Baseball Realignment Plan for NABA

After watching the college football bowl games for the past week and also talking about baseball in general with my dad, I figured out a proposed realignment for the Pittsburgh NABA league. It is very similiar to Ben Gwin's plan, which I believe is awesome, and just adds a few variables to the mix.



My plan comes from the brilliant mind of Ben Gwin (pictured above. If I was in the NABA league in 2004, and was pitching this at-bat, there would have been no way Ben Gwin made contact with the baseball. Ha Ha just kidding. All kidding aside, I really liked Ben Gwin's idea of his Ben's Competition Standardization or BCS for short.

I like the idea of having one big division. Ben Gwin thinks that there will be sixteen teams (from the South Oakland Ducks blog):

1. Owlz
2. Warriors
3. Black Sox
4. Oilers
5. Ducks
6. Bull Dogs (yeah, I know)
7. Grounds Keeper Willies (rakers)
8. Hotel California's
9. Matadors
10. Hurricane Carter's
11. Phantoms
12. The Confederacy
13. Gray Bats
14. Grave Diggaz!
15. Blue Sox
16. Brewers

For my proposition, it doesnt matter the number of teams. 12, 14, 16, etc., it doesnt matter. However, in my mind 12 would be the ideal number.

Now let's say there is 12 teams:

1. Each team would have to designate a home field in which they could prepare and have ready for game days. It could be any field (Pie Traynor, Moore Park, John Herb, Findlay, PNC PARK, etc)

2. Since there is 12 teams, you would play every team twice: one home and one away. This means that since you have 11 opponents, you would get 22 games for the regular season.

3. I like the idea of ranking the teams like every two weeks by a Coach's Poll, a NABA Board Member's Poll, and by the NABA players poll. (3 players from each team would be chosen from the coach of their team to complete the poll every 2 weeks. The coach could switch up the players every 2 weeks. It would keep all players in the NABA interested in the polls, because they would be able to take part in ranking their opponents and their own team.) We would take the mean of these three things to determine the ranking of the teams.

4. At the end of the season, the rankings would have the teams ranked 1-12.

5. Every team would be entered into the NABA post-season tourny to crown the 2009 PITSBURGH NABA CHAMPION.



6. The first two rounds of the tournament would be single elimination. (The play-ins and the matchups with the top seeds).

7. The Semis and the Championship Series would be Best of Three series. The Best of Three has worked real well in the last few seasons of the Pittsburgh NABA.

Therefore, a team at the worst would play 23 games during the entire season, and at the most, 30 games. I like the best of 3 to give each team a home game for the series and the better seed would get the 3rd game at home if needed. Of course, the better seed in the early rounds would get the home field advantage.

I do believe that ranking the teams would have bias, but with thinking by everyone to establish a good ranking system, that my philosophy could work here.

I just think that ranking the teams during the season would make the NABA league real fun throughout the season. And I also believe that a Post-season tournament where every team is involved makes the league very enjoyable as well.

Also, you may ask: What if there is more that 12 teams?

I would say that you play some teams once based on total randomization but still play 22 games throughout the season. With the ranking system, every team would still make the tournament. There are brackets that would work to use a single elimination tournament until the Semis and Championship best of 3s if there are more than 12 teams like Ben Gwin's possible 16.

I feel that it would be fun to have a total season where every team is involved in the rankings. And a post-season tourny to determine the 2009 NABA CHAMPION. I can tell you right now that it will be the Gray Bats, but at least every team can try to beat us. No 2 division nonsense to separate the league. All teams in 1 ranking system and the winner determined by a tournament where clutch play in the single-elimination games and the best of 3s determine the NABA CHAMPION.

A strong point can be brought up that the Post-Season Tournament makes the regular season somewhat insignificant. However, I feel that by strong play throughout the regular season will give your team a better seeding. This means a possible bye and an easier team to beat to make it to the Semi Best of Three Series.

I also feel that a post-season tournament with every team being involved would deter forfeits by teams at the end of the season. I know last year I was fired up when I would get a phone call the day of the game that the other team forfeited. So with every team being involved in the tournament, there would be definately less forfeits, because every team would be playing to improve their seeding.

This is a knock-off of Ben Gwin's proposal, but I think having every team in the mix in the tourny would make the whole season fun!!!!!

And if everyone thinks that the Ranking System is a waste, then the seedings could be determined by team record: the traditional way. (2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss)

My main stategy is that this format gives every team in the league a chance to be named champion when it is all said and done, because every team is entered into the Post-Season Tournament!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL AND BE SAFE!!!!!!

LET'S GO BOISE STATE!!!!

After starting the ESPN Bowl Pick'em with a 3-0 start, I went 0-2 with a loss of BYU and a dirty loss of Troy. However, I intend to get back on the right path by picking Boise State tonight in the San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. With an overall record of 3-2, a win tonight would be big for the fact that TCU is the favorite in the game.

Ian Johnson (pictured above) is the main runningback for Boise State. For Boise State to win tonight, he will have to have a big game against TCU's tough stout defense. TCU's defense is ranked #1 in College Football against the run. So it will be a great matchup.

San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:
8:00 PM on ESPN
(9) Boise State vs. (11) TCU


This game should be a fun one. Two great teams battling against one another.

GO BOISE!!!!!!

Bowl Mania to Begin Saturday

The 2008 Bowl Season officially begins at 11 AM on Saturday starting with the Eaglebank Bowl on ESPN. Riley Skinner (pictured above) is the Quarterback of the Wake Forest Deamon Deacons. Wake Forest plays against the Navy Midshipmen at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. It's the anagural showing of the Eaglebank Bowl.

Bowl Schedule for Saturday includes:

EAGLEBANK BOWL (11 AM on ESPN)
Wake Forest vs Navy

NEW MEXICO BOWL (2:30 PM on ESPN)
Colorado St. vs Fresno St.

MAGICJACK ST. PETERSBURG BOWL (4:30 PM on ESPN2)
South Florida vs Memphis

PIONEER LAS VEGAS BOWL (8:00 PM on ESPN)
BYU vs Arizona

My winners for the ESPN Bowl Pick'em include Wake Forest, Colorado St, South Florida, and BYU.

All bowl games are fun and entertaining. Can't wait for the Bowl Season to BEGIN!!!!

Sabathia: "Yankees Give Me the Best Shot"

According to ESPN.com, CC Sabathia was quoted as saying, "I think this is the best place for me to try to win a championship." With all the stud players on the New York Yankees, I agree with CC Sabathia. Adding to the eqaution is a 7 year, 161 million dollar deal making CC the highest paid pitcher ever.

However, he did turn down a juicy check offered by Larry Zalewski of the Gray Bats. Coach Larry said, "I can understand him turning down the Gray Bats to play for the New York Yankees. It must not be totally about money, because I offered CC an extra 15 million dollars on top of the Yankees deal. Once the NABA baseball league becomes more notable among leagues like the MLB, I will be able to land players like CC Sabathia to my squad. As it stands, I wish the best to CC Sabathia as a New York Yankee."

Also, Ace pitcher of the Gray Bats Ben Sorosky gave comment on CC Sabathia's decision, "CC and I would have made a great top 2 of the rotation in the NABA. With him and I switching off starts during the season, we would have been unbeatable. CC Sabathia is a guy with alot of talent and it would have been an honor to be the #2 pitcher to Ace CC Sabathia. However, the season still will go on and I will work my hardest to be ready for the summer to dominate for the Gray Bats."

CC Sabathia will have great success as a New York Yankee. It's just a shame that either CC or AJ Burnett did not sign with the Gray Bats.

Teixeira to the Gray Bats?

Rumor has it that Coach Larry of the Gray Bats has offered free agent Mark Teixeira an 8 year deal reportedly worth over 180 million dollars. That puts the Gray Bats as the front-runner in the Teixeira sweepstakes with the likes of the Yankees, Redsox, and Nationals.


Coach Larry on his attempt to sign Teixeira: "Mark is a great player. He's a proven first baseman with gold gloves to his name as well as being a switch hitting power bat. He would be an incredible asset to the Gray Bats and would make us an immediate playoff team in our inaugural season in the Pittsburgh NABA summer league. Teixeira would bring leadership to our squad as well as fans to the stands. Teixeira would generate fan support for the Gray Bats. He's a class act and that's why I am willing to pay big bucks to sign this amazing player."

On the pitching news: "We lost out on the CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett sweepstakes. However, there are still quality free agents out on the market. Derek Lowe, Andy Pettitte, or Jeremy Barchie would be a great addition to complement Sorosky on the pitching staff."


Coach Larry has been working hard during winter meetings and is ready to assemble a good squad for the summer. As the team stands right now, the Gray Bats are a playoff contender. Any additions to the squad will benefit the team.





Gray Bats in summer 2009!!!!