Sunday, July 6, 2014

Week 14: The Check Swing

It's the classic car edition of the Check Swing, so we'll compare these teams to cars from the days of yore. In other news, there are only 4 more weeks until the playoffs begin; it looks like the battle for the 8 spots will be tight.

1. E-3 (2,496 points, 10-4, last week 1): Another week, another win for Adam's team. Andrew McCutchen's 27 points balanced out a disappointing 3 from Ryan Howard. The No. 1 seed for the playoffs is in sight. Can Josh Beckett and Jason Hammel really keep this up all season? Vroom: We're not seeing any weaknesses here, which means this team is the classic 1965 Ford Mustang fastback.


2. Danger Zaun (2,454 points, 5-9, last week 4): With the exception of Aaron Hill, the Rich/Brian team showed nice balance in posting FBLG's high point total of the week. The outburst moved the team up to second place in the points race, which won't matter much if it can't crawl out of the basement in the standings. Vroom: Look at all those Cincy players! That means this team is red, fast and fun to look at. But with a 5-9 record, it's not very comfortable. It's a 1963 Corvette Stingray.


3. Fresh Fish (2,444 points, 6-8, last week 3): Much like Danger Zaun, Rick's team is far better than its record would indicate. The Fish got 32 points from Jayson Werth and 22 each from Clayton Kershaw and Casey McGehee. How will Rick solve his logjam with Brandon Belt back from the disabled list and four solid outfielders? Vroom: With Rick being the honorary mayor of Miami, he needs a sweet car in which to cruise along South Beach. Clearly, that car is a 1963 Cadillac Eldorado convertible.


4. Ryan's Rangers (2,415 points, 9-5, last week 2): Bill's team was the class of FBLG early in the season, but its fortunes have turned. Terrible weeks from Carlos Gomez, Brandon Crawford, Nolan Arenado and Nate Eovaldi contributed to a blowout loss to the Fish. Shouldn't Ryan Braun be better than the fourth-leading scorer of this team? Vroom: As we mentioned, Bill's team was once the best of the best — but that seems like so long ago. The Rangers are a 1910 Model T.



5. Pitch You Blockhead (2,343 points, 9-5, last week 5): Scott got a nice week from his starting pitchers, but a stagnant offense led to a loss to the powerhouse E-3. Jeff Samardzija being traded to Oakland should provide a boost now that the big righty might win a game once in a while. Too bad Martin Prado and Jay Bruce aren't helping. Vroom: We know Scott loves his Padres, as evidenced by the Kennedy-Alonso-Hahn-Smith presence on his roster recently. So load up the Woodie and head to the beach!


6. Tanana in the Tailpipe (2,314 points, 6-8, last week 6): Matt's outfielders are returning from the disabled list, but only Christian Yelich did much this week. His 22 points led the team, but Bryce Harper and Juan Lagares combined for only 15. That pitching staff still looks imposing, though. Vroom: Matt's team would be pretty great if its players would stay healthy. That's the equivalent of a Jaguar E-type that's always in the shop because it won't stop leaking oil.


7. Arbitration Losers (2,306 points, 7-7, last week 7): Tim's pitchers strutted their stuff this week, fueling a victory against Tanana. Wade Miley and Jake Arrieta took advantage of their double-start week and combined to post 77 points. Not to be negative, but Junior Lake scored zero and the left side of the infield (Jean Segura and Pablo Sandoval) combined for 9. Vroom: Expectations were high after Tim's team won the playoff title last year. A team this disappointing could only be the Edsel.


8. Rocky Mountain High (2,298 points, 6-8, last week 8): Jon's team scored 178 points, but it wasn't enough to beat Danger Zaun. The starting pitchers supplied 93 of those points, including 35 from Tim Lincecum. Unfortunately, only Yasiel Puig (21 points) had a strong week among the hitters. Vroom: A team with Puig leading the way needs the fastest production car of its era so he can get to the stadium on time. That's the 1987 Buick Grand National.


9. Rookies (2,208 points, 6-8, last week 10): Yes, that really is B.J. Upton who posted 18 points in Henry's win against the Misfits. Paul Goldschmidt did his usual thing, scoring 27. That helped make up for the up-and-down Aramis Ramirez, who was down this week (4 points). Vroom: With all those Georgia boys on the roster, the Rookies would have to be the 1969 Dodge Charger named General Lee.



10. Misfits (2,185 points, 6-8, last week 9): Hunter Pence had a nice 20-point week for Reid's team. Beyond that? It was kind of a mess, starting with Sergio Romo losing his job and ending with a broken-down Joey Votto. Vroom: We get the feeling Reid would like to blow this team up and start over. And what better way to do that than with a Ford Pinto?

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