Hobbs Headlines

MIDSEASON REVIEW

Not too shabby a start for fearless prognosticators

The fearless prognosticators of Roy Hobbs have nailed 7 of the 8 first-place teams at the midseason point, and 20 of the 32 spots overall for a .625 percentage.

The prognosticators for the NL North, AL East and AL South divisions are perfect in their predictions at the midway mark.

In the NL North, Buffalo holds a 5-game edge over Chicago in what is shaping up to be a two-team race. Iowa City is 10 games back of Chicago, and Toledo is four games behind the Hawkeyes.

In the AL East, as predicted, Indianapolis and Washington are at the top of the standings and Durham and Chicago are neck and neck at the midway point in a heated battle to avoid the doormat.

In the AL South, New Orleans is running away from the rest of the pack, holding a commanding 14-game advantage over second place Nashville. The battle in that division will be for second place as the Legends hold a slim 2-game edge over Louisville.

The division that has given forecasters the most headaches is the NL South, where predictions have missed on all four of the spots. Charlotte was picked to lead the division, but Austin has established a 2-game lead at the midpoint. And Texas looks poised to spoil the third-place predicted finish for San Juan with the Choades settling into a comfortable 7-game lead over the last-place Padres.

All of the other misses have involved the second- and third-place teams in the AL North, AL West, NL East and NL West.

In the AL North, Kansas City’s 3-year hold on second place is in jeopardy at the half-way mark as the lucky Shamrocks of Montreal have lifted the team to a surprising 4-game edge over the Jayhawks.

In the AL West, Vancouver has spent much of the first half of the season hitting less than the team’s average weight and the dismal .244 offensive production has left the Ravens two games back of Cheyenne, which has nicbase2 saying, “I’m your huckleberry!”

In the NL East, Columbus is wrecking the hopes of a second-place finish for Trenton as the Ohioans have put seven games between themselves and the Thrashers. Equally important, the Columbus squad sits just two games behind predicted frontrunner Syracuse, which could be predictive of a second-half scramble for the Lake Monsters to defend their division title.

All in all, our prognosticators have inched a bit closer to the tree trunk as they sit precariously out on their limbs. The only one hearing the faint sound of cracking wood is the NL South forecaster.