Carl Isackson/Rick Nelson
Joined: 1993
League Pennants: 6
National Championship Season: 1995
Special: This pair of owners put together one of the most dominating offensive seasons in the history of BoxScore Baseball in 1999 when they set the all-time, single-season record for home runs and rbi’s.

Tim Grand
Joined: 1995
League Pennants: 7
National Championship Season: 2010
Special: Tim Grand who often partners with either Keith Taylor or Ken Patten, has triumphed in 2 Megabucks Leagues. He is also one of only two owners who is a three-time winner of the Super Megabucks Leagues.

Tommy Goth
Joined: 1992
League Pennants: 8
National Championship Season: 2002
Special: Tommy Goth dominated the Golden Gator private league winning the league championship 8 times between 1992 and 2007.

Thomas Bonds
Joined: 1994
League Pennants: 8
Special: Despite having never won a National Championship, Thomas Bonds is one of the few BoxScore Baseball owners to win multiple Ultimate Leagues (2000, 2002, & 2007), multiple Megabucks Leagues (two in 2003, & 2005), and multiple Super Megabucks Leagues (2002 & 2007).

Ron Bieganowski
Joined: 1999
League Pennants: 8
National Championship Seasons: 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008
Ron Bieganowski dominated the Ernie Harwell private league, winning the pennant in his rookie season in 1999 and then knocking off 7 straight league championships between 2002 and 2008. During his run of success he also won 4 BoxScore Baseball National Championships.

Jim Becker
Joined: 1992
League Pennants: 9
National Championship Season: 2011
Special: Of Jim Becker’s 9 league pennants, 5 of them were in Megabucks Leagues. He was victorious in 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, and then after a short hiatus he returned again to triumph in 2011.

George Caballero
Joined: 1992
National Championship Seasons: 1993, 1994, 1998
Special: Fittingly, George Caballero started his run of domination in BoxScore Baseball’s Babe Ruth League. Because in terms of his Hall of Fame credentials, you could call George “the Babe Ruth of BoxScore Baseball”. During the 90′s, no owner was more dominate. In addition to winning 3 National Championships and a Megabucks League pennant in 1998, he also won the League Of Champions (which was the 90′s version of the Super Megabucks League) in both 1993 and 1994.

Ken Sommers
Joined: 1992
League Pennants: 12
Special: Ken Sommers has not yet managed to win a National Championship; however, his 12 league pennants are certainly an impressive total. Among those championships he won Megabucks Leagues 1998 and 2001. He’s also won 9 league titles in Voicemail Draft Leagues where he has truly dominated.

Todd Lammi
Joined: 1995
League Pennants: 13
National Championship Seasons: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
Special: Undeniably the gem of BoxScore Baseball’s Ultimate Leagues, Todd Lammi won 11 Ultimate League pennants and 5 consecutive National Championships. Todd Lammi’s teams also hold the all-time, single-season records for highest batting average, highest OPS, most runs scored, and most strikeouts.

Bob Wilfore
Joined: 1993
League Pennants: 15
National Championship Seasons: 2006 & 2010
Special: Bob Wilfore has done it all over the course of his 20+ years in BoxScore Baseball. He’s won Annual Leagues. He’s won Continuous Leagues. He’s won LIVE draft leagues and Voicemail Draft Leagues. He’s won a Megabucks League. He’s won a Super Megabucks League. And he’s won an amazing 7 Ultimate Leagues!

Gregg Janoff
Joined: 1993
League Pennants: 18
Despite having won no National Championships as of yet, Gregg Janoff has amassed an incredible 18 league pennants. Included in those 18 pennants are 2 Megabucks League Championships, 1 Super Megabucks Championship, and 6 Ultimate League Championships. He is also an impressive 5-time champion in the Bob Feller League since 2001.

Gerry Scotto DiMarco
Joined: 1993
League Pennants: 20
National Championship Season: 1997
The accomplishments of Gerry Scotto DiMarco are legendary, not the least of which is his winning a National Championship and a staggering 18 league pennants between 1997 and 2004. Included in those pennants were 8 Megabucks League Championships and 10 Ultimate League Championships.

Ken Patten
Joined: 1993
League Pennants: 27
National Championship Seasons: 2000 & 2010
Special: Arguably BoxScore Baseball’s most consistent owner over the course of the past 20 seasons, Ken Patten has captured a ridiculous 27 league pennants. Among those pennants are 1 Super Megabucks Championship, 8 Megabucks League Championships, and 10 Ultimate League Championships. 7 times he has won multiple pennants in one season. And no one was more dominate than Ken Patten during the 5-year period between 1999 and 2003 when he won an unimaginable 16 pennants!

Honorable Mention (currently retired)
Steve Bilodeau: Won the Al Kaline League 5 times between 1994 and 2007.
Scott Cacciatore: Won 4 Megabucks Leagues between 2007 and 2009.
Nick Chapman: Won 4 league pennants and a National Championship in 1996.
Bill Philp: Won 2 league pennants and a National Championship in 1990.
Mark Smith: Won 7 pennants between 1995 and 2003.
Charlie Weigert: Won 2 league pennants and a National Championship in 1991.

Honorable Mention (currently active)
Vernon Fong: Won 5 pennants including 1 Ultimate League in 1998.
Scott Nadler: Won 6 pennants since 1992 including 1 Megabucks League.
Keith Nosis: Won 3 pennants and a National Championship in 2003.
Tony Nosis: Won 3 Ultimate pennants and a National Championship in 2009.
Brian Oost: Won 5 pennants in the California Dreamers League since 1997.
Mike Powers: Won 5 pennants between 1994 and 2009.
David Przybylski: Won 7 pennants since 1995.
Les Travis: Won 7 pennants. Also engineered BoxScore Baseball’s most impressive single-season ever in 2011 when he won 5 pennants including 2 Ultimate Leagues and 2 Super Megabucks Leagues!

1. Randy Bartling, Alliance Rails, Feller League ’93
*2. Gerry Scotto DiMarco, Cyclones, Clemente League ’93
3. Robert Ellis, Growlers, Killebrew League ’93
4. Isackson/Nelson, Stud Bunnies, Drysdale League ’93
5. Gregg Janoff, Miami Metsmerizers, Robinson League ’93
6. Mike Partigianoni, D.B.’s, Ford League ’93
7. Ken Patten, Beatniks, DiMaggio League ’93
8. Ron Pennington, Brew Crue, McCovey League ’93
9. Dave Przybylski, Detroit Miracles, Spahn League ’93
10. Bob Wilfore, Troy Tornados, Berra League ’93
*11. Jim Becker, Jamesgang, Koufax League ’92
12. Bryan Doto, Purple Aces, Clemente ’92
13. Joe Mack, Dugout Destroyers, Ruth ’92
14. Scott Nadler, Heat III, Mathews League ’92
15. Mike Powers, Powers Hitters, Greenberg League ’92
16. Ken Sommers, Boys of Sommers, All Stater League ’92
*17. Lance Wetherholt, Best Reason, Kaline League ’92
*18. Steve Wochaski, WMU Broncos, Kaline League ’92
19. William Blais, Blazers, Aaron League ’91
20. Vernon Fong, V-Squad, Mays League ’91
*21. Lenny Gittleman, Boys of Summer, Cobb League ’91
*22. David Talberg, Capitol City Crushers, Cobb League ’91
23. Andy Bylski, Gretzky’s, Mays League ’90

*Has not entered every season consecutively since first joining.

Many thanks to all,

The Commish

First, congratulations to our two National Champions, Jim Becker and Ken Patten. Both owners have been with BoxScore Baseball nearly since our inception (though Jim just returned this year from a short hiatus). Ken became a three-time National Championship as he won back in 2000 and also as a co-owner last season. Jim became a first-time National Champion proving that persistence pays off.

Next congratulations to all of our league pennant winners. In our Annual and Continuous Leagues those winners were Les Travis (twice), David Silberman, Brian Oost, Travis Pennington, and David Przybylski. In the Megabucks League it was Jim Becker. In the Super Megabucks Leagues it was Les Travis (twice). And in the Ultimate Leagues it was Tony Nosis (twice), Les Travis, and Ken Patten.

One owner, David Przybylski, won his league despite never winning a single monthly prize. And another owner, who shall remain nameless, won his league despite going to jail during the season and being forced to run his team from his cell. Wow!

But the biggest kudos of all must go to Les Travis who became the first owner in the history of BoxScore Baseball to win over $5,000 in a single season. And he didn’t just barely surpass that mark. He went way over $5,000 by winning $6,725. Les ran 6 teams in 6 different leagues and won 5 pennants with those teams. That included him winning the brand new Ultimate League 3 and BOTH Super Megabucks Leagues! Phenominal. Way to go, Les!!!

Prize money, BoxScore bucks, financial statements, and renewal forms will be mailed out at about the same time the World Series ends. Also, keep in mind that the Mid Season contest for Survival Game Football will begin Sunday, October 23. Entries for that contest are being accepted online right now.

Enjoy the Playoffs and Go Tigers!

At the time of this writing the 6 division leaders are the Red Sox, Tigers, Rangers, Phillies, Brewers, and Giants. Let’s look at each of these divisions one by one:

AL EAST: The Bosox are currently on a 9-game winning streak and are the hottest team in baseball. They have survived a horrendous start and are now rolling. Yes, the Yankees and Rays can be formidable, but I just don’t see either of them ending up in front of the Red Sox.

AL CENTRAL: I will concede that none of the 5 teams in this league are out of it yet–not even the last place Twins. But I think the Tigers will prevail. Maybe it’s the “homer” in me. I’ve been rooting for the Tigers since Willie Horton and Norm Cash. But their offense is on fire, Verlander and Scherzer offer a good one-two punch at the top of the rotation, and their pen has been solid.

AL WEST: The Rangers has withstood injuries to Hamilton and Cruz and still sit atop their division. Now healthy, this team will only get better. I don’t see any of the team in the AL West catching them or even making it close.

NL EAST: The Phillies are the cream of the crop in the NL. The defending champs have unparalleled starting pitching. The Braves and Marlins have nice teams, but with Utley back now no one is catching the Phillies.

NL CENTRAL: The Brewers are the class of this division. A starting rotation of Gallardo, Greinke and Marcum; Braun and Fielder raking in the middle of their batting order; they just look too tough this year for the Cardinals or Reds to overtake them.

NL WEST: This division is the most wide open of them all. I will concede I am not confident that the Giants can hang on with their miserable batting order. But the teams chasing them each have so many holes of their own that the defending World Champions have as good of a chance as any of them.

So enjoy the pennant races. I know I surely will. But when it’s all over later in early October, don’t be surprised if we are still right back where we started on June 14.

Simply select one team each week (Monday through Sunday). If your team wins AT LEAST half of their games, you will move on to the following week. If not, you are eliminated. You can only select each team once.

WINNING THE POOL
To join Survival Game Baseball you will first need to visit OfficeFootballPool.com. If you are not already registered on this site it is very easy to do so–takes less than one minute. Link = http://www.officefootballpool.com/pools.cfm?p=2&poolid=58401&pwd=4s2uc3 Poolid = 58401. Password = 4s2uc3.

ENTRY FEE
The entry fee is $50 for one entry or $90 for two. You may enter as many times as you wish. If you are a member of BoxScore Baseball or Survival Game Football with a valid credit card on file, you may pay that way. Or you may pay online by going through the signup process for Survival Game Baseball at http://www.boxscorebaseball.com.

PRIZES
Survival Game Baseball is a one-winner take-all competition. In our first season, Harlan Elhuis won $832.00. Tell your friends. Tell your co-workers. The more entries we receive the larger our payout will be.

RULES
Complete rules are posted on the website under the heading of Survival Game Baseball Rules.

At a minimum, at least we knew they were running a reputable game, and that’s important. Speaking personally, I always enjoyed the Fanball/CDM contests–especially back in 1993 when I was fortunate enough to win their Mid Season Baseball Challenge.

For the thousands of newly-orphaned Fanball members who are now searching for a new contest to join, please consider BoxScore Baseball for 2011. Now entering our 22nd season of reliable service, BoxScore Baseball is large enough to offer you thousands of $$$ in league prizes, yet small enough to offer you a legitimate chance to win. We have expansion teams for sale for as little as $79. Also, for a limited time only we are offering a $15 discount for any new owner who reports that he played fantasy baseball with Fanball.com in 2010. Check out our leagues!

While I recognize it may not be the ideal to have the Playoffs not include the best 12 teams (record-wise), I do not have a huge problem with Seattle getting in ahead of other NFC teams with better records. In the NFL we have divisions. We don’t just have all 16 teams lumped together. In the NFL we have unbalanced schedules. We don’t have everyone facing identical opponents. The rules are spelled out. If you want to make the Playoffs, win your division. Do I have huge sympathy for the Giants and the Buccaneers or any other teams with better records than the Seahawks? Not really. If those teams had won their divisions, they would have made the Playoffs. They did not, so they are out.

As far as the Saints being forced to play on the road against the Seahawks despite having a far superior record, do I have huge sympathy for them? Not really. Once again, the rules are spelled out for you. If you want to host a home Playoff game, you need to win your division. If the Saints had kicked a stinking chip-shot field goal against the Falcons earlier in the year, perhaps they would have won their division, but they didn’t. You don’t win the division, you don’t host a home Playoff game. Again, I see the Saints having no one to blame but themselves.

Then there is Green Bay. Is it fair to the Packers that they must face the top-seeded Falcons in the second round of the Playoffs while the Seahawks get to face the second seeded Bears, despite the fact that the Packers had a much better record than the Seahawks? Worst still, if both teams win, it is the Seahawks who would be hosting the Packers in the NFC Championship game. Is that fair? Again, by the same logic I have used throughout, I don’t have a major issue with this. The Packers did not win their division. To me, the blame rests at their own doorstep.

However, there is one team who is punished by this current system who did nothing wrong. There is one team that could have done nothing to avoid this unfairness even if they had gone undefeated. The one team that is being treated totally unfairly and is the reason there needs to be a change in the Playoff seedings is the Atlanta Falcons.

The Atlanta Falcons did win their division. Not only that, but they earned the number one seed in the NFC ahead of the Chicago Bears. And what is their reward for this? They get to host a Playoff game against the mighty Packers while the Bears host a Playoff game against the below .500 Seahawks. How is that fair? The Falcons have done everything they were supposed to do and have effectively been punished for finishing ahead of the Bears. Pure and simple, the Falcons are getting a raw deal.

I don’t know how the Playoff games are going to turn out this weekend. Maybe the Falcons will win by 4 touchdowns and maybe the Seahawks will also trounce the Bears. That doesn’t really matter when making a theoretical argument.

The fact is, the top-seeded team in the Playoffs should ALWAYS host the weakest remaining opponent.

Any other changes to the Playoff seedings we can continue debate, but this is one change I think we can all agree can and should be made.