Backyard Baseball 2001: The Neo Yankees, Game 14

Season Game, 14/14 Vs. Texas Rangers @ Tin Can Alley (Away). It all comes down to this - one final game for the season, and then we're off to the play-offs... And of course, it wouldn't be a grand finale if we weren't playing in the most cramped and butt-ugly park in the whole league. Though, thankfully, we also don't have to deal with another all-slugger team... Mostly because I think all the ones we should worry about have already been picked up by either the Monsters, the Mariners or the Braves (more on the latter later). Instead, we have a surprisingly quaint grounderball team with surprisingly little to show for themselves... Besides having one of my favorite pro kids, but that's a given. --------------- Scouting Report: Left Field: Lisa Crocket, 5/8/6/4. One of the more underrated players in the pool of Backyard kids, I'd say Lisa is a decent "jack of all trades" player. She's not great at anything specific, but she is good at most things: She's not Kyle Tucker with the bat, but she can slap a ground ball and get to first with ease. She's not Ichiro Suzuki with the glove, but she's got good arm strength and an okay glove. She's not Tarik Skubal on the mound, but she's got great hooks and decent stamina. She just doesn't have much to say about herself, because what is she supposed to say when there's not really anything special going on with her? Center Field: Dawn Cozart, 7/10/6/9. Identical stats to Kenny Lofton. An above average bat, plus one of the fastest runners in the league AND a great fielder. She can even pitch if you really need someone. Third Base: Anna Goudreau, 8/7/4/8. Identical stats to Chipper Jones. An above average power bat and a strong throwing arm, but below average stamina means she will tire out quickly. Right Field: Tonya Lesco, 8/8/6/4. Identical stats to Jose Canseco. Excellent power but poor contact means she will more often than not just whiff three times and walk back to the dugout with her tail between her legs. Her arm is above average, but she catches the ball like her glove is covered in bacon grease. Catcher: Ivan Rodriguez, 7/5/7/8. Fun fact, I was considering picking Pudge for OUR team when I was thinking about who to have as my one free pick, but I eventually decided to pick Giambi instead. I'll be honest... I somewhat regret that choice. That's not to say Giambi is bad, but I just think Pudge is way more versatile - he's a great line drive hitter with awesome contact, he's got okay speed on the basepaths meaning he can beat the ball to first even on a bad hit, he's got an arm like a sniper rifle, and he isn't a half bad pitcher if you need a starter! One slight knock is his poor stamina, meaning he tires out pretty quickly if you pitch with him for too long, but still - he's just a very good all-rounder, I think. Pitcher: Nan Porter, 5/6/10/8. Identical stats to Curt Schilling. Sure, she's a masterful pitcher, but she's also an utter liability at the plate - her swing power is just 15/100! Other than that, her arm is quite strong as well, but seriously, don't expect her to be a wonder on offense. First Base: Buddy Martin, 2/4/6/6. From what I've seen, quite a few of the teams on this season seem to have drafted some work-in-progress players that they seem to be planning on developing - this is one of them. With a poor bat, crummy speed and not the best glove, there's clearly a lot of work ahead of little Buddy, but with his above-average arm and decent pitching abilities, I can see a lot of room for him to grow. Shortstop: Robby Bocko, 7/6/4/4. Yep, another sneaky power hitter - great power, bad contact, meaning it averages out to a 7/10. In the field, his glove is iffy, but his arm is actually quite strong, so he's not that bad of a guy to have. Second Base: Brad Bender, 2/4/2/7. Another "budding prospect". With his great glove and strong arm, I can see this kid being a scary fielder to hit the ball towards next season - He just needs to work on his running and stamina first, THEN he'll have a chance to impress. --------------- Hot/Cold Day Report: -Stephanie Morgan: -3 Running, -3 Fielding. -Annie Frazier: -3 Batting. -Ivan Rodriguez: +3 Batting, +2 Fielding. --------------- Current Rankings: Record: 13 Wins, 0 Losses. Last Game's MVP: Angela Delvecchio. Reasoning: I'll be honest, when I started the last game, I was NOT expecting Angela to go 4 for 5 with THREE home runs AND a ground rule double. Therefore, I need to give Angela my official pardon - I'm sorry that I tried trading you away in exchange for Omar. Now, Stephanie, on the other hand, I'm considering giving the Angels of Anaheim a call, Butch actually didn't look half bad... Honorable Mentions: Jason Giambi. --------------- Credits: NobodyLivesHer7 on Twitter, Maria. ChipzDio on DeviantArt, Vicki. chioridaqueen on Discord, Tony. Mudkip on Discord, Annie. friendlyfox34 on Tumblr, Angela. @atyp1cal801 , Kenny. Fluffy_Boy71 on Discord, Stephanie. @Mscreepygreen20 , Pablo.