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.