One of the benefits of our head-to-head system is how it obscures reality. The Tampa Bay Rays look like on of the all-time great teams because a) they are really pretty good and b) their early-season schedule was full of teams who are really pretty bad. The Rays might be the best team in the division, but the Blue Jays might also be, and the Yankees might be, too. But for now Tampa Bay fans can believe Arozarena and Franco are going to combine for 18 WAR and Shane McClanahan might go 25 – 0, on the way to a 125 – 37 season’
It works about the same in the EFL. For example, when play began yesterday, those in the know looked at the standings showing the Wolverines one-tenth of a game out of first place, behind consensus favorite Haviland, and smiled knowingly. The W’s, of course, will NOT be breathing down the Dragons’ neck in September. The Tornados might, the Pears might, the Kangaroos, DC… I’m probably leaving someone out. But I’m not leaving out the Wolverines.
Unless…
- Byron Buxton is healthy AND great all season. Ha, Ha! as if. But if he did, then I suppose the Wolverines could be a factor if…
- Will Smith stays off the IL and is great all season. (Uh oh. Already missed on that). But maybe it could still happen, if…
- Nolan Jones could bring his 1.197 OPS to Coors Field. But that would require the Rockies to make a sensible move. But what if…
And the list goes on. If 8 out of 10 wild dreams came true, the W’s could be a factor in the 2023 EFL pennant race.
But otherwise, that 0.1 games-behind showing yesterday is just a pleasant early-season treat, to be enjoyed now like it is the last piece of the Christmas pumpkin pie.
Especially since the Wolverine hitters, who did so much damage a few days ago, batted yesterday like they were doing penance. They went a cumulative 2 for 23 with 5 walks and a double. Adolis Garcia, the Wolverine Hitter of the Week, continued as team leader, going 1 for 2 with a walk. That counted as towering production, like a hillock on a Kansas prairie, compared to the flatline heartbeat of the rest of the Wolverine offense.
But here are today’s standings:
| Standings | 27-Apr | |||
| Team | Wins | Losses | WPct | GB |
| Old Detroit Wolverines | 16.1 | 7.9 | 0.670 | 0.0 |
| Haviland Dragons | 15.6 | 8.5 | 0.648 | 0.5 |
| Flint Hill Tornadoes | 14.6 | 9.4 | 0.610 | 1.4 |
| D.C. Balk | 14.5 | 9.5 | 0.604 | 1.6 |
| Canberra Kangaroos | 14.0 | 10.0 | 0.582 | 2.1 |
| Peshastin Pears | 14.0 | 10.1 | 0.581 | 2.1 |
| Kaline Drive | 13.6 | 10.4 | 0.566 | 2.5 |
| Pittsburgh Alleghenys | 12.6 | 11.4 | 0.526 | 3.4 |
| Portland Rosebuds | 9.7 | 14.3 | 0.403 | 6.4 |
| Bellingham Cascades | 8.9 | 15.1 | 0.371 | 7.2 |
| Salem Seraphim | 8.5 | 15.5 | 0.353 | 7.6 |
How did this happen? How did that anemic, bedridden Wolverine offense gain 0.6 wins and lose 0.6 losses?
The answer: they didn’t. Hunter Brown did… he and a trio of Wolverine relievers.
Here’s Brown’s line for the day: 7 innings pitched, 0 runs allowed.
Here are the three relievers, combined: 2.3 ip, 0 runs allowed. That lowered the W’s ERA for the week from 3.97 to 3.27, and improved the OD rs/ra ratio from about 34/25 yesterday to 31.7/20.5 today, giving the W’s a .706 winning percentage on the week.
So that’s what’s causing the mirage. It isn’t the sudden turn in Oregon weather to sunny with highs in the upper 60s. It isn’t the onset of Finals Week with the addling of brains and the mountains of grading. It’s Hunter Brown… and a little help from kindly head-to-head foe Bellingham, whose hitters were almost as bad (.388 OPS to OD’s .352) but whose pitchers had an average day (13 ip, 6 er, 4.15 ERA).
…
I am fully aware that the demand for Wolverine content is not infinite. It’s barely enough to deserve to be called finite. And I realize this update is about 97.6% Wolverines, 1% Haviland, and 1% Bellingham, plus passing references to Flint Hills, Peshastin, Canberra, and DC. (Plus an extra inflection of a reference to Flint Hills, if your eyesight is keen enough.)
There is unmet demand for non-Wolverine content. I myself am demanding more non-Wolverine content. Not only am I banging my cup for it, I am trying to encourage non-Wolverine sources to help fill it. So… tell us what’s going on for your team.
You don’t have to write 1000 words. Try writing 50. We’ll lap it up. Your fellow owners will praise you to the skies. They might also praise you to you, or (even better) to the rest of the league. If it remains a chore, 50 words a couple times a week would still be a huge boon to the league. If you start enjoying writing about your team (or about other people’s teams), you can increase your word count to your heart’s content.
But the key is to start. 50 words. It will be warmly welcomed.
