Really good collection of position players on today's Birthday Team. Chavez is obviously a heck of a ballplayer, but there are two Hall of Famers in his way. Deacon White could be moved from third base to catcher, but not while Johnny Bench is there.

Also, today's team is one of the ultra-rare teams that has lost a player to free agency. Last year's fourth starter, Fausto Carmona, now plays for August 30.

C: Johnny Bench
1B: Tino Martinez
2B: Hobe Ferris
3B/Manager: Deacon White
SS: Ryan Theriot
LF: Alex Johnson
CF: Shane Mack
RF: Paul Dade

SP: Dick Donovan
SP: Don Cardwell
SP: Denny Galehouse
SP: Tom Lovett
SP: 1920s Ed Morris
RP: Bo Belinsky

DL: Eric Chavez

This is a real contender.

I've pretty much done with the February 25 man rosters. Shall I start attacking January from the back end?

So if you’re in Batesville and looking to buy some meat, you should probably buy beef.

I'll take my chances with the ham, it would have to at least be nice and tender!

And Birthday Team reserve Rupe Toppin turns 71 today, but his birth in Panama was not the big international news story that day.

Greg, Meatwad was working on the back end of January at last report. I had the first half, though I've not had a ton of time lately. If you want to pick up where I've left off, that works for me. You wouldn't be duplicating any work.

Greg, Meatwad was working on the back end of January at last report. I had the first half, though I've not had a ton of time lately. If you want to pick up where I've left off, that works for me. You wouldn't be duplicating any work.

That's cool, it's all got to get done one way or another! As I recall someone had March, so I can just jump on April.

BENZ THROWS AT HAM TO GET CONTROL

I guess we all know what Japanese team he would be destined for these days.

Batesville's Liberty Park is where we hold family reunions in conjunction with sister town Oldenburg's Freudenfest. That's a long day and night of beer drinking.

Speaking of disasters, it looks like the Michael Young to Phillies deal is off. And right after I had talked myself into it (pending announcement that the Rangers would be covering most of his contract), given that the reason he sucked last year is that he sucked against RHP (amplified by BABip, but still true), whereas Ryan Howard sucks against LHP. I would like to see Howard's 17 BB and 110 K and .630ish OPS against LHP (2011-12) replaced by Young's 21 BB and 33 K and .850ish OPS against LHP.

Chavez is obviously a heck of a ballplayer, but there are two Hall of Famers in his way.

Chavez has played some 1B lately, you could arguable slot him in over Tino.

Are you guys doing 25 man rosters for each month? Because gives me yet another chance to shamelessly plug my Best of the Month Series at Hardball Times

Are you guys doing 25 man rosters for each month? Because gives me yet another chance to shamelessly plug my Best of the Month Series at Hardball Times

25 man rosters for each day!

It will be a no holds barred 365 team blood-bath!

I think the answer is to move Dade, a replacement level player, out of RF. You could play White there - he actually played more games in right (his 3rd most common position) than Dade over their careers. Also, Chavez represents an upgrade defensively at third (5 straight GG - White was average or a bit below at the hot corner, as I understand it), though it does appear that White was a pretty horrific outfielder (then again, Dade was no great shakes).

Nice ballclub! That lineup's fourth best player (if you give the nod to Tino over Mack) once finished 2nd in MVP voting - its only problem is Dade (a replacement level guy), though I guess Ferris/Theriot is a blah keystone. Mack's an underrated player - career 121 OPS+ in center with a decent glove. OTOH, I didn't realize how ephemeral Johnson's career was - had 9.8 WAR in his 3 year peak ... but -1.8 WAR outside it. The pitching is unspectacular, but decent enough.

Again, November 15 wants to forfeit and go back to their day jobs. Our one All-Star, the other four hitters with more than 200 career hits, and our four pitchers with more than 200 career innings are free to latch on with other dates. Sorry Dylan Bundy.

February completed.

My pick for the league title is February 10th. Herb Pennock and Allie Reynolds are the best 1-2 punch of the league and Kuroda is no slouch at the #5 spot. While there are better offences Lance Berkman, Alex Gordon, and Lenny Dykstra should be enough to get enough runs to win most games.

The early favourites for the cellar is the 28th team. Their best player is Terry Turner, a dead-ball shortstop with an OPS+ of 89, and their ace is Jake Miller.

25 man rosters for each day!

It will be a no holds barred 365 team blood-bath!

What happens to the (very few) guys on February 29th?
Do you drop them into the February 28th team?
Al Rosen, Terrance Long, and Pepper Martin had over 3000 AB, and there are a couple of 500 IP pitchers as well.

The early favourites for the cellar is the 28th team. Their best player is Terry Turner, a dead-ball shortstop with an OPS+ of 89, and their ace is Jake Miller.

I like how in your effort to show how bad the team is you take pains to depict Terry Turner's accomplishments in the friendliest light possible. You could just have said "Their best player is Terry Turner, whose career line is .253/.308/.318".

I like how in your effort to show how bad the team is you take pains to depict Terry Turner's accomplishments in the friendliest light possible. You could just have said "Their best player is Terry Turner, whose career line is .253/.308/.318".

I could also mention that their starting catcher (Gene McAuliffe) has 2 career plate appearances. Which is double the experience the backup (Tom Walsh) has.

The good news about Terry Turner is he can be awful at multiple positions

Turner is the Indians' all-time leader in games played, which I think says a lot about how hapless this franchise has been for the past 110 years.

And I don't have any idea what we'll do about February 29. The options, as I see them are:

a) Fill out the roster with replacement-level generic players
b) Act as if February 29 doesn't exist
c) Combine with February 28
d) Combine with March 1

I have no real preference. I don't like any of the options. Thoughts?

Why not make the Feb 29th players as wild cards, and use them to fill out rosters where needed?

Ryan Spilborghs has signed with the Seibu Lions, leaving behind the following excellent quote:

"I have been studying Rosetta Stone, trying to get the language down. So far I can say, 'The boy is eating.'"

Turner is the Indians' all-time leader in games played

There are several of the "old 16" franchises where I'd guess wrong at the all-time games-played leader, just because I didn't think long enough or didn't take into account certain factors. But this is a revelation: I had never even heard of one of them.

My pick for the league title is February 10th. Herb Pennock and Allie Reynolds are the best 1-2 punch of the league and Kuroda is no slouch at the #5 spot.

Wow. I gotta think Kuroda as a #5 starter is going to be as good as any of the 365 (366) teams is going to have.

e) Assign duplicates of 38% of the 2/28 and 3/1, respectively, players to the team (picking randomly)?

Kuroda is a solid #5, but April 8th has Kirby Higbe, Jeremy Guthrie and Lady Baldwin fighting for the 4-5-6 spots. (I'd have to bet heavily on Higbe in that battle royale) And November 3 puts Harry Staley (136-119 105 ERA+ in 2269 IP) out there as #5.

Turner is the Indians' all-time leader in games played, which I think says a lot about how hapless this franchise has been for the past 110 years.

1619 career games ain't a lot, only about 11-12 full seasons' worth. With most "original 16" franchises, the players with that many career games are second-tier franchise legends. Del Ennis played 1630 career games for the Phillies. Bobby Veach played 1604 career games with the Tigers. Tony Lazzeri played 1659 career games with the Yankees. Vada Pinson played 1565 games with the Reds. Eric Karros played 1601 games with the Dodgers.

Why not make the Feb 29th players as wild cards, and use them to fill out rosters where needed?

Play a simulated season of the February teams, then have a draft with the last-place team picking first.

"We're here with Mel Kiper, Jr. at Leap Day Draft Central. So, Mel, how far do you think Dickey Pearce will fall?"

Grienke to lad

6/145, per la times tweet