LIN 4, BOB 3 F
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
LIN 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1
BOB 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
W – Karsay (2-0) L – Dotel (0-1)
Before the game there was quite a bit of trash talking between the intra-division rivals. The Times of Bobia reported on a series of text messages sent between the two teams owners that highlighted the, shall we say, competitive spirit between the two teams. To add fuel to the fire, Lindsyan LF Manny Ramirez was quoted as calling the Bobians “mostly washed up.” In any case the wily veteran Tom Glavine took to the mound in his first start of Season 6, and certainly dismissed any claim that he is washed up; he pitched seven solid innings only surrendering two runs, a Victor Martinez solo shot and a Manny Ramirez RBI double in the 4th. Glavine’s performance was typical of the Bobian starters thus far: a quality start, but by no means dominating, allowing baserunners nearly every inning. That being said, Glavine’s run support this game came early in the form of an Angel Berroa 2 run shot (which ties him for the team lead in RBIs) and a Charles “Impromptu Party Bus DJ CJ” Johnson solo homer. Lindsyan Esteban Loaiza had a similar performance as Glavine: 7 IP, 3 ER. The game took an interesting turn, however, in the top of the eighth, where Manny Ramirez backed up a lot of his big talk with a lead off homerun off of the typically dominant Bobian reliever Octavio “Shhh!” Dotel. The press took note of the way Ramirez silently glared at the Bobian dugout as he rounded the basepads. Dotel finished the rest of the inning uneventfully, but struggled when he continued in the ninth. Buddy Groom was called in and eventually found himself in a bases loaded 2 out jam. The trash talking Manny Ramirez again stepped to the plate and pointed Babe Ruth style to the back wall. Ramirez did not homer, but instead hit a solid line drive into center, driving home the winning run and his third RBI of the game. Steve Karsay entered the game in the bottom of the ninth for the Lindsyans and notched his league leading second win of the season. A heart breaking loss for the Bobians, especially as it came from Mr. Dotel. It will be interesting to see what happens in between now and the next time these two teams play, towards the end of the season; the stakes will probably be much much higher.
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MEL 1, RED 4 F
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
MEL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
RED 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0
W – Sheets (1-0) L – Redman (0-1) Save - Wagner (1)
“We are committed to our strategy of 2003 purity, and that is final,” said Dr. Vindaloo in response to a question after the game about his team’s 0-3 start. But the reporter pressed further: “Well, the pitching situation has worked well for you, no doubt about that. But the offense has been a little flat. Is there any nostalgia on your part for the days of Tori Hunter anchoring the offense, before you traded him to the Zachrians? What about the All Stars Ralph Kiner and Ruben Sierra who you fired despite them having good seasons last year?” Dr. Vindaloo shook his head and smiled contemptuously. “The only thing that I miss, my friend, was the frequent opportunities to say the name “Brrrad Fullllllmerrr.” Indeed, the Melmegetian bats were quiet in this game as well, silenced by the always consistent veteran Ben Sheets. Sheets only had trouble in the third, where he walked in the Melmegetian ninth hitter CF Orlando Palmeiro with the bases loaded; otherwise pitching six strong. Red Clay, on the other hand, rallied for three runs against Mark Redman in the fourth. Redman alternated between strong and shaky for the rest of the game, with his quality start blown by 3B Keith Ginter’s solo homerun in the sixth. The anemic Melmegetian offense had no answer, being shut out by reliever Mike Myers in the seventh and eighth and closer Billy Wagner in the ninth. Red Clay next has an opportunity to continue their victory streak against another winless team, the hapless Darkpaws. The Marauders, on the other hand, have another difficult match up against the Queynos Warriors, a team eager to reassert themselves in Division 1.
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MMD 7, ZSY 1 F
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
MMD 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 5
ZSY 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
W – Rodgers (1-0) L – Paterson (0-1)
Well this wasn’t expected, although the final score is not really representative of how the game went. Kenny Rodgers manhandled the Z-Slayer offense for eight innings, limiting their scoring to a Jack Wilson RBI triple. One of the big surprises came in the form of the control 2 Zach Day pitching remarkably well for the Z-Slayers, surrendering only 1 run in 6 innings. As a result, most of this game was a tense one run or tie ball game. But the Z-Slayer Achilles heel eventually reared its ugly head in the form of the weak bullpen. Danny Paterson surrendered an RBI single to Gregg Zaun, which gave Meow Meow Dui a precarious lead. Whatever anxiety this created did not last long, as former Marauder Oscar Villareal entered the game and got walloped by a five run Meow Meow rally of walks, singles, and an Aaron Rowand double. This result leaves Meow Meow Dui as the only undefeated team in the league and leader of Division 1. While the Z-Slayers are still well positioned with their 2-1 record, there is just the slightest concern about all the points that they have invested in their offense; far and away thus far their starting pitching staff has unexpectedly been the more valuable segment of the team. 
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