It's what you've all been waiting for (other than the DMB disc), the definitive 2025 Nils and Pat Power Rankings! Wow...look at this thread. Remember when we had Hot Chicks rankings (and a dude for Andrew)? Someone would probably try to get someone canceled over that today...Presidents, hip hop? Remember when people actually clamored for rankings? Good times. We're trying to recreate a little nostalgia with a 1980s movies power rankings. Keep in mind: the rankings are based on a point in time (over the last two months), which is obviously subject to change based on additions, subtractions, trades, injuries, etc. And, the ranking of the team should not necessarily reflect the quality of the movie. Nils and I tried to create a tight top 30 of notable and memorable movies, but ultimately were trying to match classic movies with teams based on their roster, GM, quality, etc.
We're going to roll these out five at a time, starting with our cellar-dwelling teams. To be completely fair, there is a decent amount of parity in the league this year. There are several teams we placed in the 20s who easily could be in the teens and vice versa. Hopefully this will mean a competitive league and a robust trade market as the season progresses. Also of note: none of these five are going to compete this year without a huge change in direction.
30.
Team Chicago White Sox
Owner Aaron Dorman
Movie Ghostbusters
It almost feels disrespectful to the wonderful memories we all have of Ghostbusters to put our league-worst team (and real-life league worst team) Chicago White Sox associated with this classic 80s movie. However, we tried to pick the top 30 best movies from the decade to describe IBC teams, so here we are. We all know the plot, the characters, and the situation. The ghostbusters are a crew of weirdos who fight ghosts in a city where apparently this is just a normal way of life? To be fair, New York City is full of weirdos, so it works.
Like Aaron, the squad is chastised, marginalized, does real damage and gets in trouble, but ultimately becomes heroes at the end. There is no such ending for Aaron in the IBC this year. The team is pitiful and has maybe 10 prospects of note. Will the team have two catchers with a projection? Who knows.
29.
Team St. Louis Cardinals
Owner John Paul Starkey
Movie Trading Places
This is Part 1 of a two-part writeup. Trading Places is a classic 80s comedy staring Eddie Murphy during his SNL tenure and Dan Aykroyd in his post-SNL prime. Murphy is Billy Ray Valentine, a street hustler who hangs out near the prestigious brokerage firm Duke & Duke in, ironically, Philadelphia. Aykroyd plays the conceited Louis Winthorpe III, who works at the firm. The Duke brothers who own the firm decide to wager on a social experiment where they bankrupt Winthorpe and put Valentine in his place at the firm to see what happens, without their knowledge. Winthorpe is framed by a Duke employee, he is arrested, his assets are frozen and he struggles mightily in poverty. Valentine is successful in business, but discovers that the brothers were trying to manipulate the stock market and had set them up, so he teams up with Winthorpe to short the stock and cost the brothers their fortune.
JP has been the Louis Winthorpe of the IBC for some time. Successful, an abundance of riches, metaphorically a nice townhouse with a butler was the equivalent of his roster, which always has produced a winning and, typically, contending team. But in 2024, JP decided to blow it all up. While there was no framing that led to his downfall -- it was most certainly voluntary -- he went from the highest of highs to now the lowest of lows. While he's no Aaron Dorman in terms of roster despair, the 2025 St. Louis Cardinals will be bad. The shining light here is that this squad does have a lot of top-tier young pitching and some hitting that still needs to develop. The question is whether JP will wait it out or get impatient ala Nick and cut the rebuild short in order to get back to the top.
28.
Team Los Angeles Dodgers
Owner Shawn Walsh
Movie Beetlejuice
I'm not sure that people knew Tim Burton was weird until 1988 when Beetlejuice came out. You had to either be really creative or really high to watch the movie, which amazingly came back to life in 2024 after all these years. Beetlejuice actually has an exceptional cast with Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones, and Winona Ryder. It's just a really weird tale of a deceased couple who comes back as ghosts and try to scare away the people who bought their house, eventually hiring sketchy "bio-exorcist" (Keaton) to help them. There is a weird desert-world with sandworms and lots of trippy afterlife creativity in the film, which did pretty well at the box office, despite being a bit odd.
Shawn, at times, is a ghost in the IBC. No one can see him; therefore he can't scare anyone. However, time has been good to him. After years in exile, he now has the building blocks of a pretty solid team. Teoscar Hernandez, Tanner Houck, Brady Singer, Sal Frelick and Jackson Merrill are the top MLB guys. Now the farm has life -- Druw Jones, Parker Meadows, Jac Caglione, Walker Jenkins and Cole Carigg -- which gives a little hope for the future. We still don't see this team doing a ton in 2025, but it's not far away if the squad gets a little TLC.
27.
Team New York Yankees
Owner Brett Zalaski
Movie Big
Big was a 1988 comedy that amazingly grossed more than $150 million and boosted Tom Hanks into superstardom, even though it's a pretty lame movie by today's standards. Thirteen year-old Josh Baskin gets rejected for being too small at a carnival ride, wishes to be big from a weird genie machine and turns into Tom Hanks, a middle-age man who now has a 13-year-old's spirit and energy. Being middle age in appearance but youthful in spirit, Hanks has six weeks as an adult, where his changed identity is confusing to him and those around him.
This brings us to Brett Zalaski. Never one to stay young or stay old, he constantly messages that he loves his team and is ready to compete. Then, two weeks later, he's selling off assets and consolidating, going for prospects, etc. etc. It's a never-ending cycle. He's Josh Baskin -- unsure of his identity and confusing those around him.
26.
Team San Francisco Giants
Owner Jake Hamlin
Movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
ET is your classic heartwarming tale of an alien who visits Earth, gets separated from his family, gets spooked by some G-men and then takes shelter with a family that includes three kids. The two brothers and their sister hide a terrified ET from their mother and the public, before helping him get home to his planet. It was an adventure/sci-fi movie that was one of Steven Spielberg's biggest early films. Jake's Giants are like the precocious Gertie, played by Drew Barrymore, who was not the crazy daytime show host she is now. She was just 7 and full of potential after this hit.
That's exactly where the Giants currently stand. While Hamlin only comes around but once a year (draft time), his forced patience has worn off. This team is not so far from competing now that it has a filthy Skenes/Leiter/Jobe/Chandler-led rotation and a resurgent Torkelson, Heliot Ramos, Chandler Simpson, Bryce Eldridge, Tommy Troy, Travis Bazzana, Jung-Hoo Lee, Tink Hence and others. The sim roster suddenly look difficult and after another year or two, could be bumping the Dbacks and Padres out of the way. With some sim magic, the Giants could turn some heads in 2025, though.
2025 IBC Power Rankings
Re: 2025 IBC Power Rankings
What is this, a ZiPs style release? Where’s the rest? lol
"Hating the Yankees is as American as pizza pie, unwed mothers, and cheating on your income tax."
Re: 2025 IBC Power Rankings
Yep, I saw that. It was a joke. Don’t make me call you Dan too.
"Hating the Yankees is as American as pizza pie, unwed mothers, and cheating on your income tax."
Re: 2025 IBC Power Rankings
Great work by the way!
I always loved these
I always loved these
"Hating the Yankees is as American as pizza pie, unwed mothers, and cheating on your income tax."
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Orioles
- Posts: 3470
- Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 1:00 am
- Location: Glastonbury, CT
- Name: Dan Vacek
- Contact:
Re: 2025 IBC Power Rankings
Thank heavens.
You guys should start a little Danny V haters' club but only let people who really really hate me in your clubhouse. That would be fun for you two to do together. You could have a password to get in, like "crankylittlebitches," or something else appropos. I nominate Dave for President. He probably never gets nominated for anything, and he seems like he'd be the happiest about getting to wear the construction paper crown that says "Big Cheese" on it.
2023 GM Totals: 1780 W - 1460 L | 0.549 wpct | 89-73 (avg 162 G record)
Re: 2025 IBC Power Rankings
ok boomerOrioles wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 8:13 amThank heavens.
You guys should start a little Danny V haters' club but only let people who really really hate me in your clubhouse. That would be fun for you two to do together. You could have a password to get in, like "crankylittlebitches," or something else appropos. I nominate Dave for President. He probably never gets nominated for anything, and he seems like he'd be the happiest about getting to wear the construction paper crown that says "Big Cheese" on it.
"Hating the Yankees is as American as pizza pie, unwed mothers, and cheating on your income tax."
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Guardians
- Posts: 4999
- Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:00 am
- Location: Tallahassee, FL
- Name: Pat Gillespie
Re: 2025 IBC Power Rankings
25.
Team Athletics
Owner Stephen d'Esterhazy
Movie Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure -- like the popular kid's show that inspired the movie -- couldn't be a more random plot. Pee-Wee has a dream that his tricked out bike helped him win the Tour De France and his neighbor/enemy Francis Buxton (definitely sounds like a jerk name) has someone steal it. Pee-Wee then sets out on a course across the country to recover it. He has his wallet stolen by a psychic; hitches a ride with Large Marge in an 18-wheeler, almost gets killed by a biker gang and breaks into Warner Bros. Studios after seeing the bike in a film, gets arrested, and saves animals from a burning pet shop. There's a lot of random packed into this (unsurprisingly) Tim Burton film.
Enter the IBC Athletics. Cole is done, Clay Holmes is apparently a starter, Logan Webb is still good, but Garrett Whitlock will probably get hurt. The only distinguishable hitter is Alex Bregman, unless Trevor Story and Xavier Edwards become great. It's the same story again for a franchise whose owner refuses to mix things up with trades (ie: Starling Marte and Mark Canha have been on the team since 2019 and 2018, respectively, so at least the fans have consistency). This team could use a little variety, some adventure, maybe the child-like curiosity of a weirdo like Pee-Wee Herman to add a spark into the franchise.
24.
Team Washington Nationals
Owner Ian Schnaufer
Movie Raiders of the Lost Ark
The first of the Indiana Jones series, Raiders has the typical good vs evil genre quite common in 80s cinema. Indiana Jones meets with the daughter of his former mentor, together the find the lost Ark of the Covenant. Nazis of course try to steal it but get destroyed by the power, the ark is returned to the US and gets lost in a warehouse.
Yeah, that write up sounds a bit all over the place, but it ends up being a great movie. George Lucas will always be best known for Star Wars but the Indiana Jones movies could have also made a name for him. Ian's Nationals have a bit of everything as well but lacks the top tier piece or two needed to fully compete. With some luck, the Nationals could be contending in that division but the strength of the top few teams should relegate him to decent but lower tiered, just like Indiana Jones is to Star Wars.
23.
Team Minnesota Twins
Owner Jason Gudim
Movie The Goonies
The Goonies was a top-earning movie in 1985 with a now-significant cast of Josh Brolin, Sean Astin and Corey Feldman, as well as former NFL star John Matuszak. For those not familiar, it chronicles the story of a bunch of kids whose homes are facing foreclosure, they find an old treasure map and attempt to find the treasure before some skatchy criminals find it. Ultimately, they are assisted by the deformed and large "Sloth" (Matuszak), the younger brother of the Fratelli crime family.
I guess the best analogy to Gudim's Twins would be that this year will be an adventure. Not a ton of activity lately, but this team does have Mookie Betts, Anthony Santander, Carlos Correa (maybe?), Zac Gallen, Kevin Gausman and a good supportive cast. He should be in the mix as the season goes on, but without a few tweak he may end up like Sloth locked in a basement, deformed, and cast aside by society.
22.
Team Kansas City Royals
Owner Larry Bestwick
Movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times is the epitome of the 80s coming of age story. The plot is kind of meandering, a lot of characters and a lot going on. In the end, it's yet another NSFW comedy with laughs but no real direction.
Larry's Royals are on the same roller coaster in terms of direction. The end of 2024 saw a rebuild of sorts, trading off many of the "help now" pieces in return for prospects. 2025 saw the opposite, turning some of the prospects back into pieces to compete in 2025. Where this team ends up by the end of the season will depend some on whether Larry sticks with rebuilding or sticks with fully competing.
21.
Team Toronto Blue Jays
Owner Dave Taylor
Movie Coming to America
Coming to America was a huge hit for Eddie Murphy, who played Akeem Joffer, the prince of an African country who comes to, obviously, Queens to try to find true love and not just someone who loves him for his money. The movie has a solid cast that includes James Earl Jones, John Amos, Arsenio Hall and others. A central part of the film is Amos running McDowell's, the second-rate version of McDonald's.
After a flurry of trades, Dave now has Trout, Turner, Bellinger, Berrios, Bieber, Eflin, Suarez, and a few other cast members. It's certainly better than it has been, but it's not quite top-tier. There's injury risk, but a lot of talent. This team should steal some games, but don't expect it to be a contender unless everything lands right.
Team Athletics
Owner Stephen d'Esterhazy
Movie Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure -- like the popular kid's show that inspired the movie -- couldn't be a more random plot. Pee-Wee has a dream that his tricked out bike helped him win the Tour De France and his neighbor/enemy Francis Buxton (definitely sounds like a jerk name) has someone steal it. Pee-Wee then sets out on a course across the country to recover it. He has his wallet stolen by a psychic; hitches a ride with Large Marge in an 18-wheeler, almost gets killed by a biker gang and breaks into Warner Bros. Studios after seeing the bike in a film, gets arrested, and saves animals from a burning pet shop. There's a lot of random packed into this (unsurprisingly) Tim Burton film.
Enter the IBC Athletics. Cole is done, Clay Holmes is apparently a starter, Logan Webb is still good, but Garrett Whitlock will probably get hurt. The only distinguishable hitter is Alex Bregman, unless Trevor Story and Xavier Edwards become great. It's the same story again for a franchise whose owner refuses to mix things up with trades (ie: Starling Marte and Mark Canha have been on the team since 2019 and 2018, respectively, so at least the fans have consistency). This team could use a little variety, some adventure, maybe the child-like curiosity of a weirdo like Pee-Wee Herman to add a spark into the franchise.
24.
Team Washington Nationals
Owner Ian Schnaufer
Movie Raiders of the Lost Ark
The first of the Indiana Jones series, Raiders has the typical good vs evil genre quite common in 80s cinema. Indiana Jones meets with the daughter of his former mentor, together the find the lost Ark of the Covenant. Nazis of course try to steal it but get destroyed by the power, the ark is returned to the US and gets lost in a warehouse.
Yeah, that write up sounds a bit all over the place, but it ends up being a great movie. George Lucas will always be best known for Star Wars but the Indiana Jones movies could have also made a name for him. Ian's Nationals have a bit of everything as well but lacks the top tier piece or two needed to fully compete. With some luck, the Nationals could be contending in that division but the strength of the top few teams should relegate him to decent but lower tiered, just like Indiana Jones is to Star Wars.
23.
Team Minnesota Twins
Owner Jason Gudim
Movie The Goonies
The Goonies was a top-earning movie in 1985 with a now-significant cast of Josh Brolin, Sean Astin and Corey Feldman, as well as former NFL star John Matuszak. For those not familiar, it chronicles the story of a bunch of kids whose homes are facing foreclosure, they find an old treasure map and attempt to find the treasure before some skatchy criminals find it. Ultimately, they are assisted by the deformed and large "Sloth" (Matuszak), the younger brother of the Fratelli crime family.
I guess the best analogy to Gudim's Twins would be that this year will be an adventure. Not a ton of activity lately, but this team does have Mookie Betts, Anthony Santander, Carlos Correa (maybe?), Zac Gallen, Kevin Gausman and a good supportive cast. He should be in the mix as the season goes on, but without a few tweak he may end up like Sloth locked in a basement, deformed, and cast aside by society.
22.
Team Kansas City Royals
Owner Larry Bestwick
Movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times is the epitome of the 80s coming of age story. The plot is kind of meandering, a lot of characters and a lot going on. In the end, it's yet another NSFW comedy with laughs but no real direction.
Larry's Royals are on the same roller coaster in terms of direction. The end of 2024 saw a rebuild of sorts, trading off many of the "help now" pieces in return for prospects. 2025 saw the opposite, turning some of the prospects back into pieces to compete in 2025. Where this team ends up by the end of the season will depend some on whether Larry sticks with rebuilding or sticks with fully competing.
21.
Team Toronto Blue Jays
Owner Dave Taylor
Movie Coming to America
Coming to America was a huge hit for Eddie Murphy, who played Akeem Joffer, the prince of an African country who comes to, obviously, Queens to try to find true love and not just someone who loves him for his money. The movie has a solid cast that includes James Earl Jones, John Amos, Arsenio Hall and others. A central part of the film is Amos running McDowell's, the second-rate version of McDonald's.
After a flurry of trades, Dave now has Trout, Turner, Bellinger, Berrios, Bieber, Eflin, Suarez, and a few other cast members. It's certainly better than it has been, but it's not quite top-tier. There's injury risk, but a lot of talent. This team should steal some games, but don't expect it to be a contender unless everything lands right.
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Guardians
- Posts: 4999
- Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:00 am
- Location: Tallahassee, FL
- Name: Pat Gillespie
Re: 2025 IBC Power Rankings
The third installment takes us into the top 20 of teams. And, like we said at the beginning, these are really interchangeable for the most part. There are obvious strengths and weaknesses, but there's a lot of give between rankings at this point.
20.
Team San Diego Padres
Owner Jim Berger
Movie Caddyshack
There are so many characters in Caddyshack that it's hard to pick just one to describe Jim. Is it the gopher, who manages to escape death at every stop? Is it greenskeeper Carl Spackler, who has a few loose screws? Is it rich developer Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield), who is completely inappropriate and throws his wealth around at the prestigious Bushwood Country Club? Ty Webb (Chevy Chase), the son of a club founder, or Elihu Smails, the judge and club co-founder who cheats his way to success in the big matchup?
I think Czervik is the right call here because while there are many great roles in Caddyshack, Dangerfield's ridiculous acting and slapstick style was prevalent in the 1980s and his character gave a huge boost to the movie. This was also his biggest and best role as a movie star. Jim's Padres might just be the class of the NL West. After many years as the cellar-dwelling White Sox, he revamped his team and got all the way to 94 wins. He now sits with a team of veteran stars, starting with Machado, Schwarber, Walker, O'Neill, Hader, Cortes, Verlander, and Morton and featuring Clarke Schmidt and Luis Garcia. Like Dangerfield, Jim's roster age puts him in a position to have perhaps his best run now, especially with JP out of the picture in the National League.
19.
Team Arizona Diamondbacks
Owner Dave Mueller
Movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Along with A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation represents the classic 80s Christmas movie (sorry Die Hard). Clark Griswold is the ultimate family man, has dreams for the perfect family Christmas and very little goes well from lights not working, not getting a bonus, getting stuck in the attic, tree catching on fire, and of course, shitters being full. As any good 80s movie should have, there is a happy ending with Clark getting his bonus to pay for a new pool and everyone seems to be happy. We cant discount, however, all the stress and things that still went wrong.
The DBacks are coming off a 102-win season, bringing back most of the team from last year. It's hard to complain about a 102 win season, about as happy an ending as the Griswolds got in the movie. But until Dave can find success in the playoffs, he wont get the truly happy ending he's looking for.
18.
Team Detroit Tigers
Owner Ben Montgomery
Movie Risky Business
Tom Cruise's breakout role, Risky Business is the NSFW coming of age story of a well-to-do high school student getting caught up with prostitutes, pimps, and Princeton. Tom Cruise's character Joel end up somewhat well off by the end of the movie but Tom Cruise himself ended up with the start of a huge career.
Ben's Tigers had a breakout in 2024, winning the tough ALC with 91 wins. The team returns mostly intact for 2025 and we have to see if the Tigers end up like Joel (somewhat well off) or like Cruise (the start of a huge breakout).
17.
Team New York Mets
Owner John Anderson
Movie Die Hard
Die Hard has it all: action, violence, terrorists, bad accents, Bruce Willis, sequels, etc. Willis was paid $5m for the movie, one of the top actor payouts at the time and this movie pushed him to stardom. The plot has so many holes but all is forgotten and forgiven by the yippee-ki-yah motherf*cker at the end.
John's squad from Flushing is a conundrum: is it good or is it bad? Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? These are important questions...Luckily, we at least know Die Hard is NOT a Christmas movie, just a movie that takes place during Christmas. But, the Mets remain a question mark and still have as many holes in the roster as the Die Hard plot. After winning the division last year with 89 wins, the NLE feels stronger on paper in 2025 and John has an uphill battle to repeat.
16.
Team Tampa Bay Rays
Owner Matt Kratky
Movie Airplane!
Airplane! became a cult favorite and was actually a box office smash in 1980. The dialogue in the movie is classic and it features a really solid cast -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar!, Robert Stack (think Unsolved Mysteries), Lloyd Bridges, and, of course, Leslie Nielsen. It may get overlooked as a movie, but it was as solid as the any the decade produced.
This Rays team is a bit overlooked. After years of pitiful finishes, this year's team is ready to go. No one is going to want to face a Skubal/King/Sanchez rotation in the playoffs and there are enough bats (Abrams, Doyle, Happ, Westburg, Torres) to make this team tough. In a division without dominance, this could finally be the year Tampa Bay makes a move.
20.
Team San Diego Padres
Owner Jim Berger
Movie Caddyshack
There are so many characters in Caddyshack that it's hard to pick just one to describe Jim. Is it the gopher, who manages to escape death at every stop? Is it greenskeeper Carl Spackler, who has a few loose screws? Is it rich developer Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield), who is completely inappropriate and throws his wealth around at the prestigious Bushwood Country Club? Ty Webb (Chevy Chase), the son of a club founder, or Elihu Smails, the judge and club co-founder who cheats his way to success in the big matchup?
I think Czervik is the right call here because while there are many great roles in Caddyshack, Dangerfield's ridiculous acting and slapstick style was prevalent in the 1980s and his character gave a huge boost to the movie. This was also his biggest and best role as a movie star. Jim's Padres might just be the class of the NL West. After many years as the cellar-dwelling White Sox, he revamped his team and got all the way to 94 wins. He now sits with a team of veteran stars, starting with Machado, Schwarber, Walker, O'Neill, Hader, Cortes, Verlander, and Morton and featuring Clarke Schmidt and Luis Garcia. Like Dangerfield, Jim's roster age puts him in a position to have perhaps his best run now, especially with JP out of the picture in the National League.
19.
Team Arizona Diamondbacks
Owner Dave Mueller
Movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Along with A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation represents the classic 80s Christmas movie (sorry Die Hard). Clark Griswold is the ultimate family man, has dreams for the perfect family Christmas and very little goes well from lights not working, not getting a bonus, getting stuck in the attic, tree catching on fire, and of course, shitters being full. As any good 80s movie should have, there is a happy ending with Clark getting his bonus to pay for a new pool and everyone seems to be happy. We cant discount, however, all the stress and things that still went wrong.
The DBacks are coming off a 102-win season, bringing back most of the team from last year. It's hard to complain about a 102 win season, about as happy an ending as the Griswolds got in the movie. But until Dave can find success in the playoffs, he wont get the truly happy ending he's looking for.
18.
Team Detroit Tigers
Owner Ben Montgomery
Movie Risky Business
Tom Cruise's breakout role, Risky Business is the NSFW coming of age story of a well-to-do high school student getting caught up with prostitutes, pimps, and Princeton. Tom Cruise's character Joel end up somewhat well off by the end of the movie but Tom Cruise himself ended up with the start of a huge career.
Ben's Tigers had a breakout in 2024, winning the tough ALC with 91 wins. The team returns mostly intact for 2025 and we have to see if the Tigers end up like Joel (somewhat well off) or like Cruise (the start of a huge breakout).
17.
Team New York Mets
Owner John Anderson
Movie Die Hard
Die Hard has it all: action, violence, terrorists, bad accents, Bruce Willis, sequels, etc. Willis was paid $5m for the movie, one of the top actor payouts at the time and this movie pushed him to stardom. The plot has so many holes but all is forgotten and forgiven by the yippee-ki-yah motherf*cker at the end.
John's squad from Flushing is a conundrum: is it good or is it bad? Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? These are important questions...Luckily, we at least know Die Hard is NOT a Christmas movie, just a movie that takes place during Christmas. But, the Mets remain a question mark and still have as many holes in the roster as the Die Hard plot. After winning the division last year with 89 wins, the NLE feels stronger on paper in 2025 and John has an uphill battle to repeat.
16.
Team Tampa Bay Rays
Owner Matt Kratky
Movie Airplane!
Airplane! became a cult favorite and was actually a box office smash in 1980. The dialogue in the movie is classic and it features a really solid cast -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar!, Robert Stack (think Unsolved Mysteries), Lloyd Bridges, and, of course, Leslie Nielsen. It may get overlooked as a movie, but it was as solid as the any the decade produced.
This Rays team is a bit overlooked. After years of pitiful finishes, this year's team is ready to go. No one is going to want to face a Skubal/King/Sanchez rotation in the playoffs and there are enough bats (Abrams, Doyle, Happ, Westburg, Torres) to make this team tough. In a division without dominance, this could finally be the year Tampa Bay makes a move.
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Brewers
- Posts: 1728
- Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2002 1:00 am
- Location: St. Johnsbury, VT
- Name: Jared Cloutier
Re: 2025 IBC Power Rankings
"16.
Team Tampa Bay Rays
Owner Matt Kratky
Movie Airplane!"
Surely you can't be serious!
Team Tampa Bay Rays
Owner Matt Kratky
Movie Airplane!"
Surely you can't be serious!
Re: 2025 IBC Power Rankings
Don't call us Shirley!
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Athletics
- Posts: 1930
- Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 1:00 am
- Location: San Diego, CA
- Name: Stephen d'Esterhazy
Re: 2025 IBC Power Rankings
Such a horrible movie to reference. Especially since my randomness of a team will still manage a .500 or better record. Gremlins would have been better since it has a short cast of characters that matter, yet still produced enough highlights to ensure a sequel.
Also don't shit on my pitching staff, currently on the year the 4 SPs have accumulated 4 WAR while my bullpen will continue to be boringly great.
"My shit doesn't work in the playoffs. My job is to get us to the playoffs. What happens after that is fucking luck."
LAA 11 - 15 331W - 479L
LAA 16 - 20 477W - 333L 17-20 ALW
OAK 21 - 24 297W - 189L 21-22 ALW
LAA 11 - 15 331W - 479L
LAA 16 - 20 477W - 333L 17-20 ALW
OAK 21 - 24 297W - 189L 21-22 ALW
Re: 2025 IBC Power Rankings
Yeah don’t sleep on Christopher Gau, guysAthletics wrote: ↑Wed Apr 30, 2025 7:51 pmSuch a horrible movie to reference. Especially since my randomness of a team will still manage a .500 or better record. Gremlins would have been better since it has a short cast of characters that matter, yet still produced enough highlights to ensure a sequel.
Also don't shit on my pitching staff, currently on the year the 4 SPs have accumulated 4 WAR while my bullpen will continue to be boringly great.
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Athletics
- Posts: 1930
- Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 1:00 am
- Location: San Diego, CA
- Name: Stephen d'Esterhazy
Re: 2025 IBC Power Rankings
I'm sorry I find a couple of stupid sim stars that have a good projection to replace injured players...hell Brett Z trades these guys all the time.
And look up Webb, Eovaldi, Holmes, and Peterson. Not like they are spinning shit on the mound.
And look up Webb, Eovaldi, Holmes, and Peterson. Not like they are spinning shit on the mound.
"My shit doesn't work in the playoffs. My job is to get us to the playoffs. What happens after that is fucking luck."
LAA 11 - 15 331W - 479L
LAA 16 - 20 477W - 333L 17-20 ALW
OAK 21 - 24 297W - 189L 21-22 ALW
LAA 11 - 15 331W - 479L
LAA 16 - 20 477W - 333L 17-20 ALW
OAK 21 - 24 297W - 189L 21-22 ALW
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Guardians
- Posts: 4999
- Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:00 am
- Location: Tallahassee, FL
- Name: Pat Gillespie
Re: 2025 IBC Power Rankings
15.
Team Atlanta Braves
Owner Brett Degen
Movie Top Gun
How did we include Top Gun but not the cheesy Nicolas Cage knockoff Fire Birds? Fire Birds came out in 1990! Top Gun is the classic 80s movie, from the plot, the cast, the music, topless Tom Cruise, everything. Top Gun made every kid in the 80s want to be a fighter pilot and after decades of speculation finally led to a sequel recently.
Like a lot of teams in the league, Brett has focused on prospects the last few years and has built a young MLB team with a lot of upcoming potential. How he starts 2025 could determine whether he really vies for a division title in a strong NLE or continues to focus on 2026 or later contention.
14.
Team Houston Astros
Owner Ty Bradley
Movie Revenge of the Nerds
Brains over brawn. Revenge of the Nerds is about a group of nerds in college starting a frat and fighting for their place on campus. The Tri-Lambs fight back against the jocks and in the end win over the school, get the Alpha Betas housing.
Ty came into the league immediately doing things differently, rebuilding with a prospects and a very strong 2023 draft class. Heading into 2025, hard to determine where the Astros will end up as the offense far outstrips the pitching right now. Question will be can the Tri-Lamb Astros fight back in their own way to overcome the league? At some point, you gotta have pitching.
13.
Team Cincinnati Reds
Owner Ken Breese
Movie The Great Outdoors
In The Great Outdoors, John Candy's character Chet Ripley is on vacation in a lake town when his brother-in-law Roman Craig and family show up and try to out-do the Ripley's in every way. As is typical for the 80s comedy, lots of laughs and the teenage love story to go with it. This is also where we all learned that racoons know hot dogs are made of lips and assholes.
Ken's Reds are the ultimate Chet Ripley: on paper every year other teams in the league look better on paper (just like Roman) but by the end of the year Ken always ends up in the playoffs or in contention while others fall to the wayside and are trying to get prospects for their next big investment the following season. Expect nothing different from the Reds this year.
12.
Team Colorado Rockies
Owner Nate Hunter
Movie Return of the Jedi
Return of the Jedi completed the middle third of the trilogy of trilogies that is Star Wars. Luke Skywalker returns from fighting his deadbeat dad to gain new powers, save his friends, then eventually convince dad to help him to defeat the evil emperor (ends up being not so much of a "defeat" but alas...).
Nate's Rockies are Luke at the start of Jedi: new strengths but so far untested. A lot of young talent that is just now changing from prospectdom to young MLBers. Keep an eye on the Rockies next year to see if they can defeat evil (Guardians) from the top spot or need more seasoning.
11.
Team Pittsburgh Pirates
Owner Jake Levine
Movie The Shining
From the mind of horror writer Stephen King and the direction of Stanley Kubrick in 1980 came the psychological horror movie The Shining. Jack Torrance and family head to an isolated mountaintop resort to be winter caretakers of a thoroughly haunted building. The hotel distorts Jack's mind and in the end convinces him he need to murder his family. He ultimately does not succeed and dies a frozen death in a hedge maze after being outsmarted by his 5 year old son.
Opposing pitchers will be screaming in horror like Jack's wife in the "Here's Johnny!" scene every time Soto steps up to bat but otherwise might be able to outsmart the Pirates like Danny Torrance. That type of recipe for success worked for a long time for JP with Trout in his lineup but as we have Jake ranked just outside the top 10, there just needs a bit more to be a serious contender.
Team Atlanta Braves
Owner Brett Degen
Movie Top Gun
How did we include Top Gun but not the cheesy Nicolas Cage knockoff Fire Birds? Fire Birds came out in 1990! Top Gun is the classic 80s movie, from the plot, the cast, the music, topless Tom Cruise, everything. Top Gun made every kid in the 80s want to be a fighter pilot and after decades of speculation finally led to a sequel recently.
Like a lot of teams in the league, Brett has focused on prospects the last few years and has built a young MLB team with a lot of upcoming potential. How he starts 2025 could determine whether he really vies for a division title in a strong NLE or continues to focus on 2026 or later contention.
14.
Team Houston Astros
Owner Ty Bradley
Movie Revenge of the Nerds
Brains over brawn. Revenge of the Nerds is about a group of nerds in college starting a frat and fighting for their place on campus. The Tri-Lambs fight back against the jocks and in the end win over the school, get the Alpha Betas housing.
Ty came into the league immediately doing things differently, rebuilding with a prospects and a very strong 2023 draft class. Heading into 2025, hard to determine where the Astros will end up as the offense far outstrips the pitching right now. Question will be can the Tri-Lamb Astros fight back in their own way to overcome the league? At some point, you gotta have pitching.
13.
Team Cincinnati Reds
Owner Ken Breese
Movie The Great Outdoors
In The Great Outdoors, John Candy's character Chet Ripley is on vacation in a lake town when his brother-in-law Roman Craig and family show up and try to out-do the Ripley's in every way. As is typical for the 80s comedy, lots of laughs and the teenage love story to go with it. This is also where we all learned that racoons know hot dogs are made of lips and assholes.
Ken's Reds are the ultimate Chet Ripley: on paper every year other teams in the league look better on paper (just like Roman) but by the end of the year Ken always ends up in the playoffs or in contention while others fall to the wayside and are trying to get prospects for their next big investment the following season. Expect nothing different from the Reds this year.
12.
Team Colorado Rockies
Owner Nate Hunter
Movie Return of the Jedi
Return of the Jedi completed the middle third of the trilogy of trilogies that is Star Wars. Luke Skywalker returns from fighting his deadbeat dad to gain new powers, save his friends, then eventually convince dad to help him to defeat the evil emperor (ends up being not so much of a "defeat" but alas...).
Nate's Rockies are Luke at the start of Jedi: new strengths but so far untested. A lot of young talent that is just now changing from prospectdom to young MLBers. Keep an eye on the Rockies next year to see if they can defeat evil (Guardians) from the top spot or need more seasoning.
11.
Team Pittsburgh Pirates
Owner Jake Levine
Movie The Shining
From the mind of horror writer Stephen King and the direction of Stanley Kubrick in 1980 came the psychological horror movie The Shining. Jack Torrance and family head to an isolated mountaintop resort to be winter caretakers of a thoroughly haunted building. The hotel distorts Jack's mind and in the end convinces him he need to murder his family. He ultimately does not succeed and dies a frozen death in a hedge maze after being outsmarted by his 5 year old son.
Opposing pitchers will be screaming in horror like Jack's wife in the "Here's Johnny!" scene every time Soto steps up to bat but otherwise might be able to outsmart the Pirates like Danny Torrance. That type of recipe for success worked for a long time for JP with Trout in his lineup but as we have Jake ranked just outside the top 10, there just needs a bit more to be a serious contender.
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Guardians
- Posts: 4999
- Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:00 am
- Location: Tallahassee, FL
- Name: Pat Gillespie
Re: 2025 IBC Power Rankings
Get excited. We're now in the top 10...and the disc is out!
10.
Team Baltimore Orioles
Owner Dan Vacek
Movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is a movie full of frustration, at the expense of Neal Page, played by Steve Martin. He just wants to get back home to Chicago for Thanksgiving, but everything goes wrong. And he only has shower-curtain-ring salesman Del Griffith by his side. Perhaps the quote that best captures his frustration is at the rental car counter.
"Neal: And I really don't care for the way your company left me in the middle of fucking nowhere with fucking keys to a fucking car that isn't fucking there. And I really didn't care to fucking walk down a fucking highway and across a fucking runway to get back here to have you smile in my fucking face. I want a fucking car... right... fucking... now.
Car Rental Agent: May I see your rental agreement?
Neal: I threw it away.
Car Rental Agent: Oh, boy.
Neal: Oh, boy, what?
Car Rental Agent: You're fucked."
Dan Vacek is the Neal Page of the IBC. He's angry and nothing goes his way. He drafts so well, yet never wins. He has talent, as did Neal, a seemingly successful advertising executive traveling between Chicago and New York. However, he is constantly frustrated and annoyed by others. Perhaps the removal of his young, rapey franchise shortstop will boost his chances this year. Or perhaps it will be a bumpy road to .500 once again.
9.
Team Milwaukee Brewers
Owner Jared Cloutier
Movie The Karate Kid
Karate Kid is a mix of a coming of age story combined with revenge versus bullies story. Jersey kid Daniel moves to California, hits on a cheerleader and gets beat up by her ex. He learns karate from his neighbor and ends up beating the ex in a tournament despite an injured leg. Wax on, wax off.
The Brew Crew have been a roughly 500 team for a few years but have a lot of young talent coming to help the big league team soon. Will it be enough to get to the top of the division? Unlikely in 2025, but don't bet against them in 2026 after an 80s montage of training.
8.
Team Seattle Mariners
Owner Jagger Taylor
Movie Full Metal Jacket
Stanley Kubrick's war film Full Metal Jacket follows a platoon of Vietnam-era Marines from basic training through war in Asia. The movie includes a lot of different things: some dark comedy, some action, some horror, some violence, some political messages. The movie is usually considered among the best war movies ever made, even among the best movies ever made, even though when it came out it received a lot of middling reviews.
Jag's Mariners are full of talent, but like Full Metal Jacket, are not for everyone. Years of rebuilding have led to an enviable amount of talent that hasn't yet gelled into a team. Just a few strategic deals would help round the corners and could turn this club into a powerhouse but Jag's reluctance to make any big deals could hamper his chances at getting his first IBC title in the coming years.
7.
Team Chicago Cubs
Owner Pat Bishop
Movie Blues Brothers
Jake and Elwood Blues spend the movie trying to get the band back together in order to save their boyhood home by paying the back taxes due. The list of musical cameos in this movie is quite long and the brothers epitomize cool musicians. Eventually, the movie ends with the brothers being arrested and playing Jailhouse Rock for their fellow inmates.
Pat's Cubs are the epitome of cool. He won the IBC World Series in 2008 and seems to be in contention every single year. 2025 should be no different, coming off a 92 win season and with JP no longer a threat in the NLC Pat should in strong contention for the division title. It's a mission from God.
6.
Team Miami Marlins
Owner Nils Erickson
Movie A Nightmare on Elm St.
An absolutely terrifying movie for your typical 6- or 7-year-old in the 1980s. It tells the story of a disfigured guy who kills people in their sleep. Did anyone know that Johnny Depp was in this movie? I didn't. At any rate, it's a weird movie that was really scary. Enter Nils' Marlins. This whole review could be about alleged rapist Wander Franco being scary to teenage girls, but we'll focus on the roster.
Acuna is coming off injury, the entire pitching staff is coming off Tommy John, it seems, Riley, Vlad, Albies, Brown, Roman Anthony, Gore and others still make this a strong team. However, it's most likely that unless he starts off 20-0, he will torpedo his entire season by dealing off his stars for prospects, playing "for next year." He does this every year. And last year, he did it and still finished a game out of the playoffs. Don't let Nils fall asleep or his team will be slashed to death.
10.
Team Baltimore Orioles
Owner Dan Vacek
Movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is a movie full of frustration, at the expense of Neal Page, played by Steve Martin. He just wants to get back home to Chicago for Thanksgiving, but everything goes wrong. And he only has shower-curtain-ring salesman Del Griffith by his side. Perhaps the quote that best captures his frustration is at the rental car counter.
"Neal: And I really don't care for the way your company left me in the middle of fucking nowhere with fucking keys to a fucking car that isn't fucking there. And I really didn't care to fucking walk down a fucking highway and across a fucking runway to get back here to have you smile in my fucking face. I want a fucking car... right... fucking... now.
Car Rental Agent: May I see your rental agreement?
Neal: I threw it away.
Car Rental Agent: Oh, boy.
Neal: Oh, boy, what?
Car Rental Agent: You're fucked."
Dan Vacek is the Neal Page of the IBC. He's angry and nothing goes his way. He drafts so well, yet never wins. He has talent, as did Neal, a seemingly successful advertising executive traveling between Chicago and New York. However, he is constantly frustrated and annoyed by others. Perhaps the removal of his young, rapey franchise shortstop will boost his chances this year. Or perhaps it will be a bumpy road to .500 once again.
9.
Team Milwaukee Brewers
Owner Jared Cloutier
Movie The Karate Kid
Karate Kid is a mix of a coming of age story combined with revenge versus bullies story. Jersey kid Daniel moves to California, hits on a cheerleader and gets beat up by her ex. He learns karate from his neighbor and ends up beating the ex in a tournament despite an injured leg. Wax on, wax off.
The Brew Crew have been a roughly 500 team for a few years but have a lot of young talent coming to help the big league team soon. Will it be enough to get to the top of the division? Unlikely in 2025, but don't bet against them in 2026 after an 80s montage of training.
8.
Team Seattle Mariners
Owner Jagger Taylor
Movie Full Metal Jacket
Stanley Kubrick's war film Full Metal Jacket follows a platoon of Vietnam-era Marines from basic training through war in Asia. The movie includes a lot of different things: some dark comedy, some action, some horror, some violence, some political messages. The movie is usually considered among the best war movies ever made, even among the best movies ever made, even though when it came out it received a lot of middling reviews.
Jag's Mariners are full of talent, but like Full Metal Jacket, are not for everyone. Years of rebuilding have led to an enviable amount of talent that hasn't yet gelled into a team. Just a few strategic deals would help round the corners and could turn this club into a powerhouse but Jag's reluctance to make any big deals could hamper his chances at getting his first IBC title in the coming years.
7.
Team Chicago Cubs
Owner Pat Bishop
Movie Blues Brothers
Jake and Elwood Blues spend the movie trying to get the band back together in order to save their boyhood home by paying the back taxes due. The list of musical cameos in this movie is quite long and the brothers epitomize cool musicians. Eventually, the movie ends with the brothers being arrested and playing Jailhouse Rock for their fellow inmates.
Pat's Cubs are the epitome of cool. He won the IBC World Series in 2008 and seems to be in contention every single year. 2025 should be no different, coming off a 92 win season and with JP no longer a threat in the NLC Pat should in strong contention for the division title. It's a mission from God.
6.
Team Miami Marlins
Owner Nils Erickson
Movie A Nightmare on Elm St.
An absolutely terrifying movie for your typical 6- or 7-year-old in the 1980s. It tells the story of a disfigured guy who kills people in their sleep. Did anyone know that Johnny Depp was in this movie? I didn't. At any rate, it's a weird movie that was really scary. Enter Nils' Marlins. This whole review could be about alleged rapist Wander Franco being scary to teenage girls, but we'll focus on the roster.
Acuna is coming off injury, the entire pitching staff is coming off Tommy John, it seems, Riley, Vlad, Albies, Brown, Roman Anthony, Gore and others still make this a strong team. However, it's most likely that unless he starts off 20-0, he will torpedo his entire season by dealing off his stars for prospects, playing "for next year." He does this every year. And last year, he did it and still finished a game out of the playoffs. Don't let Nils fall asleep or his team will be slashed to death.
