Not So 'Even Steven'

So I was messing around my 2008 APBA Baseball Card Set, and forgot that I put my BBW (Baseball for Windows) WABL Atlanta Braves team into a ready-to-play APBA Card set. My WABL (World APBA Baseball League) Braves were 5-time World Champions (2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 & 2009 -- yes, we call them the "Every Other-Year Champs" dynasty).

The 2009 WABL Champions (2008 MLB Season) was one of my most impressive teams, having the lineup and pitching on top of their game --- but it was funny how it all came together, since it does have a few one-year wonder power-years by Milton Bradley, Carlos Quentin & starting pitcher Edinson Volquez that usually weren't in the mix to previous teams. Bradley usually was an occasional starter, DH, bench-guy for me.

Two big early career moves that paid dividends.

My usual lineup that season (and their OPS's)

1. Brian Roberts - 2B     (.828)

2. Nick Markakis - CF     (.897)

3. Albert Pujols -1B     (1.115)

4. Alex Rodriguez - 3B     (.965)

5. Milton Bradley - DH     (.999)

6. Carlos Quentin - RF     (.965)

7. Corey Hart - LF     (.759)

8. Yunel Escobar - SS     (.767)

9. Ivan Rodriguez - C     (.713)

The funny thing is that this was the first year in quite a few years that Carl Crawford didn't regularly start for me, his OPS was only .719, he was banged up for Tampa during their A.L. Championship campaign, and only had 25 steals & 8 HR's in 443 at-bats. He would start occasional with Adam Jones, Jones was sent to the minors in support for another arm from the bullpen in the playoffs -- plus he didn't even play up to his .711 OPS. He might have got just a little over 100 at-bats even.

Bench

Yorvit Torrealba - C

Adam LaRoche - 1B

Alberto Callaspo - IF

Ramon Santiago - SS

Carl Crawford - OF

Really not one of my best benches in recent years here, Mark Kotsay was a guy that usually made the roster, Alberto Callaspo emerged for this season & was really valuable & versatile; Torrealba is my career back-up Braves' catcher, the guy does what I ask him to do & that's give my #1's a break from time to time. Mark Reynolds was an occasional DH, backup 3B for A-Rod & pinch-hitter from time to time during the season -- he hit 28 HR's for the D-Backs in 2008. Edgar Renteria's bad 08' knocked him out of his usual place in the lineup & roster all together.

Rotation

1. Roy Halladay     B-XZ

2. Tim Lincecum     A-XY

3. Ben Sheets     B-YZ

4. Edinson Volquez     A-XYW

5. Ricky Nolasco     B-XZ

Joe Saunders     B-Z

Roy Halladay has now been my ace for a few years, Ben Sheets was the one while the rotation was in transition years back, and Randy Johnson was the ace from 1998-2004. Tim Lincecum was a 2nd-round steal for me, I used to tout Edinson Volquez as one of my biggest draft steals (2006 WABL Draft - 7th Round, 85th overall) -- turns out that 2008 was as good as it will get. There was also Shaun Marcum, Adam Wainwright & Dustin McGowan in the minors for me as well. 

Bullpen

Keiichi Yabu     B*

Brian Fuentes     B*-K

Jonathan Broxton     B*-K

Jim Johnson     A*

Brad Lidge     A&C*-KW

Not one of my best bullpens actually, and I also used a young Sergio Romo B*-XYZ, Michael Wuertz B*, Andrew Brown B*-YW & the once-promising Joel Zumaya B*-XW.

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Bingo DeMoss - One of the better 2B's in Negro League history.

So I decided to play them, in a dice-game exhibition against the Negro League "Stripes" team as part of my Negro League barnstorming tour experiment to see if I should throw these teams into a GTOP scenario or what not, after this... these All-Star Negro teams probably won't be used like this, and only in this form for this exhibition tour.

WHY?

Because they demolished the 2008 WABL Braves, the Stripes would get their first 9 batters all on base, and rack up 7 runs against "Doc" Halladay! It was Halladay (B-XZ) vs. Lefty McKinnis (B-Z), their #4 starter. Plus Cool Papa Bell had the day off, sure the Stripes had 7 Hall of Famers in their starting nine, but I felt the teams were quite "Even Steven"... 

Not so much.

The Braves would get outscored 16-0, while being outhit 20-4, Albert Pujols had 2 singles. Willard Brown went 4-for-5 against the Braves, with a 2B & 3 RBI & Bingo DeMoss went 3-for-5 with a HR, Steal & 4 RBI. Pete Hill added a 2-run blast as well. The Stripes scored 7 in the first & 6 runs in the 6th, while McKinnis pitched a complete-game shutout.

And I thought it would be a good, back & forth match-up -- Boy, was I wrong!

For more about my WABL Braves history, I am currently working on another post.