Awards Watch

		Your Junk my Happy Zone
		by Brandon Corbett

With the season rounding into the home-stretch and All-Star voting opening earlier this week it seems like a good time to take a look at who might be in line to win what awards around the league. This article will highlight a couple of the prime ones and name a few players who have a shot at taking home the honor, then next week we will take a look at a few more. Without any further ado... let's see what's good!

Texas Ranger

First up, the coveted award for the most walked player in the league. Last season their was a tie for the top spot with 40, shared by Brian Constanti and Adam Grant. Who looks in line to take it in 2012?

1) Adam Grant No surprise. In WSEM we spell walk A-D-A-M. With 17 BB in 10 GP there is no reason to doubt Adam's ability to once again claim the Texas Ranger. The Commandos have 14 games remaining, projecting an additional 24 BB for Adam: 38 total. Additionally, 4 of those games are facing the often wild pitchers of King Friday. So, that number may come in even higher.

2) Carl Coffee Carl currently leads the league with 22 BB. However, he only has 0 games left to play, and is averaging 1.22 BB/G; seeing him projected to end the season with 34 BB. He has publicly stated he wants this one, though, so you may see him step up and keep that bat on his shoulder with a good playoff berth all but locked up.

3) Joe Crozier A lot of room for movement here. Joel and the Aces have 16 games remaining on the schedule. He has 14 BB in 12 games for an average of 1.17 per game. Extrapolated over the remaining schedule, that gives him an additional 19 BB, for 33 total.

Honorable Possible: Mike Myers Mike is averaging 1.19 BB/G, currently third with 19 BB in 16 GP. The Mattseals have just 8 games remaining, including games against Whiteford and Manchester, that will make it difficult to match the mid-to-high thirties that Coffee and Grant are capable of putting up. If Mike continues on pace, he will get 10 more walks, leaving him at 29 BB on the season.

Blood Test Pending Home Run King

Next, who is swinging the big sticks? Stroking the long balls? Who are we going to have to take blood and urine samples from? Are we going to forget those on a desk over the weekend? That is getting complicated. Let us just look at who is making the bid for royalty.

1) Austin Bischoff Austin currently leads the league with 5 HR and has sixteen games still to play, twelve of which will be played at his friendly confines, Poolside Park, where he has hit three of his home runs. With only two games remaining on a field larger than a bandbox, the smart money is on his current average of a home run hit every 2.4 games becoming much more frequent and Austin finishing the season with much more than the 12 HR he is trending toward right now.

2) Dylan Braden Currently, Dylan is tied for second with 4 HR. No cheapies, either. All of his home runs have been hit out of the deep Swamp dimensions. With sixteen games left on the schedule, Dylan is on pace to hit five more for 9 HR total. Dylan has obstacles to overcome, though, if he hopes to surpass Bischoff: four games at the 120'+ Drey, and six games against the impressive Whiteford and Manchester rotations.

3) Kyle Tomlinson Kyle has hit a ball over the fence in every series this season. However, he has had bad luck, a robbed home run and one lost to a forfeit, leaving him with just 2 HR on the season. Still, he has the power and eighteen games to stage a comeback. Helping his cause are four series still to play at The Wiffle Iron, aka "the launching pad". Not helping his cause are three series at the The Club, The Zoo, and The Drey where fly balls go to die. Also working against him are eight games facing the Manchester and Whiteford rotations. Kyle needs karma to swing back in his favor to be in this race.

Honorable Possible: Matt Murtha Murphy is currently tied for first with 5 HR. The reason he is not regarded as a favorite is that ten of his fourteen games remaining are on the nigh-impossible dimensions of The Zoo: 120' to left, 130' to right. He is not out of it, though, just needs to make use of his thunder stick in four games a The Club and Wiffle Iron, and practice a few wind dances for use before home games.