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ALCS |
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Boggstown Boilers |
VS. |
Joplin Crawdads |
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Boggstown – When the ALCS of the Holiday Baseball League gets underway this evening in Boggstown, two teams with polar opposite seasons will be battling for a chance to face the McCall Mudhens in the Championship round. The Boggstown Boilers, who amassed the most wins in any regular season (10) will face a team that redefined what it means to loose as the face the Joplin Crawdads. On paper this series seems like a no-brainer, but a recent resurgence in Joplin has Vegas oddsmakers puzzled.
“I ain’t never seen nothin’ like it,” odds maker Mikey Rohr said from his Vegas apartment. “I wouldn’t ah given da Dads’ a chance in f-ing hell before day beat da crap outa them Falcons… Looks like even money now.”
Defending champs might need directions to ballpark
The Boilers, who finished the season with a remarkable 10-2 record and winners of 6 straight games, will have home field advantage in the series as they take the field after a one month layoff. Manager Jack McKeon has been quietly critical of the schedule makers as the has prepped his squad for the post season.
“If that were my team I would be really pissed and I’m actually surprised that Jack of all people has not EXPLODED,” analysts Joe Gordon said. “I’ll tell you what though, if any team can absorb something like that it’s this Boilers team. They are so balanced throughout the lineup. They don’t have to rely on average players to have big series the way that some of the other teams have had to do… They’re a group of professional hitters up and down the lineup.”
Joplin looks to stay hot
The Crawdads, who finished with a 3-9 record in the regular season and amassed the most losses of any team in the history of the game, are 5-1 since the arrival of new manager Darrell Porter. Tonight’s games will be a test for the surging Dads’, who have not played the Boilers during the streak (all 6 games were against the Falcons).
One Crawdad that seems to be surging at the right time is single season juggernaut Rogers Hornsby. After a productive regular season, Hornsby exploded in the Divisional Series and was not retired in 17 straight at-bats against he Falcons. He will need to turn in a similar series if Joplin hopes to unseat the defending champs.
Players to watch:
Boilers: T. Cobb, G. Brett
Crawdads: R. Hornsby, O. Cepeda
