The 2010 IFB Champion: Sparland Hilltoppers

The playoffs in the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League have now concluded, and a champion has been declared.  After a long, dominating season that was repeated in the playoffs, the 2010 champion is:

SPARLAND HILLTOPPERS

Here are the results of the final match-ups for the season in the classification rounds:

• Championship
• Sparland Hilltoppers   9
• 2010 not a Holliday    2
• Third Place:
• JSloan    6
• BJ Penn  6
• JSloan winner based off of tiebreakers
• Fifth Place:
• BooBooCubs  10
• Most Daring    2
• Seventh Place
• Muse Academy Muses  3
• Ferris Indians                9

Congrats to every team on a successful first year in the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League.  Looking ahead to next year, here is a look at the order of the draft for the 2011 season:

1. Bushwackers
2. Quincy Dirtbags
3. Bambinos
4. Anabolic A Rods
5. Triple Crown
6. Bo Hart All Stars
7. Funky Cold Molina
8. All Balls No Strikes
9. Muse Academy Muses
10. Ferris Indians
11. Most Daring
12. BooBooCubs
13. BJ Penn
14. JSloan
15. 2010 not a Holliday
16. Sparland Hilltoppers

There also may be a possibility that some teams do not return for the next season.  If that is the case, the draft order will stay the same for all the teams in the league, and new teams will start out at the bottom.  For example:

• Bushwackers, Bambinos, and All Balls No Strikes did not return next season.  They occupy the 1, 3, and 8 slots in the draft order.  That would mean those three slots would move to the 14th, 15th, and 16th positions, and all other teams would move up in corresponding order.  That would mean Quincy Dirtbags would be first, Anabolic A Rods second, and so on.

Thanks again to everyone for a great first season, and look forward to year 2 in 2011!

IFL Week 3 Recap and Other Notes

Week 3 of the Illinois Football League is in the books.  Here's a look at the match-ups from Week 3:

• Da Win  122.42
• Romosexual Xperience  80.86

• DaBearColts  127.80
• The Grove Johnsons  77.10

• Most Daring   56.50
• Bad News Bears  92.54

• Muse Academy Muses  114.18
• ItsonlikeNdamukong  89.24

• Sparland Hilltoppers  87.32
• Rex Cooley All-Stars  106.84

• B1R    81.94
• Tim TebOwned  107.20

• Niemi No No  118.54
• The Other Side  97.84

After Week 3, there are three undefeated teams left in the league; Tim TebOwned, Bad News Bears, and Rex Cooley All-Stars.  There are also two teams at 2-1, eight teams at 1-2, and Romosexual Xperience is the only team left in the league to not taste victory.  To check out where everyone lies in the overall standings, just click the link.

And now here is a look at awards from Week 3:

• Most Points
• DaBearColts - 127.80
• Toyota Greatest Fantasy Victory
• DaBearColts - +50.70 points over The Grove Johnsons
• Hard Luck Loser of the Week
• Sparland Hilltoppers - -19.52 points behind Rex Cooley All-Stars

And now a look at the match-ups for Week 4:

• Muse Academy Muses (2-1) vs. The Other Side (1-2) - Match-up of the Week
• Da Win (1-2) vs. Bad News Bears (3-0)
• Romosexual Xperience (0-3) vs. Rex Cooley All-Stars (3-0)
• DaBearColts (1-2) vs. ItsonlikeNdamukong (1-2)
• Most Daring (2-1) vs. Niemi No No (1-2)
• Sparland Hilltoppers (1-2) vs. Tim TebOwned (3-0)
• The Grove Johnsons (1-2) vs. B1R (1-2)

The Match-up of the Week features the 2-1 Muse Academy Muses and the 1-2 The Other Side.  These two teams are the high scoring teams in the league after three weeks, with Muse Academy Muses putting up 308.76 points and The Other Side putting up 304.00 points.  The Other Side is currently 3rd in the Lincoln Division after a tough loss to Niemi No No in Week 3, while Muse Academy Muses is 2nd in the Lincoln Division after a two-game win streak.

And here are some other news and notes from around the various Illinois Fantasy Leagues:

• The second week in the championship matches are underway in the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League.  As of Tuesday afternoon, Sparland Hilltoppers held a 7-3-2 lead over 2010 not a Holliday in the championship match.  In the thirds place match, JSloan leads BJ Penn 6-5-1.  In the 5th place match, BooBooCubs leads Most Daring 7-3-2.  And in the 7th place match, Ferris Indians leads Muse Academy Muses 9-2-1.
• The Illinois Baskeball League is currently in the process of signing up teams for the 2010-11 season.  So far 6 teams have signed up.  The draft is October 24th at 7:00 P.M. CDT.
• This blog will also be keeping tabs on the Mid-American Hockey League.  The league was only able to obtain 5 teams for the season, and held its draft last evening.
• Another name change has occurred.  In the Illinois Football League, first 'n ten has changed its name to ItsonlikeNdamukong.

IFL Weeks 1 and 2 Recap

The inaugural season of the Illinois Football League is well underway with two weeks already in the books.  The league is playing about even right now, with each division have two 2-0 teams, three 1-1 teams, and two 0-2 teams.  The season is still young though.

First, here is a look at results from Weeks 1 and 2:

Week 1

• Da Win  71.58
• B1R  79.52

• Romosexual Xperience  53.18
• Bad News Bears  97.98

• DaBearColts  104.18
• Rex Cooley All-Stars  104.82

• Most Daring  83.02
• Sparland Hilltoppers  40.86

• Muse Academy Muses  77.72
• Tim TebOwned  78.12

• The Grove Johnsons  94.82
• The Other Side  84.18

• first 'n ten  111.22
• Niemi No No  59.54

Plenty of exciting action in Week 1, with two match-ups being decided by less than a point.

Week 2

• Da Win  107.10
• Sparland Hilltoppers  131.22

• Romosexual Xperience  89.86
• Most Daring  126.82

• DaBearColts  65.06
• Tim TebOwned 107.26

• Muse Academy Muses  116.86
• The Grove Johnson  87.10

• Bad News Bears  93.66
• Niemi No No  60.90

• Rex Cooley All-Stars  78.72
• B1R  71.84

• first 'n ten  84.00
• The Other Side  121.98

And now with the results complete, here is a look at the standings after Week 2.  A note about the standings though.  Beginning today, there will be an experiment to see if the standings would work better as a PDF, with a link provided.

Week 2 Standings

And now here is a look at the various awards from Weeks 1 and 2:

• Week 1
• Most points: first 'n ten (111.22)
• Toyota Greatest Fantasy Victor: first 'n ten (+51.68 points over Niemi No No)
• Hard Luck Loser: Muse Academy Muses (-0.4 points behind Tim TebOwned)
• Week 2
• Most points: Sparland Hilltoppers (131.22)
• Toyota Greatest Fantasy Victor: Tim TebOwned (+42.20 points over DaBearColts)
• Hard Luck Loser: B1R (-6.88 points behind Rex Cooley All-Stars)

That will wrap up the summaries for Weeks 1 and 2.  A couple notes before the end that regards the match-ups.

On Yahoo!, members of the league have two options they can do when viewing individual match-ups.  The first option is talking smack to your opponent for that week from the match-up window.  You can also vote on every match-up to let it be known who you think will win that week.  A few teams have already taken advantage of both those options.

The IFB Championship!: (1) Sparland Hilltoppers vs. (7) 2010 not a Holliday

After 24 exciting weeks of action, the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League has reached the penultimate match-up.  The 2010 championship will feature the Sparland Hilltoppers against 2010 not a Holliday.  A dominate run throughout the regular season that saw them capture the Reagan Division and the top record in the league continued into the playoffs.  A very cold end to the season for 2010 not a Holliday did not deter them from the championship round.  Here is how the two teams got to this point:

• (1) Sparland Hilltopers
• Regular season: 165-79-20
• Reagan Division Champion
• Defeated (8) Most Daring, 8-3-1, in the quarterfinals
• Defeated (4) BJ Penn, 7-4-1, in the semifinals

• (7) 2010 not a Holliday
• Regular season: 131-115-18
• Defeated (2) BooBooCubs, 7-4-1, in the quarterfinals
• Defeated (3) JSloan, 6-5-1, in the semifinals

• Previous match-ups:
• Week 12: Sparland Hilltoppers won 8-4

Sparland Hilltoppers will be a tough out in the championship round, but a getting hot 2010 not a Holliday could be the team to do it.

Here is a look at the other match-ups for positioning:

• 3rd place: (3) JSloan vs (4) BJ Penn
• 5th place: (2) BooBooCubs vs. (8) Most Daring
• 7th place: (5) Ferris Indians vs. (6) Muse Academy Muses

One note about the championship round: instead of the weekly contests, the championship round will take TWO weeks to finish.

Good luck to everyone in the last match-ups of the year!

IFB Semifinals Preview

A day late and a dollar short, but better late than never.  Let's get to it.

The semi-final round is set in the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League after a thrilling quarterfinal round.  Two of the matches went down to the wire, with one ending up in a tie, along with an upset.  Here is a look at the results:

• (1) Sparland Hilltoppers 8
• (8) Most Daring 3

• (4) BJ Penn 5
• (5) Ferris Indians 5

• (3) JSloan 7
• (6) Muse Academy Muses 5

• (2) BooBooCubs 4
• (7) 2010 not a Holliday 7

(Note: BJ Penn advanced on the tiebreaker of previous season match-up)

With those results, here is a look at the semi-final match-ups:

• (1) Sparland Hilltoppers vs (4) BJ Penn
• Previous match-up: Week 13 - Sparland Hilltoppers won 7-5
• (3) JSloan vs (7) 2010 not a Holliday
• Previous match-up: Week 10- JSloan won 6-5

Only 4 teams remain in the playoffs.  Who will take home the title?

Blog Update Delay Apology

Life is overtaking me at the moment, and too stressed right now to come up with proper posts.  IFB semi preview and IFL Week One recap posts will come today, just not sure when.

IFB 2010 Season: The Final Numbers

An exciting regular season in the first year of the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League came to a close last evening.  16 teams competed to see who would be the best of the best, with 8 of them now fighting for the title in the playoffs.  Some teams showed utter dominance in their divisions and the league, while other teams could not seem to get it going.  And now this season wrap-up blog post will take a look at some of the final numbers from 2010.

First, the final overall standings:

1. Sparland Hilltoppers (165-79-20)
2. BooBooCubs (144-102-18)
3. JSloan (142-101-21)
4. BJ Penn (140-109-15)
5. Ferris Indians (132-108-24)
6. Muse Academy Muses (132-114-18)
7. 2010 not a Holliday (131-115-18)
8. Most Daring (128-122-14)
9. All Balls No Strikes (123-117-24)
10. Funky Cold Molina (122-126-16)
11. Bo Hart All Stars (105-135-24)
12. Triple Crown (109-141-14)
13. Anabolic A Rods (99-135-30)
14. Bambinos (97-146-21)
15. Quincy Dirtbags (99-152-13)
16. Bushwackers (90-156-18)

And this season's four division champions are:

• Reagan - Sparland Hilltoppers
• Lincoln - BooBooCubs
• Obama - JSloan
• Grant - BJ Penn

And now a look at who performed the best in each statistical category.  First off, the teams with the best records in each stat:

• Runs - Sparland Hilltoppers (18-3-1)
• Hits - Sparland Hilltoppers (19-3-0)
• HRs - Most Daring (14-6-2)
• RBIs - Sparland Hilltoppers (16-5-1)
• SBs - Sparland Hilltoppers (15-3-4)
• AVG - Sparland Hilltoppers (15-6-1)
• Wins - Bo Hart All Stars (16-4-2)
• Losses - Bushwackers (15-5-2)
• Saves - Ferris Indians/Bambinos (16-3-3)
• BBs - BooBooCubs (19-3-0)
• Ks - Muse Academy Muses (18-4-0)
• ERA - Bo Hart All Stars (17-5-0)

And since best record in a stat did not necessarily mean the highest or best number in that category, here is who was tops in each category:

• Runs - Sparland Hilltoppers (818)
• Hits - Sparland Hilltoppers (1614)
• HRs - Most Daring (202)
• RBIs - Sparland Hilltoppers (786)
• SBs - Muse Academy Muses (163)
• AVG - Funky Cold Molina (.284)
• Wins - Bo Hart All Stars (97)
• Losses - Funky Cold Molina (35)
• Saves - Bambinos (100)
• BBs - Funky Cold Molina (200)
• Ks - Bo Hart All Stars (1141)
• ERA - Bo Hart All Stars (2.89)

And now, looking ahead to the 2011 season, here is a look at the draft order for next year:

1. Bushwackers
2. Quincy Dirtbags
3. Bambinos
4. Anabolic A Rods
5. Triple Crown
6. Bo Hart All Stars
7. Funky Cold Molina
8. All Balls No Strikes
9. (Consolation 8th place)
10. (Consolation 7th place)
11. (Consolation 6th place)
12. (Consolation 5th place)
13. (Playoffs 4th place)
14. (Playoffs 3rd place)
15. (Playoffs Runner-up)
16. (Playoffs Champion)

Congrats to everyone on a great first season, and looking forward to many more!

IFB Quarterfinal #4: (2) BooBooCubs vs. (7) 2010 not a Holliday

(2) BooBooCubs

• Record - 144-102-18
• Series record - 16-5-1
• Lincoln Division Champion, 46-23-3 (best divisional record in league)
• 7-4 series record vs. playoff teams, 69-56-7
• Has not lost a series since Week 13

(7) 2010 not a Holliday

• Record -  131-115-18
• Series record - 9-10-3
• Wild card
• 1-7-2 series record vs. playoff teams, 43-67-10 game record
• Was formerly known as 7 heaven

Previous match-ups:

• Week 6 - BooBooCubs won 7-5
• Week 21 - BooBooCubs won 9-1

This has the potential to be one of the most lopsided match-ups this week.  BooBooCubs comes in as one of the hottest teams in the league, going 35-10-2 in the final four weeks of the season.  2010 not a Holliday  comes in as one of the coldest teams in the league right now, posting a 12-32-4 record in the final four weeks of the season.  Anything can still happen, but it would not be a surprise if this one was out-of-hand Sunday evening.

IFB Quarterfinal #3: (3) JSloan vs. (6) Muse Academy Muses

(3) JSloan

• Record - 142-101-21
• Series record - 15-4-3
• Obama Division Champion, 44-21-7 (best division record)
• 4-1-2 series record vs. playoff teams, 41-34-9 game record
• Did not lose a series from Weeks 5-19

(6) Muse Academy Muses

• Record - 132-114-18
• Series record - 11-7-4
• Wild card
• 30-35-7 Reagan Division record
• 3-5-2 series record vs. playoff teams, 55-56-9 game record

Previous match-ups:

• Week 11 - 6-6 tie

This is another match-up that could go either way.  Both team played around .500 in the last 4 weeks of the season; JSloan with a 25-19-4 record and Muse Academy Muses with a 22-23-3 record.  The key to this match-up may be which Muse Academy Muses team shows up.  While JSloan pulled off an impressive streak from Weeks 5-19 that helped them win the Obama Division by 17.5 games, the same can not be said for the Muse Academy Muses.  Consistency has been a problem all year for the Muses, having series winning or losing streak last no longer than 3 weeks.

IFB Quarterfinal #2: (4) BJ Penn vs (5) Ferris Indians

(4) BJ Penn

• Record - 140-109-15
• Series record - 14-6-2
• Grant Division Champion, 39-30-3 Division record
• 3-4-1 series record vs. playoff teams, 43-45-8 game record

(5) Ferris Indians

• Record - 132-108-24
• Series record - 13-7-2
• Wild card
• 29-28-3 Lincoln Division record
• 4-6 series record vs. playoff teams, 48-63-9 game record

Previous match-ups:

• Week 11 - BJ Penn won 6-4

This is a match-up that could go either way.  Both teams finished out strong in the last month of the season, with one slip-up each.  BJ Penn took a loss in Week 22 to Most Daring, 8-4, that helped put Most Daring in the playoffs, yet still finished the last four weeks with a 27-21 record.  Ferris Indians' finished below .500 in the last four weeks of the year, with a 21-22-5 record.  But take away an 1-11 beating in Week 19 by Sparland Hilltoppers, and that record is 20-11-5.  BJ Penn won in the previous match-up, but that was in Week 11 and times have changed.  This match-up could go down to Sunday before it's decided.

IFB Quarterfinal #1: (1) Sparland Hilltoppers vs (8) Most Daring

This is the first of the four playoff previews for the quarterfinal round in the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League.  This preview will take a look at the 1-8 match-up.


(1) Sparland Hilltoppers

• Record - 165-79-20
• Series record - 17-2-3
• Reagan Division Champion
• Has not lost a series since Week 4
• 7-2-1 series record vs. playoff teams, 70-43-7 game record
• 40-25-7 Reagan Division record
• Finished 22 games ahead of second place team

(8) Most Daring

• Record - 128-122-14
• Series record - 12-9-1
• Wild card
• 4-6 series record vs. playoff teams, 53-64-3 game record
• 27-31-2 Lincoln Division record
• Finished season on a 4 series win streak going 28-16-4
• Earned playoff berth on a tiebreaker against All Balls No Strikes

Previous match-ups:

• Week 3 - Sparland Hilltoppers won 10-2
• Week 18- Sparland Hilltoppers won 8-4

Based off regular season performance, Sparland Hilltoppers is the safest bet to win the IFB Championship.  Sparland Hilltoppers was the first to clinch almost everything; first to win their division and clinch a playoff berth.  Hilltoppers also finished a remarkable 22 games ahead of second place, and won their division by 34 games, the largest difference of all four divisions.
Most Daring will not go down without a fight, going on a 4 series win streak to close out the year just to make the playoff, and taking a game record of 28-16-4 in the process.  Sparland Hilltoppers will be a tough out for anyone, and the expectations are no less now that the IFB is in the playoffs.

Illinois Football League Draft Order and Divisions

14 teams will make up the 2010 Illinois Football League.  The managers of these teams have various backgrounds; a radio news director, a former IHSA Class 1A Slam Dunk Champion, a former college football player, the Communications Director for a Congresswoman, and many more have come together to battle on the fantasy gridiron to see who can become champion.

But in order to become champion, you first have to get your roster.  And you get your roster through the draft, which takes place tonight at 7:00 CDT.  The draw for the draft took place last night, and here is the order in which teams will draft in the first round:

1. Bad News Bears
2. Rex Cooley All-Stars
3. Most Daring
4. Da Win
5. B1R
6. The Grove Johnsons
7. Niemi No No
8. DaBearColts
9. Romosexual Xperience
10. The Other Side
11. Muse Academy Muses
12. Sparland Hilltoppers
13. Tim TebOwned
14. first 'n ten

Since the draft is a snaking draft, that will be the order for all odd-numbered rounds.  All even-numbered rounds will have the draft order in reverse.

Since the league only received 14 teams instead of the desired 16, the divisions had to go down from 4 to 2.  The divisions will be named 'Reagan' and 'Lincoln' as a tribute to the former North Central Illinois Conference.  The draw for the divisions also happened last night, and here is where every team is placed:

• Reagan
• The Grove Johnsons
• Niemi No No
• Bad News Bears
• DaBearColts
• Sparland Hilltoppers
• Muse Academy Muses
• Most Daring
• Lincoln
• Romosexual Xperience
• The Other Side
• first 'n ten
• Tim TebOwned
• Rex Cooley All-Stars
• Da Win
• B1R

Sometime before the first NFL games kick-off on Thursday, the league's schedule will be posted.  Good luck to all in the IFL!

IFB Week 22 Playoff Update: Sunday Edition

The final day of the IFB regular season is upon us, but the playoff picture is far from settled.  The way things are looking, the division champs appear to be set, with 2nd-4th place slots to be determined.  On the wild card side, 3 teams appear to be on their way to gaining playoff births, with pecking order to be determined.  For the final playoff spot, it appears the battle is down to two teams, only separated by a game.  Let's get to the numbers as we hit the final day of the final week of the season.

First, the relevant match ups...

• All Balls No Strikes 4
• Funky Cold Molina 7

• Most Daring 8
• BJ Penn 4

• Muse Academy Muses 9
• 2010 not a Holliday 2

• Quincy Dirtbags 5
• BooBooCubs 7

• Bambinos 6
• JSloan 3

• Ferris Indians 6
• Anabolic A Rods 5

And now a look at the standings, with those results figured in, going into the last day:

1. Sparland Hilltoppers (162-82-20)
2. BooBooCubs (144-103-17)
3. JSloan (139-102-23)
4. BJ Penn (140-109-15)
5. Ferris Indians (132-110-22)
6. Muse Academy Muses (133-113-18)
7. 2010 not a Holliday (130-116-18)
8. Most Daring (128-122-14)
9. All Balls No Strikes (122-118-24)
10. Funky Cold Molina (123-125-16)

And now a look at the two division races up for grabs:

• Lincoln
• BooBooCubs (144-103-17)
• Ferris Indians (132-110-22), 9.5 GB
• Grant
• BJ Penn (140-109-15)
• 2010 not a Holliday (130-116-18), 8.5 GB

And now with all the information at hand, he is the final projected playoff match-ups if the results hold:

• (1) Sparland Hilltoppers vs. (8) Most Daring
• (4) BJ Penn vs. (5) Ferris Indians
• (3) JSloan vs. (6) Muse Academy Muses
• (2) BooBooCubs vs. (7) 2010 not a Holliday

All Balls No Strikes and Funky Cold Molina would miss out on the playoffs if the current results hold.  For a more in-depth look at the playoff picture, here is the gap between certain teams in the playoff race.  Remember, the first tiebreaker is overall winning percentage, which could come into play.  If that does not settle any ties, then it goes to this week's results, and so on and so forth.

In the race between the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th spots:

• BooBooCubs (144-103-17, .578)
• JSloan (139-102-23, .570), 2 GB
• BJ Penn (140-109-15, .559), 5 GB

In the wild card race, starting with the current 5th placed team:

• Ferris Indians (132-110-22, .542)
• Muse Academy Muses (133-133-18, .538), 1 GB
• 2010 not a Holliday (130-116-18, .527), 4 GB
• Most Daring (128-122-14, .511), 8 GB
• All Balls No Strikes (122-118-24, .508), 9 GB
• Funky Cold Molina (123-125-16, .496), 12 GB

Good luck to everyone on the final day of the season!

IFB Week 22 Playoff Update: Saturday Edition

Only two day are left in the regular season for the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League, and the action is picking up.  First, a look at the match-ups with teams in playoff races and more:

• All Balls No Strikes  4
• Funky Cold Molina   7

• Muse Academy Muses   7
• 2010 not a Holliday        4

• Most Daring   7
• BJ Penn         3

• Quincy Dirtbags  3
• BooBooCubs     9

• Bambinos  7
• JSloan       4

• Ferris Indians        5
• Anabolic A Rods  6

And now a look at the overall standings if those results hold:

1. Sparland Hilltoppers (161-82-21)
2. BooBooCubs (146-101-17)
3. JSloan (140-103-21)
4. BJ Penn (139-108-17)
5. Ferris Indians (131-111-22)
6. 2010 not a Holliday (132-114-18)
7. Muse Academy Muses (131-115-18)
8. Most Daring (127-121-16)
9. All Balls No Strikes (122-118-24)
10. Funky Cold Molina (123-125-16)

And now a look at the two remaining divisional races:

• Lincoln
• BooBooCubs (146-101-17)
• Ferris Indians (131-111-22), 12.5 GB
• Grant
• BJ Penn (139-108-17)
• 2010 not a Holliday (132-114-18), 6.5 GB

And with all the information above, here is what the playoffs would look like:

• (1) Sparland Hilltoppers vs. (8) Most Daring
• (4) BJ Penn vs. (5) Ferris Indians
• (3) JSloan vs. (6) 2010 not a Holliday
• (2) BooBooCubs vs. (7) Muse Academy Muses

A couple notes about the overall standings.  The difference in games right now between 5th and 6th and 6th and 7th are one game each, meaning that 5th-7th could be in any order by the time Sunday evening hits.  Also, the difference between 8th and 9th right now is 1 game, with 10th place 4 games back.  Nothing is set in stone as we enter the last weekend of the regular season.

IFB Week 22 Playoff Update: Friday Edition

There were only 6 games on the MLB schedule for Thursday, but that didn't mean there wasn't plenty of action in the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League playoff race.  Here is the Thursday update.

First, the match-ups after Thursday that have an impact on the playoff hunt:

• All Balls No Strikes  4
• Funky Cold Molina 7

• Bambinos 6
• JSloan 4

• Ferris Indians  6
• Anabolic A Rods 5

• Most Daring 8
• BJ Penn 3

• Muse Academy Muses 6
• 2010 not a Holliday 3

• Quincy Dirtbags  3
• BooBooCubs  9

Thursday's action saw most match-ups either tighten up, or see a new leader.  With the current results in mind, let's see what the standings would look like with those results:

1. Sparland Hilltoppers (161-82-21)
2. BooBooCubs (146-101-17)
3. JSloan (140-102-22)
4. BJ Penn (139-109-16)
5. Ferris Indians (132-110-22)
6. 2010 not a Holliday (131-113-20)
7. Muse Academy Muses (130-114-20)
8. Most Daring (128-121-15)
9. All Balls No Strikes (122-118-24)
10. Funky Cold Molina (123-125-16)

And now, a look at the division races still up for grabs:

Lincoln

1. BooBooCubs (146-101-17)
2. Ferris Indians (132-110-22), 11.5 GB

Grant

1. BJ Penn (139-109-16)
2. 2010 not a Holliday (131-113-20), 6 GB

So with all the information above, here is what the playoffs would look like if these results hold:

• (1) Sparland Hilltoppers vs. (8) Most Daring
• (4) BJ Penn vs. (5) Ferris Indians
• (3) JSloan vs. (6) 2010 not a Holliday
• (2) BooBooCubs vs. (7) Muse Academy Muses

All Balls No Strikes and Funky Cold Molina would miss out on the playoffs.  And after Thursday's results, the gap between 7th and 8th increased from 1.5 games to 4.5 games.  Although there is still a lot to be played, it appears 3 teams are fighting for the 8th and final playoff spot.

IFB Week 22 Playoff Update: Thursday Edition

We're halfway through the week in the IFB's final week of the season.  It's time for the Thursday Playoff Update.  First, a look at the relevant match-ups for the playoffs in the final week:

• All Balls No Strikes          4 - 7    Funky Cold Molina
• Bambinos                         7 - 4    JSloan
• Ferris Indians                   9 - 3    Anabolic A Rods
• Most Daring                     8 - 3    BJ Penn
• Muse Academy Muses     4 - 7    2010 not a Holliday
• Quincy Dirtbags               4 - 8    BooBooCubs

And now here's what the overall standings would look like if those results stayed the same at the end of the week:

1. Sparland Hilltoppers       161-83-20
2. BooBooCubs                 145-102-17
3. JSloan                            140-103-21
4. BJ Penn                          139-109-16
5. Ferris Indians                 135-108-21
6. 2010 not a Holliday        135-111-18
7. Muse Academy Muses   128-118-18
8. Most Daring                   128-121-15
9. All Balls No Strikes        122-118-24
10. Funky Cold Molina         123-125-16

And now a look at the two remaining division races:

Lincoln

1. BooBooCubs 145-102-17
2. Ferris Indians  135-108-21, 8 GB

Grant

1. BJ Penn                  139-109-16
2. 2010 not a Holliday 135-111-18, 3 GB

So, with all that in consideration, here is what the playoff match-ups would be as of today:

• (1) Sparland Hilltoppers vs. (8) Most Daring
• (4) BJ Penn vs. (5) Ferris Indians
• (3) JSloan vs. (6) 2010 not a Holliday
• (2) BooBooCubs vs. (7) Muse Academy Muses

All Balls No Strikes and Funky Cold Molina would miss out on the playoffs.

IFB Week 22 Playoff Update: Wednesday Edition

This begins a daily segment on the Illinois Fantasy League Blog that will updated daily the playoff picture in the IFB.  Each day during the final week of the season, the blog will take a look at an updated standings picture, and who the first round playoff match-ups would be if the season ended that day.

Here's a look at the relevant match-ups involving playoff potential teams this week, after Tuesday's games:

• All Balls No Strikes           4   -   6      Funky Cold Molina
• Bambinos                          6   -   4      JSloan
• Most Daring                      5   -   3      BJ Penn
• Muse Academy Muses      5   -   6      2010 not a Holliday
• Quincy Dirtbags                 2   -   8     BooBooCubs
• Ferris Indians                     6   -    3     Anabolic A Rods

And now here is how the standings would look if those results stayed the same:

1. Sparland Hilltoppers - 160-82-22
2. BooBooCubs - 145-100-19
3. JSloan - 140-102-22
4. BJ Penn - 139-106-19
5. Ferris Indians - 132-108-24
6. 2010 not a Holliday - 134-106-16
7. Muse Academy Muses - 129-117-18
8. All Balls No Strikes - 122-117-25
9. Most Daring - 125-121-18
10. Funky Cold Molina - 122-125-17

And a look at the two remaining division races:

Lincoln:

1. BooBooCubs - 145-100-19
2. Ferris Indians - 132-108-24

Grant:

1. BJ Penn - 139-106-19
2. 2010 not a Holliday - 134-106-16

So with all that information, here is what the playoff match-ups would be as of Wednesday morning:

• (1) Sparland Hilltoppers vs. (8) All Balls No Strikes
• (4) BJ Penn vs. (5) Ferris Indians
• (2) BooBooCubs vs. (7) Muse Academy Muses
• (3) JSloan vs. (6) 2010 not a Holliday

Most Daring and Funky Cold Molina would miss out on the playoffs.  But the week is still early, and FCM is only 4 games out of 8th currently, while MD is only a half-game out.

How do you break a tie?

Today there will not be an updated standings report, since it is just one day into the week, and Mondays typically do not have a full slate of games.  Also, there will not be a wild card or clinching scenario report for Week 22 since it is the last week of the season.  So today, we'll take a look at something that could pop up Sunday evening.....

How a tie will be broken.

By clicking the link above, you'll be taken to Yahoo!'s fantasy help section on breaking ties, but we'll take a look at what will be relevant for the league.

The first tiebreaker is overall winning percentage.  In the league after Week 21, there are two occurrences of teams that are tied with the same winning percentage.  In one case, Triple Crown and Anabolic A Rods are tied at a .442 winning percentage, but both teams are eliminated from the postseason.  The other case, Ferris Indians and 2010 not a Holliday are tied at 5th with a .542 winning percentage.  Yet, Yahoo! shows Ferris Indians at 5th and 2010 not a Holliday 6th.  Why is that?

The next (that applies) tiebreaker, which is winning percentage in the previous week.  In Week 21, Ferris Indians had an 8-3-1 record, while 2010 not a Holliday did badly with a 1-9-2 record.  Therefore, Ferris Indians gets the higher spot for this week.  It even applies for Triple Crown and Anabolic A Rods.  Triple Crown had a 6-6-0 record in Week 21, while Anabolic A Rods went 3-6-3.

Let's apply this to a scenario for this week, and take the match-up between All Balls No Strikes and Funky Cold Molina as our example.  Funky Cold Molina is 6 games back of All Balls No Strikes going into this week's match up.  Assuming Most Daring does not pick up enough games to take the 8th spot, Funky Cold Molina would need to have a combination of wins and ties that equal nine to overcome the 6 game difference (a tie counts for a half-win).  If Funky Cold Molina gets exactly 9 wins this week, then All Balls No Strikes and Funky Cold Molina would end the year with an equal winning percentage.  The tiebreaker would go to Funky Cold Molina, because they would have the better Week 22 record.

If the Week 22 record does not break the tie, then it goes to the Week 21 record, and so on and so forth.  And if all the previous weeks records do not break the tie, then a 'coin flip' breaks the tie.  In this commissioner's opinion, it won't get that far.

Since there are division races still up for grabs, the tiebreakers would work the same way for those as well.  The only difference is that before it goes to the previous week's records to break the tie, division records are factored in as a tiebreaker.

There you have it.  In summary, if you are tied with someone at the end of the season, you should hope that you finished your season strong.

IFB Week 21 Summary

One week to go in the fantasy baseball regular season, and the action is only getting hotter.  Week 21 saw three more teams clinch spots in the postseason, while three teams were officially eliminated from playoff contention.  That leaves 6 teams fighting for 4 playoff spots this week in Week 22, the last week of the regular season.

First, here's a look at the season standings up to Week 21:

1. Sparland Hilltoppers - 156-76-20
2. JSloan - 136-96-20
3. BooBooCubs - 137-98-17
4. BJ Penn - 136-101-15
5. Ferris Indians - 126-105-21
6. 2010 not a Holliday - 128-107-17
7. Muse Academy Muses - 124-111-17
8. All Balls No Strikes - 118-111-23
9. Most Daring - 120-118-14
10. Funky Cold Molina - 116-121-15
11. Bo Hart All Stars - 101-130-21
12. Triple Crown - 104-137-11
13. Anabolic A Rods - 96-129-27
14. Bambinos - 92-140-20
15. Quincy Dirtbags - 95-145-12
16. Bushwackers - 87-147-18

With a 20 game lead, Sparland Hilltoppers has a big enough gap to clinch the top seed in the IFB Playoffs, which start next week.  Three teams have also clinched playoff spots after Week 21; JSloan, BooBooCubs, and BJ Penn.  All three teams are ahead by enough games over the 9th placed team (and as a matter of fact, 8th place) to qualify for a playoff spot.  JSloan also qualified by winning the Obama Division, thus assuring them a top-four place in next week's playoffs.

The wild card race is going down to the wire in Week 22, with 6 teams fighting for 4 open slots.  Here's a look at the standings for the 6 teams:

1. Ferris Indians; 126-105-21, 7 games ahead
2. 2010 not a Holliday; 128-107-17, 7 games ahead
3. Muse Academy Muses; 124-111-17, 3 games ahead
4. All Balls No Strikes; 118-111-23
5. Most Daring; 120-118-14, 2.5 games back
6. Funky Cold Molina; 116-121-15, 6 games back

 Three teams are separated by 5.5 games in the 7th-9th positions.  A bad week by one of those teams could end their postseason dreams.

Even though they man not be as tight as the wild card races, there are still two divisions up for grabs in Week 22.  They are:

Lincoln

1. BooBooCubs; 137-98-17
2. Ferris Indians; 126-105-21, 9 GB

Grant

1. BJ Penn; 136-101-15
2. 2010 not a Holliday; 128-107-17, 7 GB

And now, here's a look at the top match-ups for Week 22:

• All Balls No Strikes (118-111-23) vs. Funky Cold Molina (116-121-15): This match-up features the team in the last playoff spot against one of the team's chasing them.  Funky Cold Molina sits 6 games back of the final playoff spot.  In order for Funky Cold Molina to have a chance, they need to post at least 9 wins this week against All Balls No Strikes.  Any number less will eliminate them from the postseason.  But both teams also have to contend with Most Daring in the 9th slot, who could still eliminate both teams with a strong showing this week against BJ Penn.
• 2010 not a Holliday (128-107-17) vs. Muse Academy Muses (124-111-17): This match-up features the 6th and 7th placed teams overall right now.  2010 not a Holliday is currently 7 games up on a wild card spot, and is most likely going to make the postseason, barring a collapse.  The match-up is more important to the Muse Academy Muses, who are only 3 games up on the 8th position.  An even record this week by both teams could lock-up the postseason.  But a lopsided defeat would harm the Muse Academy Muses a little bit more.
• Most Daring (120-118-14) vs. BJ Penn (136-101-15): BJ Penn is already assured of a playoff birth, but has a lot to play for this week.  Only 5.5 wins are needed to win the Grant Division and take a to-four seed in next week's playoffs, with the chance to climb higher in the standings and get a better seed.  Most Daring is playing for their playoff lives this week, and is looking to leap frog All Balls No Strikes into the final playoff spot.

Week 22 will be an exciting one as the league goes down to the wire.  Check out the blog each day for updates on the final week, previews of the upcoming Illinois Football League, and more.  One feature to hopefully be attained is where the standings are after each day this week.  Good luck to all!

Illinois Football League Team List

With just over a week left until the draft for the inaugural season of the Illinois Football League (fantasy football on Yahoo!), 13 of the 16 available slots have been filled up.  The draft takes place Sunday, Sept. 5th, at 7:00 CDT.

Here's a list of teams that have signed up for the league so far, in order of when they joined:

1. Muse Academy Muses
2. Da Win
3. Romosexual Xperience
4. DaBearColts
5. Most Daring
6. Sparland Hilltoppers
7. Bad News Bears
8. Rex Cooley All-Stars
9. The Grove Johnsons
10. B1R
11. first 'n ten
12. Tim TebOwned
13. Niemi No No

The list contains a mix of managers familiar to people playing in the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League, and some new players.

If you were unsure who is who, here's a list of IFL teams with their IFB counterpart:

• Muse Academy Muses - Muse Academy Muses
• Da Win - 2010 not a Holliday
• Romosexual Xperience - Ferris Indians
• DaBearColts - BooBooCubs
• Most Daring - Most Daring
• Sparland Hilltoppers - Sparland Hilltoppers
• Bad News Bears - JSloan
• Rex Cooley All-Stars - Quincy Dirtbags
• first 'n ten - Triple Crown
• Tim TebOwned - Funky Cold Molina

And the list of newcomers includes:

• The Grove Johnsons
• B1R
• Niemi No No

Looking forward to a great season with all the teams, and if you know anyone that wants to join, have them send an e-mail to toonboy92484@yahoo.com

IFB Week 21 Clinching Scenarios

In the second to last week of the season, the top seed, divisions, and playoff berths are up for grabs.  Here is a list of what each team can clinch, and how they can do it:

Sparland Hilltoppers:
Top seed in playoffs, if:

• Do not lose more than 6.5 games to JSloan
• Do not lose more than 10 games to BJ Penn
• Do not lose more than 11 games to BooBooCubs
• Do not lose more than 12 games to 2010 not a Holliday

JSloan:
Win Obama Division, if:

• Do not lose more than 4 games to All Balls No Strikes

Clinch playoff spot, if: 

• Do not lose more than 4 games to All Balls No Strikes
• Do not lose more than 7.5 games to Most Daring
• Do not lose more than 11.5 games to Funky Cold Molina

BJ Penn:
Win Grant Division, if:

• Win more than 10.5 games than 2010 not a Holliday
• Do not lose more than 8 games to Funky Cold Molina

Clinch playoff spot, if:

• Even record with All Balls No Strikes
• Do not lose more than 4 games to Most Daring
• Do not lose more than 8 games to Funky Cold Molina

BooBooCubs:
Win Lincoln Division, if:

• Win more than 5 games than Ferris Indians
• Do not lose more than 3 games to Most Daring

Clinch playoff spot, if:

• Win more than 1 game than All Balls No Strikes
• Do not lose more than 3 games to Most Daring
• Do not lose more than 7 games to Funky Cold Molina

2010 not a Holliday:
Clinch playoff spot, if:

• Win more than 2 games than All Balls No Strikes
• Do not lose more than 2 games to Most Daring
• Do not lose more than 6 games to Funky Cold Molina

Ferris Indians:
Clinch playoff spot, if:

• Win more than 11 games than Muse Academy Muses
• Win more than 8.5 games than All Balls No Strikes
• Win more than 5 games than Most Daring
• Win more than 1 game than Funky Cold Molina
• Do not lose more than 8 games to Bo Hart All Stars
• Do not lose more than 11 games to Anabolic A Rods

Muse Academy Muses:
Clinch playoff spot, if:

• Win more than 10 games than All Balls No Strikes
• Win more than 6.5 games than Most Daring
• Win more than 2.5 games than Funky Cold Molina
• Do not lose more than 6.5 games to Bo Hart All Stars
• Do not lose more than 9.5 games to Anabolic A Rods
• Do not lose more than 11 games to Triple Crown

All Balls No Strikes:
Clinch playoff spot, if:

• Win more than 9 games than Most Daring
• Win more than 5 games than Funky Cold Molina
• Do not lose more than 4 games to Bo Hart All Stars
• Do not lose more than 7 games to Anabolic A Rods
• Do not lose more than 8.5 games to Triple Crown

IFB Week 21 Wild Card Outlook

As of the end of Week 20, 13 teams in the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League are still in contention for one of the eight spots in the postseason.  The actual number of spots up for grabs is 7, because Sparland Hilltoppers claimed a playoff spot in Week 19, and won the Reagan Division in Week 20.

In this week's wild card outlook, we'll take a look at how the teams in contention for a playoff spot are doing in the past month, and who has the easiest road to the postseason, based off of opponents' record for the rest of the way.  The current division leaders; JSloan, BJ Penn, and BooBooCubs, are not for consideration in these stats because they are not in wild card spots right now.

There are 9 teams left that will be looked at.  They are:

• 2010 not a Holliday
• All Balls No Strikes
• Anabolic A Rods
• Bo Hart All Stars
• Ferris Indians
• Funky Cold Molina
• Most Daring
• Muse Academy Muses
• Triple Crown

Here is a look at how those 9 teams have performed in the past 4 weeks, ranked by best record:

1. Funky Cold Molina - 24-18-6 (.563)
2. 2010 not a Holliday - 25-21-2 (.542)
3. All Balls No Strikes - 22-22-4 (.500)
4. Most Daring - 21-23-4 (.479)
5. Muse Academy Muses - 20-21-5 (.469)
6. Ferris Indians - 20-25-3 (.448)
7. Bo Hart All Stars - 18-25-5 (.427)
8. Anabolic A Rods - 14-28-6 (.357)
9. Triple Crown - 12-35-1 (.260)

Based on the numbers, only 2 teams have posted winning records, 1 team even, and the other 6 posting sub-.500 records.  One of the above .500 teams, 2010 not a Holliday, is currently 5th overall and could potentially clinch a playoff spot this week, and still has a very good chance to win its division.  The other, Funky Cold Molina, currently sits in 10th overall, with a very good chance to sneak into the playoffs with who they play in the last two weeks.

And now the other component of the breakdown, a look at who has the easiest schedule in the last two weeks:

1. Ferris Indians vs. Bo Hart All Stars & Anabolic A Rods - 191-245-44 (.444)
2. Funky Cold Molina vs. Bambinos & All Balls No Strikes - 200-238-42 (.460)
3. Bo Hart All Stars vs. Ferris Indians & Triple Crown - 216-233-31 (.482)
4. Triple Crown vs. Muse Academy Muses & Bo Hart All Stars - 216-227-37 (.489)
5. All Balls No Strikes vs. Most Daring & Funky Cold Molina - 223-229-28 (.494)
6. Muse Academy Muses vs. Triple Crown & 2010 not a Holliday - 225-229-26 (.496)
7. Most Daring vs. All Balls No Strikes & BJ Penn - 242-201-37 (.543)
8. 2010 not a Holliday vs. BooBooCubs & Muse Academy Muses - 246-202-32 (.579)
9. Anabolic A Rods vs. Sparland Hilltoppers & Ferris Indians - 268-175-37 (.597)

Not only has Funky Cold Molina posted the best record amongst the wild card contenders, but they also have the 2nd easiest schedule for the final two weeks.  It would not be surprising to see Funky Cold Molina sneak into the 8th and final spot, or go even higher, but their last match-up of the year is against the current 8th placed team, All Balls No Strikes.  If there was a bet for an outsider to sneak in, it would be Funky Cold Molina.

Despite hitting a tiny cold streak that saw them drop from the Lincoln Division lead, Ferris Indians is still in good position to advance to the playoffs with the easiest schedule, and being in the 6th position.

2010 not a Holliday has posted the 2nd best month amongst the 9, but has the 2nd toughest schedule as well.  They are in a good position for a playoff spot with more than one possible route, as 2010 not a Holliday is only 2 games back in the Grant Division.

Statistically, All Balls No Strikes is the 3rd hottest team amongst the 9, with the 5th easiest (or toughest, either works) schedule.  But considering they are playing the current 9th and 10th placed teams respectively to close out the season, they have a tougher than appears task to hold on to 8th.

And don't forgot, it is possible that things may work out the way they shouldn't.

IFB Update 8/23/2010

Two weeks left to go in the season, and anyone hoping for tighter races got what they wished for.  The wild card race is getting closer, with now 5 teams within 12 games of each other, fighting for potentially 3 wild card spots.  This week also saw the first division champion crowned for 2010, along with a team name change.  Let's begin with a couple bullet points to explain in further detail:

• During the week, 7 heaven renamed itself to 2010 not a Holliday.  First, I was unaware that a team could change its name in the middle of the season.  Second, it's not a big deal since I know who is who and can figure out changes pretty quickly.
• Sparland Hilltoppers became the first team to win their division this season.  A 9-3-0 victory over Bo Hart All Stars, couple with Muse Academy Muses losing to BooBooCubs 4-8-0 placed enough distance between the two team for Sparland Hilltoppers to claim the Reagan Division.  Because of this, Sparland Hilltoppers is guaranteed a top 4 seed when the playoffs start in a couple weeks.
• Three teams were officially eliminated for playoff contention this past week; Bambinos, Quincy Dirtbags, and Buchwackers.

Now let's get down to a breakdown of the standings.  First off, the overall standings:

1. Sparland Hilltoppers; 150-73-17
2. JSloan; 131-91-18
3. BJ Penn; 129-96-15
4. BooBooCubs; 128-97-15
5. 2010 not a Holliday; 127-98-15
6. Ferris Indians; 118-102-20
7. Muse Academy Muses; 118-105-17
8. All Balls No Strikes; 113-105-22
9. Most Daring; 114-113-13
10. Funky Cold Molina; 109-116-15
11. Bo Hart All Stars; 98-122-20
12. Anabolic A Rods; 93-123-24
13. Triple Crown; 98-131-11
14. Bambinos; 87-133-20
15. Quincy Dirtbags; 90-138-12
16. Bushwackers; 82-142-16

The next standings here will detail teams still in the hunt for the wild card, ordered by ranking and, if need be, games back:

1. 2010 not a Holliday
2. Ferris Indians
3. Muse Academy Muses
4. All Balls No Strikes
5. Most Daring; 3.5 GB
6. Funky Cold Molina; 7.5 GB
7. Bo Hart All Stars; 16 GB
8. Anabolic A Rods; 19 GB
9. Triple Crown; 20.5 GB

Now a look at the standings for the top seed in the playoffs:

1. Sparland Hilltoppers
2. JSloan; 18.5
3. BJ Penn; 22 GB
4. BooBooCubs; 23 GB
5. 2010 not a Holliday; 24 GB

Sparland Hilltoppers became the first team to claim a division this past week, but there are still many good division races going on.  Here's a look at the other three divisions:

Lincoln:

1. BooBooCubs
2. Ferris Indians; 7.5 GB
3. Most Daring; 15 GB

Obama:

1. JSloan
2. All Balls No Strikes; 16 GB

Grant:

1. BJ Penn
2. 2010 not a Holliday; 2 GB
3. Funky Cold Molina; 20 GB

Clinching scenarios will be updated in a future post (hopefully later today), but here's a look at the big match-ups for Week 21:

• All Balls No Strikes (113-105-22) vs. Most Daring (114-133-13): This is the featured match-up for Week 21.  There are a couple better match-ups out there in terms of records, but this match-up is the featured one because it will shape the wild card race.  All Balls No Strikes is 8th overall, holding on to the last wild card spot by 3.5 games over 9th-placed Most Daring.  A big win by All Balls No Strikes this week can be devastating to the playoff hopes for Most Daring.  A big win by Most Daring this week could leap-frog them into a wild card spot, and send the race to the final week of the season.
• 2010 not a Holliday (127-98-15) vs. BooBooCubs (128-97-15): Overall, only one game is the difference between these two teams, 5th and 4th in the standings, respectively.  These two teams are most likely going to make the playoffs, but both have more to play for.  BooBooCubs could win their division this week, currently holding a 7.5 game lead over Ferris Indians in the Lincoln Division.  2010 not a Holliday is only 2 games out in the Grant Division, trailing a BJ Penn team that has a favorable match-up this week.  Winning your division is huge, as it gets you a top 4 seed in the playoffs.

2 weeks left in the season, and much is still to be decided with the wild card, divisions, and more.  Good luck to all in Week 21!

IFB Wild Card Outlook

With just a few weeks left in the season, the race to grab 4 wild card spots is growing with tension and excitement.  So here's a breakdown of 5 teams that are fighting to stay above 8th place overall in the league, and gain a birth in the playoffs.  Of note though, this post was written on Friday, August 20th, and looking at the results of Week 20 so far and seeing some match-ups turn out the way they are, the race could tighten up even more.

The five teams in consideration for this post are the teams currently between 6th and 10th place; Muse Academy Muses, Ferris Indians, All Balls No Strikes, Most Daring, and Funky Cold Molina.

First, a look at how the teams have performed in the past month, ranked by best winning percentage:

1. Funky Cold Molina - 23-23-2, .500
2. Muse Academy Muses - 19-20-9, .490
3. All Balls No Strikes - 19-24-5, .448
4. Most Daring - 20-25-3, .448
5. Ferris Indians - 19-26-3, .427

And now a look at the combined winning percentage of the remaining opponents for the five teams, ranked by lowest percentage, as of Monday, with noting that results for Week 20 are currently breaking expectations in some cases:

1. Funky Cold Molina vs. Anabolic A Rods, Bambinos, and All Balls No Strikes - 279-344-61, .452
2. Most Daring vs. Bushwackers, All Balls No Strikes, and BJ Penn - 306-327-51, .485
3. Ferris Indians vs. JSloan, Bo Hart All Stars, and Anabolic A Rods - 312-315-57, .498
4. All Balls No Strikes vs. 7 heaven, Most Daring, and Funky Cold Molina - 332-315-37, .512
5. Muse Academy Muses vs. BooBooCubs, Triple Crown, and 7 heaven - 337-307-40, .522

So to review, not only does Funky Cold Molina have the best record over the past month than the other 4 wild card contenders, but they also have the easiest schedule for the rest of the season.  It would not be surprising at this point to see Funky Cold Molina sneak into the playoffs.  Also, the team with the best record amongst the 5, Muse Academy Muses, has the toughest road to the playoffs, which features two current division leaders.  Factoring in this week's results, it is possible for Muse Academy Muses to collapse and miss out on the postseason.

All Balls No Strikes will have a very interesting fight in the last two weeks of the season, as they play the 9th and 10th place teams, respectively.  It is very possible that the wild card slots could be decided with those matchups.

Wanna Win? Gotta make a move.

As of 10:30 A.M. on August 17th, there have been 347 roster moves in the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League.  Yahoo! defines the roster moves as adding a player from free agency or waivers, and does not count dropped players or players that were traded (just to get that cleared up).  Taking a look at the various roster moves of the teams in the league, a trend started to develop.

The teams that are in contention for playoff spots and division leads are making the most moves.

It's almost logical in a way.  If you do nothing with your team and let them become stale, then they won't do much.  Keep it updated, and you can do well.

Here's a list of every team in the league in order by how many moves they made, along with moves made, and their overall position in the standings:

1. Sparland Hilltoppers - 58 moves, 1st
2. 7 heaven - 49 moves, 3rd
3. JSloan - 45 moves, 2nd
4. Muse Academy Muses - 39 moves, 6th
5. BJ Penn - 37 moves, 4th
6. Ferris Indians - 22 moves, 7th
7. All Balls No Strikes - 21 moves, 8th
8. BooBooCubs - 19 moves, 5th
9. Most Daring - 15 moves, 9th
10. Quincy Dirtbags - 15 moves, 15th
11. Triple Crown - 11 moves, 13th
12. Bo Hart All Stars - 10 moves, 11th
13. Funky Cold Molina - 5 moves, 10th
14. Bushwackers - 1 move, 16th
15. (tie) Anabolic A Rods and Bambinos - 0 moves, 12th and 14th

To further elevate the point, here's a couple numbers to back up the claim:

• Of the teams currently in 1st to 8th place (playoff spots), they have combined to make 290 moves, or 83.6% of the moves in the league
• Of the four division leaders (Sparland Hilltoppers, JSloan, 7 heaven, BooBooCubs), they have combined to make 171 moves, or 49.3% of the moves in the league

The numbers back up the point, apart from possibly one or two execptions: if you want to win the league, keep your roster fresh.

IFB Update 8/16/2010

Week 19 of the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League was a very interesting one.  The league saw its first team clinch a playoff spot, with Sparland Hilltoppers taking it and showing why they're the top team in the league with an 11-1-0 victory over Ferris Indians.

Speaking of similar topics, an 11-1-0 victory by BooBooCubs over Triple Crown, coupled with Ferris Indians' performance, produced a 10-game swing in the Lincoln Division and a new leader.  Last week, Ferris Indians held a 4 game over BooBooCubs.  Now, BooBooCubs holds a 6 game lead over Ferris Indians.  But a lot can still happen in the final three weeks of the season.  The lost also hurt Ferris Indians in the sense that they dropped from 4th overall to 7th overall, putting them in the thick of the wild card race.

The matchup between 7 heaven and BJ Penn in Week 19 tighten the race in the Grant Division.  Thanks to an 8-4-0 win by BJ Penn, a 5.5 game lead by 7 heaven is now down to a 1.5 game lead.  It appears the Lincoln and Grant Divisions will have the tightest races as the regular season closes.

The race for the wild card is just as intense.  As of Week 19, every team is still mathematically in the race for a playoff spot.  Some teams have better chances than others.  BJ Penn leads the wild card race (and actually has the 4th best record in the league), followed by Muse Academy Muses, Ferris Indians, and All Balls No Strikes.  Most Daring is on the outside looking in right now, but only 4.5 games out of the last wild card spot, with Funky Cold Molina only 8 games out of the wild card.

Now that you have the week's primer, here's a look at some of the numbers.  First, the overall standings:

1. Sparland Hilltoppers; 141-70-17
2. JSloan; 126-85-17
3. 7 heaven; 123-91-14
4. BJ Penn; 121- 92-15
5. BooBooCubs; 120-93-15
6. Muse Academy Muses; 114-97-17
7. Ferris Indians; 112-97-19
8. All Balls No Strikes; 106-101-21
9. Most Daring; 106-110-12
10. Funky Cold Molina; 103-114-11
11. Bo Hart All Stars; 95-113-20
12. Anabolic A Rods; 91-117-20
13. Triple Crown; 94-123-11
14. Bambinos; 82-126-20
15. Quincy Dirtbags; 83-133-12
16. Bushwackers; 79-134-15

And now a look at how far back a team is from first place (only teams in the running for it listed):

1. Sparland Hilltoppers
2. JSloan; 15 GB
3. 7 heaven; 19.5 GB
4. BJ Penn; 21GB
5. BooBooCubs; 22 GB
6. Muse Academy Muses; 27 GB
7. Ferris Indians; 28 GB
8. All Balls No Strikes; 33 GB

And a look at the wild card standings:

1. BJ Penn
2. Muse Academy Muses
3. Ferris Indians
4. All Balls No Strikes
5. Most Daring; 4.5 GB
6. Funky Cold Molina; 8 GB
7. Bo Hart All Stars; 11.5 GB
8. Anabolic A Rods; 15.5 GB
9. Triple Crown; 17 GB
10. Bambinos; 24.5 GB
11. Quincy Dirtbags; 27.5 GB
12. Bushwackers; 30 GB

Here's a look at the division races:

Reagan:

1. Sparland Hilltoppers; 141-70-17
2. Muse Academy Muses; 114-97-17, 27 GB

Lincoln:

1. BooBooCubs; 120-93-15
2. Ferris Indians; 112-97-19, 6 GB
3. Most Daring; 106-110-12, 15.5 GB

Obama:

1. JSloan; 126-85-17
2. All Balls No Strikes; 106-101-21, 18 GB
3. Triple Crown; 94-123-11, 35 GB

Grant:

1. 7 heaven; 123-91-14
2. BJ Penn; 121-92-15, 1.5 GB
3. Funky Cold Molina; 103-114-11, 21.5 GB
4. Anabolic A Rods; 91-117-20, 29 GB

Now that all the standings have been broken down, here's a look at the teams with potential clinching scenarios for Week 20:

• Sparland Hilltoppers - Clinched playoff spot; can win Reagan Division if Muse Academy Muses do not gain more than 2.5 games
• JSloan - Can clinch playoff spot if they gain at least 2 games on Most Daring, do not lose more than 1.5 games to Funky Cold Molina, do not lose more than 5 games to Bo Hart All Stars, do not lose more than 8 games to Anabolic A Rods, and do not lose more than 9.5 games to Triple Crown; can win Obama Division if they gain 6.5 games on All Balls No Strikes, and do not lose more than 10.5 games to Triple Crown
• 7 heaven - Can clinch playoff spot if they gain at least 6.5 games on Most Daring, gain at least 3 games on Funky Cold Molina, do not lose more than .5 games to Bo Hart All Stars, do not lose more than 4.5 games to Anabolic A Rods, and do not lose more than 6 games to Triple Crown
• BJ Penn - Can clinch playoff spot if they gain more than 8 games on Most Daring, gain 4.5 games on Funky Cold Molina, gain 1 game on Bo Hart All Stars, do not lose more than 3 games to Anabolic A Rods, and do not lose more than 4.5 games to Triple Crown
• BooBooCubs - Can clinch playoff spot if they gain 9 games on Most Daring, gain 5.5 games on Funky Cold Molina, gain 2 games on Bo Hart All Stars, do not lose more than 2 games to Anabolic A Rods, do not lose more than 3.5 games to Triple Crown, and do not lose more than 11 games to Bambinos

 So with all that in mind, here's a look at the big match-ups for Week 20 of the IFB:

• JSloan (126-85-17) vs. Ferris Indians (112-97-17); This battle features the leader of the Obama Division and the former leader of the Lincoln Division.  JSloan is in a comfortable position this week with the second best record in the league, and has an easier shot at winning their division this week than clinching a playoff spot.  For Ferris Indians, after a disaster last week against Sparland Hilltoppers, they now find themselves not only out of their division's lead, but 9.5 games ahead of the 9th place position.  A strong week is needed by Ferris Indians, or the seat gets a bit warmer for them.
• Muse Academy Muses (114-97-17) vs. BooBooCubs (120-93-15); The Muse Academy Muses were comfortably in a wild card spot last week, but a 4-6-2 record, combined with strong performances from teams behind them, have closed their gap a bit, and are now only 10.5 games up on a wild card spot.  BooBooCubs is coming off a very strong week, going 11-1-0 and taking over their division lead.  But BooBooCubs still has numerous teams on their heels, including the Muse Academy Muses.  A big win by either one of these teams this week will help their playoff chances, while a big loss will make things more urgent.
• All Balls No Strikes (106-101-21) vs. 7 heaven (123-91-14); 7 heaven still looks to be a sure bet for the postseason, despite only being 1.5 games up in the Grant Division.  A decent sized win this week by 7 heaven will all but lock up a slot in the postseason.  This match-up is more critical for All Balls No Strikes.  Winning the Obama Division may be a long shot now, being back 18 games.  But they also are clinging to a 4.5 game lead in the wild card, while the team right behind them, Most Daring, takes on the worst team in the league this week in Bushwackers.  A strong performance by All Balls No Strikes is crucial to their playoff hopes this week.

That's a summary of the happenings around the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League for this week.  Good luck to everyone in Week 20!

T.J. Carson, Commissioner

P.S. - Not only do we do baseball, but football as well.  Sign up for the Illinois Football League today by clicking here.  As of 10:14 this morning (8/16), 7 of the 16 slots were filled up.

IFB Update 8/11/2010

Today's blog post will focus on the race to the playoffs as we enter the final month of the regular season.  This post will include the overall league standings with how many games back a team is from first place overall and a playoff spot, potential playoff clinchers, toughest remaining schedules, and division races.

First, a look at the overall standings:

1. Sparland Hilltoppers; 130-69-17
2. 7 heaven; 119-83-14, 12.5 GB 1st
3. JSloan; 117-82-17, 13 GB 1st
4. Ferris Indians; 111-86-19, 18 GB 1st
5. BJ Penn; 113-88-15, 18 GB 1st
6. Muse Academy Muses; 110-91-15, 21 GB 1st
7. BooBooCubs; 109-92-15, 22 GB 1st
8. All Balls No Strikes; 97-98-21, 31 GB 1st
9. Most Daring; 100-106-10, 33.5 GB 1st, 2.5 GB Playoffs
10. Funky Cold Molina; 96-109-11, 37 GB 1st, 6 GB Playoffs
11. Triple Crown; 93-112-11, 40 GB 1st, 9 GB Playoffs
12. Anabolic A Rods; 88-108-20, 40.5 GB 1st, 9.5 GB Playoffs
13. Bo Hart All Stars; 89-109-18, 40.5 GB 1st, 9.5 GB Playoffs
14. Bambinos; 78-120-18, 51.5 GB 1st, 20.5 GB Playoffs
15. Quincy Dirtbags; 80-124-12, 52.5 GB 1st, 21.5 GB Playoffs
16. Bushwackers; 74-127-15, 57 GB 1st, 26 GB Playoffs

As for playoff clinchers, there is only one team that can clinch this week:

• Sparland Hilltoppers can clinch playoff spot if they win 3 more games than Most Daring, lose no more than .5 games to Funky Cold Molina, lose no more than 4 games to Triple Crown, and lose no more than 4.5 games to Anabolic A Rods and Bo Hart All Stars

Here is a look at the division races as of Monday morning.  Only teams still in contention to win their division are being listed.

Reagan:

1. Sparland Hilltoppers; 130-69-17
2. Muse Academy Muses; 110-91-15, 21 GB
3. Bo Hart All Stars; 89-109-18, 40.5 GB

 Lincoln:

1. Ferris Indians; 111-86-19
2. BooBooCubs; 109-92-15, 4 GB
3. Most Daring; 100-106-10, 15.5 GB
4. Quincy Dirtbags; 80-124-12, 34.5

Obama:

1. JSloan; 117-82-17
2. All Balls No Strikes; 97-98-21, 18 GB
3. Triple Crown; 93-112-11, 27 GB
4. Bushwackers; 74-127-15, 44 GB

Grant:

1. 7 heaven; 119-83-14
2. BJ Penn; 113-88-15, 5.5 GB
3. Funky Cold Molina; 96-109-11, 24.5 GB
4. Anabolic A Rods; 88-108-20, 28 GB

And now a look at who has the toughest remaining schedule with a month left in the regular season, shown by opponents' combined record and win percentage:

1. Anabolic A Rods; 454-346-64, .563
2. Bo Hart All Stars; 444-358-62, .550
3. Bushwackers; 443-366-55, .545
4. 7 heaven; 429-369-66, .535
5. Ferris Indians; 424-368-72, .532
6. Triple Crown; 421-380-63, .524
7. Muse Academy Muses; 410-396-58, .508
8. Quincy Dirtbags; 397-398-69, .499
9. BooBooCubs; 402-410-52, .495
10. Bambinos; 393-421-50, .484
11. All Balls No Strikes; 395-422-47, .484
12. BJ Penn; 392-425-47, .481
13. Sparland Hilltoppers; 362-430-72, .461
14. Most Daring; 362-433-69, .459
15. JSloan; 351-441-72, .448
16. Funky Cold Molina; 337-453-74, .433

IFB Update 8/10/2010

Welcome to the first blog update on the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League in a couple months.  First off, many apologies for not updating the blog.  An explanation is in order, so here it goes....

For those that do not know me personally, my full-time job is News Director as a small-town radio station in Streator.  Running the league is a hobby, and quite an prominent one in my book.  But all that changed one Saturday evening.  If you remember (or not), a tornado hit the city of Streator on June 5th, damaging numerous homes and putting quite a few families homeless.  As News Director (and the only news guy at my station), it was my sole responsibility to report on the tornado and its after effects.  That led to many numerous double-digit hour days, and honestly, running the league was an afterthought in the aftermath of the tornado.  That's what led to me pretty much ceasing to follow my other fantasy teams (apart from the one in this league) and neglecting to update the blog with the time and attention that I had before.  That coupled with other events in my life that included moving to a new residence took time away from running the league to its full capacity.  Nevertheless, this blog will continue to work until the end of the season.

I hope that satisfies everyone's questions.  Now, moving on, here's a couple changes to the blog from what it used to be ran. 

• A weekly total of the leaders in each stat category will not be published for the rest of this year, with plans to bring it back next season.  Instead, there will be awards for the best total in each category at the end of the regular season.
• Since there are four regular season weeks left, each weekly update will include an update on the playoff race.  This update will include the standings if there were not any divisions, if any teams have clinched a playoff spot, and if any teams have been eliminated as well.  There will also be tabs on the division races.
• If league members have questions to pose, they may e-mail me at toonboy92484@yahoo.com, with possible publishing and explanation.  The next blog update (which will be by Wednesday at the latest) will feature a controversy recently brought up surrounding the trade deadline.

Here's to hoping the blog gets back on track.  Also, a fantasy football version of the league is currently running, with 3 teams of the 16 in the baseball league signed up.  Not everyone in the league will be able to participate, as some members for various reasons will not be able to or have declined to do so.  But if you like to continue the fun for the football season, please request an invite.

Happy fantasy!

Commissioner,
T.J. Carson

Week 7 Recap

The weather's getting hotter, and so is the action in the IFB.  Here's a look at the Week 7 recap:

• Best record - Sparland Hilltoppers (9-3-0)
• Most runs - Muse Academy Muses (61)
• Most hits - Sparland Hilltoppers (99)
• Most HRs - Most Daring (17)
• Most RBIs - Most Daring (50)
• Most SBs - 7 heaven (10)
• Best AVG - Sparland Hilltoppers (.340)
• Most wins - BooBooCubs (6)
• Least losses - Bo Hart All Stars (0)
• Most saves - Bambinos (6)
• Least BBs - Bushwhackers (12)
• Most Ks - Anabolic A Rods (63)
• Best ERA - Bo Hart All Stars (2.17)

And now a look at division leaders and wild cards spots:

• Lincoln - Ferris Indians (50-27-7)
• Reagan - Muse Academy Muses (50-30-4)
• Grant - 7 heaven (45-32-7)
• Obama - Triple Crown (46-35-3)

• Sparland Hilltoppers (48-29-7)
• BJ Penn (43-37-4)
• BooBooCubs (42-37-5)
• JSloan (40-39-5)

And now a look at Week 8 match-ups:

• All Balls No Strikes (31-47-6) vs. Triple Crown (46-35-3)
• Bo Hart All Stars (39-39-6) vs. BooBooCubs (42-37-5)
• Funky Cold Molina (39-41-4) vs. Ferris Indians (50-27-7)
• Most Daring (35-45-4) vs. Anabolic A Rods (32-41-11)
• 7 heaven (45-32-7) vs. Bambinos (33-43-8)
• Quincy Dirtbags (28-52-4) vs. Bushwhackers (27-54-3)
• Muse Academy Muses (50-30-4) vs. BJ Penn (43-37-4)
• Sparland Hilltoppers (48-29-7) vs. JSloan (40-39-5)

This week's featured match-up will showcase Sparland Hilltoppers and JSloan, two teams that are fighting for wild card spots. Sparland Hilltoppers currently leads the wild card standings, is a half-game out of the lead in the Reagan Division, and has better records than the Grant and Obama Division leaders.  JSloan has been posting good records as of late (a 7-5 win over Bambinos in Week 7, with a 23-10-3 overall record the past three weeks), which has helped them hop into the final wild card spot for the first time this year.

Good luck to everyone in Week 8 of the IFB!

Week 6 Recap

Another exciting week of action in the IFB, and a week that saw a new overall leader.  Let's look at the stats from the past week:

• Best record - Muse Academy Muses (10-2-0)
• Most runs - Most Daring (46)
• Most hits - Ferris Indians (79)
• Most HRs - Sparland Hilltoppers (9)
• Most RBIs - Ferris Indians (47)
• Most SBs - JSloan (7)
• Best AVG - Most Daring (.301)
• Most wins - Bo Hart All Stars (7)
• Least losses - BooBooCubs (0)
• Most saves - Muse Academy Muses and All Balls No Strikes (7)
• Least walks - 7 heaven and Funky Cold Molina (8)
• Most Ks - Bo Hart All Stars (59)
• Best ERA - BooBooCubs (1.79)

And now a look at the division leaders and wild card spots, ranked by seeds:

• Reagan - Muse Academy Muses (45-25-2)
• Lincoln - Ferris Indians (42-25-5)
• Grant - 7 heaven (40-27-5)
• Obama - Triple Crown (38-31-3)

• Sparland Hilltoppers (39-26-7)
• BJ Penn (39-29-4)
• Bo Hart All Stars (35-31-6)
• BooBooCubs (34-33-5)

And now a look at the matchups for Week 7:

• All Balls No Strikes (25-42-5) vs. Funky Cold Molina (34-35-3)
• Bo Hart All Stars (35-31-6) vs. Triple Crown (38-31-3)
• Most Daring (27-41-4) vs. BJ Penn (39-29-4)
• 7 heaven (40-27-5) vs. Muse Academy Muses (45-25-2)
• Quincy Dirtbags (24-44-4) vs. BooBooCubs (34-33-5)
• Bambinos (28-36-8) vs. JSloan (33-34-5)
• Bushwhackers (24-45-3) vs. Sparland Hilltoppers (39-26-7)
• Ferris Indians (42-25-5) vs. Anabolic A Rods (30-33-9)

For the second week in a row, the featured matchup of the week will feature division leaders.  And for the second week in a row, the Muse Academy Muses will be one of those teams.  The Muses, leading the Reagan Division and the entire league after a 10-2 victory over Triple Crown last week, take on Grant Division leading 7 heaven, who lost to BooBooCubs in Week 6, 7-5.

Good luck to all in Week 7 of the IFB!

Week 5 Recap

The weather's getting hotter, and so is action in the IFB.  Here's a recap of league leaders from Week 5:

• Best record - Muse Academy Muses (10-1-1)
• Most runs - Most Daring (49)
• Most hits - Most Daring, Funky Cold Molina (78)
• Most home runs - JSloan (14)
• Most RBIs - JSloan (51)
• Most stolen bases - JSloan, Sparland Hilltoppers (9)
• Best average - Anabolic A Rods (.338)
• Most wins - Muse Academy Muses, All Balls No Strikes, Triple Crown (6)
• Least losses - Bushwhackers, Anabolic A Rods (1)
• Most saves - JSloan (6)
• Least BBs - Funky Cold Molina (7)
• Most Ks - Bo Hart All Stars (71)
• Best ERA - Bo Hart All Stars (2.05)

Who's leading their packs after Week 5, and who's on their tails in wild card spots:

• Lincoln - Ferris Indians (36-19-5)
• Grant - 7 heaven (35-20-5)
• Obama - Triple Crown (36-21-3)
• Reagan - Muse Academy Muses (35-23-2)

• Sparland Hilltoppers (31-24-5)
• Bo Hart All Stars (29-25-6)
• Anabolic A Rods (28-25-7)
• BJ Penn (30-27-3)

2 teams from the Reagan Division and 2 teams from the Grant Division take the 4 wild card spots this week, further intensifying the race for best division between those two.  And now a look at this week's schedule for Week 6:

• All Balls No Strikes (19-37-4) vs. Most Daring (22-35-3)
• Bo Hart All Stars (29-25-6) vs. Sparland Hilltoppers (31-24-5)
• Funky Cold Molina (27-30-3) vs. Bambinos (23-29-8)
• 7 heaven (35-20-5) vs. BooBooCubs (27-28-5)
• Quincy Dirtbags (22-35-3) vs. BJ Penn (30-27-3)
• Bushwhackers (23-36-1) vs. JSloan (24-33-3)
• Triple Crown (36-21-3) vs. Muse Academy Muses (35-23-2)
• Anabolic A Rods (28-25-7) vs. Sparland Hilltoppers (31-24-5)

Another week of quality match-ups feature a battle of division leaders and wild card teams fighting for the top spots in the division.

Nowadays, when one hears Reagan vs. Obama, it usually refers to a debate over political philosophies and beliefs.  But here, it means a battle of division leaders.  This week's featured match-up has Obama Division leading Triple Crown and Reagan Division leading Muse Academy Muses.  For Triple Crown, a 12-game lead in the division means a focus on rising above its current 3-seed.  But for Muse Academy Muses, a tight division battle means a win this week would keep Sparland Hilltoppers and Bo Hart All Stars at bay, but possibly move up a seed or two.

Good luck to all in Week 6 of the IFB!

Week 4 Recap

Another exciting week of play is complete in the IFB!  Let's take a look at the league leaders from the past week:

• Best record  - Anabolic A Rods (9-2-1)
• Most runs - Muse Academy Muses (44)
• Most hits - Funky Cold Molina (83)
• Most home runs - Funky Cold Molina (14)
• Most RBIs - Funky Cold Molina (51)
• Most stolen bases - Muse Academy Muses/Funky Cold Molina (9)
• Best average - Funky Cold Molina (.332)
• Most wins - Bo Hart All Stars (6)
• Least losses - Bo Hart All Stars, All Balls No Strikes, 7heaven, BJ Penn, Triple Crown (1)
• Most saves - Bambinos (7)
• Least walks - Bushwhackers (8)
• Most Ks - Bambinos (54)
• Best ERA - BJ Penn (1.95)

And now a look at division leaders and wild card spots, sorted according to current seeds by the Yahoo! system:

• Lincoln - Ferris Indians (32-12-4)
• Obama - Triple Crown (28-17-3)
• Grant - 7 heaven (27-18-3)
• Reagan - Sparland Hilltoppers (25-18-5)

• BooBooCubs (26-18-4)
• BJ Penn (26-19-3)
• Bo Hart All Stars (23-19-6)
• Muse Academy Muses (25-22-1)

And now a look at this week's match-ups:

• All Balls No Strikes (17-29-2) vs. 7 heaven (27-18-3)
• Bo Hart All Stars (23-19-6) vs. Sparland Hilltoppers (25-18-5)
• Funky Cold Molina (23-25-0) vs. Anabolic A Rods (23-21-4)
• Most Daring (15-30-3) vs. Bushwhackers (18-29-1)
• Quincy Dirtbags (14-32-2) vs. Bambinos (20-21-7)
• Triple Crown (28-17-3) vs. BJ Penn (26-19-3)
• Ferris Indians (32-12-4) vs. JSloan (17-29-2)
• Muse Academy Muses (25-22-1) vs. BooBooCubs (26-18-4)

This past week helped some teams improve their record, further expand division leads, or hurt some records.  This week also has the makings for more shuffling in the standings within the divisions and the wild card standings.  This week's featured matchup reflects that with Bo Hart All Stars vs. Sparland Hilltoppers.  The top two teams in a very tight Reagan Division are featured, with only a game and a half separating them.  Nipping on their heels is Muse Academy Muses at 2 games back, and Bambinos only 4 games back.  The Reagan Division could have a different look by this time next week.

Good luck to everyone on Week 5 of the IFB!

Week 3 Recap

The season's fully in the swing of things, now with Week 3 of the IFB in the books.  One team's dominating performance this week helped it pull into a tie for first in its division, and early favorites are starting to show their muscle.  Let's take a look at the breakdown:

• Best record - Ferris Indians (10-1-1)
• Most runs - Ferris Indians (43)
• Most hits - Ferris Indians (82)
• Most home runs - Bo Hart All Stars (10)
• Most RBIs - Bo Hart All Stars (49)
• Most stolen bases - Ferris Indians (11)
• Best average - Ferris Indians (11)
• Most wins - Triple Crown (6)
• Least losses - Sparland Hilltoppers, All Balls No Strikes, Ferris Indians, Funky Cold Molina (1)
• Most saves - 7 heaven, Triple Crown, All Balls No Strikes, Ferris Indians (5)
• Least walks - Bambinos (9)
• Most K's - Triple Crown (58)
• Lowest ERA - Sparland Hilltoppers (1.64)

And now a look at the division leaders and wild card spots:

• Reagan - Sparland Hilltoppers (23-10-3)
• Lincoln - BooBooCubs* and Ferris Indians (24-10-2)
• Obama - Triple Crown (20-15-1)
• Grant - 7 heaven (22-13-1)

• Ferris Indians (24-10-2)
• BJ Penn (21-14-1)
• Muse Academy Muses (21-14-1)
• Bo Hart All Stars (15-15-6)

Note: Yahoo! sets the tiebreaker and determines who is ahead of who if two teams have similar records.  A post explaining this will be added later on today.

And now let's take a look at this week's match-ups:

• All Balls No Strikes (9-25-2) vs. Quincy Dirtbags (10-24-2)
• Bo Hart All Stars (15-15-6) vs. Muse Academy Muses (21-14-1)
• Funky Cold Molina (16-20-0) vs. Bushwhackers (13-22-1)
• Most Daring (11-24-1) vs. Bambinos (14-17-5)
• 7 heaven (22-13-1) vs. BJ Penn (21-14-1)
• Triple Crown (20-15-1) vs. BooBooCubs (24-10-2)
• Ferris Indians (24-10-2) vs. Sparland Hilltoppers (23-10-2)
• Anabolic A Rods (14-19-3) vs. JSloan (15-20-1)

When you consider records, there are a lot of high-quality match-ups this week.  A lot of teams with great records playing each other, and, in the same boat, a lot of teams with bad records playing each other.  This has the making to be a moving type of week, so early in the season.  Considering all the match-ups this week, the featured one this week is between division leaders, and teams with two of the best records in the league right now.  The featured match-up this week is Ferris Indians vs. Sparland Hilltoppers.

Last week's featured match-up was much closer than the previous one, with BJ Penn squeaking out a 6-5-1 record over Bo Hart All Stars.  BJ Penn took victories in hits, stolen bases, average, wins, losses, and walks.  Bo Hart All Stars took wins in runs, home runs, RBIs, Ks, and ERA.  The saves category was the only tie.

Good luck to all for another exciting week in the IFB!

Week 2 Recap

Another week of the IFB is in the books.  It may be early, but there is already craziness afoot in the league.  Last week's best team, Bushwhackers, had the tables turned on them and ended up with the worst record in the league this week, not picking up a single victory.  The closest battle this week was BJ Penn picking up more wins over Funky Cold Molina 7-5.

And now for a look at the weekly stats:

• Best record - Ferris Indians (11-0-1)
• Most runs - Muse Academy Muses (47)
• Most hits - JSloan (89)
• Most home runs - Muse Academy Muses (13)
• Most RBIs - Triple Crown (47)
• Most stolen bases - Quincy Dirtbags (11)
• Best average - Funky Cold Molina (.315)
• Most wins - Bo Hart All Stars (6)
• Least losses - BJ Penn, Sparland Hilltoppers, Bo Hart All Stars, Anabolic A Rods (1)
• Most saves - Bambinos, 7 heaven (6)
• Least walks - Most Daring (12)
• Most K's - Muse Academy Muses (55)
• Lowest ERA - Sparland Hilltoppers (1.93)

Here's a look at the division leaders, and wild card spots:

• Reagan - Muse Academy Muses (15-8-1)
• Lincoln - BooBooCubs (17-7-0)
• Obama - Triple Crown and JSloan (11-12-1)
• Grant - 7 heaven (18-6-0)

• BJ Penn (15-9-0)
• Ferris Indians (14-9-1)
• Sparland Hilltoppers (13-8-3)
• Bo Hart All Stars (10-9-5)

And a look at this week's matchups:

• All Balls No Strikes (6-18-0) vs. BooBooCubs (17-7-0)
• Bo Hart All Stars (10-9-5) vs. BJ Penn (15-9-0)
• Funky Cold Molina (8-16-0) vs. JSloan (11-12-1)
• Most Daring (9-14-1) vs. Sparland Hilltoppers (13-8-3)
• 7 heaven (18-6-0) vs. Anabolic A Rods (7-15-2)
• Quincy Dirtbags (9-14-1) vs. Ferris Indians (14-9-1)
• Bambinos (8-11-5) vs. Muse Academy Muses (15-8-1)
• Bushwhackers (10-13-1) vs. Triple Crown (11-12-1)

This week's featured match-up will be Bo Hart All Stars vs. BJ Penn, a battle between two wild card teams with the 7th and 4th best records in the league, respectively.  Both teams are coming off two close battles from Week 2, with BHAS taking a 7-2-3 record from Anabolic A Rods, and BJ Penn a 7-5-0 record from Funky Cold Molina.

Last week's featured match-up between 7 heaven and Triple Crown was never in doubt for 7 heaven, the team with the best record in the IFB.  7 heaven took a 9-3-0 record from Triple Crown.  The only victories TC took this week were in runs, home runs, and RBIs.  A small consolidation prize from the week for TC was that they took the league lead in the week in RBIs.  7 heaven led the league this week in saves.

Good luck to everyone in Week 3!

Week 1 Results

Week 1 of the baseball is now in the books.  Let's take a look at some of the leaders after the first week of action in the IFB:

• Best record - Bushwhackers (10-2)
• Most runs - Triple Crown (49)
• Most hits - BooBooCubs (82)
• Most home runs - Triple Crown (15)
• Most RBI - 7 heaven (47)
• Most stolen bases - Quincy Dirtbags (12)
• Best average - Bushwhackers (.331)
• Most wins - Triple Crown (6)
• Most losses - Most Daring (6)
• Most saves - BJ Penn (7)
• Most walks - BJ Penn (28)
• Most K's - Most Daring (55)
• Best ERA - Bushwhackers (2.15)

Here are your division leaders after Week 1:

• Reagan - Bambinos (6-3-3)
• Lincoln - BooBooCubs (9-3-0)
• Obama - Bushwhackers (10-2-0)
• Grant - 7 heaven (9-3-0)

And the schedule for Week 2:

• All Balls No Strikes (2-10-0) vs. JSloan (3-8-1)
• Bo Hart All Stars (3-6-3) vs. Anabolic A Rods (4-8-0)
• Funky Cold Molina (3-9-0) vs. BJ Penn (8-4-0)
• Most Daring (5-6-1) vs. BooBooCubs (9-3-0)
• 7 heaven (9-3-0) vs. Triple Crown (8-3-1)
• Quincy Dirtbags (6-5-1) vs. Muse Academy Muses (6-5-1)
• Bambinos (6-3-3) vs. Sparland Hilltoppers (5-6-1)
• Bushwhackers (10-2-0) vs. Ferris Indians (3-9-0)

The matchup in bold represents the Matchup of the Week, with Grant Division leader 7 heaven facing off against Triple Crown, second place in the Obama Division.  A battle like this, even though early in the season, could go a long way for playoff positioning.  And with Bushwhackers putting up an impressive 10-2 this week, it's important for Triple Crown to try and keep the pace.

Good luck to everyone in Week 2!

Editing Lineups

So say you are on vacation, or you do not have time in the morning to fix your lineups for the day.  And you know you have players starting who have the day off, and/or bench players who are playing that day.  What is one to do?

Easy.  E-mail the commissioner of the league with the requested changes that you would like to have done.  Everyone has this option available to them, and is a great way to get that bench player some action.

IFB Week One Action

Baseball is finally underway!  And with that, action in the IFB is underway as well.  Here is a look at Week 1 matchups:

• All Balls No Strikes vs. Bushwhackers
• Bo Hart All Stars vs. Bambinos
• Funky Cold Molina vs. 7 heaven
• Most Daring vs. Quincy Dirtbags
• Triple Crown vs. JSloan
• Ferris Indians vs. BooBooCubs
• Anabolic A Rods vs. BJ Penn
• Muse Academy Muses vs. Sparland Hilltoppers

Clarification on the FAAB

After picking up a player last night, and not seeing a change to the waiver budget, I thought it was time to clarify how the waiver budget works (from what I had gathered).

If you are picking up a free agent, then your waiver budget is not affected.  If you are trying to pick up a player on waivers, then you must submit a bid to try and acquire that player.

Any other potential questions, feel free to e-mail.

Draft Order Set

The draw for the draft order in the debut season of the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League was conducted this afternoon.  Here is the order for Sunday night's draft:

1. 7 heaven
2. Funky Cold Molina
3. Sparland Hilltoppers
4. Muse Academy Muses
5. Triple Crown
6. Ferris Indians
7. JSloan
8. Bushwhackers
9. Anabolic A Rods
10. Bo Hart All Stars
11. All Balls No Strikes
12. Quincy Dirtbags
13. Most Daring
14. BooBooCubs
15. Bambinos
16. BJ Penn

The draft will begin at 7:00 P.M.  It is also a snaking draft, which means the order is reversed for each round.  The person who drafted last in the first round gets the first pick in the second round, and so on and so forth.  Good luck to everyone!

16 Teams in League

With the addition of Anabolic A Rods, the IFB now has 16 members in it.  Here is the current list of teams:

• 7 heaven
• All Balls No Strikes
• Anabolic A Rods
• Bambinos
• BJ Penn
• Bo Hart All Stars
• BooBooCubs
• Bushwhackers
• Ferris Indians
• Funky Cold Molina
• Jsloan
• Most Daring
• Muse Academy Muses
• Quincy Dirtbags
• Sparland Hilltoppers
• Triple Crown

If the amount of teams stay at 16, then the league will go back to 4 divisions.  The division names would be Reagan, Lincoln, Obama, and Grant.  If you want to be placed in a certain division, or paired up with a certain team in a division, e-mail me at toonboy92484@yahoo.com and let me know.

Waiver Budgets

A question was asked by Triple Crown about waiver budgets in the league.  The waiver budget is a new item that some may be unfamiliar with, and has apparently been rolled out on other sites.  Since we use Yahoo! to host the league, we'll let them explain the rules:

In a Free Agents Acquisition Budgets (FAAB) waivers system, each manager receives a dollar amount to place blind bids on waived players. The manager with the highest bid at the end of the waiver period claims that player and that bid amount is deducted from the team's acquisition budget. If multiple managers place an equal bid on a player, tiebreak options are available as described above.

So basically, instead of just claiming somebody off the waiver wire, you put in a bid to acquire them, and if more than one person lays claim to the player, the higher bid wins.

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog for the Illinois Fantasy Baseball League!  Action will get underway on Sunday with the draft, starting at 7:00 P.M. CDT.  Draft order will be posted here this weekend.  Look forward to a great season!