Sherman Old School Tanks Season Preview

Tanks Offense: Looking in the rear-view mirror at last year's Broadway team, the Tanks squad could be better offensively. Fielder must produce nearly as much as Konerko did for Broadway, and we have to slug as a group and get on base as a group. If those three things happen for the most part, I can hit this team's ceiling and be a top 5 offense. Truth-be-told, I'd be happy with top 8 if it translated to wins. This isn't my first go-round with a middling-at-best offense, so I think I can produce wins from this type of offense.

Tanks Pitching: Kershaw should be SL 2012's version of Greinke in SL 2010, or as best as I can recollect him, our league's best starter in Randy Johnson of SL 1996. Preplays may say one thing about that, but I am a better manager than Blackie Dugan, or I usually am at least. In 2009 I had a just halfway decent supporting set of pitchers to my first round ace, and they ended up being historically good. Hopefully that is the case for this decent enough group, as it isn't my first rodeo with this type of staff.

Tanks Defense: Ideally, Montero will be an offensive key as a catcher, as I thought he could produce runs better than the regular catchers not named Avila and Napoli. And while his 7 defense and PB rating are less than ideal, I am hopeful his +4 is a talent that I can take advantage of. Infield defense is as poor as I have had in many seasons, so I am very hopeful that the OF defense / arms are capable of preventing some runs. Expect the group will be a lot like the last 80 games of my Kilamanjaro team was on defense, whose disadvantages I was able to get past. Have had successful teams with porous defense in the past, so I will try to tap into that again.

Tanks Other Data: Got the speed that I wanted, in general, though I don't think I will be able to steal with a very high percentage. I have been top 3 in steals each season since I was middle of the pack in 2008, and that season was an offensive powerhouse type of squad that didn't need as many manufactured runs. Expecting my GIDP numbers will require some running. Also made a conscious effort to try to limit platoon ratings after a few seasons of absurd platoon ratings. Probably didn't do enough, really, considering 2 of my first 4 offensive players were Lefty-5s. Bottom line, platoon ratings shouldn't kill this team, nor should a lack of speed. Last few seasons, with some degree of success, I managed teams with significantly worse platoon ratings and with less consistent speed, so I expect I should be able to squeeze some positives out of this in 2012.

Tanks team name: After being very Rush-like in my initial years in the SL, then naming teams in reference to my kids, I have recently been following a pattern of Will Farrell - Vince Vaughn team names, notably their Anchorman & Dodgeball movies. Both turn in great lines in the Old School movie, including Farrell's entire Frank the Tank character. Sherman is in Texas, maybe not too far from Ding Dong, I don't know, but I liked the idea of a Sherman T team upon the passing of M*A*S*H*'s Harry Morgan. You're my boy Harry, you're my boy.

Good luck to all in SL 2012!