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.