I know it's bad timing to post these, especially if you're Ted Karren, but I thought I'd share the AT&T Park/Chase Utley experience.

It started out glorious.

Then Will appeared from right field and took his spot at 1st, waving and blowing kisses to me.  I also have this on video if you want to hear the crowd go full-throttle insane.

Bengie Molina goes deep early in the game on this swing.  Side note, I love this camera.

I walked to the upper deck to get a shot for my PTP backgrounds.  It was a perfect night.

Did I mention I love this camera?  Here is a section of the original high-res photo showing Senja and Chase down in the lower box.

Renteria makes this off-balance throw...

...and nips Shannahan at 1st.  (Yes, I AM that fast with the camera.)

Chase received an official "My 1st Game" certificate.  He was stoked.

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

In our franchise's 11 seasons in this league, we have become known for starting a season slow, playing below .500 ball til about the midway point in a season, and then making a hard, late-season push toward the playoffs. I started to wonder if it was myth, or the real thing. Then I looked it up, while I should have been advising people on their investments.

2015: 5 games under .500, we go 9-4 over last 13 games to finish 20-20, get wild-card berth. Win the World Series.

2016: 6 games under .500,we go 13-3 over last 16 games to finish 23-19, get wild-card berth. Win the World Series.

2019: 3 games under .500, we go 12-7 over last 19 games to finish 21-19, get wild-card berth. Win the World Series.

2020: 1 game over .500, we go 14-7 over last 21 games to finish 24-16, get wild-card berth. Win the World Series.

2022: 2 games under .500, we go 11-4 over last 15 games to finish 22-17, get wild-card berth. Go down 3 games to none in World Series against Jerry, win the next 3, and lose game 7. Jerry breaks a string of 9 consecutive playoff series I'd won overall (not vs. Jerry).

2023; 6 games under .500, we go 13-9 over next 22 games to finish 19-21, barely missing playoffs, in large part due to blowing 8-run lead in the 7th inning during crucial last game and allowing the tying run to score with two outs, on a strikeout that should have ended the game, but became a passed ball where the batter made it to first and the runner scored,then we lost the game, and a possible playoff berth.

2024; 3 games under .500, we go 16-7 over last 23 games to finish 24-16, earn wild-card berth. Up 2 games to none on the Hairys, in best of 5 battle to get to World Series against regular season champ, the Jamaica Jokers.

Never won a regular-season title.

So I've been thinking of Jim Edmonds.  He had, without a doubt, the best single season of the Champions League.  Was it marred by the pitching parameters of 2019?  I ran 100 year simulations of that season and not once did Edmonds even come close to matching those numbers.  It was truly a remarkable season, despite the offensive-happy numbers.  Jim Edmonds was legit.

With that said, using the pretend numbers that were collected during that 100 year simulation, I found what would have been the best season ever.

He has a lot of nerve hitting 33 HRs in 40 games, doesn't he?

Danks, 4-1 for the Hairys, and Hamels, 5-2 for the Monsters, squared off in an important 42nd game of the season. The winner would get home field for every game of the first round of the playoffs, which the Hairys and Monsters, coincidentally, will play in. Both pitchers were dealing. As a matter of fact, both staffs were good all night, as only 10 hits were had in the entire game. In the 4th, Gary struck first, with a 2 out Cruz double scoring Doumit and Pujols, who had walked. It was the only hit Hamels allowed all night. He pitched into the 6th before being pulled for Mariano Rivera. Karren went to his accomplished pen early, feeling like he needed this game. After getting that 2-run lead, Danks allowed one run in the 4th, in the 5th, in the 6th, and in the 7th innings, highlighted by Milton Bradley, who hit a homer for his 3rd hit of the game. A parade of Monster relievers held the Hairys at bay long enough to preserve the 4-2 win, and sned both teams to what will likely be a long and tense 5-game series at Fenway.

The Knights and Numchucks played an afternoon delight to finish off a disappointing season for both Utley managers.

Cameron Maybin  had a 4-hit game to finish the season with a .394 average, the 6th highest average in the Champions League, and 2nd highest Nantucket avg all-time.

Shin Shoo-Choo finished his amazing season with numbers of .357/.430/.708. and finished tied for 9th all-time in EBH.  He finished in at least the Top 8 of the "Prime 9" (avg, obp, slg, hits, runs, rbis, 2b, 3b, hr).  He led the league in EBH and OPS.

Nobody in the league had a hit streak longer than 7 games.  The previous low was double that.  Odd.

Speaking of odd.  Maybin had 71 hits this season, the 3rd most all-time.  He didn't have one EBH.  All his hits were singles.  Nice work, Cameron.  The previous record for singles in a season was another Knight, Tracy Jones, who had 55 singles.  So this got me thinking about singles in general, and how 100% of Maybin's hits were singles, and what players have come close to that feat.  Here are the players with at least 120 AB's with the highest singles %.

And for good measure, the lowest % of singles:

Intersting stuff.  I hope both of you get killed in the playoffs.

The number of times each team has been to the playoffs.

No team has been to the playoffs more than me.  I've hit more HR's than any team, I've won the 2nd most games, I have the most Hits, the most Walks, the highest OBP, and yet I will leave the Champions League after 11 seasons with only a single championship.

I'm bitter fellas.

On the eve of the '24 playoffs rumors are starting to spread about a possible disbandment of the Champions League following the '24 season.  No details have been reported, but this is eerily similar to the rumors that were spreading following the '13 World Series a few years back. 

Is this the end?  Or a sign something grander?  The Davis League was disbanded following it's 10th season.  Is this the end of the Champions League, on the sunset of it's 11th season?

Stay tuned for more information concerning the potentiality of a 22nd season that would bring our happy band of PTPers into the 5th year of existance.

Don't forget this key parameter, created on Jan. 19th, 2009. Wow, that was a long time ago.

"4 of the teams will reach the playoffs. In the 1st round of the playoffs, the top seed gets all games played at their home field. In the World Series the playoff will be the usual 2-3-2 format. "

This could be key with the # 2 and # 3 teams. Jerry, we are deadlocked at 23 wins a piece. You get a crack at a computer team, then we play eachother. If I beat you in the final, and we finish with same record, we will have also tied in head to head games.

Brian, how do we determine that tiebreaker?