Feel like a winner? Right after the World Series, I’ll begin playing my annual “Best of” Tournament, seeding the eight best 2010 teams in each league by their final records and playing them off in four rounds of 4-out-of-7 series.
This time I thought it would be fun to get readers in on the action. I am actively looking for 16 “absentee managers” to represent the teams listed below. Just e-mail your lineups against lefties-righties and 4-man rotations for your first, second, and/or third choice of team to yours funky at jpolman54@gmail.com. Managers will be mostly chosen on a first come, first-served basis, and whoever wins the tournament will be given Internet immortality and a sweet $25 product credit from Strat-O-Matic!
You don’t have to have played Strat, because I’ll be doing the rolling for all teams. And don’t worry about picking an 8th seeded club, either. As I’ve learned in my many years of playing these tournaments, anything can happen and often does. The 7th seeded Marlins just made the World Series in my Best of 2009 party, for instance. No injuries will be used, but try not to pick “ringers” with few at bats for your lineups.
I’ll be posting the clubs that are still available as others are filled in on my Strat Fan Forum page, where I will also provide regular updates on tournament play.
Here’s the first-round matchups. Bolded teams are still available:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
(8) Oakland at (1) Tampa Bay
(7) Toronto at (2) New York
(6) Chicago at (3) Minnesota
(5) Boston at (4) Texas
NATIONAL LEAGUE
(8) Florida at (1) Philadelphia
(7) Colorado at (2) San Francisco
(6) St. Louis at (3) Atlanta
(5) San Diego at (4) Cincinnati
May the best absentee manager win!!
