Magic Numbers: Final Week

Going into Week 21, the final week of the regular season, here's how the playoff race and other things are shaping up...

1.) Dublin

Clinched a first round bye due to having such a big lead in the Western Division. They can't finish any lower than 2nd seed and they are in the drivers seat for the #1 seed. They have the H2H tie breaker over Las Vegas and Weymouth.

2.) Las Vegas

Clinched a playoff spot and can clinch the 1st round BYE with 6.5 more wins (or 6.5 more losses by WEY), or some combination. LV owns the H2H tie breaker over WEY with their last second 5-4-1 win last week. Lowest position LV can finish is 3rd. Plays RAK in week 21, who is just trying to hold onto their 11th seed and away from the pink jersey.

3.) Weymouth

Clinched a playoff spot. Can't finish any lower than 4th, but can still get as high as the 1 seed with some luck. Plays BRW in week 21, who really doesn't care about any of this at this point. 

4.) Quebec City
Just three weeks ago QC was on the outside looking in to the playoff scenarios. Now they are just 4 wins away from clinching their ticket. They can't get a 1st round bye, but they can still jump as high as the 3-seed. If by some crazy circumstances they miss the playoffs, they can't finish any lower than 7th. They play RIO in week 21, who's holding on desperately to their playoff seed themselves. This could be a preview of a 1st Round Playoff match up. 

5.) San Juan

Just 5 wins to go for San Juan and they can start planning out their playoff rotation. They can't jump any higher than the 4th seed, so this week is all about just making sure to get those 5 wins, though I'm sure they wouldn't mind avoiding a 1st round match up with Shaddupu. They get to earn those wins against San Fernando Valley in week 21, who is just getting back from their pink jersey fitting after their beat down by the hands of RAK in week 20.

6.) Rio de Janeiro

RIO now find themselves as they playoff team holding on by the thinest thread. They still control their own destiny, but need 7.5 wins to clinch their spot, or a little help from Tokyo. In all likelihood they'll still find themselves playing next week, pending a completely meltdown. With a big win and some help from their friends, they could still finish as high as 4th. They play Quebec City in week 21, who is still in need of officially clinching their spot as well.

7.) Santo Domingo

They'd been holding onto that 7th seed ever since QC jumped back into the mix. They need some help, but it helps they get to play TKO in the final week. They can take solace that they've clinched at least the 7 seed, so there's that. They can still mathematically finish as high as the 4-seed.

8.) Tijuana

Eliminated from playoff contention. Can't finish any higher than 8, or any lower than 11th. Phew, no chance at that pink jersey. They play Dublin in the final week. Two teams who have almost nothing to play for in the final week. Great match up. Should be a nail biter.

9.) Bridgewater

Also eliminated from the playoffs, Bridgewater can still possibly find themselves wearing the pink jersey, but something tell me they'll miss out on it this year. They play WEY in the final week.

10.) Tokyo

TKO was eliminated two weeks ago. They only sit 8 games up on the lowest seed, so they could still virtually wear the pink jersey. They can't finish any higher than 8th.

11.) Rakeville

After sitting in the basement by themselves for the majority of the season, Rakeville finally clawed their way back up to the 11 seed with a beat down of SFV in week 20. They just need to hold on against LV in week 21 to avoid wearing the pink jersey in Boston this winter. LV has publicly said they'd like to see owner Dave Claffey dawn the pink jersey at the Winter Meeting. That combined with LV trying to tie up a 1st round bye gives them all the motivation they need to put it all out there in week 21. RAK can't finish any higher than the 8 seed.

12.) San Fernando Valley

SFV fought admirably all season. In their initial season int he EHCC they did not live in 12th place for a majorty of the season, which can't be said for all new teams. They are in line for the 2017 1st overall MaDP however as they face off against SJ in the final week. They can't finish any higher than 9th, which clinches them a top 3 2017 MaDP and top 3 odds in the 2017 MiDraft as well. So there's that.

Check back later for more number-related updates....

Record Breaking Season...

With the new line up rules the EHCC offensive stat categories were bound to be broken and even with the shortened regular season and with another week of play to finish up we've already got three records broken...

RUNS - The long standing record set in 2006 by the Las vegas Doggs of 782 Runs scored on the year has already been crushed by Dublin, Las Vegas, and Quebec City in 2016. Dublin currently leads the league going into the final week with 827, and with a 13 run lead over LV they should have their name etched into the EHCC record books by the end of Week 21.

HOME RUNS - The Golden Gryphons left the EHCC a few years ago but we've been reminded of their presence thanks to their long standing season-long home run record of 241. That will change after this season is over as two teams in 2017 have already surpassed that mark - RIO (256) and WEY (242). Rio de Janeiro in all likelihood will hold onto their lead in the category.

RBI - RIO is really putting their name out there as a powerhouse offense this season as they have already surpassed Rakeville's long standing season-long RBI record. They currently sit at 811 on the season and will add to that total in Week 21.

SB - Even with the added offensive roster spots, no team is coming close to breaking Winston-Salem's 173 mark. Las Vegas currently sits in the league in 2017 with 141 stolen bases, but we can't see them gaining 32 more in week 21, especially after trading away Billy Hamilton.

AVG - Current record sits at .302, set by Weymouth in 2006. Dublin currently sits at .295, and as good as that is in 2016 (next best is LV at .275 on the season), its going to fall just short of the EHCC record books.

WINS - Rio De Janeiro's 2012 record seems safe this year, with Quebec City currently in the lead for 2016 with 121 wins. It'll take some very savvy steaming to garner the 21 wins needed to tie the record.

SAVES - Quebec City took this record from Las Vegas back in 2011 and Las Vegas has the chance to take it back in 2016. Even with the shortened season, the Doggs need 7 saves in week 21 to tie the season-long record. They've averaged 6.8 saves a week through the first 20 weeks, and with 4 decent/elite closers they could bring back the coveted category record back to Sin City.

STRIKE OUTS -  Quebec City has an outside chance, however unlikely, of breaking their own K record this week. If the season wasn't shortened this year we'd expect them to easily update their own record. They set it with 1830 in 2008 and currently sit 129 K's short of that mark in 2016.

ERA - In 2013 Dublin set the new season-long ERA mark with a final of 3.28. Santo Domingo currently sits closest at 3.46, which is a far cry for the current record. Looks safe to me.

WHIP - 2013 was a good year for Dublin pitching, as they also set the currently sitting WHIP record of 1.15. In 2016 the best bet to tie/break it will be Weymouth, who currently sits at 1.17 through the first 20 weeks. With a very good showing in week 21 they have a chance of taking the record.

Both the Highest (.734, QC-2003) and Lowest (.284, ARL-2009) are safe and cannot mathematically be broken this season.

With the shortened season the Most Wins (156, QC-2003) and Most Losses (150, ARL-2009) are surely safe for a while. No one in 2016 will come close to either record.

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PEORIA CARDINALS CLINCH FIRST EVER PLAYOFF BERTH!!

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Baseball Tri-Weekly: October Cover 2008

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Rakeville Times: Not hot enough

Rakeville's Joe Mauer dives to tag a sliding Weasel at home plate but comes up short. The run turned out to be the winner as Bridgewater edges past the Rockets and into the championship series.




Not hot enough
By Aviator McShadeless, Rakeville Times

Bridgewater’s juggernaut offense just couldn’t be controlled as the underdog Rockets fell once again in the semi-finals of the playoffs, losing to the top-seeded Weasels 6-4.

Rakeville entered the final day down 7-3, and a series of solid pitching performances helped close the gap, but wasn’t enough to hold off an unyielding Bridgewater attack. They combined for an amazing 11 runs, three homeruns and 12 RBIs on the final day to lift them to the championship game against Las Vegas.

“We felt so good heading into the playoffs this year,” said Pitcher Roy Oswalt, who provided three career performances in the first two rounds this season. “Sure, no one expected us to win against Bridgewater, but we knew we could if we just played hard. We’d done it all season. I’m so disappointed.”

Critics said they didn’t do enough to solidify their pitching staff at the trade deadline, but after winning the bulk of pitching categories in both matchups, that criticism was clearly off.

“We knew our pitching staff was struggling earlier in the season, but I saw the talent there,” said Rakeville General Manager Jack Reed. “We needed to be patient with the guys we had and we were. Roy (Oswalt) and Josh (Beckett) were brilliant for us the last two weeks. I’m very proud of them, and I’m very proud of our team. It is hard to go through a change of managers and turn it around to win the division. There is a lot we have to look at heading into next season, but we still have a group of players that can win a championship.”

Offense will surely be a focus of the team this offseason. Despite a deadline deal to bring in Manny Ramirez, the Rockets still couldn’t hit well enough to take a single category in the semifinals. Between injuries and ineptitude, the team needs to figure out who is going to deliver Rakeville to the EHCC finals.

“We walked the line this year trying to find the best balance of future potential and present-day product,” said Reed. “Our window remains small, so we are going to do all we can to win a championship for this city.”

Of course, that quest will begin anew next season as the players rode back to the stadium this afternoon.

“They’re still my heroes,” said Tommy Shepard, a young fan who was waiting outside of Reed Field for the team bus. “Yeah, they always lose. My mom said it is O.K. to lose. She said it builds character.”

“You’re mom’s a fucking idiot,” said a drunken fan standing next to him.

Clearly, the pain of another playoff loss will carry us all through the offseason.

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Reno Weekly Rag: Weekend War

The Doggs/Shaddupu match up is too close to call heading into the final 3 days. The Doggs will be missing Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez from their line up for 2 days, with Coco Crisp, Jim Thome, and Mike Lowell taking their place. So with the game on the line, why have the Doggs decided to go without a live back stop during that time?




Weekend War
By Conor Intabedd; Reno Weekly Rag

The Doggs may be winning, but no one on the team feels like they've won. The 2nd round match up against the 6th seeded Weymouth Shaddupu has proved to be a bit more troublesome than most players, and fans, would have expected. The Doggs currently lead by a score of 5-4 thanks to a late night save by closer Kerry Wood, who has recorded the Doggs' only two saves of the week, and a early afternoon home run by outfielder Brad Hawpe.

"It's been a dismal campaign this week," so says Thursday pitcher Matt Cain, who lasted just 3.1 innings in yesterday's appearance. Cain relieved starter Ben Sheets, who went 6 innings, but allowed 5 earned runs on 9 hits and 3 walks, digging the Doggs in a ERA and WHIP hole they aren't expected to climb out of by the end of the week.

The Doggs' offense really isn't putting much together either, at least not by regular season standards. "The only positive thing we have to take away from this week so far, and the main thing keeping us alive is that Weymouth isn't doing too much at the plate either. As poorly as our rotation has been this week, they've done enough to keep their power at bay," commented Doggs' first baseman Albert Pujols.

The Doggs will be missing a few players for first few days of the weekend, as outfielder Alfonso Soriano, designated hitter Aramis Ramirez, and closer Kerry Wood have been trapped in their homes by Hurricane Ike. The Doggs also lost out on free agent starter Jason Marquis, who Las Vegas had been forced to drop due to his inability to start on Friday. The Doggs signed outfielder Coco Crisp and designated hitters Jim Thome and Mike Lowell to day-by-day contracts to fill in the voids left by the two missing sluggers. Matt Harrison and Bartolo Colon have been signed to hourly wages to spot start for Vegas this weekend.

"We are hoping that by signing them to hourly wages that they will last longer than some of our other starters have this week. We need them to come away with a win, and that just can't happen if they aren't pitching at least 5 innings," said GM Howe Doggs regarding the hourly wage contracts of Colon and Harrison.

The Doggs have designated catcher Nick Hundley and reliever Dan Wheeler for assignment. Both players are expected to decline the assignment, and look for work elsewhere once they clear waivers. In the mean time, the Doggs are expected to finish off the weekend without a back stop and down two closers, with Wheeler being waived and Wood missing from action. A strategy many are skeptical about going into the final days of such a tight match up.


"There are so many close categories, and though I understand Wins is one of them, saves is just as important. I'm nervous that this might come back to bite us come Sunday," long time fans and season ticket holder Chris Paul commented.

"We're really going to have to work hard this weekend. With no catcher we're just going to have to strike everyone out so that no one gets on base. If we let anyone get on base we'll lose steals for sure," said Saturday starter Joe Blanton.

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Other EHCC notes:

--Over on the East coast, Rakeville currently trails number 1 seeded Bridgewater 3-6. Most categories are close heading into the final three days. Bridgewater has 5 scheduled starters to Rakeville's 4.

--The Doggs were supposedly making phone calls to Byrd's home at 12:01 am (Pacific time), just after his waiver period had supposedly ended, only to get his voicemail stating that he was still on waivers. Doggs' brass decided to settle on signing starter Bartolo Colon instead and then headed to bed, only to awaken to the news that Byrd had signed with rival Weymouth. Byrd is schedule to pitch against Las Vegas on Saturday, while Colon is scheduled to make an appearance for the Doggs on the same day.

--The Doggs' line up isn't the only one affected by Hurricane Ike. The Weasels will be without sluggers Derek Lee and Lance Berkman for two days. Good news and bad news for Bridgewater fans, as Lee is a dismal 2 for 14 against Rakeville this week, while Berkman is 5 for 12, with 5 RBI and 4 runs scored this week thus far.

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Rakeville Times: Judgement Day

Miguel Cabrera watches as his late game home run clears the right field fence to give Rakeville a 6-5 lead in homeruns over Winston-Salem. It was a crucial seventh day for the Rockets and they rose to the challenge.



Judgement Day
By Aviator McShadeless

What should have been a climactic moment in the career of Pedro Martinez turned into a sobering reminder of how good this Rockets offense can be at times. Miguel Cabrera and David Ortiz provided two booming home runs to lift Rakeville over Winston-Salem this week and force another face off against their archrival Bridgewater.

“It was back to Rockets baseball,” said Javier Vazquez. “Our pitching was strong and our bats mighty. It is how we won a ton of games the last few years. For some reason we went away from that this year, but it has been good to see us getting back into the rhythm at the right time.”

The Rockets took a 5-4 lead heading into the final day, but many felt the game was in hand early in the week.

“We knew we should win that game,” said Chase Utley. “Given our playoff history folks were nervous. Still, there is no reason we should have lost. This team is a great one, even if this season hasn’t been an example of our talent. In essence, we are the same team that dominated the league the last three years. Now, we have to finish the deal.”

The sentiment was carried by most as they boarded the bus to Bridgewater, a team that the Rockets have a compelling history against in the playoffs. In 2005, after a surprising romp through the regular season, Rakeville was upset by a vivacious Weasels team in the semi-finals. Bridgewater went on to meet Weymouth in the Championships, losing by the closest margin in EHCC history. The following year Rakeville got some revenge, trouncing their rival in the quarterfinals before losing to the eventual champs Las Vegas. Now, on the heels of a blow out win in Week 21 and a shocking, come-from-behind Division crown, Rakeville has all the momentum in the historic series.

“They are the favorites,” said Manager Justin Fuller. “You can’t rattle off a season like they had and not expect to be the favorite. We’ve had some success against them, but that is all in the past. They are a great team. We are hitting our stride and I’m proud of what we’ve done, but they are still the favorites.”

Rakeville will kick off the epic series with veteran Javier Vazquez on the mound. Bridgewater counters with former Rockets farmhand Yusmeiro Petit. How fitting that that the best pitcher they have is a Rakeville castoff…

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EHSPN: 2008 Playoffs Round 1 Recap

Weymouth closer J.J. Putz put up two saves and a scoreless set of innings to help push Shaddupu past the Quebec City Piglets. Meanwhile, Rakeville closed out the Green Monsters to make it an all Eastern Division semi-finals.


East Coast Bias
By Max Powers, EHSPN


Week 1 of the 2008 playoffs brought fans everything they expected. Excitement, torture, and upset. With the wild card round now behind us fans can get pumped up for the real test. A test that will give just two teams a shot at the crown. One team will be fighting for their first, where another will be looking to tack on to championship total. One thing is for sure, the champion will represent the Eastern Division as all Western Division teams have been eliminated after the first week. Let's take a look at how the semi-final round match ups shaped up the way they did.

(4) RAK def (5) WS; 6-3

The Monsters kept their streak alive in 2008, losing their 3rd straight playoff appearance. The Monsters, who have never made it past the 1st round, had a lot of promise in 2008. They made quite the run at the end of the regular season, catapulting themselves into the 5th seed, the highest regular season seed the organization has ever had going into the playoffs. They were met by a retooling Rakeville squad which has always been known for its pitching, has been reworking their offense all season in an effort to compete for a chance at a championship.

Rakeville's newest offensive threat, Manny Ramirez, and long time Rocket third baseman Miguel Cabrera helped propel their team into the 2nd round with 5 home runs and 18 RBI's between them against a struggling Winston-Salem rotation. Roy Oswalt also stifled Monster hitters. His two wins gave the Rockets the category and also helped solidify Rakeville's hold on strikeouts, ERA and WHIP.

The Rockets proved to the rest of the league that their team has become one of the most well rounded rosters in the league and should be able to take any category in any given week. They travel on to Bridgewater to take on their Eastern Division rival Weasels in the semi-final round. The two teams have met twice before in the playoffs, once in 2005 when the Weasels beat the Rockets int he semi-final round, and once again the following year when Rakeville defeated Bridgewater in the first round. Rakeville battled Bridgewater during the 2008 season for the Eastern Division crown, a battle that the Rockets ended victorious.

(6) WEY def (3) QC; 5-5 by ERA tie-breaker

How many times can it be said - "It all comes down to pitching." For the second year in a row, the number 6 seed defeated the number 3 seed by a score of 5-5 by way of the EHCC ERA tiebreaker. The Piglets were the clear favorite going into the match up, regardless of how they finished the regular season. They defeated team Shaddupu twice in the regular season, including the most recent match up in the final week.

Quebec City was plaqued by not only injuries to their infield, but also by a string of bad outing by their record breaking pitching staff. Piglets' starters Randy Johnson, Ted Lilly, and Justin Verlander all had arguably their worst starts of the season. Such woeful starts that even masterful performances by starters Derek Lowe, Paul Byrd, and Chris Young could not dig Quebec City out from. Funnily enough, the Quebec City offense was the strongpoint for the team this week, taking 3 of the 5 categories from a struggling Weymouth line up, and even fought through the very last pitch for a 4th thanks to a pair of Carlos Delgado home runs. Unfortunatly for the Piglets' fans, the team fell one home run shy of winning the week.

Shaddupu now travels from Canada to the desert of Las Vegas where they will face off against their Eastern Division rival, the Doggs. The two teams have faced each other 4 times, with Weymouth being the victor in 3 of those match ups, including 2 semi-final round victories and 1 championship round victory. The Doggs have never beaten team Shaddupu in the semi-final round of the playoffs, their lone playoff victory coming in 2004, when the Doggs beat Shaddupu for the EHCC Championship. The two teams haven't met in the playoffs since 2005.

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This is the 2nd time in EHCC history that all four teams in the semi-final round have been representing the saem division. The last time it happened was 2005, when the same four teams, and same two match ups, made the semi-final round.

This is 3rd time in EHCC history that all four teams in the semi-final round were once of the original EHCC 6 teams. The only other seasons in which this was true was 2005 and 2001.

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Baseball Tri-Weekly: September Cover 2008

Read the Cover Story

Read the 2008 Playoff Preview

Stolen Season
Conor Intabedd; Reno Weekly Rag writing for Baseball Tri-Weekly


"Can you imagine a crazier situation in the final week of the regular season where all six teams have already clinched playoff spots? I doubt you can," those were the words from Quebec City GM Pat Renaud prior to the Week 22, and just about every other playoff GM must have agreed. Going into the final week of the regular season the only thing that was clinched besides playoff invitations was the Western Division trophy. No seed was safe. No bye had been clinched.



There were plenty of long shots, most Involving the Las Vegas Doggs. They could have had a chance at the Eastern Division crown if Rakeville had faltered against Arlington, but that didn't happen, as the Rockets beat Arlington for the seond time this season by the score of 6-1. More importantly, they could have catapulted themselves to the number 1 seed over both Bridgewater and Quebec City. They needed to beat Bridgewater, and beat them badly. A 9-0 score or better would have jumped them over their division rival and possibly dropping the Weasels down to 3rd place, a seed Weasels' fans couldn't have fathomed being in since Week 5.

"We knew we had a shot at it going in and we knew it would be tough, but we had the squad to do it and with our recent momentum we knew there was a strong possibility we could take it," Doggs' third baseman David Wright was quoted as saying prior to the Doggs-Weasels match up in Week 22.

The Doggs ended up putting up a 9-1 win over Bridgewater, a half a point below their target, leaving them a half game behind the Weasels in the regular season standings. Jimmy Rollins' 7 stolen bases against Doggs' pitchers was the key, and Doggs' newest starter Ricky Nolasco knows it. "He stole 3 on me this week. It was embarrasing. He just knows how to take advantage of situations and make you pay for not paying attention," Nolasco said in a recent press conference.

Not was all lost for Las Vegas as they also had the chance to jump over Quebec City in the standings, thus clinching themselves a 1st round bye in next week's playoffs. This was also a long shot sicne the Piglets had already beaten team Shaddupu in Week 11 by the score of 9-1, not giving the Doggs' too much confidence in a Weymouth squad that had traded one of their biggest bats since that match up.

Going into the final 3 hours of play in Week 22, the Doggs sat a whole point over the Piglets and all the Doggs were ready to start their week vacation. Quebec City starting catcher Russ Martin was ready to ruin the Doggs' party. In his first at bat he singled, stole 2nd, and then scored on a Justin Morneau double. That single at bat brought the Piglets above the Doggs by a half a game. Luckily for the Doggs, Stephen Drew got a timely 2 out single later that game, taking away a point from the Piglets and bringing the Doggs a half point above the Western Division champions, and that's how it ended.

"It was a wild ride from our persepective. Everyone was in the locker room glued to the television. All we cared about was Russ and Drew. No one else mattered. When Drew hit that single and Martin struck out the whole locker room exploded. Most of us had already booked flights home to see our families, thinking we had a week off, so if we lost out on that bye we would have been pretty upset. Needless to say, we were pretty relieved," Doggs' outfielder Adam Dunn told KDOG in a post-game interview.

The top three teams ended up finishing a half a game behind each other, with the Weasels netting the top seed, Las Vegas finishing second, and Quebec City dropping down to 3rd, forcing them to face off against Weymouth in a rematch of their regualr season finale. The Piglets won both of the regular seaosn match ups against Shaddupu by a combined score of 14-4.

Bridgewater end up facing off against the winner of the Rockets-Green Monsters first round match up, while the Doggs will face the winner of the Piglets-Shaddupu rematch.

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2008 Playoff Preview

Not many expected to see Quebec City in the first round of the 2008 playoffs, as the dominated along with Bridgewater for most of the season, but Las Vegas forced the Piglets into a first round rematch with their Week 22 opponent Weymouth, a team they've faced plenty of times in previous playoff appearances.


2008 EHCC Playoff Preview By Max Powers of EHSPN writing for Baseball Tri-Weekly

Going into the final week of the season everyone knew who would be playing for a chance at the 2008 EHCC championship but no one knew who exactly they'd be facing off against. Now that it's finally all settled, let's take a look at the match ups that present themselves and who will come out on top.

Round 1

(3) Quebec City vs (6) Weymouth

Quebec City is has been tattered and tortured over the last week or so. Injuries have plagued their infield, taking hard hitting third baseman Evan Longoria and EHCC All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler of of the Piglets' line up. Even with the injuries, the Piglets managed a 5-3 win over Shaddupu in Week 22. That along with their decisive 9-1 victory in Week 11, and the first round home field advantage, makes them the clear favorite in this first round match up.

Weymouth, who contemplated dismantling their entire squad at the trading deadling, lost some big production when they traded away long time outfielder Manny Ramirez to Rakeville. With all the pressure on Ryan Braun and Josh Hamilton to keep the Weymouth offense on top, it should be a long week for team Shaddupu.

The Piglets have not lost to Weymouth in the playoffs since 2004, and have never lost in the first round of play against team Shaddupu. This will be the third straight year that the two teams have met in the first round of the playoffs.

Overall Playoff Records
Quebec City: 3-6 (2-1 vs WEY)
Weymouth: 12-3 (1-2 vs QC)

Prediction: QC 7, WEY 3

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(4) Rakeville vs (5) Winston-Salem

Rakeville earned themselves the Price Trophy last week, and deservingly so. They had been a formidable match up for any Eastern Divisional rival in 2008 and now they hope to bring that domination into the playoffs. The Rockets have everything going for them: momentum (they've won their last 4 match ups of the regular season by a combined score of 28-7, including a 9-1 win against top seeded Bridgewater and a 6-1 victory in the final week against the defending EHCC Champion Arlington Warriors), experience (the Rockets have only missed the playoffs once since the EHCC was created in 2001), and production (sat in the top 5 of four of the five offensive categories in the 2008 regular season). Chase Utley and company will need to compensate however for the ailing Rockets' pitching staff. With ace Josh Beckett and closer Billy Wagner on the shelf, look for starter Roy Oswalt to return to form and help set the example in the first day of play for the rest of the staff.

Winston-Salem's offense has been streaky all season. One week they seem like they'll be unstoppable against any opponent and others they seems as though they're all taking the week off. They'll have to turn it on this week if they wish to stay competitive against a strong Rockets' line up. Grady Sizemore and Carlos Quentin are the strong point in their line up and should provide the Monsters with the fire power they'll need to stay with Miguel Cabrera and the rest of the Rakeville bats. The Monsters will have to take advantage of the ailing Rockets' pitching staff this week. With Zack Grienke being their only scheduled two-start pitcher, they will have to rely of finesse to push past the first round.

This is the Monsters' third trip to the EHCC playoffs since being introduced to the league in 2004 and first since 2005. They have never made it past the first round. Rakeville has made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs in each of the past 3 years. Rakeville and Winston-Salem have never faced off in the playoffs.

Overall Playoff Records
Rakeville: 2-5
Winston-Salem: 0-2

Prediction: RAK 6, WS 3

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Round 2

(1) Bridgewater vs (4) Rakeville

Bridgewater has dominated all season. They've beaten every team in the league at least once (most of them twice) with the notable exception of Rakeville. They've faltered down the stretch, coming close to losing their number 1 seed to Las Vegas, but pushed through and should face off against the Rockets in the second round of play. The Weasels didn't sit on top of any single category this season, but overall were very well-rounded. Their bats came alive at opportunistic times during the season and, with the exception of starter Chien-Ming Wang, their arms in their rotation have been durable enough to endure the long season. They showed chinks in their armor in the final few weeks of play, faltering against two playoff teams (Las Vegas and Rakeville), and they'll be hoping that their poor play doesn't carry over into the playoffs.

Rakeville has done well against Eastern Division opponents all season and Bridgewater is no exception. They have not lost to them in their two match ups during the regular season, a statistic they won't be looking to change in the playoffs. Their pitching staff hasn't been as dominate as past seasons but should be able to hold off the majority of the Bridgewater hitters especially with three scheduled two-start pitchers, while Rakeville bats should be swinging away at a rusty Bridgewater staff that will have a week off before facing off against the Rockets' potent lineup.

The same match up came about in the 2005 season, with the seeds being reversed. Bridgewater, then the 4th seed, upset the Rockets, who were dominate all throughout the regular season. Look for a similar outcome this year.

Overall Playoff Record (including 2008 previous round predictions)
Bridgewater: 6-7 (1-1 vs RAK)
Rakeville: 3-5 (1-1 vs BRW)

Prediction: RAK 5, BRW 4

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(2) Las Vegas vs (3) Quebec City

The Doggs are the story of the second half of the season. They ended up making up enough ground to push them from 8th place to 2nd by the end of the regular season, giving them the 1st round BYE all Doggs' fans thought they needed. The Doggs have made the playoffs every season since the EHCC was created but both of their championships came when they had a 1st round bye. Going into the playoffs, the Doggs have been arguably the best team in the league, defeating 10 of their last 11 opponents by a combined score of 73-23. Their only loss in that time coming at the hands of a 8-2 beating by Winston-Salem in Week 18. They stand in the top 5 of every offensive category, including top honors in Home Runs and RBI, and second in Runs and Stolen Bases. Their resurgent pitching staff has helped catapult them into the conversation of most improved staff since the beginning of the season. They ended the season with a top three finish in each pitching category except total Wins, where they finished in the middle of the road (6th). Many feel that the week off will hurt the Doggs' momentum but the players have all stated that they'll use the time off wisely.

Quebec City, hurt the most by the Doggs' second half domination, lost out on the first round bye but should find themselves an opportunity to avenge themselves in the second round against Las Vegas. The Piglets' pitching staff, the best in the league, should have little trouble against Doggs' hitters. The problem will arise if/when the Doggs' decide to bring in multiple free agents specialists to battle against the Piglets' dominate staff. The Piglets' hitters will have to step up against the Doggs' pitchers, an area that many feel as though the Piglets are simply just overmatched. If the Piglets are to win this match up they'll do it on the mound.

The Piglets have only made it to the final tound once since being brought into the EHCC in 2002, while the Doggs have been to the finals 3 times, winning the EHCC crown twice, both times with the first round bye. Quebec City and Las Vegas have never met each other in the playoffs.

Overall Playoff Record (including 2008 previous round prediction)
Las Vegas: 7-5
Quebec City: 4-6
Prediction: LV 7, QC 2

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2008 EHCC CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

(2) Las Vegas Doggs vs (4) Rakeville Rockets

These two teams, the top two teams in the East, are probably two of the most evenly matched teams in the EHCC. Both teams finished the regular season by winning their final four match ups. Both organizations have plenty of playoff experience. Both have above average hitters and rotations. This should make for an entertaining two weeks to say the least.

Las Vegas may have the edge in a tie breaking situation, finishing a whole 0.30 points above the Rockets in team ERA in the regular season.

The Doggs and Rockets have met twice before in the post-season. In 2003 the 3rd seeded Doggs defeated the 6th seeded Rockets in the 1st round of play. In the second round, Las Vegas was then beaten by a far superior Weymouth club who went on to win their 3rd straight championship. In 2006, 1st seeded Las Vegas defeated 4th seeded Rakeville in the second round on route to their second EHCC title.

According to my previous predictions, the 2008 playoffs look a lot like the 2005 version, with the number 2 seed facing off against the number 4 for the championship. I can't see it finishing off much differently.

Overall Playoff Record (including 2008 previous round predictions)
Las Vegas 8-5 (2-0 vs RAK)
Rakeville: 4-5 (0-2 vs LV)

Prediction LV 6, RAK 4 MVP - David Wright (3B-LV)


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