RIP: The Greased Poker Chips Universe
BORN: APRIL 4th, 2005DIED: OCTOBER 11TH, 2005
Well, it looks like we've reached the end of the line, the last stop, the final destination, one step beyond the penultimate.
With the Yankees' elimination from the postseason, Greased Poker Chips has nowhere to go.
The tabloids have no more Yankee games to get hysterical about. Their baseball coverage will go into hibernation, emerging only occasionally for rumor-mongering and the celebration and/or derision of off-season acquisitions and departures.
Al Leiter will pitch no more. Not just in 2005, but possibly ever. He leaves the game as a left-handed specialist, much like the late, lamented John Franco. He didn't qualify for the ERA title in 2005, but he stayed in the hunt for 162 innings pitched until the last month of the season. Although he didn't make it to that coveted number, he did end the season with 162 career wins, a fitting number for Al to retire with. Sadly, he will not pitch on his 40th birthday, either. He was two weeks shy of the four decade mark when he made his final appearance, earning the win in the Yankees' 3-2 victory on Sunday night.
Julio had a solid campaign, marred by a late-season slump that just so happened to coincide with his 47th birthday on August 23. He will definitely be back in 2006, marching with unbridled optimism and faith towards his 50th birthday.
We here at GPC have yet to determine the future of the site, for the offseason and for 2006. We truly thank the smattering of folks who stuck with it from beginning to end, and appreciate everyone who visited. If we return for 2006, we must reach out to more readers. The mere existence of GPC will no longer be motivation enough.
With that in mind, please let us know what you liked and didn't like about GPC in 2005.And take a look back through the archives. It makes you realize how long a baseball season truly is, and how hard you have to work to chronicle it effectively.
We're worn out. But perhaps there is still more to come?
posted by Ben at 4:17 PM
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Those bastards. Why must they ruin the most important "Post a Comment" of the year? Anyway, GPC was the highlight of my after homework, pre sleep time period. Even thought I only started in July, I went back and read all the other entries, just so I know exactly how my favorite old players and tabloid back covers progressed. You very rarely failed to make me laugh with sarcastic, whitty, corny, or simply freakish humor, on a category that could be boring. (not baseball, baseball is not boring, but every at-bat of Julio Franco may be) Anyway, thanks, cause GPC rocks and it better be here next year (perhaps with a new specialty to replace John Franco. Eh? Eh??)
Congrats on a heroic year of not one, not two, but THREE columns of baseball whimsey every week! An awesome accomplishment. I respect that a lot and I think many other people do too. Maybe they will start to some out of the woodwork now. I think you need to tone down the cursing and drug references but beyond that I followed happily each week. A little scripture wouldn't hurt either. Anyways, its not hard to imagine this shit appearing on the back of a tabloid itself. Or maybe a commercial website. Anything besides blogger! Go buy a drink on me and send me the bill. Nothing too fancy though.
enjoyed the shit out of this, ben. (or should i say "neighbor"?) i'm not even much of a baseball fan and i read daily. as for next year, hrm. i think you should keep the franco files going -- though you may have to hire a private investigator (wink, nudge) to follow juan's, er, goings juan. (oh man, that was terrible. operating on about five hours of sleep, folks.) (plus, did i mention that there was a break-in at work last night and my laptop was the only thing stolen?) maybe you should have a column wherein you chronical the seasons of baseball's tallest and shortest players? fattest and thinnest? maybe kaz v. matsui column? compare the seasons of the jim leyland-led 1986 pirates to the 2006 leyland-led tigers? the possibilities are endless. this for sure: when i raise my ic lite pounder tonight (my buddies from pittsburgh brought up two cases when they visited a couple of weeks ago), i'll be drinking to gpc!
How can you leave us now, right when Major Indoor Lacrosse League season is just around the corner???
If I referred to John Franco as "Juan," that's because I was, er, well, you know, I was having a bad day yesterday.
I'm really sad to see that GPC is going the way of the dinosaur... But if Jurassic Park has taught us anything, it's that through the magic of people in labcoats playing God, dinosaurs can come back! So, I say, when the time is right, get yourself a lab coat and come back soon!
Reading GPC became a part of my daily/weekly routine... I liked that after a few weeks it shifted from "baseball and life's occasional goings on" to simply "baseball." I enjoyed all three running features, and think they should all be continued. The Back Page Barometer was specifically memorable, as I'd ride the train every morning and look at other people's tabloids, and wonder which headlines would make the cut. Added features for next year could include: The Matsui Vs. Matsui files (I love this idea, Steve) and a chronicle of players' Walking-To-The-Plate songs.
I guess if there was anything I'd change about it, it would be the overall level of exposure; you're obviously a gifted writer, and passionate about what you love most, and this season has shown us (and you) that you can sustain it. So if you do it again next year, I'd love to see the readership grow.
R.I.P. GPC... perhaps the Phoenix will rise from the ashes...
Thanks for the love, GPC regulars.
While at this point I'm happy not to have to spend so much time logging Julio's playing time and keeping tabs on the tabs, I'm sure that by the time April 2006 rolls around I'll be chomping at the bit to get started again.
Steve, I liked all your ideas. I'm afraid the Matsui vs. Matsui moment may have already passed, with Hideki very likely to change teams and Kaz increasingly an afterthought on the Mets' roster. It's worth looking into, though.
I'd actually toyed with the fattest vs thinnest, tallest vs. shortest idea, only because both the tallest player in MLB history (Washington's Jon Rauch) and the heaviest (Baltimore's Walter Young) made their debuts in 2005.
Leyland 2006 vs. 1986 would be great.
I'll definitely stick with Julio (aka Juan) in 2006, and the tabloids as well (although perhaps in modified form). Anything else is still TBD.
Personally, I'd love to make Terry Mulholland a GPC regular (maybe something about active 1993 Phillies?) Also, I wish Otis Nixon was still playing. Just because.
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