Thursday, October 30, 2008

Checks are in the Mail!

Hi Gang,
 
This morning (OCT 30), I wrote out and mailed the HARL prize checks. So your roto-baseball winnings are on their way!
 
Congratulations to everyone for another fine HARL season. 22 years in the books is hard to imagine. I sincerely hope to see everyone participating again in 2009. Sometime during the offseason, I'm going to ponder and propose some significant changes to the rules for next year with the aim of keeping things fresh after all these years of play. So it could be a very different league in 2009. Feel free to share any ideas that you have with me this winter. 
 
For all you life-long Phillies fans out there..... as the t-shirts say: PHINALLY!!!  Now I can die a happy man. 
 
PS: Dougie Fresh, I included your Hershey Bears hockey tickets in your envelope, so be on the lookout for those.
 
Talk to you guys later.
 
-SEVY-
 

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

A Champion Is Crowned!

The long wait is finally over. The HARL Champion for 2008 has been crowned. Who won?

Did the JOKERS hang on to their skinny lead? Or did the ASSASSINS sneak up from behind and give them the old shiv in the back? Or did the COBRAS strike from below? Or maybe just maybe, the GRILLERS turned up the heat? Or could it be that the RHINOS (gulp gulp) made a frantic last-week comeback to claim their 8th HARL title?

Well? Well?

Well... it was a very close points race, for everyone except the eventual winner. Three teams were separated by less than 1.5 points! But the champs won comfortably.

So who won? The suspense is killing me dammit!

Cue the medieval fanfare music and send in the clowns! The 2008 HARL Championship wears pointy shoes and a silly hat, and hails from the Great White North region of Pennsylvania.

Hail hail to the 2008 Champs... the JOKERS!

The Final Playoff Standings were as follows:
  1. 45.32 = Jokers
  2. 35.40 = Grillers
  3. 32.18 = Cobras
  4. 32.08 = Rhinos
  5. 30.88 = Assassins
You can check out more details by perusing the league reports. I'm uploading the PSR reports as we speak. I haven't edited the web-reports yet, but will try to squeeze that in soon when I've got some extra free time (perhaps tomorrow morning or night). So hang loose.

FOR NOW... Please join me in congratulating JACK SOLTIS and the JOKERS on their 1st ever HARL Championship!

Kudos to Joker Jack for a great season. It was well deserved.

Until we meet again.... Enjoy the MLB Playoffs... and GO PHILS!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Final 2008 Stats

This snippet (which I just posted on my business website) also applies to us. So I've posted it here to alert you guys as well.

 
STATS ALERT (9/29):
 
The Final Stats for 2008 will not be posted until the AL Central winner has been determined. The outcome of the Tigers/W-Sox makeup game on 9/29 could determine a winner, or else a 1-game regular season playoff game between the Twins/W-Sox will be played on Tuesday 9/30 to determine the winner. Since the stats from these games count as Regular Season stats, we cannot publish the final stats until these games are complete. 
 
As a result, the final set of player stats for 2008 won't be published until Tuesday (1 PM) or Wednesday (1 PM), depending on the outcome of the AL games that are still to be played.
 
Note that the FINAL STATS will be dated 9/28/2008, although they WILL include those AL stats from 9/29 (and 9/30 game if applicable). Users of Rhino Baseball should use 9/28/2008 as the date of these final stats. 

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Jokers Wild


Can the Jokers pull off their first-ever HARL Championship?

After 3 weeks of a crazy playoffs which have seen three lead-changes, Joker Jack's boys are currently holding down the top-spot. That will teach me to overlook anyone's 1st-place chances ever again! If you recall, at the halfway mark of the playoffs I predicted it would come down to a 2-horse race between the Assassins and Cobras. I was wrong.

At this point, anything could happen. In hot pursuit of the Jokers are the Assassins and Grillers, and even the Cobras are within striking distance if they can get red-hot this final week. This is exciting!

About the only thing I feel sure of is that my injury-riddled and pitching-poor Rhinos club has virtually no chance of bringing home an 8th HARL Championship. Yes, I realize that nobody but me is boo-hooing about that!
So good luck to all the contenders and have fun watching SportsCenter this week! There's really nothing to do at this point other than sit back, pop a cold one, and pray that your sluggers hit, steal, and field the ball cleanly, and that your hurlers record outs, rack up the K's, and snag some Wins and Saves. It sounds so simple doesn't it?

By the way... Stat reports (both web-stuff and PSR) are now available at HARL Central.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Week #3 Playoff Standings

HARL Playoff Standings thru Week #3 are available on the HARL stats site. I haven't posted any of the reports yet; just the Standings.
 
PS: Looks like we've got a NEW leader!  Hint: Think Worst to First!
 
-Sevy-
 

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Halfway to the Finish!

Two weeks are gone in the 2008 HARL playoff race. We're halfway to deciding a champ. Who's it gonna be this season? Here's the quickie point-score rundown at the SEP 14 checkpoint:
  1. Assassins = 43.2 pts
  2. Grillers = 37.6 pts
  3. Cobras = 35.4 pts
  4. Rhinos = 31.1 pts
  5. Jokers = 29.8 pts

Pretty amazing to see the Assassins holding down the top-spot eh? In the history of the HARL Playoffs, no 5th Seed playoff team has ever managed to win the playoffs and secure the league championship. Dougie Fresh is doing his best to make history, that's for sure.

I'm also surprised to see the Jokers languishing in the basement. What gives? Is this really the same club that took 1st Place in the Regular Season standings after 22 weeks?

The Grillers offense nosedived big-time this week, while the Spitting Cobras slithered their way up the standings and crawled out of the basement. The Rhinos sort of held steady. With the sudden spate of key injuries to the Rhinos and Grillers, those two teams will be very hard pressed to win another championship this season.

There are still lots of really close categories stats-wise, so it's too early to make any surefire predictions as to who will reign victorious. The upstart Assassins are in the driver's seat, but I'm expecting the Cobras to make a 2nd-half playoff run and battle them hard for the title.

So buckle your seatbelts baseball fans, it's gonna be a wild finish!

You can check out the full set of stats reports at HARL CENTRAL (http://www.rhinosoftware.com/harl/harl_main.htm).

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

HARL -- Playoff Stats/Reports Posted

Both PSR and Web Reports have been posted for Week-1 of the HARL Playoffs. 
 
I don't really have too much to say about who's leading the playoff point-standings at this point, since experience shows us that in the immortal words of Kennesaw Mountain BigHorn, "1-week does not a playoff champion make."
 
Still... GRILLERS SUCK!
 
;-) 
 
 
 

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

PSR Reports Posted

PSR reports through Week-22 have been posted and are ready to download from the HARL CENTRAL website.  
 
I probably won't get to create the web reports until later tonight.
 
-SEVY-

Monday, September 1, 2008

Who Made the HARL Playoffs?

Want to know who made the 2008 HARL Playoffs?
 
Check out HARL CENTRAL or go here http://www.rhinosoftware.com/harl/scor-y22.htm to see the final, regular season standings thru Week-22.
 
-Sevy-
 
 
 

Final FAD Results (AUG 31)

Results from the Final FAD of 2008:
  1. MATT STAIRS     OF-PHI   .05   MUDHENS
  2. DAVID ECKSTEIN  MI-ARZ   .05   GRILLERS
  3. CHRIS DUNCAN    OF-STL   .05   GRILLERS
  4. KHALIL GREENE   SS-SD    .05   JOKERS
  5. JEFF SAMARDZIJA RP-CHC   .05   JOKERS
-SEVY-
 

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Saturday Waiver Claims

Waiver claims from Saturday (AUG 30):
  1. Corey Patterson        OF-CIN      Mudhens
  2. Daniel Murphy           OF-NYM    Rhinos
 

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

HARL Stats Posted!

Stats thru Week-21 have been posted. Phew... I'll be glad when the baseball season is over and my "fall vacation" arrives. I'm really getting burned out doing the stats every week. It happens to the best of us.
 
NEWS...
 
The HARL STANDINGS didn't change very much from last week. Looks like we have a nip/tuck race for 1st Place between the JOKERS and COBRAS over the final week of the Regular Season. The Jokers have the edge right now, but with only 1-point separating the teams, anything can happen.
 
The GRILLERS remain entrenched in 3rd Place and are a lock to remain there heading into Labor Day. The RHINOS are holding down the 4th spot and things look solid for them playoff-wise. The final playoff spot looks like it's going to come down either the MUDHENS or ASSASSINS, although the BREWSKIS could surprise if they get red hot this week and the Hens & Assassins falter. Stay tuned.
 
LAST FAD...
 
This Sunday's FAD is the LAST ONE of the 2008 season. So if you have any remaining dough left to spend, you better spend it while you can!
 
PLAYOFF TEAMS and ROSTER EXPANSION...
 
As you're well aware by now, the TOP FIVE finishers through WEEK #22 make the HARL Playoffs. They also win some prize money in the process. Once LABOR DAY is upon us, the rosters of the non-playoff teams are FROZEN. That means those teams don't make any more roster moves for the rest of the season, and cannot pickup anyone off the Waiver Wire. 
 
The five playoff teams may EXPAND their Active Rosters to 26 players on Labor Day by adding 1 HITTER and 1 PITCHER to their lineup (position does not matter, so your hitter could be a 2B, C, OF, or whatever, and your pitcher could be a SP or RP). 
 
SEPTEMBER WAIVER CLAIMS...
 
During the month of September, only teams participating in the HARL playoffs can claim players off the Waiver Wire. These players are TEMPORARY PICKUPS and will be automatically force-waived after the season ends. 
 
That's all for now... Enjoy the final week of the REGULAR SEASON. Best of luck to all those who are fighting for a playoff spot.
 
-Sevy-
  

Monday, August 25, 2008

FAD Results from Sunday

FAD Results from SUNDAY... Only 2 picks:
  1. Andy Tracy        1B/OF-PHI    .05    MAYGAMERS
  2. Josh Bard            C-SD          .05    RHINOS
Sevy out!
 

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Two Weeks and Counting!

There's only 2 weeks left in the HARL Regular Season. My oh my how times flies! Once September 1st rolls around, the top-5 teams will compete in the HARL playoffs to determine who will be crowned this year's league champion. For everyone else, it's time to pack up the rotisserie stuff and say "better luck next year". Truth be told, the bottom four clubs are so far down the points-rung that they probably packed it in some time ago.
 
So who's PLAYOFF BOUND?
 
Well, it's currently a 7-team race for five playoff spots. There's a really tight race for 1st Place going on right now between the JOKERS and SPITTING COBRAS. A mere 2 points is all that separates Joker Jack from his good friend Cobra Mike in the standings. It appears that the race for 1st Place regular season prize money will go right down to the Labor Day wire. Fortunately for both of these clubs, they don't have to worry about making the playoffs. They're playoff shoo-ins. But neither team has ever won a HARL title, so it's assuredly exciting, nail-biting, bed-wetting times around those two clubhouses right now.
 
With 85 points, the GAS HOUSE GRILLERS also look like shoo-ins for the playoffs. It would take a Herculean effort for them to catch the Jokers and/or Cobras in the point standings, as they trail that duo by more than 15 points. But barring a late-August collapse, the Gas House gang will be cooking playoff-dogs come September. Their July trade acquisitions of Ryan Howard and Andre Ethier are paying huge dividends offensively. 
 
Lurking in 4th place are the ever-dangerous SEVY RHINOS. The Rhinos have been treading water for a couple of weeks, thanks to a mix of injuries and slumps that have zapped the offense of its usual strength. The Rhinos need to weather the storm from the hungry teams clawing at them from below (Hens, Assassins, and Brewskis). If the Rhinos can hang on and make the playoffs, they present an interesting team to deal with. They've got one of the best offenses in HARL, but their year-to-date pitching stats (with the exception of Saves) have been atrocious. But over the past month, the Rhinos staff has improved somewhat, thanks to surges from Oliver Perez and The Big Unit. A clean stats-slate would do them a world of good come September. 
 
Fighting for the 5th and final playoff spot are the NORTH MARKET MUDHENS, ASSASSINS, and BREWSKIS. Right now, the HENS are in the driver's seat, holding down 5th place with 75 points (4 behind the Rhinos). They have the luxury of complete health (nobody on the Disabled List) and a starting rotation that looks as strong as anyone's on paper. They're kind of the anti-Rhinos in many respects (weak offense, strong starting staff, so-so bullpen). After tasting the playoffs for the first time last year, Judge Mike and the boys are hankering for a return to glory. 
 
At 71 points, the ASSASSINS need to make a late-season run in order to push themselves into the playoffs. Without Justin Upton, Ryan Church, and Jonathan Sanchez in the lineup, that could be a tall order. Rental superstar Manny Ramirez has been worth every penny, but he's going to need hot streaks from Wright, Holliday, and Kouzmanoff to bolster the offense. And Ben Sheets really needs to step it up and carry this staff if they're going to reach the postseason. 
 
Although 7 points out of 5th place, the BREWSKIS are still in this thing. They've got Chipper back and the Atkins-Hawpe-Stewart-Baker-Iannetta contingent on offense. Chris Dickerson was also a great late-season free agent pick who is playing regularly. JJ Hardy is hot, Mike Cameron is solid, and we all know the streaky Cody Ross can get red-hot on occasion. So if the offense can tear the cover off the ball, the Zambrano-Maine-Myers starting trio can hurl some gems, the beermakers could make a surprising rally. 
 
So stay tuned... we'll know how it all turns out in 2 weeks!
 
-SEVY-
 
 

Monday, August 18, 2008

FAD Results of AUG 17

Sunday's FAD Results...
  1. CHRIS DICKERSON    OF-CIN  1.10  BREWSKIS    (TOP=1.45, NEXT=1.05 MAYGAMERS)
  2. MIKE FONTENOT      2B-CHC   .05  COBRAS 
  3. WIL OHMAN          RP-ATL   .05  LEMMINGS 
  4. PEDRO ALVAREZ      3B-PIT   .55  LEMMINGS    (TOP=.55, NEXT=.50 GRILLERS) 
  5. TRAVIS ISHIKAWA    1B-SF    .50  BREWSKIS    (TOP=.55, NEXT=.45 ASSASSINS)
  6. LIVAN HERNANDEZ    SP-COL   .05  ASSASSINS 
  7. HUMBERTO QUINTERO   C-HOU   .05  ASSASSINS 
  8. TOM GORZELANNY     SP-PIT   .05  GRILLERS 
  9. CRAIG COUNSELL     UT-MIL   .05  ASSASSINS 
  10. DAN DORN           OF-CIN   .05  RHINOS 
IMPORTANT NOTE: This past weekend's FAD was the last chance for anyone to pickup Minor Leaguers (rookies) in the FAD for the rest of this season. From today going forward, you CANNOT draft rookies in the remaining weekly FADs (those of AUG 24 and AUG 31).
 
ALSO... as a friendly reminder to those who need to perform roster moves, here's a recap of the ROSTER POLICE note that I sent out earlier this week:
 
ASSASSINS
  • David Ross was designated for assignment on 8/10 and needs replaced.   
BREWSKIS
  • Elijah Dukes went on DL on 8/07 and needs replaced.
  • Chipper Jones came off the DL on 8/08.
  • John Maine came off the DL on 8/13.
COBRAS
  • Orlando Hudson went on DL on 8/10 and needs replaced.
GAMBLERS
  • Paul Loduca was released on 8/01 and needs replaced.
  • Blake Dewitt was sent to the minors on 7/26 and needs replaced.
  • Tim Hudson went on DL on 7/28 and needs replaced.
  • Micah Owings was sent to the minors on 7/29 and needs replaced.
  • Chris Carpenter came off the DL on 7/30 and needs to be activated/reserved or waived. 
JOKERS
  • 1 too many Veteran players on your RESERVE LIST. You can have 7 max. Must drop 1 Veteran player from the group of: Abercrombie, Burke, Hairston, Montero, Velez, Hendrickson, Howry, and Morales.
LEMMINGS
  • Billy Wagner went on DL on 8/05 and needs replaced.

 
-SEVY-
 

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Saturday's Waiver Claims

WAIVER claims from Saturday:
  1. AARON HARANG    SP-CIN    LEMMINGS
  2. BRAD THOMPSON    P-STL    ASSASSINS
  3. JOEL PINEIRO    SP-STL    JOKERS
 

Friday, August 15, 2008

Updates to ROSTERS and WAIVER WIRE reports

Guys,
 
Looks like one of Stampeder Dave's emails got lost in the shuffle and I overlooked his moves for the week as a result. I updated that today and have posted new ROSTERS online, as well as a new WAIVER WIRE report (because he waived a bunch of guys).
 
So take a look at that.  
 
SEVY
 

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Stats Done

Sorry for the delay with the HARL stats... They're out now.
 
I'm having a really hard time getting motivated to do any baseball crap right now. It's been a long season, my team is just so-so, and all the other non-baseball stuff going on is starting to wear on my nerves and tire me out. Oh well, I doubt that you guys really care anyway.
 
C'est la vie. 
 
-Sevy-
 

HARL Roster Police

Looks like people are getting lazy with roster management and have a case of the "August Blues".
The mid-August edition of HARL Roster Police brings the following things...
 
ASSASSINS
  • David Ross was designated for assignment on 8/10 and needs replaced.   
BREWSKIS
  • Elijah Dukes went on DL on 8/07 and needs replaced.
  • Chipper Jones came off the DL on 8/08.
  • John Maine came off the DL on 8/13.
COBRAS
  • Orlando Hudson went on DL on 8/10 and needs replaced.
GAMBLERS
  • Paul Loduca was released on 8/01 and needs replaced.
  • Blake Dewitt was sent to the minors on 7/26 and needs replaced.
  • Tim Hudson went on DL on 7/28 and needs replaced.
  • Micah Owings was sent to the minors on 7/29 and needs replaced.
  • Chris Carpenter came off the DL on 7/30 and needs to be activated/reserved or waived. 
JOKERS
  • 1 too many Veteran players on your RESERVE LIST. You can have 7 max. Must drop 1 Veteran player from the group of: Abercrombie, Burke, Hairston, Montero, Velez, Hendrickson, Howry, and Morales.
LEMMINGS
  • Billy Wagner went on DL on 8/05 and needs replaced.
 
STAMPEDERS
  • 1 extra guy on your RESERVE LIST. You can have 10 max. Must drop 1 player from the group of: Antonelli, B. Jones, Ruiz, Rodriguez, Backe, Balester, Burton, An. Miller, Jar. Parker, G. Reynolds, Scherzer.
  • Khalil Greene went on DL on 8/01 and needs replaced.
  • Josh Bard went on DL on 8/09 and needs replaced.
Kennesaw Mountain BigHorn
HARL Commissioner

Monday, August 11, 2008

Weekend FAD and Waiver Results

Hi Gang,
 
WAIVER CLAIMS from Saturday... Just one claim:
  1. FELIPE LOPEZ    2B/OF-STL    RHINOS
FAD results from Sunday:
  1. REGGIE ABERCROMBIE  OF-HOU  .05  JOKERS
  2. JASON DAVIS         SP-PIT  .60  ASSASSINS  (TOP=.95, NEXT=.55 MAYGAMERS)
  3. LUIS RODRIGUEZ      SS-SD   .15  STAMPEDERS
-SEVY-