The SOMBILLA’s 28^th season will be excreted on Sunday October 27^th, at 10:00 a.m. in a Framingham hotel room.

This year’s picks courtesy of the combined brainpower of Tom, Jed, Robin, and Arnie. Thanks to all who participated.

A couple of summaries were submitted:

"Constantinople beats New Orleans. Future Wax beats Knuckle Sandwiches. Constantinople beats Future Wax. Somehow, I feel this is a familiar scenario. I am not much of a SOMBILLA historian, but I bet if you look way back in the archives, you'll find just such a season. Maybe even within the last 50 years..."

"This year should be the most balanced year since I joined. There are three super teams fielded by Jed, Wax and Harold. These teams are all returning playoff teams, who were strong before the draft and after a superlative preseason (off-season) come into the year as prohibitive favorites to return to the playoffs. One could, and I will, argue that they have few weaknesses top to bottom.

The next tier consists of three teams (North Dakota, BC and Area 51) that have at least two exceptional components or features to their team that makes them scary as potential round 1 match ups in the playoffs. These are the teams that have a hole and must manage to de-emphasize that weakness and choose the right ballpark and get some luck.

Eric has replied to an email or two with optimism. He has forgotten more about winning SOMBILLA Championships than I will ever know, so … His team will count on defense, a pitcher’s park and management (that are the hardest numbers/factors to work out on paper). So I guess he gets thrown into the second tier teams battling for the last playoff spot.

This leaves one team looking up at all the others. The Mediocre Manatees who are just thankful that next year’s draft is looking great. Of course that means that the 8^th pick in the first round could be as good a player as the first pick so …."

1. Randy (Future Wax) - Will lose to Tom in the World Series for 4^th year in a row. He will lose game 7 in the 18^th inning on a passed ball... A perennial favorite...His starting staff is interesting in that it could be made up partially of the 2 best left handed starters in the league who should be dominating at home and 3 solid right handers... Team fails to make the playoffs for the first time in memory... Bonds no longer requires an automatic IBB—except in clutch situations...His relief corps is exceptional...After they hoodwinked the league into voting in a home field advantage that would not have existed without the vote, the question is whether Randy will pay enough attention to the regular season to secure home field in the playoffs?...Dominating closers in Nathan and Putz, but Cy Youngers Martinez and Santana both beset by homer woes...He is as always strong in the hitting department. He has one of the best (if not the best) catcher and if he wants to he can field 7 ballpark 8 hitters, one ballpark 7 and one ballpark 3 power bats. He can just flat out hit the long ball. Chicks dig it and it will put him into the playoffs...Future Wax is very close overall to Constantinople. However, overall bad karma and clubhouse dissension will ultimately prove their undoing. Some are saying that Andrew Nowell isn’t investing enough time and energy, instead focusing on lesser priorities like his family and his job....Thome, Berkman, McCann, Thames, and A. Ramirez form the most obscure murderers’ row ever conceived.... Nathan and Putz are two of the best right handed relievers and the rest of the corps should dominate right handers with Feliciano to face the tough lefties and in the playoffs one of those left handers on the off days will lend a hand...Nathan and Putz? We’re doomed.

2. Jed (Knuckle Sandwiches) – This Rockies-heavy team will be even better next year, but they’re still good enough to squeak by ND for the top spot....Knuckle Sandwiches have added some power but not enough to slug it out with the big boys... This team has more top 3 picks than any other team...A good hitting catcher and a strong rotation led by Webb and Lackey. He has a solid if not spectacular relief corps, which includes 3 of the top 27 relievers and may be his only weakness in that it is not as great as rest of his team... He has 4 right handed starters who would qualify in a list of #1 starters, as well as Jeff Francis, who is dominating the real life playoffs...A fine team will have the worst luck and he will miss the playoffs...His hitters eat left handed pitchers for breakfast... Can the good looks of Hall, B. Roberts, and Hardy overcome the incredibly unattractive first-base combo of North Dakota native Hafner and Shrek-lookalike Youkilis?...He has one of the two best catchers in the SOMBILLA, the best pure left handed hitter and an outfield with two superlative right handed MVP candidates in Holliday and Dye. ...Meanwhile, the pitching, defense and speed from last year's team are all a notch below with this year's edition... There are concerns about relief innings...They play great defense and he has great bench strength.

3t. Harold (New Orleans) - M. Rivera’s last great card? Former Sox Meredith and Arroyo have career years...New Orleans is very solid, perhaps just a bit weak in the outfield... Cano is arguably the best of the 2^nd basemen this year just edging out Utley, and David Wright is a MVP waiting to happen....He has a one two punch of Carpenter and Wang along with the best spot starters from both sides (Liriano and Carrasco). As always he has one of the best relief corps, which can mix and match to astound the most diverse of lineups... Steroid scandal soon to hit team hard, and Willis not the same pitcher since being forced to catch last season...His hitting has finally matured and he has some of the best platoons in the league... Only concern is that Julio Lugo is starting SS....Who is the best rookie starter to be out for the next Strat-O season—Liriano or A. Sanchez?... He can go defensive or offensive and will start a bunch of games mashing the ball and then have that defensive team that will still get on base and do all the little things to hold and increase the lead.

3t. Arnie (North Dakota) - Have their stars but not enough overall strength... Pitchers who would be top-of-the-order starters for other teams are in the bullpen or in the minors for ND....His starting pitching is league average with a deep relief corps...Can Pujols and Big Papi carry the offense?...Lots of good role players like Bard, decent relief pitching, but the back end of the rotation is scary...for Arnie, that is.. He is a master of using his relief corps, so the roster looks suited to his playing style... His lineup is so powerful that they will just slug their way to many victories...Other than Crawford, outfield defense not up to ND or league standards...The question for Arnie is what kind of pitching will he get? Career years for former BoSox Wily Mo and Josh "no knuckleballs" Bard...Most attractive shortstop duo in Rollins and H. Ramirez (who would play for BC if I truly drafted for cuteness)..Only a fool would overlook this team...

5. Robin (Bay City) - Steroid-less Pudge’s hitting is down enough to require keeping unattractive Laird as backup catcher since V. Martinez had Piazzaesque year behind the plate...Beltran and M. Cabrera are the best hitters on a bad offensive team...Saito heads a more than adequate relief staff.. She has really good bullpen, but does she have the anal attentiveness required to maximize it?...You heard it here first. Robin will win the championship this year. A better than average SOMBILLA team catches lightning in a bottle... Battling 1’s in CF. Halladay will be tough... Halladay and Oswalt are a brilliant one-two starred starter combination and she added the best overall starter in the ex-Red Sox A. Sanchez...Her lineup is interesting and Beltran and Thomas match up with anyone’s top two hitters...Will she choose the right park?...This cute team just falls short this year, but will improve in both standings and appearance next year with the addition of Granderson, Milledge, and Upton to the 25-man roster.. Have their stars but not enough overall strength.

6. Tom (Constantinople) - Will beat Randy in the World Series for a 4^th year in a row. This time he will do it after losing the first 3 games and be trailing 10-0 in the bottom of the 9^th inning of game 4.... Constantinople has the most talent and combining that with Tom's fanaticism is scary. And with Smoltz now on Area 51, the likelihood of computer controversy has lessened considerably. However, there is a rumor that an ex-Patriots employee has been hired by an unnamed playoff contender to figure out how to rig games...PAPELBON!!!... If Tom is to 4-peat, he’ll have to do it from the "wild card" spot—acing out Randy in a one-game playoff...The mediocre Manatees are just that. They do nothing better than any other team. They have one top tier hitter, but every team has one. They have one great reliever but every team has one...I also think Tom will finish last...They have very little play in their lineups. They are having problems with their ballpark....Tom is obviously the greatest manager in the universe. Consider: Every year, his team comes into the season as pitifully overmatched according to him, and every year he wins the championship anyway...The pitchers and hitters do not complement each other. There is always that glimmer of hope that they could shock everyone and take 4^th and once in, who knows … Starting rotation may be too left-handed...Four!?! I have selected this team to win the last 3 (or maybe more years), but boy it is hard to do that this year. If pitching is the most important thing in baseball, then it is already too late for this team. This is the worst offense they have fielded in 5 years or more... A-Rod’s clutch-negativity approaches Luis Castillo levels...Papelbon has 2^nd best card in the league. No matter how many cards Carlos Lee has, he’s still a 5.

7. Eric (Human Stains) – Have their stars but not enough overall strength....Manny Ramirez can carry this offense only so far.... Eric will call upon his Strat-O karma-gods (they are on a first name basis after all these years) to finish 3^rd...Eric contacts Randy for maker of giant Bonds-size batting helmet to fit Manny’s hair... He will play in a pitcher’s park with defense and relief pitchers holding the opponents down...Real good bullpen...This would be a fine rotation in real baseball (J. Weaver, Olsen, Bonderman, Lowe, Verlander). In the SOMBILLA, it’s only OK... Good seasons from injury-prone outfielders Drew and Baldelli... Y Molina reaches Pudge-level at –4, but not Pudge-level with the bat (not even the new, slimmed-down Pudge)....His team is coming around and will be downright scary next couple of years as Tulo and company mature. Can he make it a whole year cajoling what looks like a team that needs a lot of managing? He thinks he is competitive... Manny plus pretty good defense is not enough in this league. Tulowitzki looking like a great pick for next year...

8. Jeff (Area 51) – Jeff has a dynamic relief corps headed by league best BJ Ryan and K-Rod...I like Sizemore a lot....He has a nice bullpen, but there’s nothing after Mussina... Mussina and Lackey always seem to keep my team down in practice...Will the wife-beater pitch this year?... The question is can the right ball park be built and lineup crafted to capture a pennant?...Great BJ Ryan card not enough to make up for aging starters...Have their stars but not enough overall strength...The only year Delmon Young is the best young Tampa Bay outfielder (says BJ Upton’s manager). Strong lineup vs. lefties, but they won’t face them enough to make the playoffs...To add insult to insult (being picked 7^th by me) I have determined upon further review that Khalil Greene is not worthy of being amongst the "cutest players in the SOMBILLA" and would replaced him with my first-place choice (Jed’s) Brian Roberts.

Voting summary

Upcoming milestones this season:

• Jed needs 11 more wins for 400
• Tom needs 19 more wins for 300
• Arnie needs 30 more wins for 800
• Jeff needs 10 more losses for 400

New rules in a nutshell

1. Clarification: After one (or more, if applicable) of the multiple injured players returns from the DL, the manager has a choice of which called-up reserve to send back down. It does not have to be the same player who was originally called up to replace the injured player who is now off the DL.
2. The league adopted a ‘floor’ of a difference of 10 for both homers and singles. We would still use the maximum differential as our designing cap, unless it is less than 10.

That means that for the upcoming season:

· Max BP HR differential between L and R: 10 (new rule floor)

· Max BP S differential between L and R: 10 (new rule floor)

· Ballpark singles more than ballpark homers, maximum: 12 (righty hitters in Pitt)

· Ballpark homers more than ballpark singles, maximum: 15 (righty hitters in Chicago A).

A reminder too that all teams, not just the teams opening at home, must announce their ballparks by Opening Night. I think in fairness to Jed and Harold (and possibly Jeff), they can announce their parks only to each other for their early opening, but the rest of us can wait until ‘real’ opening night to announce parks.

Old rules worth repeating. Please take a few minutes to read these.

1. Before every series, two dice are rolled. If snake eyes (a "2") come up, there is a rainout. This means that all pitchers get an extra day of rest (but no games would actually be postponed - it would be too much of a pain to play a makeup game). The day-off/rainout rule also applies to injuries (counts as an injury day), and a one-game playoff, but not post-season (no rainouts in the post-season).
2. In celebration of the league’s unplayed All-Star game, at the Holiday "All-Star" break (i.e after the 7^th series), the whole league receives a day off. This not only helps relievers, but could also help an unstarred starter pitch > 5 innings in his last start before the "All-Star" break.
3. After the 20th game roster freeze, if you have an injury, you are stuck with the player called up for the duration of the injury, even when the injury crosses multiple series.
4. When the bases are loaded and the infield is in, a gb()A results in a home to first double play. Other runners advance one base.
5. Relievers who pitch 2 games in a row are tired.
6. Holding a runner on 1st - 1B AND 2B or SS have defense rating go up 1 (e.g. 4e10 becomes 5e10).
7. Holding a runner on 2nd - subtract 4 from 2nd rating; must get good lead.
8. Trail runners on throw home = speed + arm - 5.
9. Trail runners on throw to 3rd = automatic.
10. Starter yanking - 4 innings or 3 runs.
11. Lo(max) - 1-7 TRIPLE PLAY; 8-20 double play, lead runner out.
12. When a runner is held on first or second, subtract 1 from running rating. If NOT being held, add 1 to running rating. With runners on 1^st and 2^nd, this rule applies to the runner on 1^st, who is considered held if the lead runner is held.
13. On fly (rf) B only, a runner at second base may advance: Running speed +/- right fielder's arm, +2 for a throw to third base from right field. The only OUT chance is a roll of 20. If the roll is higher than the highest safe chance, but not 20, the runner holds. Example: A 1-14 runner and a -1 arm. Safe 1-15; Hold 16-19; Out 20. This rule does not apply to fly (rf)B? readings from cards or to F2 readings from the fielding chart.
14. With the bases loaded and the corners or infield positioned in, downgrade the bunting rating two levels instead of one level (e.g. A bunter becomes C bunter) for squeeze plays.
15. Each owner must decide whether his or her park has an outfield fence that falls under this rule: Whenever there is a Homerun/Flyout split (from the cards or the ballpark chart), if the last number in the homerun range or the first number in the flyout range is rolled then the outfielder's ability will be checked with another roll of the 20-sided die. Refer to the following chart to determine which outfielder has a chance for the catch:

Batter Bats	Last number in HR range	First number in Flyout range
Left-handed	Rightfielder	Centerfielder
Right-handed	Leftfielder	Centerfielder

For instance, if the homer range is 1-14 and you roll a 14 or a 15 on the 20-sided die then you must roll the 20-sided die again and refer to the following chart to determine the outcome:

Outfielder's Rating	Homerun	Flyout
1	1-3	4-20
2	1-7	8-20
3	1-11	12-20
4	1-15	16-20
5	1-19	20

16. Whenever there is a play at the plate the catcher’s blocking ability comes into play if the last number in the safe range or the first number in the out range is rolled (sometimes referred to in the SOMBILLA as a ‘disputed call’). For example, if the safe range (after all adjustments have been made) is 1-14 and you roll a 14 or 15 on the 20-sided die, then you must roll the 20-sided die again and refer to the following chart to determine if the runner is safe or out:

17. gb()A, gb()B, or gb()C hit to 1b or 3b with runner on 1^st, 1^st and 2^nd, or 2^nd only, and corners are in, refer to infield in on the charts (because the fielder is in).

Starred starters

Jeff – Garcia, Mussina, Myers, Pettitte, Schilling, Smoltz, Vazquez

Jed – Beckett, Francis, Harang, Lackey, Webb, Zito

Harold – Arroyo, Capuano, Carpenter, Garland, Wang, Willis

Robin – Buehrle, Halladay, Jennings, Oswalt

Tom – Bedard, Hudson, E. Santana, Schmidt

Eric – Bonderman, Lowe, Millwood, Westbrook

Arnie – Bush, Haren, R. Johnson, Peavy

Randy – Duke, Maddux, Jo. Santana, C. Zambrano