LAD 3, TB 1; Dodgers are world champs

And no sooner had I tweeted my congratulations on that fact than it became evident Justin Turner -- whom I've always been especially happy for, that the Mets let him go somewhere he would actually play and that he did so well when that happened -- got pulled in the 6th after a positive COVID test. This year just doesn't quit, does it.

But baseball didn't either, although it probably should have (and although its commissioner...doesn't seem to like the sport very much), and we have a World Champion again at last. Sorry for the Rays; glad for the Dodgers; looking forward to the offseason for once. 110 days to go.

And now: the money! Betts had his best night of the postseason TB-wise; nobody else did anything.

Bellinger 0
Betts 6
Muncy 0
Pollock 0
Seager 0
Turner 0

Lowe 0

Repeating as BPP champ is MArbour! Here's the complete final scoring; congrats to our winners!

117 MArbour ($217)
106 Tormey ($62)
96 Cameron and Shotwell 1* ($15.50 each)

94 Barboot
93 JArbour 1

86 Winklepleck
85 SDB
80 Cayenne 1

69 Lund
67 Shotwell 2; Bauer

63 Cayenne 2
62 Stempelson
60 Bingham and DGB*

40 Dunn

33 JArbour 2

Of the picks who went the distance, the clear MVP for the pool, as well as the series, was Seager, who notched 50 points, followed by Betts, Turner, and Bellinger, who all got 30-odd. LVP, alas, was Pollock, who saw limited playing time. And this year's Shane Victorino Memorial Flyin' Hawaiian Award goes, unsurprisingly, to Randy Arozarena -- picked by no one; homered off nearly everyone. 

You're urged as always to check my math one last time before payouts go out this evening. Thanks so much to everyone for playing! It was nice to get to do this familiar thing in this unfamiliar year, and I hope to see you all back here in 2021, vaccined and ready to roll.

LAD 4, TB 2

Kershaw's done everything he could do. L.A. goes into the off day with a 3-2 advantage, and we're left with the usual random assortment of Dodger points, and back to famine for Lowe after the feast day Saturday.

Bellinger 1
Betts 2
Muncy 5
Pollock 0
Seager 1
Turner 0

Lowe 0

Leaders nearly out of reach now, but the last innings of our contest could get interesting at third place...

111 MArbour
100 Tormey
90 Cameron and Shotwell 1*

88 Barboot
87 JArbour 1
86 Winklepleck

85 SDB
80 Cayenne 1

63 Lund
62 Stempelson
61 Shotwell 2 and Bauer

57 Cayenne 2
54 Bingham and DGB

34 Dunn
33 JArbour

Off day today before the Dodgers again take their shot at the world championship at 8:08 ET on Tuesday; check my math, and best of luck!

TB 8, LAD 7

Look, I'm not blaming Charley Steiner for the denouement last night; I am pointing out that maybe wool-gathering smugly about how the Dodgers could clinch on Sunday is almost guaranteed to create this sort of outcome. ...But I kid Steiner and Rick Monday, whose broadcasts I love, and besides, it's Mets fans who have to account for this kind of malocch'. 

Plus it was a really fun game, with points galore for everyone! Well, if your last name didn't start with a B, anyway:

Bellinger 0
Betts 0
Muncy 1
Pollock 2
Seager 7
Turner 8

Lowe 4

Our #1 slate has a commanding lead, but this isn't over by any means with at least two games left to play.

108 MArbour
97 Tormey
87 Cameron and Shotwell 1*

...and look who's in the conversation thanks to A Met Who Got Away!

85 Winklepleck and Barboot
84 SDB

79 JArbour 1 and Cayenne 1

61 Stempelson
60 Lund

59 Shotwell 2 and Bauer
55 Cayenne 2
52 Bingham and DGB

33 JArbour 2
32 Dunn

This correspondent is now functionally out of it unless, like, Dansby Swanson shows up on the Rays bench in a pair of Groucho glasses -- but I'm very interested to see how it plays out ahead of me...and behind me. We've got a lone Muncy picker who could create problems here, not to mention Lowe maybe getting hot at last...anything could happen!

Well, not that Swanson thing, but I had a good run, it's fine.

Tonight's match-up is Kershaw v. Glasnow at 8:08 PM ET. I don't have the faintest idea what happens; I do know I wish you all luck!

LAD 6, TB 2

...SORRY! I am so sorry. I really don't know why I spaced the update until just now. There was a lot going on today, including waiting for three hours on an early-voting line, but on the way home, I saw a big ol' Dodgers pennant hanging off a porch in Bay Ridge, which is not perhaps as unusual as if I lived in, like, Omaha but still should have reminded me that I hadn't updated the spreadsheet, and y'all.

Anyway, this is already outdated as I type this BUT here are the Game 3 points:

Bellinger 1
Betts 2
Muncy 2
Pollock 0
Seager 1
Turner 6

Lowe 0

This let the leader open up some space between himself and the rest of the money...which all of a sudden is super-crowded again. Like, "if the pool ended today, a bunch of people are getting 75 cents" crowded.

93 MArbour
86 Tormey
78 Barboot, Cameron and Shotwell 1*, JArbour 1

...Okay, it's not that crowded. Kinda weird to see that sort of cluster this late in the going, though.

77 SDB

70 Winklepleck

68 Cayenne 1
61 Stempelson
60 Lund

59 Shotwell 2
55 Cayenne 2
53 Bauer
52 Bingham and DGB*

32 Dunn

29 JArbour 2

So: yeah, I apologize, and Seager and Turner have already homered tonight, so I'll see you shortly. No, really! (hee.)

TB 6, LAD 4

Rays avoid the sweep behind a solid Snell outing; Lowe nearly doubles his point output for the entire pool in one game. 

Bellinger Betts Muncy Pollock LLC 0
Seager 5
Turner 2

Lowe 8

And we've got a new sheriff in town! Two, actually.

84 MArbour
83 Tormey
76 SDB

I'm not giving Pollock great odds to go on a tear, but it would change the pool-scape big-time. Meanwhile, outside the subjunctive:

75 Barboot; Cameron and Shotwell 1*
73 JArbour 1

67 Cayenne 1
63 Winklepleck
60 Stempelson

57 Shotwell 2; Lund
53 Cayenne 2
51 Bauer
50 Bingham and DGB*

30 Dunn

29 JArbour 2

And that's where it stays 'til the weekend; with all the gassing on about the no off days in-series to date, I think it escaped my notice that the Classic does in fact have off days built into it as usual, and today is one of them. We'll return to action at 8:08 PM ET Friday, Buehler at Morton, as the Rays assume home-field. Therapeutic grousing is, as ever, welcome in the comments -- and also as ever, good luck, everyone.

LAD 8, TB 3

I guess Bellinger's shoulder is fine? Love that the team immediately adapted with ankle bumps, heh. Plenty of those last night in a decisive victory for L.A., and it was so nice to see Kershaw on a roll.

Points:

Bellinger 4
Betts 5

Muncy 3

Pollock 0

Seager 0

Turner 2

Lowe 0

It's rather crowded at the top here, I'm somehow still able to say firsthand...

77 MArbour
73 JArbour 1
71 SDB

70 Barboot; Tormey; Cameron and Shotwell 1*

60 Stempelson

57 Shotwell 2 and Lund
56 Winklepleck
54 Cayenne 1

53 Cayenne 2
50 Bingham and DGB

43 Bauer

30 Dunn

21 JArbour 2

And that's where we leave it until 8:08 this evening ET, Snell vs. Gonsolin on the hill. Good luck, all!

LAD 4, ATL 3; Dodgers move on

We've got ourselves a World Series! Dodgers vs. Rays. Not necessarily how I saw this going weeks ago, and as a poolie, 'tis not great for me, but as a fan, I like it. 

The final points for ATL picks:

Acuña 0
Freeman 0
Ozuna 1
Swanson 4

We lose all four of these guys. Points for the Trolley-Dodgers:

Bellinger 4
Betts 3
Muncy 2
Pollock 1
Seager, weirdly 0
Turner 0

And now, a couple of brief days in the lead all by my lonesome...with only Seager remaining. (I'll also note that my other slate is and will remain in possession of last place. I contain multitudes!) Just a reminder that if you're slate's in italics, it's a zombie, and once it falls out of the money it will no longer appear in updates. I'm so sorry, friends -- but this was a pretty good run in the CSes.

71 SDB
70 MArbour 1
68 Fell 2

The Gang Of 65, and everyone else, after the jump.

TB 4, HOU 2; Rays move on

And with the rare point-less performance from Springer, who is leaving us, but this only affects a single pool denizen.

(Do I think this Rays team has a shot in the Classic? Not really, but Houston's finally out so they're winners in my book regardless.)

Springer 0

Lowe 1

One clown moves from the trunk to the backseat of the money clown car as a result:

67 Fell 2, SDB, and MArbour 1
62 MArbour 2 and Barboot 1*; Barboot 2; Tormey
61 Cameron 1 and Shotwell 1*

Whatever the outcome of tomorrow's game -- which starts at 8:15 ET, Anderson for the Braves versus the venerable TBD of Los Angeles -- it's going to kick a bunch of slates in the slats. No prediction, other than that an emotion-based decision to send Kershaw back out there is not going to go particularly well for the Dodgers, but I didn't think any of Kevin Cash's bullpen decisions would go well at all for the Rays, and he got by with it, so what do I know. Except, of course, that I wish you all luck!

LAD 3, ATL 1

...Huh! Okay! Pretty ideal game outcome for me personally -- Dodgers stay in it and keep things interesting; Swanson gets on the board -- and more baseball is never bad. (Especially not if we can keep snickering at "A. Scrubb.")

Plenty of points flying around in the evening game:

Acuña 2
Freeman 1
Ozuna 0
Swanson 3

Bellinger 1
Betts 1
Muncy 1
Pollock 0
Seager 4
Turner 4

But it's a good thing the pool isn't ending today, because...there are like a dozen ties just in the top half of our standings! The money's a fuggin' clown car right now, as you'll see after the jump...

LD 7, ATL 3

Talk about your worn-out-looking bullpens. Dave Roberts is over there with a 20-sided die all "Hope Belly gets me out of this!" 

A really fun game to watch, though, despite Buck, Buck's sad mustache, Doltz, and a nauseating barrage of gambling ads. Betts is such a star. (We're also going to need to talk about Joc Pedersen's necklace, which is ensorcellingly sparkly.)

Speaking of sparkly stuff: points!

Acuña 0
Freeman 4
Ozuna 1
Swanson 0

Bellinger 0
Betts 2
Muncy 0
Pollock 1
Seager 8
Turner 2

Which makes it quite close at the top, the leader excepted. (An asterisk means the slates are identical.)

67 Fell 2
60 SDB
59 MArbour 2 and Barboot 1*

58 MArbour 1
57 Barboot 2
56 Cameron 1 and Shotwell 1*; Tormey

Everyone else plus the schedule, after the jump!

HOU 7, TB 4

The broadcast booth couldn't stop talking about the no-days-off thing and how that would cause managers to get second-guessed. It would have the opposite effect, logically -- if you follow the game and think about certain decisions re: the pen for longer than five seconds, you understand that a skipper may have no choice vis-a-vis pitching guys in back-to-back (-to-back) nights, or using guys who have nothing. Plus he's no longer allowed to go out and pull a reliever after a single batter, even if it's clear the guy is gassed. 

I'm not saying they shouldn't discuss it; I'm not saying it has no effect, because it clearly does. But in the context of...Dusty Baker having to justify decisions? When his team's in the middle of a legendary comeback being compared with compulsive frequency to the '04 Red Sox? And then they're kind of like, hmm, looks like the great Rays bullpen is crumbling, anyway back to Dusty Baker. 

I'm not new here. I know they get These Storylines and have difficulty raising their eyeballs to see what's happening outside of that. But the decision that actually fit one of Those Storylines and could have been discussed at length -- not negatively, either; if it had worked, Cash would look prescient -- was the one to pull Snell. This is the booth that isn't actively repellent; I expected better.

I have come to expect better from Springer in the points department, but it's just one apiece from our Houston and Tampa picks:

Springer 1

Lowe 1

With the exception of opening Fell 2's lead slightly, no effect on the money, so let's move on to the next update...

ATL 10, LAD 2

 Looking at Twitter during this game is making my neck hurt just thinking about it -- a barrage of town-hall-related tweets, interspersed with the occasional "...[barf emoji]" from Dodger Twitter, and "neutral" baseball Twitter expressing some bafflement at Roberts's decision to leave Kershaw in for that last inning. A bit sad to see, IMO, but also pretty exciting points-wise, as Atlanta's pickers got the same benefits Dodger pickers got the day before, mostly.

Acuña 2
Freeman 3
Ozuna 11, in what's far and away the pool's best single-game performance to date
Swanson 2

Everybody else in blue 0
Turner 3

Woof. So, here's the money, as Fell 2 opens up a healthy lead:

65 Fell 2
54 MArbour 2 and Barboot 1*
52 SDB

* these are identical slates; what happens to one, happens to both

Everyone else plus sked/predix after the jump, and if you stopped checking for yourselves after the break, maybe don't, because some of the top slates were in the second division for a week or more.

HOU 4, TB 3

The only un-frustrating thing about this game, as a fan who would like the universe to start punishing the Astros already, was that Lowe went yard and shook things up a bit for the pool.

Springer 4

Lowe 4

The money re-aligns, and with the night Ozuna's having at the plate (and the night most of the Dodgers lineup ISN'T having), it's going to look different at the top in our next update. But that one's not over yet, so until then:

54 Fell 2
50 SDB
47 Stempleson, Barboot 2, and JArbour 1

45 Cameron 1, Shotwell 1, and Tormey

Hold on to your butts, everyone, and good luck!

HOU 4, TB 3

Houston lives to fight another day; Lowe puts up another goose egg. 

Springer 6

Lowe 0

So, as predicted, Fell 2 rejoins me at the top; no other change. 

50 SDB and Fell 2
47 Stempelson, Barboot 2, and JArbour 1
45 Cameron 1 and Shotwell 1

NB: Cameron 1 and Shotwell 1 are identical slates, so what happens to one happens to both. Also worth observing that, of the money slates, four of the five eligible for top-two money are down a man.

43 MArbour 1
42 Shotwell 2
41 Tormey

The Dodger mortar attack last night is part of the reason the standings look so different to a few days ago; another part is that Freeman started hitting, and Acuña and Ozuna kind of stopped. Always a danger when you finish a series early and are sitting around trying to stay in the zone.

Rays try again to lock up a trip to the Classic today at 5 PM ET on TBS; no starter listed for either team. And Kershaw finally heads to the mound for Los Dodgers at 8:08 PM. Good luck, everyone!

LAD 15, ATL 3

[hydrates] That I maybe, sort of called this isn't the most mind-blowing thing about this final score; let that sink in.

And now let's let all those beautiful points sink in. 

Acuña 0
Freeman 1
Ozuna 0
Swanson 0

[clears throat] Beautiful points? ...Oh, hey.

Bellinger 5
Betts 1
Muncy 6
Pollock 0
Seager 7
Turner 1

And the Seager-pickers storm the money big-time:

50 SDB 
47 Stempelson, Barboot 2, and JArbour 1
45 Cameron 1 and Shotwell 1

And just off the pace (for the moment; Springer already has three hits, so this money will look different in the next update):

44 Fell 2
43 MArbour 1
42 Shotwell 2
41 Tormey

If Lowe had started the nightcap, or had a prayer of doing squat-ola if he's sent in to pinch-hit, I'd hold off on full standings, but...yeah, no. Everybody else: 

39 Brady
38 MArbour 2 and Barboot 1
37 Lund
36 Cayenne 1

34 Bauer 2
33 Yuhan 1 and Winklepleck
32 Fell 1
31 Cameron 2, Bingham, and DGB

29 Cayenne 2
24 Bauer 2

19 Dunn
15 JArbour 2

I'll update with that final tomorrow morning, plus the schedule. Good luck, folks!

TB 5, HOU 2

I mean, I'm always in favor of more baseball...but I'm not mad at this 3-0 lead for the Rays. At all. 

No points in the late show last night (and Lowe left six on base, oof), so the money/standings remain unchanged, and will until 6 PM. Same schedule as yesterday, as Dodgers/Braves go at 6:05 ET on FS1, and the Rays try to finish off the Astros at 8:40 on TBS. Questions, predictions, invocations of Pedro Serrano? See you in the comments, and good luck.

ATL 8, LAD 7

That was fun to watch -- okay, not for Dodger partisans, and probably not for Snitker. If I'm Braves management, I've got some dread vurps happening after those last two innings. That long silence from the L.A. line-up wasn't bad, or wasn't only bad; it was...odd. Like, barometrically.

Anyway, speaking of pressure changes, let's get into the points:

Acuña 0
Freeman 5
Ozuna 0
Swanson 3

Bellinger 3
Betts 1
Muncy 4
Pollock 1
Seager 6
Turner 1

And well well well (...welly well well), what do you know, picking a guy who's been torturing Met pitchers for two years pays off for yours truly, at least for now. Freeman and Seager pickers also floating upward slowly but surely, as Turner and Lowe uncharacteristically exert downward drag.

44 Fell 2
43 SDB
42 Stempelson

41 Shotwell 2

Everyone else after the jump, with full standings now and any update to the money tomorrow AM.

ATL 5, LAD 1

Or, "Freemptan Comes Alive!" Of course, most of the Dodger picks weren't where you'd hope, but some back-of-the-packers added to their points tonight:

Acuña 2
Freeman 4
Ozuna 3
Swanson 0

Bellinger 0
Betts 0
Muncy 0
Pollock 1
Seager 1
Turner 1

The money held steady, for the moment, but another night like this one for Atlanta hitters and it's going to look different. (Standings will now also look different; zombie slates won't be reported going forward. Sorry, friends!)

44 Fell 2
40 Shotwell 2
39 Stempelson

34 SDB
33 Brady

32 MArbour 2 and the Barboots
31 Cameron 2

29 Cameron 1 and Shotwell 1
28 Bauer 2
27 Lund, JArbour 1, Cayenne 2, and Yuhan 1

26 Tormey, MArbour 1, and Fell 1
23 Bingham and DGB
21 Bauer 1

18 Winklepleck
17 Dunn
15 JArbour 2

The schedule's switched up a bit tomorrow with the NL going at 6:05 ET, the AL at 8:40; I'll see you tomorrow evening with at least a partial update. Good luck.

TB 4, HOU 2

The Rays well in command after two games, which is pleasing, but not what I would have predicted. Just the one point for the one poolie compliments of Mr. Springer, so the leader is now three points ahead...

Fell 2 41
Shotwell 2 38
Stempelson 37

...and the money is trailed semi-closely by two zombie slates, SDB 2, and Barboot 2. 

You'd like to think we'll see some point fireworks starting in about 20 minutes, but with Fried and Buehler going to the bump for the Braves and Dodgers respectively, gains could be thin on the ground. We'll find out; good luck, all!

TB 2, HOU 1

Glad Blake Snell could gut that one out, though it was anxiety-inducing to watch. Not a ton of pointage:

Springer 1

Lowe 1

And not a ton of movement in our standings, which appear in their current entirety below. (Zombie slates are in italics.)

40 Fell 2
38 Shotwell 2
37 Stempelson

36 Yuhan 2
33 SDB 2 and Crase
31 Barboot 2

29 Brady
28 Cameron 2
27 Lund, JArbour 1, Cameron 1, and Shotwell 1

25 Bingham 2 and Tormey
24 Cayenne 2 and MArbour 1
23 MArbour 2 and Barboot 1

22 Fell 1 and Cayenne 1
21 O'Reilly and Bauer 2
20 Yuhan 1 and Bauer 1

19 Bingham 1 and DGB
17 Dunn and SDB 1
16 Winklepleck
15 JArbour 2

The AL goes again at 4:07 PM ET on TBS, with the NLCS debuting on FOX at 8:08, and the latter game will actually move the ball for us (as it were). Good luck!  

TB 2, NYY 1; Tampa Bay moves on

Uhhhhhhhhhh yeah so but this is not great? Especially since nobody eligible for points last night got any. I apologize for jinxing this in the wrong direction, sincerely.

Leaving us:

LeMahieu
Voit

And the following slates have gone zombie...

Yuhan 2
Bingham 2
SDB 1

...with another 8-10 functionally dead thanks to lone and/or duplicate picks. 

That said, a lopsided Dodgers win in the LCS could make things pretty interesting for poolies currently languishing in the teens and twenties, and if Freeman doesn't figure his shit out at the plate, that may be what we're looking at. My prediction for that one is Los Angeles in 6.

In the ALCS, I would like Houston to lose but I think that one's over in 5, and we get a 'Stros/Dodgers World Series. These prognostications all but guarantee that the opposite will occur, so go forth to Draft Kings with my blessing, hee. 

No games today; the AL gets underway at 7:37 (uch, these goofy start times) PM ET Sunday on TBS, no starters listed as of this writing. Best of luck to those still in play, condolences to everyone else (except myself; the death of that slate was a mercy, really), and I'll see you in a couple days.

LAD 12, SD 3; Los Angeles moves on

This series seemed pretty close, final outcome notwithstanding, until last night. I'm not as big a believer in the postseason-experience factor as some, but between that and having nowhere to hide with the DH in the NL...and this Dodger line-up is like dressing the cat in doll clothes. You'll get away with it for a while, but eventually he's gonna be done and then, so are you. 

"Is that weird metaphor supposed to distract us from our despair?" - everyone with Padre picks

Not really. Okay, lots to get through here so let's start with the points:

Bellinger 4
Betts 2
Bax Buntsy 0
Pollock 2
Seager 1
Turner 1

Hosmer 1
Machado 1
Myers 0
Tatis 2

And now, the money, which got shuffled again slightly:

39 Fell 2
38 Shotwell 2
37 Stempelson

Still trailing closely:

36 Yuhan 2

Everyone else, plus lost picks and zombie slates, after the jump!

NYY 5, TB 1

The Yankees live to fight another day! Good for the pool; not so good, IMO, for the Rays, who I suspect needed to drop them tonight if it was going to get done. That said, the whole starting-guys-on-short-rest thing so seldom works the way the teams pray it will, so: we'll see!

A smattering of points to shuffle up our standings:

LeMahieu 2
Voit 4

Lowe 0, again

The money changes slightly:

37: Fell 2
34: Shotwell 2
33: Yuhan 2

31: Stempelson and SDB 2
29: Crase

But halfway through the NL West game, the point distribution is weird, and the likely outcome is...going to ugly it up in here big-time. But we'll see! And be mad about it probably, hee. Good luck, everyone.

HOU 11, OAK 6; Houston moves on

...ugh, and I'm not just saying that because I'm the only one losing a pick behind these results; that's on me. Anyone else listening to that Ben Reiter podcast on the Astros cheating contretemps, the one from the Slow Burn team? I reviewed it here; would love to hear your thoughts if you made time for it. 

In defiance of my last update, which I wrote before looking at the box score here, Springer did NOT do that much damage today, though he's leading the picks in points as of this writing. And my boy Grossie hit me with three points on the way out the door, not that it'll do much good.

...Sorry, got distracted by the faint roar of the Voit pickers as a flat-on-one-side ball departed Petco en route to [EY voice] Souveniiiir CITY. Anyway. Points.

Springer 1
Grossman 3

And Grossman's out, which affects me only.

Money's the same; fingers crossed we don't get shelled by two more eliminations tonight. Good luck, all!

ATL 7, MIA 0; Atlanta moves on

Kinda thought Miami would present a bigger obstacle than this, but the Bravos dispensed with them in three straight, and Freeman finally got off the schneid. A little. For now.

Acuña 0
Freeman 2
Ozuna 2
Swanson 4

No Miami picks, so the end of this series doesn't affect the pool much; here's the updated money:

Fell 2 36
Shotwell 2 34
Stempelson and SDB 2 31

Yuhan 2 and Crase sitting just off the pace with 29.

Look for Fell to put on a burst in our next update (I assume; an 11-run victory would tend to indicate Springer hit something). Said update will occur momentarily!

LAD 6, SD 5

When did Kershaw start looking like Kris Kristofferson? 

...Glad I stayed up for the end of this one; it really turned into a nail-biter. Beginning and middle weren't bad either -- that catch from Belly! Whoever's doing the crowd noise for these postseason games almost had me going a couple times.

And speaking of crowd noise: the points!

Bellinger 4

Betts 2

Muncy 2

Pollock 1

Seager 5

Turner 0

Hosmer 4

Machado 4

Myers 2

Tatis 0

And we see some serious movement in the standings!

34: Fell 2 and Shotwell 2

31: Stempelson

29: Yuhan 2 and Crase

27: SDB 2

26: Barboot 2

More after the jump!

TB 8, NYY 4

I think maybe we keep forgetting how good Tampa Bay is. Maybe that's just me. Less good: Lowe, who's scrubbeenying along with 2 points total to date, and picked none up tonight -- but the Yankees picks didn't do much better.

LeMahieu 1
Voit 0

Lowe 0

Very little change in the standings, and none to the money...

...for now. 

(See you after the late game, when I think there may be a new sheriff or two in town...)

ATL 2, MIA 0; OAK 9, HOU 7

Bundling the two day games together; I didn't have time to watch either of them, and the points implications wound up being rather slight. Atlanta solidifies its lead in the series without much help from BPP picks:

Acuña 0
Freeman 0
Ozuna 0
Swanson 4

Meanwhile, the A's live to fight another day, but my pick was once again relegated to PH duty, and Springer didn't repeat his glorious performance from yesterday.

Grossman 0
Springer 0

Sooooo yeah, the only person who got points during daylight hours is me, and I moved up into a tie for...8th. Woo?

No change to the money but I'll be at my desk for other reasons this evening; look out for an ALDS update in a few hours.

TB 7, NYY 5; LAD 5, SD 1

You'd think a game with 12 runs on the board would kick loose more than a single point for BPP picks, but no. Stanton apparently overheard the wild-card booth saying he looked lost at the plate, and made some baseballs pay. Actual picks, not s'much.

LeMahieu 1

Voit 0

Lowe 0

No change to the money in the primetime game, so let's move on to the match-up with easily the heaviest action, in theory: the Dodgers' win of the series opener. Kind of a weird points result in practice, though; couple picks got on the board, couple other bats (too) quiet.

Bellinger 1

Betts 2

Muncy 2

Pollock 0

Seager 0

Turner 1

Hosmer Machado Myers LLC 0

Tatis 1

Money looks about the same!

34 Fell 2

32 Shotwell 2

27 Stempelson

25 Yuhan 2

22 Cameron 2

21 Crase and Brady

Everyone else after the jump...

HOU 5, OAK 2

The only Houston pick had a quite a day yesterday; the only Oakland pick did nada as a PH. So it's 

Springer 8

and Fell 2 sets her sights on a second BPP crown...

33 Fell 2
29 Shotwell 2
25 Stempelson

Closely trailed by 2s Yuhan and Cameron. Next update in minutes!

ATL 9, MIA 5

First game of the divisional day trying to weird things up in here, as everyone comes up pretty big...except Freeman, who lays an egg.

Acuña 5
d'Arnaud 7 ...oh wait hold on nobody picked him because why would they because he was a crappy game-caller who always got hot at the wrong time when he wasn't on the IL which was usually, and furthermore grrrr, and in conclusion grrrrrrrrrr
Freeman 0
Ozuna 3
Swanson 4

So now we're looking at

29: Shotwell 2
25: Fell 2 and Stempelson
24: Yuhan 2

Low 20s: Cameron 2, Crase, and Brady
19: O'Reilly, MArbour 2, Barboot 1

As I write this, Oakland pitching is losing control of the situation...to the tune of 8 points for our long Springer picker (so far), and again my guy is not playing! Not great, Bob! Back with that update and others in a few hours...

NYY 9, TB 3

Snell seemed nervous, and there's no stopping that Yankee line-up -- although the pointage is modest, considering. As Arozarena makes space on his mantle for the Victorino Trophy, here's what transpired last night for the pool:

LeMahieu 2
Voit 2

Lowe 0

New look for the money as well:

24: Shotwell 2 and Yuhan 2
22: Fell 2
20: Stempelson, Crase, and Brady

O'Reilly and Cameron 2 just off the pace at 19, and the Annual SDB Humiliation Slate has climbed out of the cellar; full standings after the jump.

HOU 10, OAK 5

...Is that Grandy on the far left of the desk on TBS? Yay! I miss that guy!

I missed baseball over the weekend, and it missed the pool enough to dole out a nice helping of points for a lucky couple of poolies.

Springer 5

Grossman 2

That vaults one slate into a tie for second...and allows one of my slates to crawl out of last place! ...Excuse me: to share last place with four other people! Y...ay?

The money as of this writing:

Shotwell 2: 24
Yuhan 2 and Fell 2: 22
Stempelson and Crase: 20

And O'Reilly and Brady just off the pace as we head into the Yanks/Rays primetime game. Full standings after that; good luck, all.

SD 4, STL 0; Pads move on, wild-card round concludes

What a relief! Somewhat unexpected of the Cardinal offense to crap out the way it did (notwithstanding the extremely expected, but still annoying, change in the booth's narrative from "Cardinal baseball, The Right Way, blah dee blah blah" to "there's no stopping these California kidz"). Perhaps it was an homage to Bob Gibson and the usual results from his opponents? In any case, the pool is grateful.

No picks lost; points as follows:

Hosmer 2
Myers 1
Tatis 2

Going into a baseball-less weekend -- and I understand why this is so, but still think bubble entry should have taken place sooner so as not to drop this weird, well, bubble of no games on the first weekend -- here's the money:

24: Shotwell 2
22: Yuhan 2
20: Stempelson Crase LLC

The rest of us plus upcoming action, after the jump.

LAD 3, MIL 0; Dodgers move on

No surprises here, except perhaps that the majority of Dodger picks didn't chart, but those pickers will have other chances with L.A. moving on to the next round.

Points:

Bellinger 1
Betts 2

Slight change to the money:

22: Shotwell 2
20: Yuhan 2
18: O'Reilly and Stempelson

and just off the pace,

17: Cameron 2
16: Brady and Crase

As well, one of my slates has assumed its rightful place in dead last. The universe is now aligned, you're welcome.

Play action starts at 2:08 with Cubs/Marlins, and the decider for Cards/Padres has moved to 7:08 PM ET. The St. Louis starter, Flaherty, is what Keith Hernandez would call "get-to-able" (MLB's preview kindly called his 2020 season "inconsistent") and the pool needs to hope that proves out.

Stay safe, be well, and good luck!

SD 11, STL 9

Thrilled to guess wrong on this one! Didn't even do it for jinxing purposes, although a certain tweet from Joe Sheehan made me think I should start trying that! The broadcast team is one of the dumber pairs "Fall Frenzy" (blerg) has on offer, but it was still a pleasure to watch that lineup -- finally -- go to work.

I'm-a do a full update now, because I may not have time in the AM thanks to a first-thing vet trip. First, all those pooooooints:

Hosmer: 1
Machado: 4
Myers: 8
Tatis: 9

And now, the new money!

20: Shotwell 2 and Yuhan 2
18: O'Reilly
17: Cameron 2 and Stempelson

Everyone else after the jump!

OAK 6, CHW 4; Oakland moves on

 ...Huh! Okay! This is, net, neither the predict-ed/-able outcome nor the best one for the pool...and honestly it's not all THAT great for me personally since my A is perhaps the worst pick in the storied annals of the BPP. But: here we all are.

Abreu, en route to the door: 2

So the money is now

Cameron 2: 17
Yuhan 1: 13
Barboot Barboot Cayenne Shotwell and Marbour LLC: 11

We didn't have a ton of Abreu pickers, but as he's the MVP of this round to date, a couple of poolies are cringing at this result.

Most of the rest of us are cringing at the likely outcome of this STL/SD series -- Kolten Wong of all GD people just went yard to make it 4-0 Cards -- but as the man says, that's a song for another time. A sad one, with bourbon in the title. "Hear" you then.

ATL 5, CIN 0; Atlanta moves on

The expected and desired result; no picks lost; that's what you like to see. Plus a couple picks finally gratified us with points and shuffled up the leaderboard.

Acuña 4
Ozuna 4
Swanson 1

And now the money looks like this:

15: Cameron 2
11: Barboot Barboot Yuhan 1 Cayenne 2 Shotwell 2 and MArbour 2 LLP
10: Bingham 2, Tormey, Other Cameron, and Other Shotwell

Bingham 1, DGB, Dunn, Cayenne 1, and Lund just off the pace with 9.

That's it for n-- sorry, I just watched Luis Robert tattoo one, and then I sprained my eyeballs when Jessica said "cookie zone" on the ESPN broadcast. Could we get one of these people who doesn't drive me nuts? And why are we still doing exit velo? WHO CARES. ...Anyway, speaking of "who cares," the universe who-caresed Cubs-Marlins with a weather postponement, but that series doesn't affect us strictly speaking, so we're waiting on CHW/OAK plus the two NL night games. See you tonight!

LAD 4, MIL 2

I used to listen to Vin Scully call games late-night when I couldn't sleep; after he retired, I kept doing it, because Steiner and Monday are quite good, and because there is the figurative hint of Scully there in the booth. (And sometimes literal Scully introducing them in station IDs.) Couldn't get the app to settle down last night for some reason but it doesn't sound like I missed much action. 

Lots of points in play, though:

Bellinger 1
Betts 4
Pollock 2
Seager 4

Nothing for Ginger Elf or good ol' Bax Buntsy (hee) but the October, she is young. And the board, everyone is on her. The money as of this AM looks quite different, and quite crowded...

11: Cameron 2, Barboot 2
10: Bingham 2, Tormey, Cameron 1, Shotwell 1
9: Bingham 1, DGB, Dunn, Cayenne 1, Lund

Best of the rest and today's schedule, after the jump.

NYY 10, CLE 9; Yanks advance

Got up this morning to find much of Yankees Twitter still breathing into paper bags...but behind the brown paper, they were smiling...as many of us may be after I go through this box score here! The whole "Fall Frenzy" branding dealie is pretty dumb but one is reminded of the great emotional rushes of the postseason on nights like last night.

Also, not for nothing, but settle down with the B-list plagues, Cleveland. And yes, those midges managed to clock me in the pool years back.

Anyway, points!

Ramirez, on his way out the door: 4

LeMahieu 1
Voit 2

Bingham 2 leaps into the second slot but also loses a pick; Cameron 2 holding steady in the top slot, O'Reilly and JArbour 2. 

Full standings in the next update, which will be in a few minutes.

STL 7, SD 4

 Ah, those halcyon days of yesterpool, when I picked Goldschmidt and his points kept me alive for a week...

But this is 2020, and one of the many weird things about this postseason, at least for me, is how familiar I weirdly was with, like, the Orioles but then it's like "what's an NL West?" Some of these matchups, I'm just not sure what to look for.

Cards didn't have that problem, but the pool still picked up some points:

Machado 1
Myers 1
Tatis 1

No change to the money but a bunch of slates now alive.

Not sure when/if this NYY/CLE game finishes, thanks to the late start and rain delay, so you may not see me until the AM, but I'll have a full standings update then regardless.

TB 8, TOR 2; Rays move on

Ugh, well, that was over before it started, it seemed like -- and was probably predictable. And yet, I did not predict it! Why do I still suck at this!

Points:

Lowe: 1

Guerrero: 1
Hernandez: 1

And we lose Guerrero, Gurriel, and Hernandez, sigh.

Very slight change to the money, with O'Reilly moving up to a tie for second and all the five-pointers in third. But buckle up, we've got a crap-ton of picks in play for these last three games, especially the nightcap. Good luck, everyone!

OAK 5, CWS 3

 That got unnecessarily nail-bitey at the end there, but [if you have a Buntsy Dad Joke bingo card going, get that stamper out] Athletic supporters can now exhale as the A's even up the series.

Just the one point, from Abreu (my guy didn't even play; great pick, Nana), but now the money looks like this:

9: Cameron 2
7: Yuhan 1
6: O'Reilly

Back shortly, I fear. 

ATL 1, CIN 0 (13)

Couldn't have happened to a nicer Bauer. And despite the soccer score, a couple of Brave picks got on the board.

Points:

Acuña 2
Freeman 1

So the money looks like this:

8: Cameron 2
6: Yuhan 1
5: O'Reilly, Dunn, Bingham 1, DGB [NB: three of the four had Cruz]

Five people at 4; a cast of dozens at 3, 2, and 1; NL West pickers still waiting to get on the board.

Going to write a book review and probably won't return for a couple hours, as the Marlins-Cubs series isn't in play for us, and the likely TOR/TB outcome is, frankly, too grim to contemplate right this second. Hang in there, everyone!

HOU 3, MIN 1; Astros move on

Oof, the Twins. Not the result you want from a pool standpoint, as we've lost two picks in the first update of Day 2. Not the result you want as a human being as you watch this franchise flail out of another postseason.

Couple of points available...

Cruz 2

And a couple of picks departing...

Cruz
Sanó

No real change to the leaders, except that Dunn moved into a tie for second...and is now set to drop like a hot rock since he had both those dudes. 

We finally have a result for CIN/ATL; back in a moment!

NYY 12, CLE 3

There's a Justin Bieber joke here, but I'm too tired. Yanks probably are too, with all that hitting they did. All eligible hitters got points:

Ramirez 2

LeMahieu 2
Voit 3

And now our standings after the first day of play, although not all slates have "come to bat" yet:

8: Cameron 2
5: O'Reilly, Yuhan 1
4: JArbour 2, Bingham 2

3: Dunn, the Cayennes, SDB 1, Brady, Yuhan 2

2: Lund, Bingham 1, DGB, Winklepleck, Fell 1, Bauer 2, Barboot 2

1: Fell 2, Bauer 1, Tormey

and everyone else waiting to get on board with the NL games tomorrow.

...Guys! So many games tomorrow! Allllll the games tomorrow. It's basically on the hour every hour starting at noon ET with Reds/Braves. Buntsy prom! I'm off-site for a bit tomorrow so updates might be sporadic; stay tuned.

TB 3, TOR 1

There is an individual named Rowdy Tellez! This pleases me. This should not surprise me -- the Mets played the Jays like 10 times -- but you take the little Ws. 

Speaking of: points.

Lowe 1

Gurriel 3

About half the pool now on the board; leaders basically stable with O'Reilly, Yuhan 1, and Cameron 2 tied for the top slot.

The nightcap doesn't have much momentum here in the 7th but it beats the debates, so that's what I'm watching. See you shortly with the first-day wrap-up.

HOU 4, MIN 1; CWS 4, OAK 1

Welp, we've had the first data-sort snafu of the year! Glad I caught it early, but as it's unlikely to be the last, please, check my work. (A reminder: I use MLB.com box scores for the TB counts.)

For the opener, points-getters were:

Springer 1
Cruz 2
Sano 1

The second afternoon game was just Abreu, but he spotted his pickers 5.

Early returns:

O'Reilly, Yuhan 1, and Cameron 2 with 5
Dunn with 3
Lund, Bingham 1, and Dave Sr. with 2
Fell 2 with 1

Goose eggs for the rest so far; see you back here after the evening slate!

BPP 2020 now has the force of law

 (Narrator: "It doesn't.")

Welcome back, everyone! Welcome to a couple new faces; welcome back to a couple old hands. I'm just glad we're all here. I'll tell you frankly, I didn't think they'd get even this whole truncated season in, much less to the postseason, but if I'd had to run some damn dice-baseball Zoom thing to keep the BPP going, I'd have done it. 

Fortunately (?), MLB hauled itself and us to October (ish). With 31 minutes to the opening bell, let's have a look at the picks:

Speaking of 31, that's how many slates we've got going this year; that's $217 for our first-place finisher, $62 for second, and $31 for third. Only one duplicate slate that I can see.

Heaviest action team-wise is on the Dodgers; Mookie Betts leads individual picks handily, with Freeman and Ozuna not far behind. But what's really interesting here is that, while three of the NL teams were picked heavily, the other five weren't picked at all. (Even I finally learned my lesson with Votto.) At least one pick from every AL team, but the NL Central may as well not even exist at this school. Which means we know where the Flyin' Hawaiian Trophy is coming from this time around...

HOU/MIN starts us off after 2 PM ET, followed by CWS/OAK at 3, Jays/Rays at 5-ish, and the marquee matchup, Yanks/Spiders, at 7. Check the picks, email/comment with any mistakes or other mental anguishing, and good luck! 

BPP 2020: Rules rundown

 Hello friends and fans of baseball (and money),

Welcome (back) to Bunting's Postseason Baseball Pool -- the postseason pool for everyone! You don't need to know a lot about baseball; you just have to know who's in the playoffs, and how to count. And that last one is optional, now that I think about it.

The set-up and instructions for entry appear below. Looking for changes since last year? Ctrl-F ** (there's not much different but, as with everything else in this hideous year, we've got some adjusting to do). 

For an overview of previous years' action, feel free to browse around the BPP blog, http://buntingspostseasonpool.blogspot.com.

Think I left someone off the dist list? Forward at will; the more the merrier!

Deadline for picks/payment is TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 at NOON (12 PM) ET.

[arranges BPP masks in fan shape by the door]

 ...Well, hello. I hope you are all safe and well, or getting by at least. I thought about bagging the pool this year, but if MLB could bring us this weird season, this weird pool should show up to see it out, no? Not to mention it's a low-risk activity with no quar reqs. 

Email's going out in a bit. Any questions, you know where to find me.