Power Rankings Update

1.  Bykofsky (1)- You have to go back to June 6^th for the last time Bykofsky lost a game by more than one run.

2.  Pollock (2)- Not counting the 5-inning Goldfarb game, only one of Pollock’s other 15 wins had a margin of victory of three or fewer runs.

3.  Fradkin (3)-  Their offense is what grabs people’s attention, but no team has given up 4 or fewer runs a game more times than Fradkin.

4.  Wallman (5)- Wallman has now won five consecutive games by 7+ runs.

5.  Brock (4)- In a year where many teams have had at least one long winning streak, Brock’s consistently good team is one of only five that haven’t won more than three in a row at some point this season.

6. Granese (8)- It’s not how you start, but how you finish a season that’s important. Last year’s runner up was a pedestrian 4-6 to start the year but have since won 8 of their last 10 games.

7. Larocca (6)- What I said about Granese can also apply to Larocca. 3-7 to start the season but have a record of 8-2 since.

8. Schefkind (7)- Team Schef has fallen on some hard times after reaching their 11-4 mark and sharing a virtual tie at the top of the division. I blame their bad fortunes more on the high competition than anything else. During their 5-game losing streak, 4 of the losses have come against teams in the top 6 of the power rankings.

9. Lapine (9)- It had seemed that Lapine turned a corner, but Dennis’s club has lost some momentum after losing to Granese by 15 runs and Sarcona by 11. It won’t get any easier as they the league’s number 1 ranked team on Sunday.

10. Goldfarb (NR)- Not ranked last week because their forfeit was imminent. Missed games have caused Goldfarb to either play severely shorthanded(or not at all) at least three times this year. While these losses count, everyone knows the talent is there to make a serious run in the playoffs.

Power Rankings Update

Power Rankings Update:

1. Bykofsky(1)- Only two wins away from 18 victories, something that has only been accomplished twice this decade.

2. Pollock (4)- The only team that has beaten all division leaders. One of two teams(Bykofsky) that haven’t lost two consecutive games this year.

3. Fradkin (2)- Fradkin recently had a stretch where they gave up four or fewer runs in four out of five games. We all know Fradkin can hit, but it’s that kind of defense and pitching that makes them a complete team.

4. Brock (5)- Justin Brock already has a myriad of impressive stats as a player. Having a .690 winning percentage after nearly two years as a captain is just as impressive.

5. Wallman (7)- This begins the portion of the power rankings where there are five teams who have valid claims for being ranked 5th. I’m going with the team that’s been most dominant of late. Wallman hasn’t lost since July 1st and their 2.5 run differential is even better than Fradkin’s.

6. Larocca (8)- Their 10-2 record over the last 12 games is second to only Bykofsky’s 11-1 record over that same span.

7. Schefkind (3)- The steep drop in rankings is what happens when you lose both ends of a double-header while other teams remain hot.

8. Granese (9)- Granese gets my vote for most dangerous, under-the-radar team. They haven’t won more than three consecutive games all season which is maybe why they haven’t gotten the attentions other teams have gotten. However, their 3.0 run differential is 3rd in the league and their roster consists of many key players from last year’s team that nearly won the championship.

9. Lapine (6)- Like Schefkind, Team Lapine gets the short end of the stick for losing on Sunday. No team has a bigger Sunday coming up than Lapine. With two games, they need to be careful their one blowout loss doesn’t turn into a losing streak.

updated power rankings

1. Bykofsky(1)- The king still be the king. Bykofsky now has four consecutive 14-win seasons. No other captain has more than two consecutive 14-win seasons this entire decade.

2. Fradkin(2)- Lipomi’s injury shortens the lineup for now, but still the top 4 might be the most dangerous the league has seen this decade.

3. Schefkind(3)- The league’s biggest surprise(at least according to pre-season writeups) has a chance to make the top two with a win against Bykofsky.

4. Pollock(4)- Last week’s victory was a gift, so we’re looking to play a lot sharper against Applebaum and Fradkin this week.

5. Brock(5)- Team Brock’s 16.2 RS+RA is the lowest in the league. Great defense always translates to great regular seasons, but the question is will they score enough runs to make a championship run?

6. Lapine (8)- the hottest team in the league is doing it thanks to an always great offense and improved defense. Moving Krant to second base has paid huge dividends.

7. Wallman(7)- Has a team ever responded better after getting shutout? Since that loss, Wallman hasn’t lost a game. And since their tie(boo!), they’ve beaten opponents by almost 12 runs per game.

8. Larocca (9)- It’s been quite a summer for the rookie captain. WInners of six of their last seven, Team Larocca is part of the reason why the playoffs are going to be wide open this year.

9. Granese (NR)- Ranking Granese only 9th says more about how great Lapine, Wallman, and Larocca have been than it does about Team Granese. If they can have more games like the 21-run outburst against Sarcona then a trip back to the finals isn’t out of the question.

10. Goldfarb(6)- I can’t believe Goldfarb has fallen this low in the rankings, but this is what happens when you can barely field a team some weeks(or can’t field a team at all). When compiling a list of “Teams you don’t want to face in the playoffs even though their record isn’t great”, this team will be at the top of the list.

Power Rankings Update

Power Rankings with no commentary this week:

1. Bykofsky (1)

2. Fradkin (2)

3. Schefkind (4)

4. Pollock (3)

5. Brock (6)

6. Goldfarb (5)

7. Wallman (10)

8. Lapine (11)

9. Larocca (7)

10. Randell (NR)

Updated Power Rankings

Did anyone see those rainouts coming? While May was almost a complete washout, we were at least anticipating games to be canceled. It’s a horrible feeling to wake up early on Sunday, psyched to play, only to have a short but strong rainstorm ruin your plans.

At least some teams got to play, so there is some impact on this week’s rankings. The league is now evenly divided into three groups. 6 teams are comfortably above .500, 6 teams are hovering around .500, and 6 teams are in danger of participating in the first ever playoff play-in games. This week I’ll rank the teams in the first two groups.

 There’s limited commentary this week to reflect the crummy Sunday we just had.

1.    Bykofsky (1):  A split is not what the top ranked team was hoping for, and if the Fradkin/Pollock game was played, the winner of that contest would have most likely moved to the #1 spot. As it is, Bykofsky sits atop the rankings for another week.

2.      Fradkin (2)

3.      Pollock (3)

4.       Schefkind (4)- Teams #2-4 remain unaffected this week due to rainouts.

5.       Goldfarb (5): Beating a (short-handed) Paladino team is a step in the right direction for a team that seemed pre-destined to make the semi-finals.

6.        Brock (8): Beating up on the struggling Team Sarcona might have been the jumpstart Team Brock needed.

7.        Larocca(9): Larocca has been building up quite a resume lately with recent victories against three teams in the top third of the rankings (Bykofsky, Fradkin, and Brock).

8.        Granese (7): Ideally they should not move down a spot for being idle on Sunday, but Larocca’s win was too big to ignore.

9.       Paladino (6): Player attendance was an issue Sunday and is probably going to affect them this week as well.

10.      Wallman (NR): Editor’s note: The Wallman/Jacoby game should be continued. There are no ties in baseball!(Unless it’s that infamous 2002 All-Star game which resulted in that ridiculous home field advantage rule). The Wallman/Jacoby result has major seeding implications with Jacoby potentially playing in the play-in game and Wallman in the middle of a tight group of teams. I say just get the teams together after their regularly scheduled Sunday games and finish it off. It’ll most likely only take 10 minutes.

11.      Lapine (NR): I said last week that if they sweep a double header, they’d move into the top half of the rankings. Because of the rainout, that wasn’t possible, so the offer still stands this week.

12.      Ferrarese (NR): This Sunday’s double header against two strong teams (Brock and Larocca) will be the most pivotal point in this team’s season.

Updated Power Rankings

Power Rankings:

1.  Bykofsky (3): For the first time this season, there’s a team other than Fradkin at the top. While playing the “This team beat that team so they’re better” can lead to a slippery slope, the 25-10 hammering of Fradkin’s team has to count as the tie-breaker between who gets the top spot. Bykofsky’s offense has now scored 25-21-16-21 runs in their last four games.

2. Fradkin (1): After playing unbeatable ball through their first seven games, Fradkin has only played .500 ball over their last six. I’m impressed with their ability to score tons of runs( they’ve scored  at least 17 runs more than anybody other than Bykofsky) and ability to keep teams down(no team has given up 5 or fewer runs more times). Next week will be another test against a top 3 team.

3. Pollock(2): Tough to move down a spot after splitting a double header sans the best player in the league, but every team has to deal with missing their top player eventually. While I feel Bykofsky and Fradkin deserve to be #1 and 2, we’re owners of the best run differential in the league.

4. Schefkind(4): The two teams predicted to have the lowest records, a combined 15-29 are now a combined 18-7. Schefkind’s 8-7 victory over Marrone gives the team more one-run victories than any other team.

5. Goldfarb (6): Amazingly, it had been over two months since Goldfarb’s team scored 14 runs in a game. I mentioned last week that the game against Brock could be a turning point, and I think they’re about to go on a nice hot streak.

6. Paladino (10): We’re once again at the most difficult part of the power rankings, so once again the edge goes to the team that’s been the hottest of late.

7. Granese (5): The loss against Larocca says more about how much better Frank’s team is playing than it says anything too negative about Granese. Even though they lost, they scored in the double digits for the 5^th time in 6 games, something they hadn’t been able to do even once in the previous 7 games.

8. Brock (7): In a year where there are several offensive seasons shaping up to be among the best of the decade, Justin Brock is having the best season of his “career”(Seriously, what do you call one’s time spent in Marlboro Softball?). The Brocks have a good supporting cast, and I suspect is about to go on a hot streak now.

9.  Larocca (NR): After a 1-6 start, it looks like Larocca has righted the ship. The 5-1 record over the last six games is no fluke. It was known that this was a team that was most likely to start off slowly before realizing their potential due to the abundance of rookies on the team. One of the most interesting stories to watch is how well can Larocca play in the second half now that the team is gelling.

Right on the cusp:

Applebaum, Ferrarese, Lapine, Wallman: If any of these teams can sweep their double headers on Sunday, they will earn a spot in the top half of the power rankings.

  

  

Mid-season Power Rankings

It was only one month ago when I was expressing what I considered was a common thought around the league: Fradkin, Goldfarb, Marrone are in a class of their own. Since then Goldfarb and Marrone have gone a combined 3-8 and even Fradkin showed a few cracks that hadn’t shown in their first 7 games. The competition in this league tends to even out in the long run and it’s a reminder that the power structure in the league can undergo huge shifts in such a short amount of time. With 9 games on the menu Sunday, we could be looking at a power ranking next week, particularly in the 4th-9th ranked teams, than what we have this week.

The Clear-cut Top Three (For Now):

1.       Fradkin (1): With a 9-2 start, Fradkin can reasonably break the record for best regular season for a rookie captain this decade, established by Brock just last year (16-6).

2.       Pollock (2): It took a Fradkin double-header sweep to keep us from the top of the rankings this week. This is probably going to be the only time in league history where a team exceeds its pre-season prediction before the second half even begins. In case you’re wondering, the best regular season this decade by a defending champion is Jacoby’s 16-6 season in 2014.

3.       Bykofsky (3): It’s not often that a team gives up 34 runs in consecutive games and win both contests. Team Bykofsky has ranked in the top 5 in Runs Against three years in a row, so I’m not used to a year where the offense has to do most of the heavy lifting. Side note: This is the only team that has not played with a full 13 in any game.

The Crazy, Topsy-Turvy, Rank em’ Based on Who is Hot #4-9:

This is where the rankings get so bunched up where all it can take is a double header sweep to move from unranked to top 5. Any of these teams can look mediocre one week but elite the next. This is what makes me think there will be a 13 beating a 4 or 12 beating a 5 upset in the first round this year.

4.       Schefkind (NR): It is the team that has been written off as “too old” that swept a double header in 100 degree weather.  No one proved the critics wrong more last Sunday than Schefkind.

5.       Granese (NR): It was only 7 days ago that Team Granese were losers of 5 of their last 6 games. One week later they are owners of a three game winning streak and have earned a spot in the top 5. For this team team to keep it up their offense is going to have to keep scoring they we they have over the last four games.

6.       Goldfarb (3): On one hand they have lost 4 of their last 5 games(with the one win coming from a forfeit), on the other hand, this is Team Goldfarb! All the pre-season hype was well deserved, but this has been a rough  stretch where the bats have mostly gone silent. A tough double-header this Sunday against Fradkin and Brock could be a turning point in the season.

7.       Brock (4): Like Goldfarb, I did not think I’d be ranking this team so low this week. They are one double header loss from being a .500 team, which seemed nearly impossible three days ago when they were sitting pretty at 7-3. Brock vs. Goldfarb is the game of the week for two pre-season favorites trying to re-establish positive momentum.

8.       Applebaum (NR): Here you are, Brian. The pre-season rankings ranked their defense a C, but it has been the reason why the once 0-5 Apple team is one win away from reaching .500. They have given up 3.9 runs a game over their 5-1 stretch. The 6.7 runs scored average is still worst in the league and needs to pick up if they want to continue their hot streak.

9.       Marrone (6): I don’t think anyone expected Team Marrone to be under .500 and in 5th place in their division this late in the season. There’s too much talent here for this slide to continue, and I expect the rebound to start this Sunday.

The “I can’t figure you out because you’re been inconsistent” #10-14  teams. Any of these teams can take a jump into the top half of the league next week with a strong showing on Sunday. I will rank the teams alphabetically.

10(t). Ferrarese (7): The buzz was so strong last week, but two disappointing losses have put that excitement on hold for one week.

10(t). Harris(NR): It wasn’t long ago that Harris was riding a 4 game winning streak against some good competition. Since then they’ve mostly reverted back to the struggles of the early seasons, but the victory Wednesday night against Marrone shows the toughness and potential this team possesses.

10(t). Lapine (NR): Their second loss must have been excruciating. They are the definition of a team who is so close to starting a hot streak if they can just tighten up a few areas

Lapine, Paladino, Wallman

10(t).  Paladino(NR): Here’s a team that seems to be slipping under the radar, but here we are at the mid-season mark and they are right around .500. When they lose, they lose big(Their four double-digit run losses are tied for most in the league), but they’ve also had quality performances against good competition.

10(t). Wallman (8): Some weeks I can see this team being a contender for the top 5, but now they’re on a three game losing streak including this week’s low point: a 5-0 shutout loss to Applebaum. On a Sunday full of double headers, I bet Wallman wishes they were playing two. They must be itching to get back in the W column.

Everybody Else in the League AKA "The four teams projected as of Now to play the infamous play-in game" (Listed Alphabetically):

Jacoby: It's been an incredibly unlucky and unfortunate season for Jacoby. Obviously their final record will not reflect the talent on this team. I hope everyone has a speedy recovery.

Larocca: Exhibit #1 why this year;s playoffs will be wild and feature more upsets than usual. Larocca is in the bottom four yet they beat Brock 20-8 and defeated the #1 ranked Fradkin a few weeks ago. They may be in the bottom four right now, but they've shown they can beat anyone in the league.

Randell: Any team with Clamp and JZ is dangerous in the playoffs. The numbers look bad but it should be noted that they've been outscored 33-1 in the two games Clamp has missed. He'll be there in September.

Sarcona: The obvious has to be said which is for this team to improve, the defense has to get better; their 15.1 Runs Against average would be the highest average for the entire decade. On the bright side, Austin Silverberg might deserve to win Most Improved Player again for taking his game to another level.

Power Rankings- There's a Team Sneaking Up on Fradkin

1. Fradkin (1): They’re on a two game losing streak and they’ve shown more holes than they did earlier in the year, but I still think they’re the most dangerous team in the league even if the gap isn’t quite what I thought it used to be.

2. Pollock (5): Best record and best run differential in the league, so why am I ranking our team second and not first? Maybe as the author of this blog  I don’t want to put us at the top until it’s clear cut. We’ve been racking up high quality wins though, and a victory against Marrone maybe be enough to earn us the #1 spot.

3. Goldfarb (3): They’re still one of the top teams even though they’re not running away with the best record like a lot of people predicted(see the pre-season captain’s poll). I think the dog days of summer will play into this team’s hand given how young the core roster is.

4. Brock (5): I didn’t think any team would challenge Fradkin for first place in the East, but Brock can supplant the #1 power rankings team with a win on Sunday. To break into the top 3, I think Brock will have to start scoring some more runs. They’ve only topped 11 runs once this season.

5. Bykofsky (2): Falling three spots after splitting a DH might be harsh, but that’s what happens when teams are bunched so closely. We’ve yet to really see what this team can go when they have all 13.

6. Marrone (7): I didn’t think anyone would put up Fradkin numbers except, well Fradkin but Jeremy Paster is well on his way to putting up one of the best offensive seasons the league has ever seen. Add veteran Andy Pargament and second year breakout Evan Binder to the mix and this is the best hitting trio in the league.

7. Ferrarese (8): As first year captain, he drafted a fun, confident team full of speedy and powerful hitters. Ferrarese’s club is 4th in run differential and this is after getting blown out their first two games. Add them to the shortlist of Most Surprisingly Good Team of the Year. This team could make a huge jump in the rankings by winning Wednesday night and sweeping their double header this weekend.

8. Wallman (6): Wallman, Lapine, Schefkind are all close at this spot. All three teams are hovering around the .500 mark with just about an equal amount of runs scored and runs allowed,but Wallman gets the edge for having a stronger defense.

Updated Power Rankings

Last Sunday was an old school, every team plays one game on Sunday morning, week of softball. This week, with an absurd 15 games on the schedule, huge shifts are likely going to occur with the current rankings. Until then, here are the updated rankings.

1. Fradkin (1) - It’s been hard times for some of the other teams once mentioned as being in the exclusive “Elite teams” list, but not for Fradkin. Now the question is how long can they remain undefeated? The next couple of games are at Union Hill, a field that plays into this team’s many strengths.

2. Bykofsky (4) - Am I trying to jinx Bykofsky right before my team’s Sunday match against them? Of course not! This part of of the rankings is very close, but I’m giving the edge over the team that’s been hot of late.

3. Goldfarb (2) - Almost every team stumbles at some point in the season, and maybe this will be Goldfarb’s only bumpy part of the road. It’s not like they lost to a mediocre team in Bykofsky, but losing three out of the last four games will have a negative impact on the rankings, no matter what the circumstances are.

4. Pollock (5) - Even the naysayers thought we’d hit the ball this year, but the real surprise to most of the league has been our defense. We’re currently 7th in the league in runs against, which is all you need when you’re putting up almost 14 runs per game.

5. Brock (6) - With so many teams one or two wins above .500, this part of the rankings get a bit tricky. I give the edge to the Brock factor for now.

6. Wallman (7) - Three of Wallman’s four losses have come against Fradkin, Bykofsky, Goldfarb aka the top three teams on the power rankings. The schedule doesn’t get that much easier in the next few weeks, so it’ll be interesting to see if Wallman can move up by winning some tough games.

7. Marrone (3) - Last week I made the point that at some point pre-season predictions had to give way to how teams are actually performing on the field. I was using this to justify a teams that is outperforming the pre-season write-ups, but the same theory can apply the other way too. I still believe Marrone has one of the best teams in the league, but at a certain point the 4-4 record has to outweigh potential. Marrone also has the challenge of overcoming their captain’s injury. Get well soon, Glen.

8. Ferrarese (9) - Yes, Team Randell was missing their star pitcher (and #1 pick) as well as their SS (and #3 pick), but 16-0 is impressive no matter who is on the field. Right now their numbers are middle of the road offensively and defensively, which makes sense for a team ranked smack in the middle of the 18 teams. However, the general feeling here is a team that’s on the rise and gelling as opposed to a team that’s treading water.

9. Schefkind (8)- I don’t think many predicted the Central division to have Pollock in first place and Schefkind tied with Goldfarb at this point in the season, One of the pleasant surprises of the year, Schef’s group of veterans are out-hitting the “C” grade prediction handed out before the season.

10. Harris (12) - In 2013, Harris was a 3-8 team going nowhere before rolling off 11 consecutive victories, finishing 14-8 and making it all the way to the semi-finals. After starting out 0-4, maybe this team is following a similar path. That 2013 was predicted to go 9-13 and this year’s club was given a slightly better but still mediocre 11-11 write-up. Harris is used to proving the critics wrong and may be on his way to doing it again this year.

11. Jacoby (13) - Beating a solid Marrone team with Joe Mamone shelved and Noel Gluck playing while less than 100% is one of the gutsiest wins of the year. Jacoby is proving they will fight hard this year despite the challenges.

Power Rankings Update

Last week I mentioned that the league clearly has a top 3: Fradkin, Marrone, Goldfarb. Of course what happens next is Goldfarb splits a DH while Marrone drops both games, complicating power dynamics of the league. On one hand, one week should not make a major difference in how we view the teams in the league. On the other hand, if we don't eventually evaluate teams based on results then when would our views ever change?

I still believe the teams mentioned are the cream of the crop, but the gap is definitely getting smaller. It was especially hard ranking teams in the middle of the pack. So many teams have the potential to break out and valid arguments can be made for most of the teams ranked a bit lower. Win on Sunday and you'll move up. 

Happy Father's Day. Here are the updated power rankings:

1. Fradkin (1): The only question mark I hear is whether or not the defense can hold up the entire season. With an offense this good, all Fradkin's team needs is an average defense to be hugely successful.

2. Goldfarb (3): Hopefully Marc Broome has a speedy recovery from his injury. Without Marc, this is still a very good team. With him, they are one of the elites. They have a very tough game against Bykofsky where a loss will help narrow the gap even more between the Elite 3 and the rest of the very good teams.

3. Marrone (2): This is where I don't want to overreact to one bad week. There are three teams with better records(including mine) who might want to make a claim for a spot ahead of Marrone's, but I still feel like they belong here. A Father's Day loss will see their stock start to drop.

4. Bykofsky (4): It isn't a true 2018 Marlboro Softball week unless there's a rainout involved, and unfortunately for Bykofsky and Randell, they had to be the victims last week. Bykofsky vs. Goldfarb is the game of the week and a win should earn them top 3 consideration.

5. Every other team that has a .500 or better record(tied): If you take these rankings very seriously, this is where you might want to stop reading. You might not be happy with what follows.

5. Pollock (7): At what point does a surprise start turn into reluctance acceptance that a championship team bringing back over half its roster might not be so bad after all. Evaluating quality of opponents has its merits(sometimes) but you can only play the games that are on the schedule. A double header sweep(against non winless teams) deserves to be celebrated. So does a 6-2 start.

6. Brock (5): They lost to us Sunday while missing Justin, but we were missing two key players too. It's hard to evaluate every game based on who is here and who isn't, but it wouldn't

be right to penalize Brock too much for one loss where their #1 player was out.

7. Wallman (6): Wallman hung in tough against a superb Goldfarb team, so this placement is basically a status quo. A battle with the next team on this list will certainly have ramifications on next week's power rankings.

8. Schefkind (NR): One of the best surprises in the league, Team Schefkind is another Central Division team succeeding in the face of an unsavory pre-season projection. Their team may have a bit of a, let's go with Senior Presence, but they also have enough youth to balance the roster and provide some pinch running on the bases.

9. Ferrarese (NR): Speaking of low expectations. . .  The world is a better place when Cowboy Mike is writing game summaries. As a wise man once said, "Hey you gotta pay your dues before you pay the rent". Mike paid his dues with his rough start. Now it's time to start winning. He's been dressed for success, will success finally come?

10.  Lapine (10): If this column was written before Wednesday night's game, there's a strong change Lapine would be left off the list. Last night's victory against Jacoby keeps this team in the top half of the league. If they can clean up their defensive miscues then the potential is even higher.  

11. Granese (9): The team is one game below .500, but I don't see them staying there the whole season. Hopefully they get back on track in a few weeks since we're playing them this Sunday. The team is no doubt hurting because of Billy Torres's injury. In typical Granese fashion, defense is king(#1 in Runs Against). The bats need to produce though in order to end the three game losing streak.

12. Harris (NR): Yes, the first win came against a completely depleted 8 man Team Goldfarb, but a three game winning streak means Team Harris is officially rolling. After average 4 runs their first 3 games, Harris has averaged a whopping 14.25 over their past four. I might be underrated them at this slot, and a win on Sunday will be rewarded with a move up the rankings.

13. Jacoby (7): The drop in rankings is partly a result of just how evenly matched this part of the league is at this point. This is also a team that unfortunately has to contend with injuries to key players. Here's to wishing Joe Mamone and Noel Gluck speedy recoveries.

14. Paladino (NR): I was not originally planning on going 14 deep for this week's rankings, but Paladino deserves to be on the list for a DH sweep. Like most teams filled with rookies, it sometimes takes a month or so to find its groove.

Captain Predictions Flashback: Revisiting Championship Teams

Writing the pre-season projections can be a thankless job. Say something negative, and you become locker room fodder for the rest of the season. When I decided to revisit each championship team’s writeup for that given season, I admit I was expecting to see a lot of misfires. The league is full of surprises and I thought the projections would reflect this.

Enjoy this stroll down memory lane and let's revisit snippets of what was said about each championship team starting with the first season predictions are available online.

2011:

Champions: Pollock

Season Record: 14-8

Projected Record: 11-11

Speaking words of wisdom: “Rookie manager Matt Pollock had an impressive start to his inaugural draft by snagging Commish JZ , who has vowed to burn the Justin Jacoby Hitting CD he used last year , and bounce back with an MVP type year.” (JZ went on to win MVP)

I should have known better: “Unless the defense can win games with steady versus stellar, we predict it could be a tough start to the managerial career of Matt Pollock , a likely .500 season……which would not be terrible.”

2012:

Champions: Harris

Season Record: 12-10

Projected Record: 13-9

Speaking words of wisdom: “The author is predicting that the division will come down to the final game of the season leaving Harris one game short but expect them to make serious noise in the post season.” (Harris lost the division by two games but they sure made noise in the playoffs).

2013:

Champions: Jacoby

Season Record: 16-6

Projected Record: 14-8

Speaking words of wisdom: “What makes this team a potential championship team is Dave “if its not a 15 ft limit , I am not pitching” Clampferrer. Dave is not only a top pitcher , he is a steady fielder on the mound , allowing DK to squeeze the hole , and a lethal bat.” (Jacoby’s team came in second in runs against while Clamp batted .618 en route to winning the MVP award.)

2014:

Champions: Applebaum

Season Record: 19-3

Projected Record: 11-11

Speaking words of wisdom: “This top 3 is scary good offensively, clearly the best middle lineup in the league. Brian then grabbed the winning Yockel combo pick and Herm to don the mound to secure himself with one of the league's best hurlers. This team won't be at a loss for offense….”(This team set the record for runs scored)

I should have known better: “. . . the concern here is defensive consistency. We see an up and down campaign” (Applebaum’s team set the record for best regular season before coasting through the playoffs)

2015:

Champions: Granese

Season Record: 14-8

Projected Record: 13-9

Speaking words of wisdom: “Add in stud Murphy, beast power Siedenberg and steal of the draft Krauss and this team looks great on paper. This could be the year MG finally quiets the nay sayers.”

2016:

Champions: Goldfarb

Season Record: 14-8

Projected Record: 14-8 (ding, ding ding!)

Speaking words of wisdom: “Sure enough Justin and Pat fell in his lap with the 6th overall pick and a new era had begun. . . A nice blend of speed and versatility with a very well balanced roster has this years’ Jiffy squad primed for a strong season and potential lengthy playoff run.”

2017:

Champions: Pollock

Season Record: 15-7

Projected Record: 14-8

Speaking words of wisdom: “When you start with arguably the best two way SS in the league and follow him up with Clamp who but for his missed games would have gone as a late 1 you are on your way. . . Several veterans round out the roster and we have a team that should mash the ball, pitch as well as any team and play enough D to be one of the teams challenging for a #1 seed.”

I should have known better: “Defense- C+”(We came in second in runs against.)

2018:
???

If 2018 is another year where the pre-season projections were fairly accurate in predicting the championship then that's good news for either Marrone, Brock, or Goldfarb: the three teams predicted to have the best seasons this year.