Week 3 v. Team Laurie

There's only one way to go: down. I now sit atop the entire Man's League with a 21-7-2 record. But Bedwetter Brent & Gotta Have Faith Steve are right behind me. Still, at least I can say I was once in first place. Hopefully we can stay there.

Here's how it went against Team Laurie: From the mound, I took wins, saves, ERA, and WHIP. Hey, hey, Ryan Franklin, closer of the now! My pitching continues to be strong overall, strong like the odors in an overcrowded beach-front dog kennel doubling as a storage closet for used hockey equipment. Very happy with Wakefield so far, and my other starters have been as good as expected. From the plate, things finally went according to plan. I won runs, steals, and average. Another surprise in home runs - a tie with just five. Credit to Ichiro & Pedroia for playing 'their game'.

In general, I am worried about Geovany Soto. He's my one guy who hasn't done any of the stuff I got him for. If some others return to normal form (Branyan, Ethier, Scott, Ross), I will need his power production. I also made a big bench change this week, picking up Kevin Millar. He's not going to play often, but he is in the lineup when the Jays face lefties. And when he's in, he's been very hot. He scored 3 runs in 10 ABs this week, a nice pickup.

And finally, an update on just how good this team is. For the season, I am in the top 5 in five categories. I would say that's pretty good. Here's the breakdown:

3rd in Runs (124)
5th in Avg. (.289)
4th in Wins (13)
3rd in ERA (3.38)
3rd in WHIP (1.26)

(sad side note: I am in the bottom 5 in strikeouts.)

See the trick there? No first place in anything! So are these really team strengths or just hot starts? I would like to believe they're strengths, for one main reason - these are the categories I was TRYING to win when I drafted this team. Could this all be a mirage? Absolutely! it is way too early to figure anything out for sure. Except that after three weeks, I've won all my games. In week 4, I face Margarita Matt. Fingers crossed...