Days 41-50: Jimmie "Double X" Foxx goes berserk! All teams remain in contention, no team is more than 4 games out of a playoff spot

Outspoken Bad Axe slugger Jimmie Foxx has backed up his smack talk with some smack on the field this set of 10 games.   Foxx went 17 for 40 (.425) with 8 homers and 16 RBIs in these last 10 games!  There were some other strong candidates for Player of the Block this time around, like George Brett (.500 average), Josh Gibson (.333, 4 HRs, 14 RBIs),  Gaylord Perry (20 innings, 4 earned runs, 16 K's), but Double-X topped them all.  Some quick facts on the man also known as 'The Beast"...

Foxx became the second player in MLB history to hit 500 career home runs, after Babe Ruth. Attaining that plateau at age 32 years 336 days, he held the record for youngest to reach 500 for sixty-eight years, until superseded by Alex Rodriguez in 2007. His three career Most Valuable Player awards are tied for second all-time

Bad Axe's Jimmie Foxx chatting with fellow 2017 Carr Hall
of Fame Player of the Block, Pottersville's Rogers Hornsby

Some of the best players in the league gather for a selfie -
Jimmie Foxx, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Cochrane.
That's 1860 home runs all together!

Day 41 -  Joy at the Pohdunkville Slophouse as the Pounders wallop Verona Ridge 8-3.  Juan Marichal goes the distance and is now 4-4 for the year, and Harmon Killebrew and Josh Gibson each hit their 9th homers of the season.  Pottersville tops Yukon 7-6, Hack Wilson homered and drove in three runs.  Mar-a-Lago's Mickey Welch outdueld Vermont's Tim Keefe in a 8-5 Misogynist win.  Bob Gibson limits Windy City to 1 run and 4 hits while striking out 10 as the Lumberjacks win 8-1.  Aliquppa puts together 19 hits and 15 runs to trounce Backwoods 15-4.  Willie Mays clubbed two homers and drove in 5.    Pedro Martinez continues to impress since moving into Alquippa's starting rotation, he is now 4-1 on the year. 

Day 42 - Yukon's Jack Chesbro remained undefeated as the Polar Bears pounded the Pounders 9-5.  Pud Galvin outduels Greg Maddux in a 9-2 win for Vermont over Aliquippa.  Al Simmons had 4 hits for the Socialists.    Mar-a-Lago's Chief Bender throws a 5 hit shutout of Pottersville.  Verona Ridge's Dave Winfield provided the power in a 5-3 win over Windy City.  Classic game in Bad Axe as floppy elbowed Joe Morgan hit a walkoff single, 5-4 Lumberjacks win! 

Day 43 - Windy City got the bats moving and walloped Verona Ridge 11-5.  Pohdunkville's Lefty Grove is now 6-0 after leading the Pounders to an 8-5 win over Yukon.    Super old-timer Addie Joss gives Mar-a-Lago their third win in a row, holding the Misers to just 1 run.  Old Hoss Radbourn gets another win for the Socialists, 9-5 over Aliquippa.  An epic in Bad Axe, the Bastards and the Lumberjacks battled evenly for 11 innings before Backwoods exploded for 3 runs in the top of the 12th.  Jackie Robinson had 4 hits. 

Day 44 - Lumberjacks swing the lumber to rack up 25 hits and 16 runs against Backwoods.  Aliquippa used two Duke Snider homers to beat Vermont 5-1.  Catfish Hunter blanks Mar-a-Lago on 5 hits.  The Pounders beat the Polar Bears 9-3, with Satchel Paige keeping the Yukon batters off clear all day.  Verona Ridge's Steve Carlton stops the Doobies, final is 7-2 Roadrunners. 

Day 45 - Windy City's Bert Blyleven continued to roll and the Doobies come from behind to win 6-5 over the Pounders.  The Big Unit, Randy Johnson, holds off the Socialists as the Bastards win 7-1.  Two Dead-Ball Era players, Christy Mathewson and George Davis, put the Polar Bears over the Misogynists 5-4.  Verona's Ron Santo gets 4 hits in a 6-3 win over Bad Axe.  Aliquippa put 9 runs across the plate in the very first inning, and tops the Misers 9-3.  Not Eppa Rixey's greatest start  :-(   

Day 46 - Catcher Carlton "Pudge" Fisk belts two homers to give Red Faber a win as the Doobies top the Pounders 8-5.  Three Finger Brown shuts out Mar-a-Lago, 6-0 Yukon wins.  Bob  "Rapid Robert" Feller gets the 'W' in a 6-4 win for Pottersville over Aliquippa.  Goose Gossage's dominance out of the bullpen gives Verona another win, 3-2 over Bad Axe.  Mismatch of the day?  The Backwoods Bastards dominate the Vermont Socialists 15-0.  John Clarkson throws a shutout, and Wee Willie Keeper collects 3 hits and 4 RBIs. 

Day 47 - Veromont's Babe Ruth hits his league leading 20th homer but it wasn't enough to stop Earl Averill (3 hits, including a walk off single) and the Backwoods Bastards, 8-7 Backwoods.  Aliquippa gets a shutout from Grover Cleveland Alexander.  High-kicking Juan Marichal slows down the Doobies and Pohdunkville wins 6-4.  Roy Campanella hits two homers and Mar-a-lago tops Yukon 10-3.  Jimmie Foxx hit 2 homers and Smokey Joe Williams went the distance for Bad Axe, winners over Verona Ridge by a score of 6-3. 

Day 48 - Verona Ridge tops Windy City 7-4, Billy Williams slugged two homers for the Roadrunners.  Backwoods wins their fourth in a row, 5-4 over Yukon, when Cy Young's wild pitch brought home Craig Biggio with the deciding run.  Another fine outing from the Dazzling one, Dazzy Vance, leads to a 6-2 Bad Axe win over Pohdunkville. Aliquippa outslugs Mar-a-Lago 10-6, Mike Schmidt and Robin Yount each contributing two hits.  George Brett's grand slam helped Pottersville to a 12-2 win over Vermont. 

Day 49 - Good managing from Sparky Anderson, his call to do a squeeze play in the bottom of the 9th had Jimmy Collins bring home Cool Papa Bell, 4-3 Pounders walk off with the victory!  Backwoods had 11 hits but could only bring home 2 runs against Yukon's Christy Mathewson, Polar Bears win 6-2.  Windy City rocked Verona Ridge 13-5, Cal Ripken brought home 4 runs.  Vermont's Joe Cronin hit 2 HRs in a 10-2 win over Pottersville.  The biggest surprise in this hard-hitting league was a 12 inning battle that was tied 1-1 going into the bottom of the 12th.  Aliquippa's Jim Bunning and Mar-a-Lago's Gaylord Perry each allowed 1 run through 11, but this one was decided by a Roy Campanella walk-off HR.

Day 50 -  Backwood's Sandy Koufax goes to 5-1 after shutting down Yukon's heavy hitters in a 4-2 Bastard win.  Pohdunkville's Don Drysdale dacked up 10 Ks and the Pounders took down the Lumberjacks 5-2.  More late inning drama as Verona Ridge's Orlando Cepeda hits a two run walkoff  home run against Windy City.   Mar-a-Lago whomped Aliquippa 9-4, Willie Wells blasted his 10th homer of the year.  Big Day for the Rajah, Rogers Hornsby gets 4 hits and 4 RBIs as Pottersville tops Vermont 11-5

Days 31-40: Races tighten as we hit the 40 game mark!

Everyone was hovering around the .500 mark this set of 10 games, but Yukon slipped a bit to create a very competitive season after 40 games.  Sparky Anderson always said you needed 40 games to evaluate your team, so check out your stats and see if you need any trades or lineup adjustments!

Babe Ruth of Vermont continued to pulverize the ball (.400, 10 hits, 5 homers in 25 at bats) but we can't give him the award EVERY block of games.  Let's recognize Backwoods' Earl Averill,  who hit. .382 over 34 at bats!  Also, Smokey Joe Williams of Bad Axe had two complete game victories and only allowed a combined 8 hits and 1 run.    Congrats to our co-Players of the Block!

Many consider the 6'4" Smokey Joe Williams
better than Satchel Paige, and he is honored
with a statute in Pittsburgh's PNC Park

Earl Averill, aka "The
Earl of Snohomish"

I do want to make sure again that all know that you can click on the 'Day 31' or any day in these updates and pull up the Daily Report, a fascinating collection of box scores, stories, and stat!

Day 31 - The Ol' Spitballer, Burleigh Grimes, battles through all 9 innings to give Pohdunkville a 7-4 win over Aliquippa. Mar-a--Lago's Jim Bunning gets the win over Windy City's Ed Walsh to move to 5-1 for the season.  Dizzy Dean only allows 1 run as Verona Ridge easily outpaces Vermont 8-1, with 1B Bill Terry slugging two homers for the Roadrunners.  Pottersville wallops Yukon 18-4, Ted Williams and Hugh Duffy each collected 3 hits.  Bad Axe drops Backwoods 6-2,with Dazzy Vance striking out 11 Bastards!

Day 32 - A walk off hit from Billy Williams gave the Roadrunners their 3rd straight win, 5-4 over Mar-a-Lago.  Yukon gets back on the winning track 13-8 over Aliquippa, with Honus Wagner doing much of the damage.  The Dutchman collected 2 triples, a single, 3 runs, and 4 RBIs  .  Pohdunkville ace Left Grove is now 4-0 after blanking the Doobies in a 3-0 Pounders victory.  Catfish Hunter (the only Hall of Famer named after an Internet dating technique) is also 4-0 after a 7-4 win over Bad Axe.  The big star of the day today though, your Sports Center #1 player, is Backwoods' own Wee Willie Keeler!  The wee one hit it where they weren't five times as the Bastards topped the Socialists from Vermont 11-3.

Day 33 - Say Hey!  Willie Mays belts two homers and Greg Maddux whiffs 11 as Aliquippa tops Yukon 3-1.  Windy City gets a nice 6-1 victory over the Pounders, with Nolan Ryan dominating on the mound.  The Misogynists romp 9-1 over the Roadrunners and Deacon White collects 5 hits!  Vermont wins 7-2 as Joltin' Joe DiMaggio belts a league-high 3 HRs (only Mickey Mantle has hit three in a game so far),  Pud Galvin goes the distance and earns the win to even his record at 3-3.  Pottersville beats Bad Axe 9-3, Yogi Berra and Pop Lloyd get three hits each. 

Day 34 - Eppa Rixey tossed the first one-hitter so far, a 4-0 win for the Misers over the Lumberjacks.  Windy City wins 9-2 over the Pounders as Tom Glavine takes a no-hitter into the 7th before giving up a couple of runs.  Aliquippa wins a dramatic one in the bottom of the 10th as Duke Snider, and finally Gary Carter put together a string of hits to give them the 5-4 victory!  Mar-a-Lago Misogynists live up to their name, running over Linda's Roadrunners 16-0.  Rube Marquard tossed the shutout.  Vermont wins 15-6 over the Backwoods Bastards, 3B Eddie Mathews continued to flex his muscles with two more homers (12 for the season to date, trailing only The Babe and his 16 HRs). 

Day 35 - Roberto Clemente hits for the cycle as the Pohdunkville Pounders wallop the Bastards 13-8!  "Win"dy City gets their third 'W' in a row, a 3-2 nailbiter over Mar-a-Lago.  Bert Blyleven limited the Misogynists to just 8 hits. Verona Ridge takes down Yukon 6-4 as Goose Gossage slammed the door shut and earned his league-leading 8th save.   The Socialists took on their arch-enemy and political opposites the Misers, and put a 10-1 beating on them.  Old Hoss Radbourn was miserly himself, limiting Pottersville to just 1 run and 5 hits. Bad Axe's Smokey Joe Williams blanks the Aliquppa Beavers in a 3-0 Lumberjack win. 

Day 36 - Socialists overcome the Misers again 10-5 as Babe Ruth homers in his fourth straight game!  Sandy Koufax tosses a 3 hit shutout as the Bastards blank the Pounders 5-0.  Aliquippa jumps all over "Prince Hal" Newhouser in a 11-6 win as Pedro Martinez moves to 3-1 for the year.  It's four wins in a row for Windy City (10-4 over Mar-a-Lago) and Verona Ridge (5-1 over Yukon). 

Day 37 - Verona Ridge, now the hottest team in the league with a five game win streak, stopped Yukon 7-5, and the Polar Bears are now the coldest time in the league (riding a 5 game losing streak).  Bastards top the Pounders 9-3 as Craig Biggio's grand slam propelled Backwoods.  Bad Axe scores 3 in the top of the 9th to steal one from the Beavers, 3-2.  Two big innings gave the Misogynists the 7-6 win over the Doobies.  The Socialists and the Misers battled tooth and nail for nine innings, but it was little Rabbit Maranville who stroked the walkoff hit to give Vermont the 10-9 decision.  Another day, another homer for the Sultan of Swat!  Five days in a row, and now 19 for the year for Babe!

Day 38 - Bullet Joe Rogan kept Babe Ruth in the yard and led the Misers to a 3-1 win over the Socialists.  Pounders beat the Bastards 13-3, as "The Big Hurt" Frank Thomas knocked two out of the park and every Pounder batter got at least one hit.  Dazzy Vance dazzles as he throws a three-hit shutout as the Beavers,  Bad Axe takes it 8-0.  Mar-a-Lago explodes for five runs in the top of the 9th to topple Windy City 5-1.  The Roadrunners continue their winning ways , beating Yukon 9-4. 

Day 39 - Pohdunkville's Satchel Paige got his 4th win of the year and SS Arky Vaughn homered in a 3-2 victory over Verona Ridge.  Yukon wins 7-4 over the Misers, Carl Hubbell evening his record to 4-4.  The Socialists edge the Misogynists 7-6 on the strength of a  6-run 8th inning.  Bad Axe's Smokey Joe Williams with another strong outing as they trounce Windy City 6-1.   Backwoods' Big Bill Foster is the first to record six wins as he shutouts out Aliquippa. 

Day 40 - Windy City gets the best pitching outing of the season so far (according to the new 'Game Score' stat in the Record Book link) from Bert "Be Home" Blyleven, who only allows 2 hits, 1 walk, and 9 K's.   They get past Bad Axe 4-0.  Verona tops Pohdunkville 4-3 as Phil Niekro's knuckleball kept the Pounders at bay all afternoon.  Yukon gives Catfish Hunter his first 'L' of the year, in a 4- ballgame.  Cy Young limited the Misers to 4 hits and  run.   The Socialists put a 10-5 beating on the Misogynists, Willard Brown hit two triples.  Aliquippa edges the Bastards 3-2, and 3B Michael Jack Schmidt hit his 5th HR of the year.

Days 21-30 - Rise of the Backwoods Bastards! Verona Ridge closing the deal?

The next 10 games have been played and the Backwoods Bastards have increased their lead in the American Division while the Yukon Polar Bears maintained their large early lead in the National.  The hottest team this block of games?  The Verona Ridge Roadrunners raced to 8 wins in the last 10 games!  Linda's use of a "closer", revolutionary thinking with these old-timers, is paying off this week as Rich "Goose" Gossage racked up 4 saves over the last 10 games. 

Pottersville only won 3 games over the last 10 but you can't blame 2B Rogers Hornsby for that.  The Rajah, our Player of the Block with 15 hits in 33 at bats for a hefty .455 average, and 12 RBIs as well.  The more I look at the numbers, however, the more I have to award Windy City's Al Kaline a Co-Player of the Block Award.  The man known as "Mr. Tiger" hit 5 HRs and drove in 13 runners in this stretch. 

Who know Hornsby was such a quotable guy!

You tell 'em, Rajah!

Even stellar manager Jimmy Dugan quotes the Rajah!
"Rogers Hornsby was my manager and he called me a talking pile of pig shit
and that was when my parents drove all the way down from Michigan
to see me play the game and did I cry?! … No. No! And do you know why?
Because there’s no crying in baseball. There’s no crying in baseball! No crying!"

 Young Al Kaline is not as quotable as Hornsby
but is hitting for power this set!

This was a block to forget for Bad Axe (3-7 after Jimmie Foxx's controversial remarks to the press  threw serious shade at his own teammates!), Pottersville (3-7) and Windy City (2-8).  The Doobies Andre "Hawk" Harrelson was just 2 for 27, and Bad Axe teammates Kirby Puckett and Joe Morgan joined him in the "under .100 batting average club". 

Interesting race for the batting title as Mar-a-Lago is attempting to monopolize the  high average players.  The top three averages all belong to Misogynists.  Big Ed Delahanty is at .408, Ty Cobb  .393, and Eddie Collins is at 367.   Haven't seen someone trying to corner the market like this since these guys tried to buy up all the pork belly stocks in ''Trading Places". 

Randolph and Mortimer Duke

In other races, Vermont's Babe Ruth and Eddie Mathews are the only players in double figures for homers.  The powerful pair are also 1-2 in RBIs right now.  Big Bill Foster's five pitching wins tops all others, while Yukon's Christy Mathewson remains the lowest ERA starter at 2.17.

Day 21 - Mickey Cochrane's HR pushed Bad Axe over their rivals from The Yukon.  Walter Johnson and Tris Speaker lead Verona Ridge to victory over Pohdunkvill 4-3.  Aliquippa takes down the Misers from Pottersville as Pedro Martinez got the win in his first start.  Backwood's SP Andy Cooper moves to 3-1 for the season.  Vermont and Mar-a-Lago battled in the longest game of the year thus far, 13 innings.  The Socialists exploded for 5 runs in the top of the 13th to get the victory.  "Big Cat" Johnny Mize cracked two HRs in the game. 

Day 22 - Bad Axe's Ernie "The Schnozz" Lombardi racks up six hits today, including 2 HRs and 5 RBIs!  Pohdunkville Pounders rout the Doobies 13-2.  Roadrunners pin another loss on the Polar Bears, while Aliquippa's Greg Maddux moves to 4-0 for the year in a win against Mar-a-Lago.  Vermont ekes out a win against Pottersville 3-2, with Rube Waddell keeping his Won-Lost record perfect at 3-0 now. 

Day 23 - Willie Mays of Aliquippa keeps his hitting streak intact, and is now at 20 straight games (spoiler alert - it will end at 20).  Bad Axe wins their 4th in a row.  Ron Santo's two HRs led Verona Ridge to victory, and Pohdunkville's Rickey Henderson hit a grand slam in their win over the Doobies.  Ed Delahanty has a walk-off single in the 11th for the Misogynists in a thrilling 9-8 win.  Babe Ruth clouts a walk-off homer for Vermont in another 9-8 victory, this one over the Misers.  With all the crazy hitting in this league, you have to respect great pitching and "Tom Terrific", Tom Seaver of the Backwoods Bastards, earned that when he tossed a five hit shutout of the Lumberjacks. 

Day 24 - Another day, another five hit shutout!  Grover Cleveland Alexander blanks Mar-a-Lago.  Johnny Bench knocks 2 HRs for Verona Ridge, and Backwoods rolls up 15 hits to top Bad Axe 5-2.  Satchel Paige throws a complete game for Pohdunkville.  Every batter in Vermont's lineup get a hit as they roll Pottersville 13-6.  Yukon and Windy City are both riding five game losing streaks.

Day 25 - Both Yukon and Windy City get off the schneid and win today!  Honus Wagner was the star for Yukon with 4 hits RBIs. Al Kaline hit two homers for Windy City.  Pohdunkville's Lou Brock has had one stolen base all season, but he swipes six bases today! Vermont wins their 5th in a row.  Misers surprise the Pounders with 4 runs in the top of the 9th to win 7-6.  Backwoods' star hurler Big Bill Foster tames Bad Axe in a 2-1 Bastard victory. 

Day 26 - Misogynists cool off Vermont  11-1, Ken Griffey Jr. had 4 hits, 2 HRs, and 4 RBIs.  Three Finger Brown went the distance and Martin Dihigo knocked in 3 as the Polar Bears topped the Lumberjacs 5-2.  Verona's Amos Rosie limited the Doobies to just 1 run and 3 hits.  Pohdunkville beat Pottersville in the ""Battle of P-Villes" with a great rally in the bottom of the 9th - Roberto Clemente single, Cool Papa Bell bunted him to second, and Arky Vaughn drive him home with a single.  The Beavers ROCKED the Bastards 22-3.  Frank Robinson had 2 HRs and 7 RBIs!!! 

Day 27 - Pottersville and Pohdunkville set a new mark for most combined hits in a single game, rolling up 42 hits between them!  They also tied the record for most combined runs in a game so far, with 27.    Rogers Hornsby was 6 for 6!  Yukon smashes Bad Axe 9-1 behind a dominant pitching performance from Jack Chesbro.  Verona's DH Billy Williams had 4 hits in their 12-4 win over Windy City.  Ken Griffey's 9th inning HR was the difference for Mar-a-Lago against the Socialists.  John Clarkson of Backwoods and Greg Maddux of Aliquippa engaged in an old-fashioned pitching duel, with Clarkson and the Bastards coming out on top 2-1. Earl Averill was the unlikely hero with a walk-off HR.   

Day 28 - A good day for the pitchers!  Ferguson "Fergilicious" Jenkins took a no-hitter into the 8th inning against Vermont, and finished with a 6-1 win.  Addie Joss went the distance for Mar-a-Lago in a 3-1 win over the Doobies.  Gaylord Perry outdueled Satchel Paige in a 5-4 Aliquippa win over Pohhdunkville.  Sandy Koufax tossed a 5 hit shutout for Backwoods.  Miser catcher Yogi Berra repped the hitters, belting two homers and adding two singles in a 6-2 win over Yukon. 

Day 29 - Negro League star catcher Biz Mackey (not to be confused with one-hit rap star Biz Markie, crooner of the great song "Just a Friend") was a terror for Yukon in their 14-8 win over Pottersville.  Mackey had 2 homers and 6 RBIs.  High-kicking Juan Marichal went all 9 innings as the Pounders topped the Beavers (no innuendo in those names, just reporting the facts!) 5-1.  Big day for the Babe as the Sultan of Swat hit 2 HRs for Vermont, giving Pud Galvin his second win of the year.   Mar-A-Lago gets an outstanding start from Chief Bender, and wins 2-1 over Windy City.  Meanwhile, at Flapjack Park, the pitchers dominated, Don Sutton and Smokey Joe Williams each tossing goose eggs until the top of the 11th, when Hank Aaron crashed his 6th HR of the year, and that would stand as the Bastards won 1-0.  

Day 30 - Aliquippa  edged Pohdunkville 11-9, with Robin Yount collecting 3 extra base hits and 3 RBIs.  Johnny Bench's grand slam helped put Verona Ridge over the Socialists 12-7.  The Doobies got 2 HRs from Hank Greenberg, and "Sunday Teddy" Lyons went the distance, for a 9-4 win over Mar-a-Lago.  Yukon got 4 hits from Jud Wilson and Carl Hubbell used his famous screwball to limit the Misers to just 2 hits.  Big Bill Foster got win #5 for Backwoods in a 17-5 annihilation of Bad Axe, losers of seven straight now.  Surprisingly, EVERY batter for both teams except for pinch-runner Louis Santop got at least one hit in this game.

Paul Bunyan making Cuts

In Bad Axe Michigan, team owner M. Walter is sharpening his axe and is mad at his "lousy" team play. Bunyan is forced to "axe" Harry Hooper and add Lou Boudreau. (The one who plays SS).

In a statement M. Walter said: "I did not expect the standings to reflect such an average team through 20 games. Something has to change and Hooper, a late pick anyways, is no longer considered a lumberjack. I need a spark plug at SS and Bancroft had been a back-up but became the star when Banks was traded to Chicago. But Lou hopefully provide this lousy "dull axe team" and start cutting down on the competition to a division pennant. The Polar bears have been a fierce rival and this needed to happen faster, than later."

Manager  Paul Bunyan on Owners harsh critique: "We all want to win the league, its all about making the play-offs. However, I disagree with the owner as we are 10-10 thus far. But, Harry Hooper was a great teammate and man. I wish him the best in his future endeavors..."

When asked about the "cutting" of Harry Hooper stud first baseman/DH Jimmie Foxx had this to say:
"I didn't even know his name. He rarely played. So screw it, we need help at SS and frankly, Bancroft could go too"

Owner M. Walter on Foxx's comment: "I agree wholeheartedly with Foxx, but at this moment Bancroft is still a member of the LumberJacks".

The LumberJacks expect high things and maybe this will be the spark this team needs.

Days 11-20: Two leaders emerge!

 



Babe will accept his coveted Player of
The Block award right after his haircut.
Lookin' good, Babe!

The Yukon Polar Bears (15-5) and the Backwoods Bastards (12-8) have both staked early leads in their respective divisions.  Yukon is riding the strong pitching tandem of Christy Mathewson (4-0, 1.75 ERA) and Three Finger Brown (3-0, 2.17 ERA) to take an early lead in the National Division.  Backwoods is using the power hitting of Hank Aaron (.342, 5 HRs, 21 RBIs) and the multi-dimensional excellence of Oscar Charleston (.325, 6 HRs, 20 RBIs) to stay atop the American Division. 



 

The player of this block is none other than George Herman "Babe" Ruth of the Vermont Socialists.  The Sultan of Swat hit .361 with 6 HRs and 14 RBis over these 10 games.  Lefty Grove was tops among the hurlers with 2 complete game victories, allowing only 3 earned runs and striking out 14.

 






Paul Waner of Yukon leads the league
in batting average, at .431



Mar-a-Lago and Yukon both went 7-3 this set, tying for the top record over the last 10 games.  Willie Mays and Paul "Big Poison" Waner are both riding 18 game hitting streaks right now.


 

 

Day 11 - Mar-a-Lago's Mickey Welch stops Yukon's win streak, and Aliquippa's Grover Cleveland Alexander moved to 2-2 with a complete game win over Vermont.  Hack Wilson of Pottersville had a monster game, 5 for 5 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs.  The big hero of the day, however, was Cal Ripken Jr., who had a 12th inning, walk off hit for Windy City.
 

Day 12 -  Gaylord Perry remains undefeated for Aliquippa, moving to 3-0 with a complete game victory.  Goose Goslin gave the Doobies a victory with 2 HRs, marking the fourth straight win for "WIN"-dy City.  .

Day 13 -   Backwoods wins 11-4 as Henry Aaron goes 2-5 and drives in 5 runs.  Bad Axe's Tom Seaver goes the distance and Lou Gehrig smashes a walk-off hit. 

Day 14 - Vermont gets a complete game from the "Old Hoss", Old Hoss Radbourn in a 10-3 win over Backwoods.. "Prince" Hal Newhouser throws the extremely rare 11-hit shutout, tossing 146 pitches in the process!  Yukon gets a three-hitter from Three Finger Brown.

Day 15 - Mar-a-Lago is on fire, winning their 5th straight.  Carl Hubbell spins a 2 hitter against Verona Ridge, and Bob Gibson gets his first win of the year for Bad Axe.   Elmer Flick delivers 4 hits for Vermont.

Day 16 - Yukon's Cy Young drops a three hitter on the Windy City Doobies, and Turkey Stearnes added 3 hits and 3 RBIs in just 3 at bats.  Pottersville's Bullet Joe Rogan goes the distance to pick up his first win, and Bad Axe's Joe Morgan had 3 hits, including a grand slam.  The player of the day, however, was Vermont's Eddie Mathews, who went 3 for 3, with 2 HRs, 4 runs, and 7 RBIs!!!

Day 17 - John Clarkson throws a 12 inning complete game and threw a mind-boggling 191 pitches!  The 1880's gentleman is now 2-0 with a league-leading 1.71 ERA.  Yukon is on another hot streak, scoring their fifth straight win behind Martin Dihigo's 2 HRs.  Polar Bear starter Christy Mathewson is now 4-0 with a sterling 1.75 ERA!  Pohdunkivlle's Lefty Gomez tossed a two hitter at the Misers.  Vermont gets a 13-4 win over Aliquippa, with Babe Ruth going 3-5 with 3 runs, 2 HRs, and 5 RBIs!

Day 18 - Yukon wins again, scoring 4 runs in the top of the 10th.  Aliquippa breaks a 6 game losing streak, and Mar-a-Lago's Jim Bunning throws a 5 hit shutout of Bad Axe.  Pottersville scores a new league record for runs scored in a 25-2 victory over Pohdunkville.  Pop Lloyd and George Brett each accumulated four hits for the Misers. 

Day 19 - Seven in a row for Yukon!  a 15-4 win over Bad Axe continued the Polar Bear domination.  Babe Ruth hit a grand slam for Vermont, and Windy City came from behind to win 7-6 on an Ernie Banks walkoff HR!  Mickey Mantle hit 3 HRs in that game for the Doobies. 

Day 20 - Bad Axe breaks Yukon's winning streak as Smokey Joe Williams locks down the Polar Bears.  Pohdunkville tops Verona Ridge 10-6, and Satchel Paige strikes out 10 Roadrunners.  Big Bill Foster (Man, the Negro League pitchers seem to all have great nicknames!) leads Bad Axe to victory.

Days 1-10: The Saga Begins!

Willie Stargell, "Pops", sporting the
Lincoln-esque stovepipe cap, earns
the first 'Player of the Block' Award!

And so it begins!  Have run the first 10 days of games.  For those new to these retro leagues, I will do this every couple of days until we complete the entire 162 games.  You can send computer manager changes to me at any time and I will update them before running the games.

The Yukon Polar Bears had the best start, going 8-2 to start the year. Aliquippa and Backwoods both went 7-3.    Willie Stargell of Aliquippa is hitting a robust .625 with 5 homers already.  Babe Ruth is already making his presence felt, launching 4 dingers and driving in 12 for the Vermont Socialists.   "Big Six" Christy Mathewson has already racked up 3 wins, allowing just 3 earned runs in 27 innings!


On the flip side, Duke Snider is just 2 for 28 for Aliquippa, and Amos Rusie picked up three losses for Verona Ridge with his astronomical 11.40 era!




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Links on the right side of the league site show you a ton of cool stats, but don't sleep on these daily reports!  You can see your team's box scores, read the game story, and see ridiculous amount of detailed stats.   Just click on the link for each day to see the daily reports! 


Day 1 - Opening Day! Christy Mathewson tossed a 4 hit shutout for Yukon, Big Ed Delahanty racked up 4 hits for Mar-a-Lago.  But the big hero of the day was Pottersville's Stan Musial, who was The Man when he belted a two run walk off homer!

Day 2 - Windy City's Nolan Ryan created more wind with 12 strikeouts in a shutout of Verona Ridge.  Jimmie Foxx cracked two homers and drove in 5 for Bad Axe, while Smokey Joe Williams debuted with 11K's and only 1 run allowed.

Day 3 - Pohdunkville rallies in the 9th with Harmon Killewbrew and Arky Vaughn coming through in the clutch.  VR's Fergie Jenkins racked up 11K's.  Backwoods' Oscar Charleston showed while he was drafted so highly with 4 hits in a narrow Bad Axe win over Pottersville.

Day 4 - Mickey Mantle's grand slam propelled Windy City to a big win, and Jimmie "The Beast" Foxx hits 2 more homers for Bad Axe.  Mar-a-Lago and Backwoods combined for 15 runs and 27 hits in a slugfest.

Day 5 - Two more homers from Oscar Charleston, Joe DiMaggio jolts in 4 runs, and Christy Mathewson shuts down Bad Axe. 

Day 6 - Satchel Paige  goes the distance for Pohdunkville against Vermont, and Cool Papa Bell added two hits and two RBIs.  Aliquippa's 2B Bobby Doerr had a career night with 4 hits, including two HRs.  Three Finger Brown shuts out the Lumberjacks.

Day 7 - Windy City got 2 homers from Hank Greenberg, Yukon racked up 17 hits, and Catfish Hunter goes the distance for Pottersville.

Day 8 - The Bastards drop 12 runs and 21 hits on the Socialists, including four from Jackie Robinson.  Paul "Big Poison" Waner gave Yukon 3 hits and 4 RBIs

Day 9 - Yukon won their fifth in a row, Bad Axe's "Prince Hal" Newhouser shuts down the Misers, Windy City gets a grand slam from Andre Dawson.  The big news came from Mar-a-Lago though, as the Misogynists racked up league leading totals of 20 runs and 29 hits against the Aliquippa Beavers.

Day 10 - Christy Mathewson gave the Polar Bears their sixth win in a row,  Willie Stargell pops two dingers for Aliquippa, and knuckleballer Phil Niekro picked up the win for Verona Ridge in relief.

Yukon's Christy Mathewson
already off to a 3-0 start!

First transaction of the year

The first usage of the phrase "You're fired!" came from the Mar-a-Lago compound as Tim has cut  Freddie Lindstrom and picked up pitcher Waite Hoyt.

 

 

LumberJacks, Pounders Line-ups

Lumberjacks:

Pitching:

1.) Bob Gibson
2.) Smokey Joe Williams
3.) Tom Seaver
4.) Hal Newhouser*
5.) Dazzy Vance

RP: Herb Pinnock
RP: Stan Covelski

Vs. LHP
1.) Tony Gwynn-RF
2.) Jimmie Foxx-DH
3.) Lou Gehrig-1B
4.) Willie McCovey-LF
5.) Joe Morgan-2B
6.) George Kell -3B
7.) Kirby Puckett-CF
8.) Ernie Lombardi-C
9.) Dave BanCroft-SS

Vs. RHP

1.) Joe Morgan-2B
2.) Jimmie Foxx-DH
3.) Lou Gehrig-1B
4.) Willie McCovey-LF
5.) Mickey Cochrane-C
6.) George Kell-3B
7.) Tony Gwynn-RF
8.) Kirby Puckett-CF
9.) Dave Bancroft-SS

Base-Stealing Normal
Relief: Normal
Everything normal.

Pounders Pitching:
1.) Satchel Paige
2.) Juan Marichal
3.) Lefty Grove
4.) Burleigh Grimes
5.) Don Drysdale

CP: Rollie Fingers
RP: Candy Cummings

Line-ups Vs LHP
1.) Nap Lajoie-2B
2.) Josh Gibson -C
3.) Frank Thomas-1B
4.) Harmon Killebrew-DH
5.) Roberto Clemente-RF
6.) Cool-Papa-Bell-CF
7.) Arky Vaughn-SS
8.) Jimmy Collins-3B
9.) Rickey Henderson-LF

Line up Vs RHP
1.) Nap Lajoie-2B
2.) Rickey Henderson-LF
3.) Harmon Killebrew-DH
4.) Josh Gibson-C
5.) Frank Thomas 1B
6.) Roberto Clemente-RF
7.) Cool-Papa Bell-CF
8.) Arky Vaughn-SS
9.) Jimmy Collins-3B

Everything Normal

Plus Windy City Doobies Line-up
1.) Ed Walsh
2.) Nolan Ryan
3.) Jose Mendez
4.) Tom Glavine
5.) Bert Blyleven

RP:
1.) Smoltz
2.) Ford
3.) Lyons

Vs LHP
1.) Ernie Banks-SS
2.) Mantle-CF
3.) Greenberg-1B
4.) Kaline-RF
5.) Boggs-3B
6.) Dawson-LF
7.) Roberto Alomar-2B
8.) Cal Ripken Jr. SS
9.) Carleton Fisk C

VS RHP
1.) Boggs-3B
2.) Greenberg-1B
3.) Mantle-CF
4.) Kaline-RF
5.) Banks-SS
6.) Dawson-LF
7.) Roberto Alomar-2B
8.) Cal Ripken Jr SS
9.) Carelton Fisk-C

Settings: Normal

Slight rain delay...

 

Sorry, meant to get this started yesterday but won't be able to get the first set of 10 days run until tomorrow.  Gives you a little more time to check your Computer Manager (CM) and let me know of any lineup changes, rotation changes, etc.  Remember it IS OK to use a 4 man starting rotation if you'd like. 

Everyone please welcome the Yukon Polar Bears! Lineups and computer preferences below.

Vs. R                                                          Vs. L
1. Wagner - SS                                          1. Wagner - SS
2. Sisler - 1B                                              2. Sisler - 1B
3. Torriente - LF                                         3. Piazza - DH
4. Stearnes - CF                                        4. Stearnes - CF            
5. Wilson - DH                                           5. Mackey - C
6. Waner - RF                                            6. Torriente - LF
7. Mackey - C                                            7. Dandridge - 3B
8. Dihigo - 2B                                             8. Waner - RF
9. Davis - 3B                                              9. Schoendienst - 2B

Starters 
1. Christy Matthewson
2. Three Finger Brown
3. Carl Hubbell
4. Cy Young

Setup and Closer vs. L - Lefty Gomez
Setup and closer vs. R - Chesbro

Pinch Runner - Hamilton

D Replace - Schoendienst at 2B
                    Dandridge at 3B

Base stealing - Aggressive

Base Running - Aggressive

Hit and run - Normal

Use relief - - extra conservative

Closer usage - normal

Intentional BB - Extra Conservative

Minimum % to steal - 70%

Rest of options - default.

See y'all in the championship!

More Draft Day coverage!

Early draft picks Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth (wearing Dr. Evil's  coat)
and Tris Speaker pose for the paparazzi after the draft

Hope everyone enjoyed the draft!  We had a few glitches early but I think the draft website worked pretty well.  We cranked out 240 picks in less than an hour and a half

Thanks to Linda Walter for providing cookies and brownies for today's event! 

 You can review the draft results here..

Full Draft Results

We broke out the 20 sided dice Christmas ornament for today's draft!

Exhibition season action!  PJ's Cristobel Torriente went 5-6
with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs!

Blockbuster Trade!

Jeff Shanks Trades: "Prince" Hal Newhouser to:
Mike Walter's LumberJacks for: Ernie Banks

"It was a great draft day, but seeing team need at pitcher, had to make a tough call and send Ernie Banks to Chicago. I like Hal coming to the Lumberjacks. Bancroft will be a sizable downgrade, but we needed a lefty".

Jeff Shanks on the deal:

"The Doobies realized a little too late that we had an overcrowded pitching staff. Sending Hal was a really tough call, but now we have a power bat in the line-up and seeing Hal go was brutal. However, we are excited to start the season on a HIGH note..."

Kennesaw Mountain Landis needs to approve of this deal. (no physicals needed here.)

We patiently seek approval.

Jeff Shanks Team Name and Field

Via Text message Jeff shanks is proud to announce the following:

Team Name: Windy City Doobies INC.

Ball Park: Wrigley Field

Manager: Joe Maddon (Current skipper of the World Series Cubbies)

Great draft, now we prepare for the season to kick off!

Strat-O-Matic's Hall of Fame cards

Thanks all for not only doing the online draft, but sticking through for all 24 picks!  Was quite fun and really interesting to see where everyone went.  Now we move on to our final pre-season steps. 

First things first, please come up with a team name and you can choose a stadium as well (that won't affect gameplay, but it does show a pretty picture of your field with all of the other stats).   You can also add a manager who will show up in the game stories. 

Also, if you want to pick up players, drop others, maybe work out a trade, just post a message on this site, or send me an email at pjallie2@aol.com.  Waiver claims are first come, first served. 

I will run the first set of 10 games Tuesday night, so please have at least a team name by then, and send me any Computer Manager updates by then.  I will try to run 10 days of games every couple of days or so.  Expect this simulation to take 5-6 weeks or so.  We will have injuries turned on, and the  computer simulation will move backups in periodically to simulate a real team.   

 

I've set up links to both your roster and the current computer manager.  The computer managers are generally good and your team will be OK with them, but there is plenty you can do to customize and hopefully improve the manager file as the season goes on.  They are all optional, you don't have to do it, but here is a quick summary of what you can change. 

 

-Basic righty and lefty lineups 

-Four or five man starting rotation
-Setup pitcher vs. lefty and righty
-Setup closer vs. lefty and righty
-Pinchrunner
-Defensive replacements (like put Joe Smith in CF if winning late in a game)
-Base stealing - extra conservative, conservative, normal, aggressive, extra aggressive
-Base running - - extra conservative, conservative, normal, aggressive, extra aggressive
-Hit and run - - extra conservative, conservative, normal, aggressive, extra aggressive
-Use relief - - deadball style, extra conservative, conservative, normal, aggressive, extra aggressive, extreme aggressive
-Closer usage - regular, maximize
-Intentional bb - - extra conservative, conservative, normal, aggressive, extra aggressive
-Infield in - 1, 2, 3,4 5 inning
-Hold - minimum steal percentage 0-100 by 5's
-Hold - minimum lead percentage 0-100 by 5's
-Hold Always*  yes or no ( should always be YES!!!)
-Minimum % to steal percentage 0-100 by 5
Again, these are all optional, just let me know if you have questions.  Lineups and rotations are the key things, but the others are there if you are really into it. 

Oh, and I highly encourage you to follow the league by email (the first box on the right hand side of the league web site).  Just enter your email there, and you will get notified when new posts are entered .  Feel free to put your own posts on here as well, this is intended to be fun and the more you get involved, the more fun you will have! 

 

And finally, the top two teams in each divisions will make the playoffs, which are all seven game series.  Head to head record would settle any ties in the final regular season standings.  

. 

A visitor to the Hall enjoys the Wall of Pablo!

Pat locates team in Pottersville - Please welcome the Misers!

After looking at my roster, this team of old-timey roughnecks and cranks needs a strong manager and we have found the meanest son of a gun ever to walk this earth.  Mr. Potter, scourge of Goerge Bailey and  all of Bedford Falls in "It's a Wonderful Life", is just the man to bring these ballplayers in line and get the most of them.  The Pottersville Misers are ready for the season!

Mike Walter is in! And Dave Walter's GM for DRAFT

Team names for the 2017 Hall of Fame are in!

Dave Walter: Palookaville Pounders
                     Manager: Sparky Anderson
                     Stadium Palookaville Slophouse (Real stadium-Old-Tiger Stadium)

Mike Walter: Bad Axe Lumberjacks
                      Manager: Paul Bunyan
                      Mascot-Babe the Blue Ox and a stack of pancakes.
                      Stadium: FlapJack Park (Real Stadium-Fenway Park)



Paul Bunyan is excited to get into being a Hall-of Fame Baseball Manager, in Bad Axe Michigan.


Dave Walter loves his "Slophouse"