• 2009: Bourne Braves won series 2-0 vs. Cotuit Kettleers
• 2008: Harwich Mariners won series 2-0 vs. Cotuit Kettleers
• 2007: Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox won series 2-0 vs. Falmouth Commodores
• 2006: Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox won series 2-1 vs. Wareham Gatemen
• 2005: Orleans Cardinals won series 2-1 vs. Bourne Braves
• 2004: Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox won series 2-0 vs. Falmouth Commodores
• 2003: Orleans Cardinals won series 2-0 vs. Bourne Braves
• 2002: Wareham Gatemen won series 2-0 vs. Orleans Cardinals
• 2001: Wareham Gatemen won series 2-1 vs. Chatham A’s
• 2000: Brewster Whitecaps won series 2-0 vs. Hyannis Mets

But championship rings don’t tell the whole story. What about regular season points over the decade? I plugged in the point totals and came up with this graph (click to make it larger):

With two championships and the greatest number of points, Orleans looks like a top contender for franchise of the decade. But, there’s also Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (aka the Y-Dynasty) with three championships and the 2nd most points. And then there’s Chatham with no championships to show for it, but a great list of alumni including Evan Longoria and NL Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan, a really bad movie, and a book (Note: the last two probably shouldn’t factor in your decision!). Leading the West in points, Wareham also had two championships with the legendary John Wylde at the helm.

The Cape Cod Times calls last year’s All-Star Game a “success” because it drew 11,000 fans. I am hesitant to call it a success based on numbers alone, since I know many fans were disappointed after making the trek to Boston. But, whether the league had a rain-date or not, the game would have ended the same way. I think most fans were disappointed by the weather and the date the league chose, and not how the league managed the game.

Based on the Red Sox’s 2010 schedule, the league may be able to schedule a definite rain-date next season since the Sox will be on a road trip July 19th-29th. This also leaves open the possibility for a weekend game. What do you think?

A symbol of hope in Y-D

What’s your prediction? I want  Bourne (and felt good about them in the preseason), but think the Y-Dynasty may be back for another championship.

Here is the schedule from the CCBL website:

Friday, August 7, 2009 – (single game elimination)

Wareham at Cotuit, 3PM

Chatham at Orleans, 7PM

Saturday, August 8, 2009 – (best two out of three series)

TBD at Yarmouth-Dennis, 3PM

(Note: YD will host the winner of Wareham at Cotuit if Orleans defeats Chatham. If Chatham defeats Orleans on 8/7, Chatham would play at YD on 8/8).

TBD at Bourne, 7PM

(Note: Bourne will host Orleans if Orleans defeats Chatham on 8/7. If Chatham defeats Orleans on 8/7, Bourne will host the winner of Wareham at Cotuit game on 8/8).

I haven’t spent a lot of time looking at the schedule, but a few things stand out. The teams that met in the championship round this year are matched up in the only game to be played on Thursday, June 11.  Harwich hosts Cotuit that night, while the other eight teams open up the next night.

Some little things I noticed…

Most games in Bourne are scheduled for 6:00.

In previous years, all games in Chatham were scheduled for 7:00. This year, the Anglers will play their Sunday home games at 5:30. (It’s going to take some time to get used to typing “Anglers.”)

Falmouth will “host” Wareham on Martha’s Vineyard on July 9, but as of now, I don’t see any games scheduled for New Bedford or Brockton.

For a number of years, Bourne has hosted Wareham on July 4 at 2:00.   This year’s game is scheduled for 5:30.

There are nine dates where only one game is on the schedule. In other years, other than for make-up games, there have only been a couple days with just one game scheduled.

Is anyone aware of a new playoff format this year? The playoffs are scheduled to begin on Friday, August 7. There is a note that says “Round 1.  1 Game Series.  4 teams most points.”  The divisional series’ begin the next day.  Does this mean the second place team and the third place team in each division play one game with the winner advancing to the divisional playoff? It seems pretty clear that the teams that finish first in each division get an extra day off, but I’m not clear about the rest of the issue. I even thought that since it says “4 teams most points” it may mean that they are taking teams with the most points regardless of which division the teams are in. That doesn’t seem to be the case though, since they still refer to “divisional” playoffs. If my thought is correct  -  that the second place and third place teams meet in a one game playoff for the right to face the winner of the division  -  I’m not so sure I like that idea.  That would be good for the team that finishes in third place; but I wouldn’t want to be the team that finishes in second place six points ahead of the third place team, and then have to beat that team to advance to the next round. That’s just conjecture on my part though because I do not understand what the change is.

The release of the schedule at least allows us to think “warm thoughts” on a December day.