who do you think will make the ABO Finals? Sound off in the thread!