Unwritten Rules vs Thug Baseball III

Photo by Ben Margot (AP)

Didn't I just write something about this like, not even a month ago? Thankfully this time, Manny Machado is nowhere in sight.

The big story from baseball yesterday, other than Cardinal Devil Magic being Cardinal Devil Magic over in the MLB Tournament of Champions, was a little donnybrook (I love that word) in the Nationals-Giants game in San Francisco.

MLB Tournament of Champions: Regular Season Round 16

I hope you're enjoying a wonderful Memorial Day! We're celebrating here at Confessions of a Sportscaster with the beginning of the second half of the MLB Tournament of Champions!

Most teams are right around the halfway mark of 46 games, with some wiggle room on either side of that figure. The 2016 Cubs remain the best team at the halfway mark as the only team to 30 wins, though the 1989 Athletics are right there just a game and a half back for the best record.

Since we're into the second half, I'm trying to make sure that I keep not only the standings sidebar on the main page of Confessions of a Sportscaster updated, but also my Google Sheet standings page. The divisional standings on there are sorted by years, but I've counted games back on there nonetheless. The Wild Card page for both leagues is sorted by winning percentage, and I've got those standings up to date as well. I will try to stay on top of those as best as I can because in a month or so I'll need to start keeping track of who's out and who clinches.

In this round we have four divisional matchups, two in each league, with the National League series being wraparound ones, and we have one doubleheader in the American League. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's play ball!

2017 Stanley Cup Final Prediction

Three rounds and 14 series have all come down to this. Only two teams remain in the battle for the greatest trophy in all of sports. Even though my emotional investment vanished a month ago, I've still be curious to see how the postseason would unfold, and here we are. The Stanley Cup Final. One final time this year, let's take a look at the matchup.

MLB Tournament of Champions: Regular Season Round 15

We're back to the grind of the MLB Tournament of Champions, and technically once this round is complete, we will have reached the halfway point!

Coming into this round, two teams have at least hit their halfway points in games played in the 2010 Giants and 2001 Mariners, only because neither of them have had their byes yet. Everyone else has had at least one as far as I can tell, but with this too everyone has played at least 40 games out of their 92 on the way to the Elimination Round. That will come in July.

We had the worst of my scheduling quirks come to an end during this round, as the 1995 Braves finally ended a string of 34 games in 34 days without an off day. They get one on this Monday. They went 15-19 in that stretch, but they're still in second place in their division, so it didn't hurt them a ton, and their schedule is much more forgiving the rest of the way in terms of off days.

Speaking of the schedule, this round is a little weird in the National League thanks to those three wraparound series over the weekend. The problem is, two of them are followed by divisional matchups, which requires a pair of doubleheaders, plus a third one over in the American League that I couldn't avoid. In total there are six divisional matchups this round.

All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's get down to the field!

MLB Tournament of Champions: Regular Season Round 14

The schedule for this weekend's set of games for the MLB Tournament of Champions worked out well. Kristen and I celebrated the baptism of our son Matthew yesterday, and given the pair of wraparound weekend series that are finishing up today, I was able to devote my weekend to that celebration.

Someday I will get Matthew properly introduced to the wonder that is baseball. Until then, the tournament rolls on. We have first time matchups in both leagues today with a total of five divisional matchups between the two. This includes that aforementioned pair of wraparound weekend series, as well as our first Red Sox-Yankees matchup.

All simulations for the tournament are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's get to the action.

MLB Tournament of Champions: Regular Season Round 13

The MLB Tournament of Champions chugs on as we get deeper into May!

We're almost to the halfway point of the tournament with everyone having played 30-plus games. The 2016 Cubs must have stolen all the mojo from the 2017 Cubs, because they're 26-10 and have a two and a half game lead on the closest competitor, and if you had the 1975 Reds as being that closest competitor... you deserve a medal, because I don't think I saw them being that good in this tournament.

By the time the regular season portion is done, everyone will have played 92 games, and from there we will have an MLB-style playoffs to determine our Champion of Champions.

In this round, we have four divisional matchups, with a few off days for teams sprinkled in because they need it. We've also got another set of completed matchups in the National League once this round is done.

All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's play ball!

MLB Tournament of Champions: Regular Season Round 12

It's kind of crazy to think that we're onto our sixth weekend of baseball in the MLB Tournament of Champions, but here we are on this Mother's Day.

The 2016 Cubs lost only their third series of the tournament so far, but snapped their losing streak on Wednesday and still hold the best record in the tournament, though they are matched by the 1970 Orioles, 1986 Mets, and 2001 Mariners who have also logged 22 wins thus far. Most divisions have at least one team that is pretty clearly the elite team in the division, with the exception of the NL West, where the 2007 Rockies lead with an 18-15 record.

It's a busy weekend though as we have three divisional matchups. This includes the second set of completed home-and-homes in the National League, but we have no doubleheaders or wraparound series this time around. This also means that the aforementioned Mets are done with their byes after today.

All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's head to the diamond!