THE DEAD LOVE IT LIVE
The Grateful Dead League is in its 20th season and still going strong. We asked team owner and “Dead Head” Jamey Storvick to tell us something about the group.
“The Grateful Dead League is now in its 20th season and we’ve had 12 different winners. Marvin McFadden is our most decorated champion with four titles and is also a professional horn blower for Huey Lewis and the News. Our Commissioner, Owsley Bear (Rick Lee Fabian) is a wonderful human being, who holds the league together by his sheer force of genuine honesty and a twist of crazy.
Most members are hardcore Grateful Dead lovers, while half of those were pretty serious followers attending many of the Grateful Dead’s live shows.
We’ve also got Will Albers, who not only is one of the original sim-ers, but is also the winner of the first ever Washington DC marathon in 1982.
We have had just 27 different team owners in the 20 seasons and have a return rate of over 90% from season to season. It is my firm belief that the reason the league has gone on so long is because we have a good number of owners who are willing to play LIVE games and that has certainly added a new element to the game. In one recent season almost all the playoff games were played LIVE.
We welcome all comers who are interested in enjoying great music, this great game, and interacting with a bunch of amazing people. And remember, ‘If you get confused, just listen to the music play.’”
In Season 19, the Grateful Dead World Series was entirely live, with six owners sitting in on chat “watching” Game 4.
Here is an awesome picture of a poster:
IT’S ALMOST THAT TIME AGAIN
The salaries of players in the Classic player pool are adjusted based on “supply and demand” every four months. It seems like it was just yesterday that salaries changed, but the next iteration is due in March.
The last change produced some big bargains, with players like Mordecai (Three Finger) Brown, Joe Wood, Don Sutton, Will Clark, Ken Keltner and Ken Williams at their all-time low salaries. At the other end of the scale were players like Joe DiMaggio, Al Kaline and Nap Lajoie at or near their all-time highs.
What will this round of salary adjustments bring? Let the prognostications commence!
SOME NOTEWORTHY PERFORMANCES
In the Jan Dukes League, the W.S. Merwin Poets hit four consecutive home runs out of the 5-8 slots in the batting order to turn a 0-2 deficit into a 7-2 lead. Shortstop Vern Stephens started things off with a grand slam, then Dan Pasqua (pinch hitting for Butch Huskey), Mike Vail and Ron Coomer followed with solo shots, all off shell-shocked reliever Matt Karchner.
In the Ken Holtzman League, Shoeless Joe Jackson went 6 for 6 including 5 doubles for the Minnesota Owls in a 12 inning 10-8 win.
In the Gary Cooper League, Gottable Dos got a combined no-hitter from four pitchers in Game 2 of the LCS. Rube Benton started and went five innings, then relievers Doug Henry, Rob MacDonald and Francisco Cordero followed to complete the gem. The Dos went on to win the series from the Bronx Bounty Hunters in seven games, then the World Series from the Spaced Cowboys in six.
LADDER HAPPENINGS
The Ladder Leagues operate like European soccer. Leagues are ranked and at the conclusion of each season, the most successful teams are promoted to higher leagues and the least successful teams relegated to lower leagues.
There are three different Ladder Leagues associations:
- The Random 600 Association: RA600 is about to start Season 32. The leagues use the Classic player pool and hold a manual draft from a random pool of just 600 players.
- The Standard Association: The SA just completed Season 43. The leagues use the Classic player pool with all Standard League settings. Registration for Season 44 is about to begin.
- The SSG Association: The SSGLL is the latest addition to the Ladder Leagues. The playoffs currently are underway in the inaugural SSGLL season.
A few more articles on the way players play their games would be fun. Something like taking a chance to use a bunt, a critical double steal situation, or a debate on whether a pitching change was the right move for the given game situation.
And the stories on the backgrounds of the gamers are always entertaining. Keep up the good work, and thanks to all who participate in this newsletter.
This is my first time reading this newsletter. Reminds me of the old “Around the Horn” . Thanks for turning me on to this, will, I’ll see how to become a regular subscriber. coyote