Rosters Are Set!

I haven't been able to start Season 6 of my hockey league yet -- blame a lot of Games Workshop-related painting -- but at least now the rosters are finalized. Not sure when I'll get around to dropping the puck, but in the meantime, below are my way-too-early predictions for the regular season standings, along with each team's new faces.

1. Victorias

I'm calling it here, folks: The league's most successful franchise will rise all the way out of the cellar and regain their customary spot at the top of the standings.

Additions: Newsy Lalonde, RW (draft); Harvey Pulford, D (free agent)

2. Thistles

Despite no major changes to their lineup, the league's most balanced team should make the playoffs for a fourth straight season.

Additions: Angus Campbell, LW (draft)

3. Millionaires

The defending champs might suffer a bit of regression, but their high-octane offense is going to make them a lot of fun to watch -- especially with sparkplug winger Billy Gilmour now on the roster.

Additions: Herb Gardiner, D (draft); Billy Gilmour, RW (trade with Comets)

4. Comets

After a surprise postseason appearance, the Comets made a lot of moves, but will it be enough to crack the top three and snag another playoff spot?  

Additions: Dick Irvin, C (draft); Jack Gibson, D (free agent); Rusty Crawford, RW (trade with Millionaires)

5. Bulldogs

Goaltender Paddy Moran needs to rebound from a tough season, because the devastating top line of Gord Roberts, Bruce Stuart, and Tommy Dunderdale can't win games all by themselves. 

Additions: Frank Patrick, D (draft); Ernie Russell, RW (free agent)

The Hidden Vault

It's been a long and harrowing journey, but our intrepid heroes of the 41st millennium at last reached the inner sanctum of the mysterious Blackstone Fortress, a place called the Hidden Vault. Although our luck hasn't always been great -- due to an inauspicious draw from the Legacy deck, for instance, we'd been hounded by the leader of the villains since very early in the campaign -- the Emperor was truly with us when we entered the Vault, because out of four possible enemy groups, only two of them actually spawned. 

We knew that enemy reinforcements would arrive soon enough, so we spent our first turn hustling across the map to take up a defensive position around our objective, an ancient computer terminal that must be accessed three times on three different rounds; at that point, we would earn the right to open the game's sealed envelope and learn what happens next. 

It was incredibly fortunate that we were able to get to the computer and access it on the very first turn of the game. Below is a snapshot of the board at the end of that turn. The long pinkish line represents the deadly beam of a rotating laser turret that destroys anything it hits.

The second round was largely uneventful; we dealt with a handful of foes and waited for more to show up. We then accessed the computer a second time, leaving just one more activation to go.

Next round, we continued to hold our position as negavolt cultists and traitor guardsmen rushed in toward us. We cut down our enemies in droves, and only one lasgun-wielding trooper remained standing when the round came to a close. We accessed the computer for a third and final time, with Nathaniel's character Pious Vorne -- the flamer-wielding acolyte -- pressing the final button.

We were now allowed to open the sealed envelope that was included in the box and has been tantalizing us since we began our journey. Nathaniel, as the biggest 40k fan in our family, was given the honor of tearing into it.

And what was in the envelope? Sorry, no spoilers! I won't reveal anything specific, just that a double-sided card provided the game's concluding narrative as well as our reward for conquering the Hidden Vault.

And what about Pious Vorne, the hero who accessed the computer on the third turn? Well, she was sucked into the...oh, right, spoilers!

Anyway, we all agreed that the game's ending was a bit abrupt and anticlimactic from a narrative standpoint, but we thoroughly enjoyed the game and look forward to jumping into its spiritual successor, Cursed City.

Don't Forget!

It's Free RPG Day!

Free RPG Day 2021

Free RPG Day is coming up this Saturday, October 16!

Season 6 Draft

Season 6 officially gets underway with today's player entry draft. Each franchise selects one historical Hall of Famer to add to their roster, although they're allowed to trade picks for players. The teams select in reverse order of their Season 5 regular-season finish and can make trades to move up or down in that order.

1. Victorias: Newsy Lalonde, C/RW

Lalonde, the most exciting player in this draft class, is a generational talent brimming with offensive potential. It's a match made in heaven for the Vics, who are in dire need of help after scoring a league-worst 2.44 goals per game last year. Lalonde gives them another weapon to support the legendary Cyclone Taylor, who either scored or assisted on an astounding 77% of the Vics' goals in Season 5. 

2. Bulldogs: Frank Patrick, D

The Dogs continued their long tradition of drafting defensemen, and Patrick may be the best one they've ever nabbed. He's a two-way defender in the style of Mike Grant or Hod Stuart, and he should give the Bulldogs what they thought they were getting when Jack Laviolette's strong rookie campaign in Season 4 turned out to be a mirage.

3. Comets: Dick Irvin, C

It's rare for playoff teams to get an impact player in the draft, but this draft is so deep that Irvin fell to the Comets with the #3 pick. In other seasons, the multitalented Irvin might have gone first overall. Irvin profiles as a number-one center, and his arrival should push superstar Frank McGee from center to left wing, where his defensive deficiencies and faceoff ineptitude will no longer hurt his team. I love this pick for the Comets, but they still need to find a way to address their league-worst penalty kill.

4. Millionaires: Herb Gardiner, D

The defending champions scored a league-leading 3.13 goals per game in Season 5, with defensemen Graham Drinkwater and Art Farrell quarterbacking this potent attack. What the Millies really needed was a good stay-at-home defenseman who doesn't take quite as many penalties as Joe Hall, and their wish came true when they picked up the steady, level-headed Gardiner. 

5. Thistles: Angus Campbell, LW

The first-place Thistles get stuck with Campbell, a player they'll likely cut after giving him a two- or three-game tryout. Campbell might find a home with next year's expansion team, but at the moment he profiles as the worst forward in the league.

With these new players in place, the teams can now sign free agents and make further trades. Ultimately, they will trim their rosters down to this season's maximum (12 players, 10 of whom can dress for a game). Once those rosters are set, I'll begin the season!

Cursed City

We made a cross-country drive last week for less-than-great reasons, but one upshot of this journey was that the boys and I got to spend a pleasant hour perusing the amply laden shelves of Millennium Games. We all came away with new goodies, but I'm especially pleased to have landed a copy of the hard-to-find Cursed City, a spiritual successor to Blackstone Fortress (in that it uses the same game engine) but taking place in the setting of Warhammer Age of Sigmar.

I cannot wait to dig into this beast of a box! The boys and I are nearing completion of Blackstone, so it will be awesome to have a similar game to jump into once we're finished.

Hockey Time!

I'm now gearing up for Season 6 of my pre-NHL historical Strat-O-Matic hockey league. Last season, the Millionaires captured their first Creighton Cup title by upsetting the favored Thistles. As for the other teams, the Victorias and Bulldogs both cratered after meeting in the finals the year before, while the Comets surged to a playoff spot despite being in the cellar for most of the season. 

Some key storylines for Season 6:

• Deep draft: This year's draft is the deepest we've ever seen, with three star-to-franchise-level players, one solid regular, and one -- ahem -- organizational player. The Vics own the first pick and will likely select Newsy Lalonde, a dominant offensive force. 
• Wheeling and dealing: Given the strength of the new talent entering the league, it's not out of the question that teams might make big trades to acquire additional picks. I've been mulling scenarios in which the Vics might trade a star like Cyclone Taylor or Bowse Hutton under the right circumstances. Would they, for example, take the third overall pick (most likely to get potential first-line center Dick Irvin) plus star blueliner Mike Grant in exchange for Taylor?
• Expansion looms: We introduced the Millionaires as our first expansion team back in Season 4. The next expansion team (which I haven't named yet) will arrive in Season 7. As such, the existing teams will need to plan for an expansion draft at the end of this season. All teams will lose two players to the new franchise. There are quite a few surplus forwards out there, but capable defensemen will be worth their weight in gold as teams decide which players to protect or expose.
• Desperation time: After falling to the Millies in the finals, the Thistles are now the only team that has not yet won a Creighton Cup. They were a rather dysfunctional franchise over their first couple of seasons, but now have made the playoffs for three years in a row. Can they finally seal the deal, or will rebuilding teams like the Comets and Vics overtake them?

Next up, the player entry draft...and any trades that might accompany it...

Season 6 Awards

Another season in the books! As always, the final step is to award our top performers.

Position Player MVP: Ed Delahanty, Canaries

Although the probabilities on my Strat cards tell me in black and white that Billy Hamilton has the best on-base percentage of all my nineteenth-century players, I say there's no tougher out in this league than Ed Delahanty. This perennial MVP finalist at last claimed the award for himself. In Season 6, Delahanty reached base more often than any other player, led the league in homers, took over the all-time home-run lead, and played error-free ball in left field. The Canaries may have finished in last place, but not because of this guy. Blue Legs first baseman Dan Brouthers and Delahanty's teammate Tommy McCarthy finished second and third, respectively.

Pitcher MVP: Old Hoss Radbourn, Blue Legs

Over the past couple of seasons, Radbourn has emerged as one of the league's top starters. He already owns a Playoff MVP trophy (despite his team losing in the playoffs, no less!) and now he joins the ranks of Pitcher MVP winners. Radbourn went 7-2 with a shutout, leading the league in wins and finishing second in innings pitched. His league-leading 2.42 ERA was a half-run better than the 2.90 ERA posted by runner-up Christy Mathewson of the Resolutes. Haymakers legend Cy Young finished third.

Playoff MVP: John McGraw, Resolutes

The Resolutes' win was a true team effort. Christy Mathewson and John Clarkson delivered dominant pitching performances, and position players like Frank Grant, Pete Hill, and Fred Clarke came through with clutch hits. No single player carried this team, but one demonstrated remarkable consistency over the five-game series. Third baseman John McGraw was an offensive catalyst whose four extra-base hits (a double and three triples) were more than any other player, even Big Dan Brouthers of the Blue Legs.

Season 6 Championship, Game 5

Season 6 is over, and we've crowned a new champion. Resolutes or Blue Legs? Recap below!

It was apparent right from the start that Radbourn and Clarkson both had their best stuff working. Radbourn's only mistake was grooving a pitch that Jake Beckley mashed for a triple in the second. Beckley scored on Frank Grant's sacrifice fly, giving the Resolutes an early 1-0 lead.

After that score, the pitchers settled in for a fearsome duel. Baserunners were few and far between, and the game moved quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was the bottom of the sixth and Pete Hill had just singled. Hill dashed for second, but King Kelly -- healthy once more -- gunned him down with a perfect throw. The Resolutes failed to steal a base in this game after swiping five against Frank Chance in Game 4.

The score remained 1-0, but the Blue Legs had a golden opportunity in the top of the seventh with runners at the corners and only one out. Hughie Jennings, however, bounced the ball weakly toward first, allowing Beckley to field it cleanly. The big first baseman stepped on the bag and threw to second base to execute the rare and exciting 3-6 double play. Clarkson had escaped the jam, and was now six outs away from matching his understudy, Christy Mathewson, who had authored the league's first-ever playoff shutout in the previous contest.

With the pitcher's spot leading off in the eighth, the Blue Legs lifted Radbourn for a pinch hitter. Radbourn had given them seven innings of one-run ball, but Clarkson had been just that much better. After pinch hitter Chance failed to reach base, Billy Hamilton singled and soon was bolting for second. He had absolutely owned Connie Mack all through this series, but Mack threw him out in this absolutely pivotal moment. 

Al Spalding came in to pitch for the Legs and got three quick outs in the bottom of the eighth, setting the stage for a ninth inning that would determine the fate of two franchises. Nap Lajoie, Dan Brouthers, and King Kelly were next in line for the desperate Blue Legs, for whom a 1-0 deficit had never seemed so insurmountable. Lajoie grounded out and then Brouthers flied out to center. No game-winning homer for him tonight. The Blue Legs were down to their final out. Star catcher King Kelly lofted one into right field, and it fell harmlessly into the glove of Elmer Flick.

Game over. The Resolutes are champions!

We didn't get our first playoff shutout until Season 6. Turns out it would only take one more game to get the next one. Baseball is funny that way! On a related note, the key number for this series is 18; since winning Game 3 on Big Dan's walk-off bomb, the league's best offense went 18 straight innings without scoring a run. That, my friends, was a pretty epic collapse. Even so, I have to hand it to the Resolutes, who beat the odds and truly earned this championship.

Eldrith Eliminated

Nathaniel and I have been playing Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance on Xbox on and off for the past five months or so. Today we finally beat the game, defeating the evil undead warlord Eldrith, architect of the titular dark alliance. It may be twenty years old, but the game aged well and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Game 5 Preview

Blue Legs. Resolutes. Game 5.

It all comes down to this. 

Their backs against the wall and staring at elimination, the Resolutes played their most complete game of the year, humiliating the hometown Blue Legs and setting the stage for what may be the biggest ballgame in the history of this league. The Resolutes have home-field advantage for the fifth and final game of the series, and they'll send ace John Clarkson back to the mound, opposed once again by his Blue Legs counterpart, Old Hoss Radbourn.

Some key storylines to watch:

• The King Is Back: Blue Legs catcher King Kelly returns to the lineup, and not a moment too soon. Frank Chance struggled mightily while Kelly was injured, allowing stolen bases on five out of six attempts. 
• Brouthers in Arms: Big boppers Nap Lajoie, Dan Brouthers, and Sam Crawford need to step it up. Brouthers was probably the leading candidate for Playoff MVP prior to the Legs' disastrous Game 4 loss. 
• Where's Clark(e) Kent?: Fred Clarke has a Clark Kent-esque ability to remain unnoticed until he appears to save the day in key moments, like he did in Game 1. The Resolutes will need Clarke to morph into Superman again in Game 5.
• Muggsy's Revenge: Resolutes rookie John McGraw got off to a slow start in his first season in this league. I viewed him as a potential leadoff man, but ultimately moved him down to second, seventh, eighth, and then right back to the bench after he started his career 0-for-19. His play gradually improved over the course of the season, but McGraw has really kicked it up a notch in the playoffs with four extra-base hits, including three triples. A stealth MVP candidate, perhaps?

Who will be the hero? Who will be the goat? I can't wait to find out!

Season 6 Championship, Game 4

With the Resolutes on the road and facing elimination, the second-year franchise turned to rookie pitcher Christy Mathewson to keep their season alive. Mathewson was a hard-luck loser in Game 2, but could he rebound and save his team in a do-or-die Game 4? Read on to find out!

Pud Galvin got two quick outs in the top of the first, but Fred Clarke hit a liner that Sam Crawford misplayed, giving the Resolutes a man on second and an opportunity to score early in the game. They didn't waste it. Clarke scored easily on a single by Jake Beckley.

In the top of the third, Blue Legs fans got a preview of things to come when Pete Hill broke for second. The throw by Frank Chance -- behind the plate because of King Kelly's injury -- was way off the mark. The Resolutes had the green light to run, and ended up stealing five bases over the course of the game. Hill scored moments later on Elmer Flick's single, giving the visitors a 2-0 edge.

The Resolutes continued to nickel-and-dime Galvin in the middle innings. Monte Ward scored on Hill's single in the fifth, and Frank Grant scored on John McGraw's triple in the sixth. It was now 4-0. The Legs, meanwhile, could muster nothing against Mathewson. 

Desperate for baserunners, the Legs pulled Galvin in the bottom of the seventh for a pinch hitter, but to no avail. Vic Willis entered in the top of the eighth to stop the bleeding, but immediately issued free passes to Clarke and Beckley. Grant's triple plated both men, running the score up to 6-0. McGraw's groundout brought Grant home, and a shell-shocked Willis could only stare in disbelief at a scoreboard that read 7-0 for the visiting Resolutes. The Blue Legs' dreams of winning the championship on their home field were quickly disintegrating.

The outcome of the game was not in doubt, but could Mathewson make history with the league's first playoff shutout? A couple of postseasons ago, Galvin took a shutout into the ninth inning but couldn't seal the deal. Now it was Mathewson's turn. Crawford was the first batter, and he went down quickly on strikes. Chance flied out to left for the second out. Now it was up to power-hitting third baseman Jimmy Collins to keep the Legs' hopes alive. The rookie was having none of it. He struck out Collins to notch the first shutout of his career and the first postseason shutout ever. 

The series is tied at two games apiece and going back to the Resolutes' home for the decisive fifth game!

Season 6 Championship, Game 3

Old Hoss Radbourn and John Clarkson toed the rubber in this rematch of our Game 1 starters. Unlike the previous two games of this series, the first inning was quick and scoreless. We did see some action in the second, however, when Resolutes third baseman John McGraw doubled -- his third extra-base hit of the playoffs -- and Clarkson later singled him home. The Legs struck back in their half of the frame; King Kelly singled, stole second, and scored on Sam Crawford's base knock. 

Speed has been such a critical factor in this series, and next it was the Resolutes' turn to score after a single and stolen base. In the fourth, Elmer Flick ran himself into scoring position and came home on a liner by Frank Grant. 

That play gave the Resolutes a 2-1 lead, but it was quickly overshadowed by a potentially series-changing injury. Before the fourth was over, Blue Legs catcher King Kelly would leave the game with an injury. Dr. Dee Twenty's prognosis is that Kelly will miss Game 4 as well. Up to this point, I would have rated Kelly -- a middle-of-the-order bat with great speed -- as the Legs' leading contender for Playoff MVP. Now he'll be on the sidelines with Frank Chance suiting up in the tools of ignorance. Chance is a solid hitter but a poor receiver, and the Legs have no one else on their roster who's rated at the catcher position. Ouch! Resolutes speedsters like McGraw, Grant, Flick, Pete Hill, and Monte Ward are going to run wild with Chance behind the plate. 

The Resolutes added to their lead in the top of the sixth. Connie Mack doubled into the gap and later scored on Hill's single. It was now 3-1 for the visitors, but the potent Blue Legs offense was about to awaken from its game-long slumber.

When the eighth inning came around, I put myself in the cleats of the Resolutes' manager and had a critical decision to make. Would I leave Clarkson in to get three more outs, or pull him out and see if submariner Joe McGinnity could get a two-inning save? I decided to stick with the starter, but my decision quickly backfired when pinch hitter Harry Wright singled to open the frame. Billy Hamilton walked, giving the Legs two on with nobody out. After Wee Willie Keeler went down on strikes, Nap Lajoie smacked an RBI single to make it 3-2. The next batter was Big Dan Brouthers, who tied the game with a sacrifice fly. 

We went into the ninth with the game tied at 3 and the series tied at 1. Al Spalding took over for Radbourn while Clarkson continued to throw for the Resolutes. Both pitchers worked a scoreless ninth. Then, in the bottom of the tenth, Keeler singled with one out and swiped second. Lajoie grounded out, bringing up Brouthers with two outs and the winning run in scoring position. The pitch from Clarkson was a curveball that didn't have quite enough bite. Brouthers launched it to right field and leaped for joy in unison with the Blue Legs fans as the ball sailed into the bleachers for a game-winning home run. 

That, folks, was our first-ever walk-off homer -- or first walk-off hit of any sort -- in a playoff contest, as well as just the second postseason game to go to extra innings. The final score was 5-3 for the Blue Legs, and now with back-to-back wins, this team can secure a Creighton Cup championship with one more victory in either Game 4 or, if necessary, a winner-take-all Game 5.

Season 6 Championship, Game 2

Down by a game in this best-of-five series and starting to feel the urgency, the Blue Legs came out swinging against rookie phenom Christy Mathewson. Billy Hamilton singled and snagged second, later scoring on a sacrifice fly from second baseman and captain Nap Lajoie, who was now back in the lineup after recovering from his injury. Dan Brouthers doubled to keep the inning alive and then scored on a single by King Kelly. 

The Legs handed Pud Galvin a 2-0 lead when the veteran took the mound in the bottom of the first. That lead was quickly cut in half by Resolutes leadoff man Pete Hill, who homered on the first pitch. Galvin got three quick outs after that, and it was a 2-1 Blue Legs lead heading into the second inning.

The next several innings passed quickly as the pitchers mowed down their opposing lineups. In the top of the sixth, Kelly led off with a single and stole second. (Connie Mack's inability to throw out the speedy Blue Legs baserunners has been a recurring theme throughout the series so far.) Kelly scored on a single by Jimmy Collins to give the Legs a two-run cushion.

The visitors threatened again in the top of the eighth. They lifted Galvin for pinch hitter extraordinaire Frank Chance, but failed to score. With their starter out of the game, the Legs turned to closer Vic Willis to give them a two-inning save. He retired the Resolutes in order in the eighth and, despite Fred Clarke's triple making things interesting in the bottom of the ninth, the Legs held on for a 3-1 victory to tie the series at one game apiece. Next up, we travel to the Blue Legs' home for Games 3 and 4.

Season 6 Championship, Game 1

Playoff baseball is back! The top-seeded Resolutes are in the Creighton Cup Series for the first time in their brief history, while the Blue Legs are in the Series for the second year in a row -- but they haven't won a championship since way back in Season 1. 

Game 1 got underway with home-team ace John Clarkson against the Legs' leadoff man, Billy Hamilton. Hamilton managed to work a walk, then promptly stole second. Two batters later, Big Dan Brouthers brought him home with a booming triple. The Legs extended that lead in the second when Hamilton's double scored Hughie Jennings and Harry Wright to make it 3-0 in favor of the visitors. 

Old Hoss Radbourn, meanwhile, cruised through the first three innings. He ran into trouble in the fourth, when third baseman John McGraw tripled with one out. Connie Mack doubled him home to give the Resolutes their first-ever postseason run. Monte Ward singled to put runners at the corners, bringing Clarkson himself to the plate. The game's best-hitting pitcher crushed one deep to the outfield, but had to settle for a sacrifice fly. Pete Hill then grounded out, so after four innings the Blue Legs were ahead by a slim 3-2 margin.

Not for long. In the bottom of the fifth, Orator Jim O'Rourke -- playing first base for the injured Jake Beckley -- led off with a double. Elmer Flick popped out, bringing up Fred Clarke, the Resolutes' most prolific slugger. Clarke belted Radbourn's pitch into the right-field seats, turning a one-run deficit into a one-run lead. It was the first playoff home run for the Resolutes, and it came from the very same man who hit the team's first regular-season homer way back on Opening Day of Season 5. 

Both pitchers buckled down in the late innings and traded zeroes until we reached the top of the ninth, with the Resolutes clinging to a one-run lead. Jennings and Wright went down quickly, bringing up the pitcher's spot. With two outs and no one on base, the Legs turned to pinch hitter Frank Chance. Clarkson, meanwhile, needed just one out to secure a complete-game victory. Chance smashed Clarkson's offering into the right-field corner, legging out a triple to silence the home team's fans. Now the tying run was ninety feet away and Hamilton dug in with the game on his bat. He smoked an opposite-field line drive to left, where Fred Clarke -- he of the earlier home run heroics -- had the opportunity to make a highlight-reel catch to end the game. 

It all came down to a single d20. I made the roll, Clarke made the grab, and Game 1 ended with a 4-3 victory for the Resolutes. Game 2, featuring Christy Mathewson against Pud Galvin, is on tap.

Season 6 Creighton Cup Preview

A Creighton Cup Series without the Haymakers? Here we are in Season 6, and for the first time ever, the league's most storied franchise will not be competing for the title. Instead, we have the first-place Resolutes and the second-place Blue Legs vying for the championship. It's been a fun and interesting season, and I fully expect a great series ahead! Let's see how the teams match up.

Offense

• Blue Legs: This deep, balanced lineup scored at a league-high rate of 4.29 runs per game. Slugging first baseman Dan Brouthers had a great (but injury-marred) season and could be a difference-maker in this series. He's flanked in the batting order by fellow stars Nap Lajoie and King Kelly. 
• Resolutes: At 3.21 runs per game, the Resolutes not only had the worst offense in the league this year, it was among the lowest scoring rates in league history. On a not-unrelated note, the Resolutes hit a league-low four home runs as a team; Brouthers alone had three for the Legs. Fred Clarke is the most likely Resolute to put up big offensive numbers, but I'm also keeping an eye on super-sub Jim O'Rourke, who's been swinging a hot bat this year in limited playing time.
• Advantage: Blue Legs

Defense

• Blue Legs: The Legs have never been known as a great defensive team, but somehow they managed to rank as the second-best on defense after the sure-handed Canaries. Hughie Jennings ranked as the league's top defensive shortstop this season, and catcher King Kelly turned in an uncharacteristically strong performance. 
• Resolutes: Technically, the Resolutes were right behind the Blue Legs as the third-best defensive team, but the gap between the two was significant. Their problems were entirely in the infield, as their three everyday outfielders (Pete Hill, Fred Clarke, and Elmer Flick) all played flawlessly.
• Advantage: Blue Legs

Pitching

• Blue Legs: The team allowed 3.88 runs per game, which is a so-so mark for this league. It would have been a lot worse without Old Hoss Radbourn, who went 7-2 with a league-best 2.42 ERA. Radbourn is a true ace, and he's backed up by a solid #2 in Pud Galvin, himself a former Playoff MVP winner. 
• Resolutes: The 3.08 runs per game that the Resolutes allowed this year is the second-best full-season total in league history. Credit goes to starters John Clarkson and Christy Mathewson, who are both adept at flummoxing opposing batters with the sharp movement on their pitches. Sophomore reliever Clark Griffith and veteran closer Joe McGinnity round out a top-notch staff.
• Advantage: Resolutes

Prediction

Although the Resolutes will be without injured first baseman Jake Beckley for the first game, the Legs will miss out on the offensive and defensive contributions of captain and star second baseman Nap Lajoie. Lajoie's absence in Game 1 will hurt the Legs, but I still consider them heavy favorites in this series. They may have finished in second place, but they had the league's best run differential (+10) and their actual winning percentage (.542) was right in line with their expected winning percentage (.551) based on runs scored and allowed. The Resolutes, on the other hand, sported an eye-catching .625 actual winning percentage, but the expected was only .520. That's more than a hundred points lower! The data suggests that the first-place Resolutes were extremely lucky during the regular season. Maybe their luck will hold, but in this best-of-five series, my money is on the Blue Legs to win, three games to one.

D&D Is for Nerds

So, if you eat NERDS candy, you can upload your proof-of-purchase to their website to get free NERDS-themed D&D adventures. No, gentle reader, this is not a bizarre dream you're having -- it's very, very real. You can check it out here. I don't think I've seen a box of NERDS candy in the past several decades, but I do wonder if the adventures are as gloriously goofy as the Wendy's D&D module from a while back...

But speaking of D&D and candy, this NERDS thing brought back vivid memories of going to KB Toys as a kid -- either at our local Arnot Mall or that legendary hub of commerce, MARKETPLACE MALL in Rochester -- and finding boxes of official D&D candy with actual stat blocks printed on the back. Really, was there a better time to be a D&D-loving kid than the 1980s?!

A New King Is Crowned

The Canaries visited the Haymakers tonight in the final game of the regular season. When Ed Delahanty, the Birds' left fielder, stepped to the plate against Cy Young with one out and nobody on in the top of the first, I had little inkling that history was about to be made. Delahanty promptly crushed Young's offering into the left-fielder bleachers for his league-leading fourth homer of the season. That blast was also the twelfth home run of his career, surpassing teammate George Davis's eleven career homers. The crown has passed from Mike "King" Kelly to Davis to Delahanty, and I wonder how long Delahanty will hold it before the next guy -- Cap Anson? -- takes it.

Defense Matters

I'm cruising toward the end of Season 6 of my nineteenth-century Strat-O-Matic baseball league, and the playoff picture is starting to shape up. The second-year Resolutes have clinched a spot in the Creighton Cup series, and most likely will finish in first place. The Blue Legs and Haymakers are vying for the second spot in the Series, with the Legs maintaining a 1.5-game edge entering tonight's tilt against the cellar-dwelling Canaries. Needing every win to hold the Haymakers at bay, the Legs had a 4-0 advantage entering the eighth. Leading off for the Canaries was infielder George Wright, who hit a sharp liner into right. I made the die roll for Sam Crawford and he couldn't come up with the catch. Wright ended up on second, and a few batters later the Canaries had stormed back to tie the game.  

The Blue Legs were falling apart, but before any further damage occurred, I realized I had made a mistake. The Legs' right fielder isn't Crawford, but Wee Willie Keeler. Crawford is their center fielder. Keeler's defensive rating is higher than Crawford's, and the same d20 roll that resulted in Crawford's error would be a catch for Keeler. There's a big difference between having the bases empty with one out and having a man on second with no outs, so I felt the fairest thing to do would be to rewind the clock, so to speak, to the point where that liner was scorching toward right field. This time, Keeler made the catch easily and the Canaries failed to score. They went down in order in the ninth, as well, giving Legs starter Old Hoss Radbourn a complete-game shutout. One catch certainly made the difference in that game!

Hammer Time!

I'm enjoying some time off and the opportunity to delve further into Blackstone Fortress with the boys. We're working our way through the ancient, labyrinthine space station in the hope of uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Vault. Tonight we squared off against a Chaos Space Marines captain called Obsidius Mallex, our chief rival in the quest for the Vault. 

Here's the moment we lured Mallex away from his flunkies and into a trap-filled choke point, blasted him to smithereens, and claimed his precious Thunder Hammer!

Below is a better view of the current party. I haven't had the time to paint the villains, but I did paint the heroes we're using. Sadly, my best paint job of the lof them was the flamer-wielding adept who wasn't part of this particular mission. 

I estimate we're about halfway through the game. Loving every minute of it!

Into the Fortress!

Between work, school starting back up, ever-present COVID, and California fires that continue to dump smoke into our valley, I think we all needed a bit of a pick-me-up. On a smokey Saturday afternoon, then, the boys and I made our first foray into the Blackstone Fortress of, well, Blackstone Fortress. We followed that up with a return trip on Sunday. 

How did it go? This is the game we wanted Gloomhaven to be. Granted, Blackstone Fortress can't top Gloomhaven's richly unfolding storyline or the players' ability to shape the world around them, but all that cool stuff doesn't matter if the game is lousy. Gloomhaven takes forever to set up and the mechanics are ridiculous, forcing players to abandon smart dungeon-crawler tactics due to the game's oppressive timer.  I've covered all this ground before. In contrast, Blackstone Fortress is rather lighter on story but the gameplay is slick and fun. There's a lot you can do on your own turn, and the generous overwatch rules keep you motivated to pay attention even when it's not your turn. The boys and I all found characters we liked, and so far our experience is that the characters play very differently; Matthew gets his mobile damage dealer, Nathaniel gets his tank, and I get my jack-of-all-trades. It's rare indeed that all three of us enjoy the same board game, so I think we've got a winner on our hands with Blackstone, and I'm pretty sure we'll stick with this game long enough to make it all the way to the hidden vault!

808 Storylines

As I noted a while back, I've been chipping away at my Druid Cycle matrix, a massive spreadsheet that tracks all characters, locations, organizations, etc. The character tab is by far the biggest component. As of this writing, I have 808 named characters for whom I've specified a location, any group affiliations, a 5e stat block, and lots of other relevant information. 

Something was missing, though. I needed their motivations. So, for all 808 characters, I added a new field to specify their objectives. What do these people want? Now every character -- from the lowliest shopkeeper to the most powerful immortal -- has a goal. It's taken me weeks to get to this point, but at last I have hundreds of potential storylines  just waiting to be explored!

Malaise

Work has felt rather more stressful of late, with setbacks that continue to nag me even after I leave the office. Between that stuff and the ongoing complexities of life in COVID times, I haven't had quite the same energy for game stuff. To wit, I've paused my Strat-O-Matic baseball league at the halfway point of Season 6 (the Blue Legs and Resolutes are neck-in-neck in a tight pennant race) and I even gave up on landing a copy of that new Gargoyles board game after my local Target twice indicated it was in stock but then didn't have it when I showed up. I did manage to grab the new Warhammer Age of Sigmar starter set for a bit of building and painting fun on the side, and at some point I'd like to try Blackstone Fortress with the boys. It's out of print now, but I grabbed a copy from an Amazon third-party seller and it seems like it will provide the great co-op gaming experience that we thought we'd get with Gloomhaven. I'm looking forward to some time off around Labor Day and hoping I can learn the rules by then so that the boys and I can jump right in.

FCBD Today!

 Today is Free Comic Book Day! Enjoy safely!

FCBD 2021

Just a quick reminder that Free Comic Book Day is scheduled for this Saturday, August 14.

Gargoyles Awakening

I just found out moments ago that there's a Gargoyles board game coming out today as a Target exclusive. I dearly love everything about the '90s Gargoyles cartoon -- its authentic New York City setting, its amazing voice cast, its deep allusions to literature and mythology -- so I will definitely need to find a way to pick up a copy of this game, pronto!

McCarthy Madness

Many baseball authorities would rank Tommy McCarthy as the worst player in the Hall of Fame. His career totals would be lousy enough for a middle infielder, but for a corner outfielder they're downright atrocious. Not surprisingly, then, McCarthy rode the pine for the first four seasons of my Strat-O-Matic league. He bounced around between a couple of teams, getting in some work here and there as a pinch hitter or late-game defensive replacement. 

Last season, the arrival of our expansion team, the Resolutes, drained the talent pool and turned a lot of benchwarmers into starters. McCarthy found himself the Opening Day third baseman on the Resolutes, but his athleticism and skill as a defensive outfielder did not translate to the hot corner. The Resolutes shipped him out to the Canaries midway through the season as a throw-in to a blockbuster trade headlined by pitcher Rube Waddell and center fielder Pete Hill. 

The upshot was that McCarthy got more playing time on the Canaries, and now, in Season 6, he cracked the lineup as the Birds' everyday right fielder. How's he doing on his new team and in his new role? Well, at about the one-quarter mark of the regular season, he's leading the league in home runs! Of course, it's a statistical fluke -- he had zero home runs coming into this season -- but it's cool to see this bit player get his moment in the sun.

Druid Cycle Matrix

For years -- see this blog post from almost exactly seven years ago! -- I've wanted to create a spreadsheet to track all of my Druid Cycle campaign information, such as the names of people, places, etc. The sheer scope of the project put me off, despite having created similar spreadsheets for my Shattered Realm and Torchlight settings. The truth is that Druid Cycle is bigger than everything else put together, with threads that go as far back as 1991. That's thirty years ago, people!

I've been chipping away at a Druid Cycle spreadsheet for a while, and now I'm pleased to report that I've completed a first draft. As of this writing, there are 742 named characters, 67 groups, and 342 unique locations. What's next? Lots of review, for one thing. The stat blocks are a major issue for this review. Every non-immortal NPC in the character list, no matter how minor, is tied to a stat block from the Monster Manual or another D&D reference book from the current edition of the game. If he's got a name, he's got a stat block. However, I'm not entirely confident that the characters are "ranked" properly. The flat math of Fifth Edition really compresses the power curve between the least- and most-powerful characters (especially compared to the previous-edition-that-shall-not-be-named), but I still need to be able to show meaningful distinctions between the abilities of characters. I'll also need to deal with the game's most prominent characters, for whom generic stat blocks just don't work. I'll probably create full-fledged character sheets for the likes of Cyfrinach and Iskander, but that's a project for another day.

Playoff Heroes & Zeroes

With five seasons in the books for my historical hockey league, there's enough data to start looking at interesting trends. I was curious about which players have tended either to shine or falter in the playoffs, and after reviewing the data, I've found that we have some clear playoff heroes and zeroes. (Note: For the purposes of this post, I'm focusing solely on outliers and ignoring guys whose playoff performances have been consistent with their regular-season performances.)

Heroes

• Frank Rankin: This three-time Creighton Cup champion now ranks second in career playoff goals and points, and he's first in career playoff games played. Although he's had more opportunities to compile playoff stats than any other player, Rankin has definitely turned it up a notch in these high-leverage games; he's posted 0.64 goals per game and 1.14 points per game in playoff action, compared to 0.37 goals per game and 0.87 points per game during the regular season.
• Mike Grant: Small sample size alert! Grant has played only six postseason games, but he's absolutely dominated during those contests, such that he sits third all-time in playoff goals and points. The guy is rocking out at 1.0 goals per game (vs. 0.31 in the regular season) and 2.17 points per game (vs. 1.19 in the regular season). Those numbers are on par with the regular-season and playoff scoring pace of Cyclone Taylor, the league's best player.

Zeroes

• George Richardson: It pains me to write this passage, because Richardson is a quiet star in this league (and, in real life, a war hero who died in battle in World War I). In the playoffs, however, this steady point producer has struggled. Despite 0.47 goals per game and 1.03 points per game in regular-season play, he's produced just 0.13 goals per game and 0.38 points per game in the playoffs.
• Riley Hern: The award for worst playoff performer ever goes to star goalie Riley Hern. He's second all-time in regular-season wins and has put up great stats (.908 save percentage, 2.93 goals-against average), but in the playoffs he really stinks up the joint (.873 save percentage, 3.78 goals-against average). His record of one win against eight losses only adds to the ignominy; in fact, Hern all by himself has racked up 47% of all playoff losses in league history!

Opening Day(s)

Baseball is back! With the Canaries hosting the Resolutes, rookie John McGraw lined out to George Wright to get Season 6 underway. With aces John Clarkson and Tim Keefe toeing the rubber, the game moved at a brisk pace. Keefe wasn't quite as sharp as last year's Pitcher MVP, however, and the Resolutes played with a lead for most of the game. The most dramatic moment came in the top of the sixth, when Fred Clarke homered off of Keefe on Opening Day for the second straight season. The Canaries made it interesting in the eighth and ninth against the Resolutes' new closer, Joe McGinnity, but the veteran managed to hang in there to seal a 4-2 road win.

Opening Day for our other two franchises involved the Blue Legs visiting the Haymakers in a rematch of last year's championship series. Playoff MVP Cy Young clearly didn't have his best stuff, and the Legs jumped all over him. Nap Lajoie's two-run shot was the backbreaker in a 6-1 triumph for the visitors. Old Hoss Radbourn, pitching for the Legs, managed to tie John Clarkson's record 21-inning scoreless streak (set at the beginning of last season), but a Bobby Wallace single prevented him from claiming a new record. I guess that's about the only positive takeaway for the Haymakers from that game.

It doesn't get any easier for the defending champs. Tomorrow, the Haymakers visit the Resolutes, where the legendary Christy Mathewson will make his first career start in this league!

Is It Baseball Time Already?!

I may be slogging through the Soulbound rulebook and working on a massive but top-secret Druid Cycle project, but I made sure to take some time tonight to prep for the upcoming Season 6 of my nineteenth-century Strat-O-Matic baseball league. It seems like forever since these lads took the field, but the new season really snuck up on me.

Last time around, the Haymakers captured their third championship in five years with a Creighton Cup series win over the Blue Legs. However, the balance of power in the league may well shift, as I had one more batch of players to distribute before I have, at last, reached the end of the Hall of Famers who have even the most tenuous ties to premodern ball. In the final player dispersal draft ever, the Canaries landed little-known but phenomenally talented hurler Addie Joss. The the second-year Resolutes, meanwhile, loaded up with stud pitcher Christy Mathewson and leadoff hitter John McGraw; I like the way our newest team is shaping up. I'd love to see them make a run at the playoffs, much like their expansion cousins -- the newly minted league-champion Millionaires -- did in my hockey league. 

Opening Day is tomorrow!

All Is Forgiven...For Now!

Games Workshop guys: "Uh oh, John is really unhappy with the Soulbound RPG Starter Set. We'd better announce some awesome new Age of Sigmar stuff to placate him!"

Damn you! I want that Extremis box!

The Isles Win It All!

On a brighter note, I won the Stanley Cup today with the New York Islanders in NHL '94 -- my first championship in that video game since, well, the actual year 1994. Why the Islanders, you ask? Why not my semi-local Golden Knights, my beloved Rangers, or even the long-suffering Sabres? I've really grown to like the Isles over their last two postseason runs. Maybe next year they'll find a way to get past the increasingly irritating Tampa Bay Lightning and newly-emerging supervillain Nikita Kucherov, who's likely to find a place of (dis)honor -- alongside the likes of Tom Wilson, Alex Ovechkin, and Brad Marchand -- in my pantheon of hockey heels.

TPKs are Not Fun

A starter set for a roleplaying game can have many objectives, but among the most important, surely, is the need to draw players in, excite them, and leave them eager to play more. The Soulbound Starter Set, by contrast, makes me want to stuff its terribly unbalanced introductory adventure into a troggoth's maw. One combat encounter early in the adventure gives players a two-in-three chance of encountering either a spine-worm or multiple bore-beetles. In either case, the party is completely overmatched. Both creatures have attacks bearing the outrageous Rend trait (with attacks at 8D6, so you're looking at a 77% chance per attack for permanent armor damage), and both also have Mettle -- a game mechanic that (among other things) allows a character to make a second attack on their turn. Maybe I'm truly not understanding the math of the game, but I can't see how you can avoid a TPK unless you have a full party of five heroes, all at full strength, and you get really lucky. How is this fun?!

Sigmar, Smite This Starter Set!

I really dig the Soulbound hardcover rulebook, but I'm quickly becoming disappointed by the Starter Set for this Warhammer Age of Sigmar (I still think they need a colon there) tabletop roleplaying game. In a well intentioned but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to teach new players the rules of the game in a piecemeal fashion, the end result is a confusing hodgepodge that leaves me with more questions than answers on every page. The worst part is that there's a showstopper of a problem in the very first combat encounter. 

So, I'm asking myself, do these fyrehunter critters really destroy the characters' armor during the first battle? Like, permanently destroy it? Yes, and yes. Maybe I'm just having flashbacks to the dreaded rust monster from D&D days of yore, but I'm absolutely flabbergasted by the game designers' decision to gank the party right from the get-go. I mean, I get that the setting is intended to be more harsh than a typical D&D campaign, but what do you say to players when you hamstring their characters before they have any idea of what's happening?

LOL grimdark, amirite?!

Here's how it goes down. In that first combat encounter, the party faces no fewer than four fyrehunters. The book indicates that these creatures use their armor-destroying attack on the second round of combat (and the monsters are too tough to one-shot during the first round). Their attack has the Rend trait, and in Soulbound it means that for every unmodified roll of 6 on a D6, the attack permanently reduces the defender's Armor rating by one. The fyrehunters roll 4D6 for that attack, and the odds of rolling at least one 6 on 4D6 is 52%. Most of the pre-generated characters in the Starter Set have an Armor rating of 1 or 2, so even a single 6 is a crippling blow to their defenses. Although the full rulebook provides rules for repairing armor and prices for purchasing new armor, the Starter Set includes none of this information. A character whose armor is destroyed during this first encounter is stuck for the rest of the adventure. If I ever play this system with the boys, you'd better believe I'm houseruling that Rend trait!

Soulbound

So Warhammer Age of Sigmar has a tabletop RPG called Soulbound. I picked up the gorgeously-illustrated core rulebook this week during my long-awaited trip to Ra-cha-cha. Soulbound looks like a lot of fun, and utilizes that oh-so-trendy dice-pool mechanic, along with some additional rules that encourage the party to work together...or else suffer together! I'm not sure the boys and I will find the time to play it, but it should provide some great reading material.

Season 5 Awards

I love handing out the (imaginary) trophies at the end of each season! Let's take a look at our star performers from Season 5!

Scoring Title: Cyclone Taylor, D, Victorias

Taylor paced the league with 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists), notching his second 30-point season; he finished just two points shy of the record he set back in Season 2. A model of consistency, Taylor scored double-digit goals for the fifth straight campaign; no other player has more than three seasons of 10+ goals. As if he needed more black ink in the record book, his 20 assists are a new single-season mark. This year's scoring championship is Taylor's third such title in the league's five-season history.

Runners Up: Barney Stanley, RW, Millionaires; Dan Bain, C, Thistles

Forward MVP: Barney Stanley, RW, Millionaires

Although Taylor passed him in the scoring race, Stanley finished second in the league in points with 26 (13 G, 13 A), and his 13 goals led the league. He also set a single-season record with a +14 rating, a testament to his peerless play at five-on-five hockey.

Runners Up: Dan Bain, C, Thistles; Gord Roberts, LW, Bulldogs

Defenseman MVP: Cyclone Taylor, Victorias

In a great year for D-men, this season saw two blueliners among the league's top five in points and four in the top 15. Hod Stuart had an epic season and appeared to be the frontrunner for much of the year, but the numbers don't lie: Taylor outscored Stuart by six points (30 vs. 24) and beat him solidly in plus/minus (+5 vs. 0). Taylor has now won this award in four of the league's five seasons.

Runners Up: Hod Stuart, Thistles; Graham Drinkwater, Millionaires

Goaltender MVP: Riley Hern, Thistles

Of all the awards this year, this one was the easiest call (especially because playoff performance doesn't factor into the decision). Hern led the league's netminders in wins (9), Goals-Against Average (2.63), and Save Percentage (.914) en route to picking up the second Goaltender MVP of his career. Kudos to Hugh Lehman, however, for taking a big step forward in his sophomore campaign.

Runners Up: Hugh Lehman, Millionaires; Bowse Hutton, Victorias

Rookie of the Year: Duke Keats, C, Millionaires

Two deserving candidates, but only one trophy! Frank Foyston set a rookie record with 15 points (5 G, 10 A), while Duke Keats was right behind him with 14 (6 G, 8 A). Keats had the better plus/minus (-4 vs. -8), although neither man would have cause to brag about those numbers. Where Keats separated himself, however, was in leading the Millies' top-ranked penalty-killing unit and establishing himself as one of the best faceoff men in the league. All things considered, Keats was truly the most valuable rookie.

Runners Up: Frank Foyston, RW, Comets; Jack Walker, LW, Thistles

Playoff MVP: Hugh Lehman, G, Millionaires

This was the most difficult trophy to award, probably because it forced me to acknowledge an earlier mistake. Last season, Paddy Moran of the Bulldogs won this honor, but as I looked again at the numbers, I really think that his teammate Bruce Stuart should have won instead. However, I can't punish Lehman for that oversight, as the Millies' goaltender put in a superlative performance (4-1, 2.60, .920). Goalies have now won this award in three out of five seasons; I guess that's...okay, as they do add more to their team's chances of winning than any other position, but it still seems weird.

Runners Up: Duke Keats, C, Millionaires; Graham Drinkwater, D, Millionaires

Creighton Cup Finals, Game 4

In Game 4, the Millionaires had a chance to put that Game 3 clunker behind them and close out this series on home ice in front of their raucous fans. The Thistles, however, entered the game with all the momentum. 

Big players need to shine in big moments, and Barney Stanley came through for his team with an early goal that gave the Millies a 1-0 lead. The advantage proved to be fleeting, as Dan Bain found Alf Smith for a tally just moments later. The first period ended with the two teams deadlocked at one goal apiece.

The prettiest goal of the game came in second period, when Graham Drinkwater set up Duke Keats for a breakaway goal to make it 2-1 for the Millies. Once again, the Thistles rallied to tie the game when rookie Jack Walker buried a pass from Tommy "Tools" Smith. The Millionaires had little opportunity to get back on the attack, as the Thistles managed to provoke the Millies into taking penalties left and right. Harry Westwick alone was penalized twice in the waning moments of the second.

The Millies took the lead for the third time early in the final frame when Jimmy Gardner scored on a feed from Keats. Hugh Lehman did his best to make that slim lead stand up, stopping everything that came at him, in particular a point-blank shot from Bain midway through the third. As the clock ticked toward doom for the Thistles, top center Bain was whistled for a penalty. The Thistles were the most-penalized team in the league this year, so it was only a matter of time before one of their aggressive players took a penalty at an inopportune moment. On the ensuing power play, Gardner scored again for his league-leading fourth goal of the postseason. That, my friends, was the backbreaker. Lehman denied Tommy Phillips with a minute to go, and when the clock ran out, the Millionaires had won their first Creighton Cup championship. The Thistles are now the only franchise in our five-team circuit that has yet to win a title. 

I'm surprised at the outcome, to say the least. Anything can happen in a five-game series, of course, but I was curious about how the Millies pulled off this upset. It wasn't at five-on-five hockey -- their key strength during the regular season -- but rather they won through special teams. In knocking off the Comets and the Thistles, the Millies' power play was 27.27% and their penalty killing was an eye-popping 94.12%. Goaltender Hugh Lehman was also a major factor, and is probably the frontrunner for the Playoff MVP. I need to dig a little deeper into the numbers as I start to determine the Season 5 award winners, but for now I'll put this league aside and return with fresh eyes to wrap up a very enjoyable campaign!

Creighton Cup Finals, Game 3

The Millionaires arrived at the Thistles' arena with a chance to sweep the series and win the Creighton Cup in just their second year of existence. Did they pull it off? Boy howdy, they did not. 

The first period started slowly, and over five minutes of play elapsed before either team recorded a shot on goal. By the middle of the frame, however, the Thistles were starting to pick up the pace and get the puck on net. They capitalized when Moose Goheen scored for the second consecutive game after being a healthy scratch in Game 1. 

It was 1-0 in favor of the Thistles to start the second period. The Millionaires' offense continued to struggle, and a rash of penalties certainly didn't help. They killed off every Thistles power play, but elite players like Barney Stanley and Graham Drinkwater languished on the bench while the penalty-killing unit was on the ice. Later, a goal from sniping winger Alf Smith gave the Thistles a 2-0 lead, and then defenseman Hod Stuart scored near the end of the frame. As the second period came to a close with the Thistles on top 3-0, it was obvious that the Millies would not sweep their way to a championship. 

Tommy Phillips scored early in the third to increase the lead to 4-0. The visitors could muster very little offense against Riley Hern and remained off the scoresheet until a late penalty to Fred Whitcroft gave them their first and only power play of the game. Jimmy Gardner scored to spoil Hern's shutout bid, but the game ended 4-1 for the Thistles, allowing Hern to secure his first-ever postseason victory. The series is now 2-1 in favor of the Millies, who will get a second chance to close things out at home in Game 4.

Creighton Cup Finals, Game 2

Game 2 shifted to the Millionaires' arena, where jubilant fans celebrated their team's stunning Game 1 victory on the road, as well as the return of convalescing center Harry Westwick. 

The first event of note from Game 2 was a questionable penalty to Millionaires captain Art Farrell. During the ensuing Thistles power play, Westwick snagged a pass and flipped the puck to Duke Keats -- the overtime hero of the wild-card game -- who skated in against Riley Hern on a breakaway and scored just the second playoff shorthanded goal in league history. The Thistles were unable to convert on the remainder of the power play, but seemed to find a bit of life later in the period when they killed off a penalty to Moose Johnson. Hern turned away several quality chances, and it appeared that he was starting to find a rhythm. That sentiment proved to be a bit premature, as Westwick set up speedy winger Frank Rankin for a goal, putting the home team up 2-0. 

Feeling the Creighton Cup slipping away from their grasp, the Thistles came out sharper in the second. Some strong work by Tommy Phillips and Alf Smith led to defenseman Hod Stuart's first career playoff tally. Later in the period, Dickie Boon fed Moose Goheen (yes, this team has two different guys nicknamed 'Moose') for the tying goal. The Thistles' rally was short-lived, thanks to the resurgent Rankin. Using Goheen as a screen, Rankin fired a shot from the top of the circle that Hern didn't see, and with his second score of the game, the period ended with the home team up 3-2. This goal also gave Westwick his third assist of the night.

In the third, Rankin had several more chances to complete the hat trick, but Hern delivered his best period of the series and did not allow any further damage. In the closing seconds, Dan Bain found Alf Smith for a cannon of a one-timer, but Lehman turned it aside as time expired to seal the one-goal win.

The Millionaires now have a commanding 2-0 lead in this best-of-five series. The Thistles now return home in search of answers and facing elimination. Millies fans, meanwhile, can start dreaming of which of their stars will earn the Playoff MVP trophy. Could it be Hugh Lehman (2.33, .924), Graham Drinkwater (3 G, 2 A, +4), or Frank Rankin (3 G, 2 A, +4)? Harry Westwick, Barney Stanley, and Duke Keats have all played key roles as well. The Millionaires certainly don't lack for candidates!

Creighton Cup Finals, Game 1

The championship series for Season 5 is finally here! Tonight the top-seeded Thistles hosted the injury-ravaged, emotionally drained Millionaires in Game 1!

The first period gave little indication of the offensive fireworks to come. The game was quiet until late in the first, when rugged winger Rusty Crawford -- dressing in place of the injured Harry Westwick -- whipped a pass to ersatz centerman Frank Rankin, who beat Riley Hern to make it 1-0 in favor of the visiting Millionaires.

While the first period was a tight, defensive affair, the second turned out to be a shooting gallery. A half-minute into the frame, defenseman Hod Stuart set up Tommy "Tools" Smith for a quick goal to tie the game. Just moments later, another Stuart pass led to a goal for rookie Jack Walker. Suddenly trailing by a goal, the resilient Millies went right back to work, and soon a Jimmy Gardner tally tied the game at two. Then the floodgates opened. The line of Duke Keats, Jimmy Gardner, and Barney Stanley cycled the puck with ruthless efficiency, setting up defenseman Graham Drinkwater for a slapshot goal from the point. Without pausing even for a drink of water, Drinkwater scored again on his very next possession. It was now 4-2 Millionaires and the home team was on its heels. Thistles hothead Alf Smith went berserk toward the end of the frame, leading to a Millies power-play goal from Art Farrell. 

Trailing by three goals to start the third period, the Thistles made some adjustments in the hope of obtaining more favorable line matchups, but all they could do was chase the Millionaires. Midway through the period, Drinkwater collected his own rebound and fired it past an imploding Hern to complete the first hat trick of his career. That goal also set a record for the most goals (six) a team has scored in a single postseason game. The end of period was marred by penalties on both sides. Alf Smith scored a late power-play goal to make it 6-3, but the Thistles had no time for a comeback. 

The Millionaires return home leading the series 1-0, and they'll get star center Harry Westwick back in the lineup for Game 2. The Thistles, meanwhile, need to right the ship in a hurry.

Creighton Cup Finals Preview

I know two things about this Creighton Cup series: 1) It's going to be really hard to top that heart-stopping wild-card game between the Millionaires and the Comets, and 2) a team that has never won the cup will win their first title over the next three to five games. Now let's take a look at how our finalists match up!

Forwards

• Millionaires: This crew contributed to a league-leading 3.13 goals per game, with MVP frontrunner Barney Stanley leading the league with 13 and Harry Watson chipping in a career-best eight. Stanley (+14), Watson (+11), and Harry Westwick (+11) paced the league in plus/minus, a testament to their excellent five-on-five play. The lingering injury to Westwick, however, robs this unit of an elite player for at least the first game of the series.
• Thistles: The Thistles' 3.00 goals per game ranked second in the league. Top center Dan Bain led the way with 11 tallies, and he's flanked on a potent first line by Alf Smith (9) and captain Tommy Phillips (7). The Thistles need more goals from supporting players like Tommy Smith (4) and Fred Whitcroft (3).
• Advantage: Even

Defensemen

• Millionaires: Graham Drinkwater (5 G, 11 A, +5) earned a nomination for Defenseman MVP, but will likely finish third behind Cyclone Taylor and Hod Stuart. Captain Art Farrell was injured for a quarter of the season but, impressively, still managed to notch a half-dozen goals.
• Thistles: Their top three defensemen have been together since the first game of Season 1 and truly represent the heart and soul of this team. Hod Stuart had a monster season, his 24 points placing him fourth overall in the scoring race. Moose Johnson (+8) and Dickie Boon (+5) were among the league's best in plus/minus.
• Advantage: Thistles

Goaltending

• Millionaires: Second-year netminder Hugh Lehman was second in Goals-Against Average (2.75) and third in Save Percentage (.906). He's not going to steal any games, but he's turning out to be a very solid goaltender.
• Thistles: Riley Hern posted 2.63 and .914 in the aforementioned stats, ranking first in the league in both. He's the hands-down favorite to win Goaltender MVP this year.
• Advantage: Thistles

Special Teams

• Millionaires: Their power play was third in the league (17.65%), and their penalty kill climbed steadily over the course of the season to finish first (83.64%).
• Thistles: They were second in power play (20.41%), with Bain scoring a single-season record of six power-play goals. While their penalty kill was third (81.36%), they led the league in shorthanded goals.
• Advantage: Even

Prediction

The Millionaires are scrappy, but the Thistles are loaded with high-end talent. Over a five-game series, I think their stars will carry the day. Thistles in four.

Wild-Card Game

Nobody would want to face the scorchingly hot Comets in a single winner-take-all playoff game, but the Millionaires were especially concerned. The last time these teams met, the Comets spanked them 4-0. Percy LeSueur notched the only shutout of any goaltender this season, but a lot of the credit should go to the Comets' skating players -- to wit, the Millies managed just two shots on goal during the first period of that game, the lowest shot total for any single period in league history. 

Well, the Millionaires managed to rack up rather more shots in tonight's wild-card game. Midway through the first, Harry "Rat" Westwick buried a pass from Frank Rankin to give the hometown Millies a 1-0 lead. Rankin's clutch play was a bit of a surprise given his miserable season (2 G, 5 A, -10), but in his earlier years with the Victorias, he's always been able to take his game to another level in the playoffs -- and entered the game tied for second in league history in postseason points. At the horn, however, Ranking got into a tussle with the Comets' Blair Russell and was assessed a penalty. The Millies headed to the dressing room knowing they'd start the second period up against the league's top power play (26.67%), but they trusted in the skill of their league-leading penalty kill (83.64%).

The Millies killed Rankin's penalty to open the second, and then killed a Jimmy Gardner penalty shortly thereafter. The second frame remained uneventful until the closing minutes, when Percy LeSueur stonewalled Art Farrell and Rankin in rapid succession, keeping the Comets within striking distance. With mere seconds left on the clock, sparkplug winger Billy Gilmour snapped a shot that Hugh Lehman turned aside, but a juicy rebound landed on the stick of former Playoff MVP Mike Grant, who buried the puck to tie the game at one goal apiece.

Giving up a last-second goal was bad enough, but worse news came from the Millies' dressing room: top pivot Westwick was injured and would not return. The Millies had lost more man-games to injury than any other team this season, and the trend now continued into the playoffs. Westwick had finished tenth in the league in total points, and without their best playmaker the home team would need to rely on rookie center Duke Keats to step up.

The somber mood in the Millies' stadium soon turned to elation, however, when Jimmy Gardner set up star winger Barney Stanley for a goal early in the third to give the hosts a 2-1 edge. It was Stanley's first-ever playoff goal, and it came in his first-ever playoff contest. His tally remained the difference for much of the third as the desperate Comets -- their season on the line -- threw everything they had at Lehman.

With less than a minute left in regulation, the Millies had pinned the Comets deep in their own zone. Keats won a crucial faceoff and kicked the puck back to Farrell, who blasted a slapper that LeSueur somehow managed to swat away. The Comets recovered the biscuit and worked it up to Grant, who fired one last shot as time expired.

It went in.

I could scarcely believe the dice roll, but defenseman Mike Grant had not only scored a buzzer-beater at the end of the second period, he had just scored a buzzer-beater at the end of the third as well! (As an aside, Grant has been ridiculous in the postseason -- the guy basically turns into Cyclone Taylor when the playoffs start!) The game was now tied at two and headed for sudden-death overtime. It was yet another dagger in the hearts of the Millies and their dumbfounded fans. Two last-second heartbreaker goals, plus the crippling loss of Rat Westwick? This team was on the ropes.

With grim determination, the Millies set to work in the overtime frame. Five minutes in, Stanley found an open Keats in the slot. The rookie rifled the puck past LeSueur, sending the Millionaires and their fans into a frenzied celebration. With a victory in the wild-card game, they had punched their ticket to the Creighton Cup series to face the top-seeded Thistles!

What a Finish!

Tonight's tilt between the Bulldogs and the Comets was, for all intents and purposes, a contest to determine the third and final playoff spot (the Thistles and Millionaires had already locked up the first two). The Dogs came into the game holding a slim one-point edge in the standings, but the Comets were absolutely red-hot, riding a five-game unbeaten streak that had already pushed the flagging Victorias into the cellar. In a stunning turn of events, the Comets knocked off the Bulldogs with an easy 3-1 win, vaulting them into the playoffs. There's still a meaningless game between the Victorias and the Thistles to finish up before the postseason, but the playoff picture is set. The Millionaires will host the Comets in the wild-card game, and then the winner of that contest will face the first-place Thistles in the best-of-five Creighton Cup finals.

The Home Stretch!

We've passed the three-quarter mark! Season 5 of my pre-modern hockey league is careening toward an exciting end to the regular season. Here are a few key storylines I'll be watching as the teams make their push for the playoffs...

• Three Tiers: The teams have settled into three distinct tiers, with the Thistles and Millionaires vying for first place and therefore the crucial bye into the Creighton Cup Finals; the Bulldogs and Victorias as deeply flawed teams struggling to snag the third and last playoff spot; and the Comets suffering through a wire-to-wire stint in the basement. 
• Photo Finish: Four players are in contention for the scoring title, with Dan Bain (11 G, 11 A), Barney Stanley (11 G, 11 A), Cyclone Taylor (7 G, 15 A), and Hod Stuart (5 G, 16 A) all within a point of each other. One of these four will most almost certainly take home that trophy, and I'd say Bain and Stanley are co-frontrunners for the Forward MVP, while Taylor and Stuart are co-frontrunners for the Defenseman MVP. Multiple trophies up for grabs!
• Record Breakers: The single-season record for points (32), assists (18), and plus/minus (+13) might all be broken this year. (Not surprisingly, we haven't seen a single shutout so far!) On the other end of the spectrum, the record for worst plus/minus (-10) and most penalty minutes (28) might also be set. 
• Race to the Bottom: Somebody has to win Rookie of the Year, right? Top contenders Duke Keats (6 G, 4 A, -6) and Frank Foyston (4 G, 7 A, -11) have produced well enough offensively, but they both rank among the league's worst in plus/minus.

Worth the Wait

I've waited over six months for NHL '21 to come down in price so that I could justify purchasing it solely for the copy of NHL '94 that comes bundled with it. Matthew noticed the other day that NHL '21 was on sale for about twenty bucks, so I jumped on it. 

This old gem was worth the wait! From the graphics to the music to the sound effects, NHL '94 is just as I remember it from high school. Well, it's not exactly as I remember it, because it's a lot harder to play using the Xbox controllers. Once I get the hang of it, I can't wait to start a playoff and guide my team to the Cup!

Pop quiz: Why do these screenshots feature the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks?

Cup Preview?

Tonight the Thistles and Millionaires faced each other for the first time since skating to a 2-2 tie a couple of weeks ago. Here in the second half of the season, these two franchises have cemented their status as the teams to beat and they entered the game tied for first place -- although the Thistles have more wins, so technically they hold the top spot. Could this be a preview of the Creighton Cup finals?

The Thistles found themselves in penalty trouble early and often, but the Millionaires' inept power play failed to cash in. In fact, Thistles center Tommy "Tools" Smith potted a short-hander on the team's very first shot on goal. After that rude awakening, the Millies went on the offensive, peppering Riley Hern with a baker's dozen shots but without denting the twine.

The second period found both teams settling into a measured pace. Barney Stanley, the league's leading scorer, had one quality chance, but otherwise found himself harried by Thistles captain Tommy Phillips every time he touched the puck. About five minutes into the second, defenseman Graham Drinkwater found a wide-open Harry Watson, who beat Hern for the Millies' first goal. Later in the period, star defenseman Hod Stuart scored on Smith's rebound to make 2-1 in favor of the Thistles. Shortly thereafter, however, Tommy Tools took a penalty and Millies captain Art Farrell rifled home a shot from the point to tie the game at two apiece.

Not much happened in the first half of the third. Phillips made it interesting with a power-play goal to put the Thistles up by a goal for the third time, but rookie Duke Keats knotted the game at three with a goal of his own in the waning moments of the third. 

In the end, not much was settled tonight. I hope we see these two heavyweights clash again in the finals!

Midseason Report

Hard to believe, but I'm halfway through Season 5. So far it's been a year of high-octane offense, with teams scoring an average of 3.25 goals per game (vs. 2.875 last season). We've seen the emergence of new stars (Barney Stanley) and the fall of old ones (Frank McGee), and the two teams that have never won a Creighton Cup (the Thistles and Millionaires) are currently one-two in the standings. There's a lot of hockey yet to be played, but let's take a look at each team's highs and lows here at the midway mark!

1. Thistles (5-2-1, 28 Goals For, 22 Goals Against, +6 Goal Differential)

• Highs:
• Riley Hern (2.75 Goals Against Average, .913 Save Percentage) is the clear frontrunner for Goaltender MVP.
• Top-line center Dan Bain (6 Goals, 8 Assists, 14 Points, +5) is in contention for the scoring title as well as the Forward MVP trophy.
• Hod Stuart (4 G, 10 A, 14 PTS, -1) is in the running for Defenseman MVP.
• Lows:
• Captain and star left wing Tommy Phillips (3 G, 5 A, 8 PTS, +5) has underperformed and is tied for eighteenth in the league in total points.
• Fred Whitcroft is leading the league in penalty minutes (20) and, largely because of him, the Thistles are the league's most-penalized team.

2. Millionaires (3-2-3, 30 GF, 27 GA, +3)

• Highs:
• Their scoring rate of 3.75 goals per game is tied for tops in the league.
• Right wing Barney Stanley (8 G, 9 A, 17 PTS, +10) exploded out of the gate and is tied for the league lead in points. He's also the frontrunner for Forward MVP.
• The Millies are getting career years from veterans Harry Watson, Harry Westwick, and Graham Drinkwater (4 G, 6 A, 10 PTS, +2), the last of whom is a dark-horse candidate for Defenseman MVP.
• Lows:
• Their power play is dead last in the league and their penalty kill is second-to-last. 
• The theoretical top line of Duke Keats, Frank Rankin, and Jimmy Gardner has been downright awful -- the league's second-worst line at five-on-five hockey.

3. Bulldogs (4-4-0, 30 GF, 31 GA, -1)

• Highs:
• Their scoring rate of 3.75 goals per game is tied for first.
• The Dogs rank first in penalty killing.
• Gord Roberts (7 G, 7 A, 14 PTS, -1) and Tommy Dunderdale (5 G, 8 A, 13 PTS, -1) have shaken off slow starts and are in the running for the scoring title and Forward MVP.
• Supporting players like Tom Hooper, Oliver Seibert, and Scotty Davidson carried the team while the superstars shook off the rust.
• Rookie blueliner Jack Gibson leads all league defensemen in plus/minus (+8).
• Lows:
• The Dogs are giving up a league-worst 3.88 goals per game.
• A good chunk of the blame for the stat referenced above can be tied to goaltender Paddy Moran (3.88 GAA, .880 SP) whose numbers are way down from last year's Playoff MVP performance.
• Last season's Rookie of Year, Jack Laviolette, is a woeful -6 after leading the league in plus/minus as a rookie, and twice so far he's been a healthy scratch.

4. Victorias (3-4-1, 21 GF, 22 GA, -1)

• Highs:
• Bowse Hutton (2.75 GAA, .908 SP) is in contention for Goaltender MVP.
• Cyclone Taylor (4 G, 13 A, 17 PTS, +4), the most accomplished player in the history of this league, is tied for the lead in points, and (as always) is in the mix for the scoring title as well as the Defenseman MVP.
• Lows:
• Taylor has either scored or assisted on a staggering 81% of his team's goals. The story with the Vics this year is that if Taylor isn't on the ice, the team doesn't score. That's a big problem.
• At 2.63 goals per game, the Vics are tied for the lowest scoring rate.
• Newcomer Ernie Russell is second in the league in penalty minutes and George McNamara is tied for third; for the first time in franchise history, the classy Vics are starting to look like a goon squad.

5. Comets (2-5-1, 21 GF, 28 GA, -7)

• Highs:
• Veteran forward George Richardson (5 G, 5 A, 10 PTS, +0) is doing all he can to keep this team afloat.
• Frank Foyston (4 G, 5 A, 9 PTS, -7) leads all rookies in scoring.
• Lows:
• Where to begin? Their scoring rate of 2.63 goals per game is tied for worst in the league.
• The Comets are last in penalty killing at an abysmal 60%.
• Percy LeSueur (3.50 GAA, .876 SP) is suffering through a lousy season in goal.
• Defenseman Jack Marshall is dead last in the league in plus/minus at -9.
• The top unit of Frank McGee, Blair Russell, and Frank Foyston is the league's worst five-on-five line.

Sunset Mountains

Nathaniel and I have reached the second of three chapters in Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. We're now traipsing through the Sunset Mountains, looking for the oil needed to start a signal fire. Tons of fun so far!

Down Into the Sewers

It's rare that I enjoy (non-hockey) games on the Xbox, but Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is right up my alley. Nathaniel is also quite taken with the game. He's playing as the archer, and I the sorceress, and since Saturday morning we've logged a couple of hours in the sewers beneath Baldur's Gate. It's also great to have a game I can play with Nathaniel, as he's not as keen on hockey games as Matthew is. I suspect we'll play this one all the way through!

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance

Just heard that the classic console game Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is being re-released for Xbox tomorrow. Was it really twenty years ago that I first saw this game at Matt's house in Rochester? In any case, you bet your sweet beholder I'll be buying it! 

Stanley Up

I've now played through a quarter of Season 5, and so far the Millionaires have had the most interesting experience. At 1-1-2, they're right in the middle of the pack, but they're the only team with a positive goal differential (+2). 

I was expecting great things from their spiffy new top line of rookie center Duke Keats, veteran trade acquisition Frank Rankin, and incumbent star Jimmy Gardner, but those lads have sputtered out of the gate. Rankin has yet to score, Gardner is nowhere near his Season 4 MVP-caliber pace, and Keats has a measly three points in his inaugural campaign -- and will probably end up with the dubious distinction of becoming the first number-one draft pick who doesn't win Rookie of the Year.

On the other hand, the Millies' second line -- Harry Westwick flanked by Barney Stanley and Harry Watson -- is off to a scorching start. All three are top-five in the league in points, with Stanley leading all players with 5 goals and 6 assists after 4 games. Compare those numbers to last year's totals, when he had 6 goals and 6 assists in a full 16 games! Ironically, Stanley was the last man to make the Millies' opening-day roster, as I had to choose between him and second-year defensive forward Rusty Crawford. 

Thanks to this line's heroics, the Millies are scoring 4.5 goals per game (best in the league by an entire goal over the second-place Bulldogs), but on the flip side, they're giving up 4.0 (worst in the league). That goals-against stat is due in large part to goalie Hugh Lehman, whose .861 save percentage is 26 points worse than the next-lowest goaltender. Looking further at the stats, it's interesting that the Millies are also dead last in power play (16.67%) and penalty kill (62.50%). This team would really be in the toilet if not for the stellar five-on-five play of Stanley's line!