Clutch 32-2016: This Is the End

“This Is the End” is a couple of things. The title, like some others of these blog posts, has been named after a movie or event. In this case it was the movie starring the modern day brat pack which was a humorous and pretty R rated look at the apocalypse. That’s not exactly or remotely close to what this is about – but a funny title nonetheless. It’s really about the end of a long journey. It was a journey that started in February and ended on a cool November Sunday. It was the marathon, and ironically on the day of the New York City marathon, of the baseball season.

Mr. Clutch is exhausted and looking very much towards taking a few days off before it gets started up again. Hurt feet, bags under the eyes and just general tiredness have all been experienced from the day to day labor associated with the Major League Baseball season. All this noted and filed by a person who didn’t step foot on a field, make a throw or have a single plate appearance during the whirlwind season.  It’s all the other baseball activities, including a new one that was added this year, which lent itself to this happy day or the end.

Likely sprinkled in over some previous blogs, Clutch of many ages has participated in the same fantasy baseball league (called Rotisserie baseball back then) since 1988. Yup, that’s 29 years of competing year in and year out against the same guys. Naturally some new teams came in, old teams went out, and it’s believed that one original team owner died of old age. But, the core teams have been together since then. Most probably know that running a baseball team, unlike fantasy football, is an everyday job with a focus required all the time. For those that want to win at this, it starts way before the season does and never really ends.

Team Clutch has been famous for “Discovering” players who at the time of being first fantasy drafted were an unknown that quickly became a household name. This is done through excessive research and development, most of which is worked on during the off season. Studying play in the domestic fall leagues and international winter leagues is where it starts.  Following players from rookie ball through the various single to multiple “A” levels of the minors is also a requirement to successfully make these discoveries. The Internet, invented after Clutch’s league was formed, has made it a little easier, but at the same time made it harder since it has generated more information and data to analyze.

The first such discovery was a scrawny kid coming up in the Atlanta organization in the late 80s. He became the Braves regular second baseman his rookie year – and did what the prototype at that position didn’t do back then – crack 20 homeruns and steal 20 bases. Power and speed is an all-out fantasy stud, and it’s a super-stud when you draft him for close to nothing (The league was an auction, not pick dract).  After that he switched to the outfield and was a staple to hit 30 homers and 30 steals a season. Being in or close to the 30-30 club was a top gem in the fantasy world. His name was Ron Gant. The name probably rings a bell to you now – but unlikely back in 1988 when his career started as a nobody. The dynamic and outgoing player, now well retired, co-hosts a TV talk show back in Atlanta.

It’s this type of hard-work and dedication that leads to a winning fantasy baseball team. Again, it starts way before the season starts and continues day in and day out during the season and after. The in-season discoveries are sometimes as valuable as or greater than the ones done pre-season. Two in-season studs that come to mind are both from the Cubs franchise. The first was the great Kerry Wood. Clutch snagged him after his first career start and had him on an active roster literally hours before Wood pitched one of the best games in Major League History. Kerry threw a complete game one-hitter (bunt single) with no walks and 20 strikeouts. He was 7 strikeouts and one less hit away from the ultimate perfect game.

The other Cubs gem found in the May timeframe was a current stud that everyone likely knows by the name of Jake Arrieta. Jake has only thrown a couple of no-hitters in the first few years of his past, now and future illustrious career. He joined the Clutch team in 2014 after he was a castaway from the Baltimore Orioles, and a “Throw in” in a trade to the Cubs. There were many other great finds over the couple of decades of this fantasy baseball life. Too many to name or discuss, most of which are past retirement age now. Mark Grace (also a Cub!), Pedro J., Chipper Jones and David Wright are a few worthy of bragging about.

The other baseball item of note, besides fantasy baseball, which has kept the Clutch camp extremely busy and in dire need of a “Vacation” is the addition of this. The this is what you are reading right now, and was mid-season named as “Clutch Speaks”. Adding that to an already full plate was challenging and fun at the same time., It’s the now 33 blogs that were thought up, researched, written, critiqued and posted during the course of the season.  All in that’s a lot of words.

Writing 33 blogs over the course of seven or eight month might not seem “Hard”, but try coming up with 33 different topics to discuss over one subject matter – which in this case is baseball. Every post needed to be unique, interesting and somehow tie to a current baseball event or have something to do with Mr. Clutch’s long baseball history. It got harder and harder as the season went on. Delivering great and fresh content week after week seemed like an eternity because it was.

Both blogging and following a kid who is currently playing in Rancho Cucamonga (A real baseball fan will know what this is) is just flat out exhausting and requires an official break. The itch and need to continue on both of those fronts will be just around the corner. Until then team Clutch is on vacation, will enjoy a little time off, and for the here and now: “This Is the End”.