MLB Baseball Invitation - 2023-2024

THE NATIONAL PASTIME

I’m not sure if Baseball is the National Pastime any longer. I think the popularity of the other major sports have increased to the point where they have overcome Baseball in the American consciousness. But I get it. Most of us are not big, strong or fast enough to play organized Football. Even fewer have the hand/eye coordination and size to be effective in Basketball. Forget Hockey. How many of you can skate? Baseball remains the one sport that all of us played in one form or another and we can relate to. Even if you sucked, you were hidden in right field and with a little luck, no one would be the wiser. There’s no hiding in the other sports. It’s still our first love for a lot of us so let’s celebrate it by having a pool! Here’s the particulars:

It’s 60 Doubleday’s to enter. Some of you have verbally committed to me or Bob. Please respond to this email with a YES to ensure your spot. We had some folks who wanted in on Hoops but didn’t bother to read the email so they didn’t respond and got left out. We DO NOT want that to happen here. There is a limited amount of spots for this pool (30) so unless we get an overwhelming response and think we can do 2 pools the first 30 Ayes get to play ball. We may not remember if you tell us you want in but don’t respond. We will start the first Monday after we fill the 30th spot. Or 60th spot if they sell out fast and try for a second pool. We’ll see. 

Much like the Basketball Pool, no knowledge of the sport is required (nor would it be helpful), it’s just plain old luck of the draw. You get 1 team, selected old school out of a hat (A Pittsburgh Pirate baseball cap) by me this time- Bob had the honors for March Madness. We will both be on the bench for this one to make room for all of you. 

As for the entry- you all know the drill by now. For newbies- contact me or Bob to make arrangements. 

OK - I know - Dom, 1500 words and you haven’t said anything yet. HOW do I win and WHAT?! 

Two prizes. The first player who’s team scores all the numbers (0-13) of runs in a single game (doubleheaders are two separate games) takes the first place prize. We keep it running until a second team achieves the goal and that player wins the 2nd place prize. Probably won’t last to the All Star break but ‘ya never know. 

Veterans of the pool know this, but if you are new don’t despair if you draw a bad team record wise in this pool. Everyone wants to draw the Dodgers. They will probably be a contender, but will they get shut out this year? Zero is gonna be a tough number for them.  Last year the Braves were very good as always, took the 1st place prize. The Cubs - who sucked as always took the 2nd place prize. SO that’s how you win. The 1st place prize is a nice round 1200 Ohtani’s. 2nd place prize will be 420 Mizuhara’s. Neither of them will be allowed in the pool. If two teams hit their last number on the same day (the day the game starts) they split both prizes. If the 2nd place race ends with 2 or more teams getting there on games started the same day they split that prize. None of those things have ever happened in pool history but I have to cover it. So I have. 

Each Monday Bob will put out an updated grid with all the teams, players holding them and boxes checked off on the scores they have achieved along with a brief report by me with hopefully entertaining facts about the prior weeks games.

PLAY BALL!