Monday, July 29, 2013

Last Place Update - July 29

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update and congrats to the American League All-Stars for their shutout victory over the National League All-Stars. Now let's get started.

   The 35-69 Houston Astros are dominating the competition in their quest to repeat as Kings of the Cellar. They lead the early season leader, the 40-63 Miami Marlins by 5.5 games and they are a full six games ahead of the third place 40-62 Chicago White Sox. The Astros are 5-20 since June 28 and haven't won two games in a row since June 15-16. The Marlins continue to improve, going 5-5 in their last ten games and 5-2 since July 22. Miami is 8-6 since July 10. The White Sox are 3-7 in their last ten games and 1-6 since July 22.

   This week's honorable mention goes to the 56-49 Texas Rangers. The Rangers are 2-8 in their last ten games, losers of their last four. Texas is also 3-12 since July 10. They begin the week at home with a three game series against the Los Angeles Angels. Then they host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday and finish the week on the road to take on the Oakland A's. Unless their play improves, expect more of the same this week.

  So how are the Astros doing against the 1962 Mets and 2003 Tigers? The '62 Mets were 26-78 after 104 games. The '03 Tigers were 28-76 after the same number of games, so it appears the Astros are no threat to either of these records at this time, unless they have an epic collapse.

Other Stuff...

   The Cursed Days of Summer free download promotion for my ebook, The Curse, was a great success. It almost doubled the downloads from when The Acts of 1 was on a free promotion. Both titles are links to their respective Amazon pages.

   As the drum and bugle corps season winds down, it is a dogfight between the Blue Devils, Carolina Crown, and The Cadets. My former corps, the Phantom Regiment is in a fight for fourth place with the Santa Clara Vanguard.


Have a great day!!!

Monday, July 15, 2013

Last Place Update - July 15

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update on this All-Star week. Let's get started.

   The defending champion 33-61 Houston Astros have taken all the beer and are this week's Kings of Cellar. They lead the 35-58 Miami Marlins by 2.5 games. The 37-55 Chicago White Sox bring up the rear and are five games behind the Astros. Since the last update, Houston is 1-4, Miami is 3-3, and Chicago is 3-4.

   This week's honorable mention goes once again to the 42-54 San Diego Padres. They are 2-10 in their last ten games and 2-5 since the last update. They are also 4-18 since June 24. After the All-Star break, the Padres will visit the St. Louis Cardinals for a three game series.

   So how are the defending Kings of the Cellar champions doing against the 1962 Mets and 2003 Tigers? The '62 Mets were 24-70 after 94 games and the '03 Tigers were 26-68 after the same number of games. At this pace, both records will soon be safe for another year.

Other Stuff...

   On the drum and bugle corps front, Carolina Crown is on pace to be the first corps from the South to win the Drum Corps International World Championship. They have a great show, though the vocals take away from what the horns are doing at times.

   On their way home from Hormel, NY, one of the buses AtlantaCV rode had a breakdown, temporarily stranding members in Virginia. I feel their pain. In 1981, the Louisiana Southernaires were on our way home from DCI Finals in Montreal to New Orleans. My bus broke down in Effingham, IL, stranding us there for three days. At least CV's Bus 3 makes it home today, fresh from a good 2nd place showing in New York.

   I'm currently working on later drafts of a novella and novelette. The novelette already has a cover, thanks to Amazon's Cover Creator. The novella cover is more of a challenge. More details on both ebooks to come.


Will Houston continue their losing ways and repeat as Kings of the Cellar Champions? Will Miami have an epic collapse and replace the Astros? Or will some other team come out of nowhere and surprise everybody?

Stay tuned. Have a great day!!!


Monday, July 8, 2013

Last Place Update - July 8

Welcome to this week's Last  Place Update. We have a new leader...same as the old leader.

   The  defending Kings of the Cellar champion 32-57 Houston Astros have overtaken the 32-55 Miami Marlins and are this week's Kings of the Cellar. The Astros lead the Marlins by a game. The 34-51 Chicago White Sox supplanted their former AL Central foes, the 35-52 Milwaukee Brewers, to bring up the rear. Houston is 2-8 in their last ten games and 3-10 since June 23. The Marlins lost their last three and are 5-5 in their last ten games. And this week's newcomers, the White Sox, are 2-8 in their last ten games, losers of their last three. They are also 3-10 since June 23.

   Since the last update, Houston went 2-5, Miami went 3-4, and Milwaukee also went 3-4. The White Sox went 2-4, earning the third slot.

   This week's honorable mention goes to the 40-49 San Diego Padres. San Diego is 1-9 in their last ten games and on a nine game losing streak. The Padres are 2-13 since June 24. They have a homestand this week against the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants. The three teams have similar records, so anything is possible. The Padres could have a great or rotten week. They should fare better.

    So how is Houston faring against the '62 Mets and '03 Tigers?  The '62 Mets and '03 Tigers were 24-65 after 89 games. And to continue a theme from last week, the '62 Mets, '03 Tigers, and '13 Astros all lost game #89. At least the '03 Tigers won July 8 that season.

   Will Houston hoard the beer in the cellar or will Miami take another shot at the bottom? How far will the White Sox's losing streak go? Will the '03 Tigers and '62 Mets records be safe for another year by the end of July?

Stay tuned. Have a great day!!!

Monday, July 1, 2013

Last Place Update - July 1

An early Happy Fourth of July to you all!! Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. They fight, they claw their way, and refuse to give up on themselves to keep winning. No, this isn't the Pittsburgh Pirates, who won nine straight. Then who?

   The 29-51 Miami Marlins continue their winning ways and are in a virtual tie with the 30-52 defending Kings of the Cellar champion Houston Astros. The 33-45 New York Mets won six of their last ten games and got booted from third place by the 32-48 Milwaukee Brewers, who are three games behind the Marlins.Miami is 7-3 in their last ten games and 13-7 since June 8. Houston, alas, is 3-7 in their last ten games, losers of their last three. This week's newcomer, the Brewers, are also 3-7 in their last ten games, but they lost five straight.

   Since the last update, Miami went 4-1, Houston went 1-4, and the Mets went 3-3. The Marlins fared better in their last ten games than all of their NL East rivals. They also did better than the NL West leading Arizona Diamondbacks and the AL East leading Boston Red Sox. Will Miami leave the beer in the cellar fridge to Houston or will they start to collapse again?

   This week's honorable mention goes to the 39-42 San Francisco Giants. They are 2-8 in their last ten games and 6-13 since June 11. The Giants are on the road this week to play a four game series with the Cincinnati Reds and return home to a three game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They swept the Dodgers the last time they played in San Francisco, but this is the first time they are facing the Reds.

   So how is Miami doing against the '62 Mets and the '03 Tigers? The Marlins are only eleven games behind the Mets' total wins from their inauspicious inaugural season. The '62 Mets were 23-57 after 80 games, but they actually won game number 80, the first in a doubleheader. They lost the second game. The '03 Tigers were doing  worse, with a record of 19-61 after 80 games. They, too, won game number 80 and they won game number 81 to bring their win total to 20. And yes, Miami also won game number 80.

Other Stuff...

   Local New Orleans broadcaster and former New Orleans Saints sideline reporter for WWL 870 AM, Kenny Wilkerson, died this past weekend. Thoughts and prayers go out to the Wilkerson family.

   On the drum corps front, today in 1967, the Des Plaines Vanguard won a contest in Kenosha, WI with a score of 78.80. The Kilties came in second place (74.80), followed by the Blue Stars (74.60), Norwood Park Imperials (74.00), SkyRyders (63.70), and the Madison Scouts (54.70). Of these corps, the Blue Stars and Madison Scouts still compete today. The Kilties compete in the DCA circuit.

   Today in 1985, the Blue Devils won the DCI contest in Norman, OK with a score of 86.90. The Santa Clara Vanguard came in second (84.90), followed by the Phantom Regiment (72.70), Freelancers (58.50), Velvet Knights (58.40), and the California Dons (48.10). The top three still compete at the highest levels today and are current or former DCI champions.

Who will win the catfight between Miami and Houston for the beer in the cellar? How long will the '62 Mets and '03 Tigers' records hold out for until they're safe for another year? Or will there be a collapse by one of the bottom three?

Stay tuned. Have a great day!!!

 

Monday, June 24, 2013

Last Place Update - June 24

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. Here's an odd one for you. Who would have thought that the bottom three teams would do as well or have a better ten game stretch than nine of the top ten teams in MLB? Let's get the fun started.

   Even with all this winning, the defending Kings of the Cellar Champion 29-48 Houston Astros have closed the gap on this week's Kings of the Cellar, the 25-50 Miami Marlins to three games. The 30-42 New York Mets bring up the rear at six games behind Miami. Each team went 6-4 in their past ten games, a rarity at this level. Over that stretch, the bottom three performed better than the MLB leading 47-29 St. Louis Cardinals, who went 4-6, and the AL leading 44-32 Texas Rangers, who went 5-5. Of the top ten teams, only the 46-30 Pittsburgh Pirates fared better, going 7-3 during that stretch.

   Since the last update, Miami went 4-3, Houston went 3-4, and the Mets went a respectable 5-3. Each of these teams have had a bit of a turnaround. Is this a sign of how things will be or is it an apparition? Only time will tell.

   This week's honorable mention goes to the 44-34 Oakland A's. They are 3-7 in their last ten games, losing four of their last five games. The A's have an interleague homestand this week, hosting the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals. Oakland should do some winning this week, but that could go either way.

   So how are the Marlins doing against the 1962 Mets and 2003 Tigers? After 75 games, the '62 Mets were  21-54 and the '03 Tigers were at a miserable 18-57. The Marlins are four and six games ahead respectively at this time and are on pace to keep those records safe for another year.

Other Stuff...

   Hats off to the 38-36 Toronto Blue Jays for winning 11 straight games.They are also 14-2 since June 5, when they had a 24-34 record. The streak will probably end in Tampa this week, but it is still a great accomplishment.

   Congrats the Miami Heat for winning their second consecutive NBA championship and third overall.

   On to drum and bugle corps trivia. Today in 1972, the Santa Clara Vanguard won the California American Legion State Championship in San Jose, CA, with a score of 78.50. The Stockton Commodores came in second (60.15), followed by the Velvet Knights (56.00), LA Chinese (51.95), and the Royalaires (CA), who scored a 47.75. Of these corps, only the Santa Clara Vanguard is still active. The Stockton Commodores, LA Chinese, and Royalaires stopped competing after the 1976 season. The Velvet Knights stopped competing after the 1996 season, but came back for one season in 2011.

   Today in 1999, the Blue Devils won the DCI contest in Normal, IL, with a score of 75.70. The Cavaliers came in second (73.90), followed by the Glassmen (70.20), Blue Knights (68.20), Phantom Regiment (64.90), Colts (62.70), and Pioneer (53.20). Every corps in this contest is still active today.

How long will the bottom three teams' winning ways continue? Will there be a collapse or will other teams supplant them as Kings of the Cellar? Who will threaten the '62 Mets and '03 Tigers records of futility?

Stay tuned. Have a great day!!!

 

Monday, June 17, 2013

Last Place Update - June 17

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. The 1899 Cleveland Spiders' all-time worst record of 20-134 is safe for the 114th year in a row.

   The 21-47 Miami Marlins continue to be Kings of the Cellar, leading the 26-44 Houston Astros by four games. The 25-39 New York Mets bring up the rear at six games behind the Marlins. Miami is still the only team in MLB to have less than ten road wins. Will they go over the top this week?

   Since the last update, Miami went a respectable 3-3, Houston went an even more respectable 4-2, and the Mets represented the bottom by going 2-4. The Marlins are now 5-5 in their last ten games and 8-6 since May 31. The American League's newest team, the Astros,  are 4-6 in their last ten games, winners of their last four. They are also 12-8 since May 27. And then there are the Mets. They are 3-7 in their last ten games, but are 8-10 since May 26.

   This week's honorable mention goes to the 38-31 Texas Rangers. The Rangers are 2-8 in their last ten games, losers of their last six games. They are also 6-14 since May 26. Texas faces Oakland and St. Louis this week and the Rangers could find themselves here again next week. Or they could do some winning, like last week's honorable mention, the Cleveland Indians, and win themselves out of the Mention.

   Although the 1899 Spiders' record is safe, the 1962 Mets and the 2003 Detroit Tigers are still out there. The Marlins are faring better than their counterparts of the past right now. The '62 Mets were 19-49 after 68 games. The 2003 Tigers were doing even worse, at 17-51.

Other Stuff...

   The San Antonio Spurs had an impressive win against the Miami Heat last night. However, Miami will win Game 6. Game 7 and the NBA Championship will go to whoever wants it more.

   Today in 1984, the Phantom Regiment won the DCM contest in Grand Rapids, MI with a score of 81.10. This was the first year of the all build-up judging. The Cavaliers came in second (73.40), followed by Pioneer (41.20), Glassmen (32.10), Royal Grenadiers (26.00), and Saginaires (17.00).

   Today in 1972, the 27th Lancers won the Shriner's International contest in Hamilton, ONT, Canada with a score of 81.50. The Blue Stars came in second (78.50), followed by Blue Rock (77.30), Kilties (76.10), Garfield Cadets (75.50), De La Salle Oaklands (74.65), CMCC Warriors (73.70), and Toronto Optimists (68.75).


Will Miami continue to win or will there be an epic collapse? Will the defending Kings of the Cellar Champion Houston Astros overtake the Marlins? Will the Mets continue their losing ways?

Stay tuned. Have a great day!!!

Monday, June 10, 2013

Last Place Update - June 10

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. The gap is closing.

   The defending Kings of the Cellar champion 22-42 Houston Astros nudged a little closer to this week's Kings of the Cellar, the 18-44 Miami Marlins. The Marlins now lead by three games. Miami is three wins away from keeping the 1899 Cleveland Spiders record of futility safe for another year. The 23-35 New York Mets bring up the rear by trailing the Marlins by seven games.

   Since the last update, Miami went a respectable 2-3, winning their last two games. However, in true Kings of the Cellar fashion, Houston went 2-5, losing their last four. The Mets supplanted the Milwaukee Brewers by going 4-6 in their last ten games, losing their last two. The Brewers did a little winning and went 4-3, winning their last three games.

   This week's honorable mention goes to the 30-32 Cleveland Indians. Cleveland is 2-8 in their last ten games, losers of their last seven. They are also 4-15 since May 21. With the Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals on the horizon, the Indians may end up here again next week.

  So how are the Marlins doing against some of the worst teams ever? Again, the 1899 Spders' record should be safe for another year. They were 12-50 after 62 games. The Marlins did put a little distance between their record and the 1962 Mets. The '62 Mets were 17-45 after 62 games. The 2003 Detroit Tigers were 16-46 after the same number of games.

Other Stuff...

   Miami and San Antonio are now tied at 1-1. As the Spurs did, the Heat should take at least one game in San Antonio. If Miami wins both games, the series will end when it returns to Miami.

   Today in 1962, the Mets split a double-header with the Chicago Cubs, getting one of their 40 wins that season.

   The Marlins are on pace for a 47-115 record. Their all-time worst season prior to this year (in a non-strike year) was as the Florida Marlins in 1998. They went 54-108 after winning the World Series the year before.

   Today in 1989, in a low scoring contest, Pioneer won the Drum Corps Midwest show in Three Oaks, MI. They scored a 36.00, beating the Belleville Black Knights (27.20), Coachmen (21.00), Joliet Kingsmen (17.00), and the Racine Scouts (11.30). Of this group, only Pioneer and the Racine Scouts still compete today.

Will Miami continue their winning ways and open the door for Houston to repeat? Or will the Marlins collapse and replace the 2003 Tigers or 1962 Mets with their own record of futility?

Stay tuned.  Have a great day!!!