BBF: Interleague action and the emerging playoff hunt
Over the past fortnight the British Baseball Federation’s northern divisions took part in a couple of weekends of interleague action, with sides from AA North and AAA North competing on the same field against one another.
It’s the first time I can remember it taking place since an effort a few years ago for teams in the South and Midlands to play against one another to bolster reduced schedules before double-headers became more regular in teams in AA across the country.
Though limited to a handful of games, the results were sort of surprising, although if you were to assess the teams on potential and ability rather than purely what league they’re in, perhaps not.
The Halton Jaguars were on the wrong side of both games when they welcomed lower-league rivals Manchester As and Bolton Robots of Doom to John Mills Ballpark on Sunday 9 June. However, both defeats were by just a single run and against teams with which they were competing against in AAA North last year, so perhaps to say they were surprises or shocks is unfair. But it was the first time that Halton had lost to Bolton in competitive action, while Manchester hadn’t beaten their hosts since 15 May 2011.
The following week saw the Robots of Doom again in action, this time against the Liverpool Trojans. Another one-run defeat this time saw the Trojans take the spoils, but Bolton’s impressive showing against AAA opposition suggests that their winless 2012 campaign was a real blip in the team’s generally successful history. The weather, as so often, claimed most of the other games, and I for one hope that they’re able to reschedule before the playoffs start later this summer.
On the subject of playoffs, the picture is becoming clearer in a few divisions but hazier in others as positions are beginning to be settled, at least at the top and the bottom.
Starting with the top tier, the Herts Falcons (12-4) and Southampton Mustangs (13-5) have risen to the top following some great performances; the Mustangs having gone from losing four straight in which they scored only four runs to winning six on the bounce, outscoring opponents 68-14 in the process as they look to secure a hat-trick of NBC appearances. The Falcons are riding a seven-game streak and look set to line up at the NBCs for the second consecutive year. The London Mets (9-3) have lost three of their last four, but with games in hand are well-poised for a charge up the table.
Six teams will qualify for an NBL berth, and with those three almost guaranteed unless things go horribly wrong, four others are realistically vying for the final spots. Double-defending champions Harlow Nationals are at ‘only’ .500, 9-9 after two thirds of the season, but have a slight edge in runs scored and conceded over the Bracknell Blazers, also 9-9, as well as experience of playoff campaigns and, ultimately, victories. The Nationals had to do things the hard way in their inaugural season, winning games down the stretch en route to a long playoff campaign, and so would be well-backed to repeat the feat. The Lakenheath Diamondbacks (7-7) and Essex Arrows (7-9) are the other two in the hunt, with the Diamondbacks in theory having more playoff experience, even if this current crop is fresh to British baseball – the air force base has a huge turnover of personnel. The Arrows will hope to make a run at the postseason for the first time in their four-year stint in the NBL. South London Pirates have a VERY outside chance if they can win all their games, while the Essex Redbacks’ debut season will definitely finish below .500, and possibly below .100 if they cannot win any of their remaining fixtures.
The Liverpool Trojans (11-1) are still top in AAA North, having overcome that tricky fixture against Bolton last week, while Halton’s two defeats to AA North teams saw them drop to 6-8. Cartmel Valley Lions, then, moved clear in second without playing over the past fortnight (still 7-5) and it’ll be between these two teams for the final postseason place, with Menwith Hill (winless after 11) only in with a mathematical chance of taking a berth.
As described by Matt Smith in the BaseballGB British Baseball Beat blog, the playoff structure in AAA North and AAA Midlands is similar to previous years, with a couple of close changes. In moving up to AAA status, the Midlands lose one of their lower-division playoff places, and instead the top two will go up in regional qualification against Northern sides, while only the third-placed team has a chance to play beyond the regular season (dropping playoff qualification from 80 to 60 per cent).
The Nottingham Rebels (11-0) and Milton Keynes Bucks (8-2) are almost guaranteed those top two spots as they sweep everyone else in the division – the Rebels also accounting or the Bucks’ two defeats this term – while Birmingham Maple Leafs (5-7) are likely to outgun the Leicester Blue Sox (2-7) and Stourbridge Titans (1-11) for that third place.
They’ll have to do battle against one of the top three teams from AA North. The 11-1 Hull Scorpions are nailed-on to make their first playoff campaign in a while, while Manchester As (9-4) and Harrogate Tigers (7-4) will fancy their chances of making the postseason too. Bolton Robots of Doom (6-5) and Sheffield Bladerunners (4-4) will both have something else to say about that though, and with both having playoff experience and, on top of that, claiming most of the regional pennants over the past five years, the second half of the season will be a competitive one, weather-permitting, for this division. Ultimately Newton Aycliffe Spartans (1-11) and Oldham North Stars (1-9) are both out of the running, but could cause upsets and make their own mark on the outcome of the division by putting up stubborn resistance.
Probably the most competitive league in the land is AAA South (again). Five of the eight teams are only a sweep away from top spot after some interesting splits and other results over the past fortnight, with the Oxford Kings (10-6) dropping out of top spot, relinquishing it to fellow 2012 NBC semi-finalists Cambridge Royals (11-5) and London Metros (11-5), the London side hoping to return to the postseason for the first time since 2010. The Bristol Badgers, perennial playoff heroes themselves, join the Kings at 10-6, while the young London Mets II have impressed to a 9-7 standing in their first ever season, placing fifth. Leones de Feltham are almost certainly out, propping up the table with a 2-14 record despite a promising start, while Richmond Knights (4-10) and Herts Ravens (5-9) are only a couple of against-the-odds results away from mounting their case to be included in the playoff chat.
Knit one, purl one, drop down a layer and we reach AA South. After going unbeaten in 2012, until the playoffs that is, the Guildford Mavericks have now lost three of their first 11 games, and fall to fourth after their defeat to Hove Tuesday (10-1) on Sunday. That thrilling encounter sets up a top-of-the table clash between Tuesday and Daws Hill Spitfires, one of only two unbeaten teams in BBF competition, this weekend as both sides chase down the two playoff places that will provide a bye into the second round of the postseason.
The other teams chomping at the bit for the six playoff spots are London Mammoths (8-2), who are likely to be there or thereabouts, Sidewinders (6-4) and Richmond Dragons (6-5). However, the Dragons are riding a four-game losing streak that now extends back to 18 May and teams around them might be able to catch up soon – a double-header against the Sidewinders on Sunday could solve their worries and drag the Enfield side down, or alternatively leave them open to the wolves beneath. The Herts Hawks (2-4) have only played six games and a congested fixture list could work one of two ways during the season; either they’ll learn quickly and improve or injuries and unavailability will have a huge impact. They welcome the Brentwood Stags (3-7) on Sunday, and the two sides are eager to win both and mount a serious charge on those above. One thing is for sure: neither Kent Mariners or Southampton Mustangs II will be in the playoffs this year; combining to lose all 18 games they’ve played this season. They may have to wait until the last game of the year to see who can stop the rot and avoid the somewhat embarrassing accolade of going winless all summer.
12 teams are battling for six spots in Single-A playoffs, with no sides from the Midlands or North joining the race for a place. The two Pool winners with the best record will go through to the second round of playoffs, while the other pool winner and then the next three teams with the top win percentages will make up the remainder of the competition. In the event of a tie-breaker, which is likely here, games behind, forfeits, head-to-head, runs conceded in head-to-head matches and finally runs conceded in games overall – in that order – will decide which teams qualify and where teams are seeded (this applies to all divisions, but is probably most likely in the case of the three-pooled Single-A).
After half a season there are three sides with 6-2 records (Herts Raptors, Milton Keynes Coyotes – who both also happen to be in the same pool – and London Marauders), while Haverhill Blackjacks (4-3, Pool B leaders), Guildford Mavericks II (4-2) and Tonbridge Bobcats (4-4) – both in Pool C – would take the other places. Pool B currently has a lot of games to make up, but it would appear already the Old Timers (1-6) are out, as they also have two forfeits to their name. It’ll be a scrap to the end of the campaign for all the teams, and a .500 record might be enough to qualify a side to the playoffs if the top teams continue to win, but similarly a team finishing with .600 might have to settle for premature end to the season if clubs consistently beat on the worst teams in the league. That second scenario hasn’t really presented itself, though, and generally sides are winning and losing against each other with no real pattern, other than their propensity to consistently score tonnes of runs!
