They Might Be Giants

GMABT Coverage - Part II

Dealing with a double-dose of Willie Mays.

So I ended up splitting 1-1 with the 1968 Tigers, I was happy with that, and knew beating Denny McLain would be tough (which of course didn't happen), so I was thankful it was not worse.

Next up is the 1962 San Francisco Giants, being played by Wendell Watkins. In my two tournament experiences, I don't think I have met someone so loose, chilled, having a good-time as Wendell -- he was like a kid on Christmas day, really was enjoying the experience.

Before we played our games, we headed off to the restrooms area of the restaurant, just talking about how much fun we were having at the tournament -- come to find out, it's been nearly 30 years since Wendell played a APBA game, face-to-face, which was amazing to me, I'm glad he started re-rolling again! It was a game he played a lot (of course) at a young age, he used to play games with his brother David, who also was at the tournament.

In fact there was a few sets of brothers at this tournament, there was at least four sets. I know for sure there was me & my brother Chris, the Watkins brothers, Ken Schultz & his brother, plus Ron Emch's brother Pete who was playing at the table behind us.

Wendell was coming off a 0-2 series loss against the 54' Giants, Steve & I split 1-1, with Ron at 2-0. For me, I felt good about the opportunities of my team going into the last four games, but then again, I think everyone feels good about the teams they selected, and I don't want to say I took either Giants team lightly going in, but I knew if I could take advantage of their pitching, and that my 1917 White Sox play to their abilities, I could escape this bracket. In retrospect, especially after this tournament, I have learned it doesn't matter how you feel or what you think of your chances, any team can go on to win the whole thing, or come close to doing so.

During my series with Wendell, I could hear a lot of commotion coming from my brother Chris's table, it sounded like Chris was doing good, but I had no official idea of how Chris was doing... but more on that for another post.

vs 1962 SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

The 1962 San Francisco Giants won the League Pennant in a tie-breaker three-game series against the 1962 Los Angeles Dodgers, which is funny, because that's the team that Wendell's brother David took, and played in my brother's bracket. The Giants would lose a close series against the New York Yankees, 4-3.

Watkins sends his #3 pitcher to the mound in Billy O'Dell (a B-YZ), and although we didn't know it that time, we would have an amazing game that would be talked about for some time for him & myself. This game for me, would be the game I would remember most in this tournament -- I had a game like this in Chicagoland, that to this day, me & Doug Schuyler still talk about, my choice to avoid pitching to pinch-hitter Shane Spencer of his 1998 Yankees to face Homer Bush, which Bush made me pay by smacking it out of the park. This game for me & Wendell would be much of that level, and the ending possibly more bizarre. The White Sox by the way, have Reb Russell (A-Z) on the mound.

Top of the first, Giants go down 1-2-3. Bottom of the inning now, lead-off walk by Eddie Collins, Buck Weaver hits into a force, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (still without a tournament hit) flies out. I believe I hit & ran with Happy Felsch, runners are now on the corners with two outs for Chick Gandil. Gandil pokes a single to right, drives in a runner, Nemo Leibold grounds out for out number three. Up 1-0, after one, great scored first, love drawing first blood, dice seem to be rolling good after heating up in second game against 68' Tigers.

Bottom of the 2nd, it was Wendell's turn, as Orlando Cepeda draws a one-out walk. Felipe Alou hits a single, as catcher Tom Haller flies out for the second out. Stepping up is Chuck Hiller, who in 1962 batted .276, 3 HR & 48 RBI playing every day, with a .675 OPS that was more on the level of my dead-ball 1917 White Sox. Hiller goes to second columns, smacking it out of the park... oh, it gets better, according to Wendell, he hit a HR in the previous series again Ron's 54' Giants, so that makes it 2 HR's for Hiller (who only had 3 HR in 161 games) in 3 games at the Greater Michigan APBA Baseball Tournament -- you gotta love it! Even if the damage is against you -- the rarities that can happen with particular dice rolls is what makes APBA Baseball so much fun!

Buck was locked in during Game #3.

So the Giants are now up 3-1 on the Hiller home run. Bottom of the 3rd, the White Sox claw back with lead-off double by Buck Weaver. Joe Jackson, 0-for-8, finally breaks out with a RBI single, driving in Weaver, trimming the San Fran lead to 3-2. After that though, Felsch, Gandil & Leibold went down in order, stranding Jackson; It's one of those things that as the game went on, you look back & say... we should have got more from that inning, especially with the heart of my order. Those type of moments will come back to haunt you.

Bottom of the 5th, one-out single by Buck Weaver. "Shoeless" Joe Jackson collects another hit, Happy Felsch draws a walk. The White Sox now have bases loaded for Chick Gandil, a player for reasons unknown has played above & beyond for me in my Crazy 48's League. Gandil is batting .402, 0 HR & 25 RBI in all 24 games for the White Sox during the project, with an amazing .916 OPS (.483 SLG/ .433 OBP) -- To put his success in perspective, he has been outplaying Felsch, Weaver & Eddie Collins; Also Gandil only batted .273 with a .316 OBP in 1917. So can Gandil come up big for again? Gandil would hit a sac-fly that ties the game 3-3, driving in Weaver (Weaver has scored all three of my runs). Nemo Leibold fails to keep the inning going, by flying out.

Top of the 6th, with two outs, the Giants' Orlando Cepeda gets on base with a single & Felipe Alou comes up big with an RBI double. Hate playing catch-up this late in a game, plus it felt like forever to tie the game up at 3-3, now it's 4-3 Giants lead. Also it's never a fun thing when you got a two-out inning, which starts to appear to be a 1-2-3 inning, especially after getting the two big guys out in Willie Mays & Willie McCovey -- then turns out to be a score.

Catcher Ray Schalk draws a lead-off walk for the White Sox, Shano Collins grounds out, moving Schalk up to second. Swede Risberg would come up with a big, game-tying RBI single.. but Eddie Collins would hit into a inning-ending double-play in the next at-bat. If Eddie came through, with only one out, I had Buck Weaver, Joe Jackson & Happy Felsch coming up... again, those things that will come back to haunt you.

For the 7th & 8th inning, nothing really happens. Both teams had lead-off singles in the 7th, but could not do anything. Both starting pitchers remain in the game in O'Dell (Giants) & Russell (White Sox).

Top of the 9th, two-out walk for Chuck Hiller. Hiller has been a pain in my butt at this point, reaching base for a 3rd time this game, he had a single in the 7th to go along with his 2nd Inning HR from earlier. Jim Davenport follows with a single, and put runners on the corners... So, basically the Giants' #8 & #9 hitters are giving me a headache, with Matty Alou stepping up to the plate. I remember thinking if I get out of this half-inning unscathed, I need to put the game away with a walk-off victory. The two-out pitch, Alou grounds out.

Bottom of the 9th, Buck Weaver collects a one-out single, his 4th hit (3 singles & a double) & 5th time on base for this game. "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, hits & runs, good ol' 31, runners on the corners. Jackson came out to play in this one as well, with his 3rd hit (after two games without a hit). One out, Happy Felsch, my cleanup hitter at the plate, looking good for the White Sox here, I won't hit & run since "Shoeless" has only 11's in his second column -- the dice roll... double play! Are you kidding me?!

We go to extras, Top of the 10th, Giants go down 1-2-3. Feeling the pressure of taking advantage of the opportunity to win, I go down with two quick outs to Chick Gandil & Nemo Leibold, my 5th & 6th hitters. Ray Schalk then draws a walk, I decide to pinch-hit Eddie Murphy (no, not the comedian/actor) for Shano Collins. Murphy collects a single & moves the possible winning run to third base. I decide to once again, go to the bench, and select slightly better hitting Fred McMullin to come in for Swede Risberg. Runners on the corners, I roll the dice... 33! Thirty-Three is always good, I was sure something great happen, I look at McMullin's card 33-7 & repeat the card to Wendell, Wendell does a half-laugh & starts reaching out to shake my hand as if I won the game, I go to the boards, 33-7 against Billy O'Dell, a B-YZ pitcher, with runners on the corners & two outs, and I read...

7 Fly out; one runner scores; other holds; PO-CF

I couldn't believe it, third out, we are going to the 11th & I knew at that moment, I am going to lose this game. Top of the eleventh, Fred McMullin now in at shortstop makes an error -- putting the lead-off man Orlando Cepeda on at first, Felipe Alou hits a double, moves the runner to third. Tom Haller would ground out for the first out, but not before Cepeda crossed home plate. That one run would be more than enough, as Eddie Collins, Buck Weaver & Joe Jackson go down 1-2-3. Collins' performance this game hurt me the most, he went 0-for-5, hit into a crucial double play, reaching only once on a walk to start off the bottom of the first -- the result of the game could be completely different if Eddie showed up in this one. Both starting pitchers went the distance of 11 innings.

Cepeda blasted 2 HR's & 4 RBI in Game #4.

The next game against Wendell (4th game of the bracket), had Eddie Cicotte & Juan Marichal squaring off against one another. Eddie pitched so lousy, you have to question if he was on the take, giving up four long-balls, two of them to Orlando Cepeda (both two-run HRs); Willie McCovey & Felipe Alou hit solos. My bats went completely quiet in this one, I think we were in a case of shock after losing the previous game that was in the palm of our hands (a few times). Marichal would hold us to 4 hits, and those 4 hits all came from the top 3 of the batting order, as the bottom 6 did nothing!

Eddie Cicotte by the way, ended the tournament with an 0-2 record, 5.06 ERA, with 8 K's & 6 walks in 16 innings. My ace Christy Mathewson of the 1912 Giants, did nothing for me in the Chicagoland tournament as well -- I really need my aces to step it up, LOL!

I now enter my last series with a 1-3 record, Wendell is suddenly 2-2 now, while I believe Ron & Steve split theirs, so if I was to sweep Ron, and Wendell & Steve split, I think everyone would go 3-3, the 7-0 butt-whooping in Game 4 was not going to help my run differential though. My run differential entering the last series was something like -4... So even with a sweep, I was going to need a whole world of help. With Game 3 slipping from my grasp & being shut out in Game 4 -- there was only one way to go, and that was up... but it appears I will not be moving into the playoffs. Come to find out after my games with Wendell, my little brother Chris was in good shape at 3-1 in his bracket, with two to go.

vs 1954 San Francisco Giants

After getting my heart ripped out by one Giants team, I'm hoping to have better luck against Ron Emch's 1954 San Francisco Giants. Ron & I would share a few laughs over our team's misfortunes & weird rolls over the next two games. Ron, the last I heard, was talking of possible plans heading an APBA Tournament in the Toledo, Ohio area -- this would be really cool, which is in striking distance for me and many others. I have said this before & I will say it again, APBA Baseball is truly a mid-west thing! Ron has a good commanding presence to head a successful tournament, he has been to the tournament in the Minnesota, he has plenty of game experience to put a great tournament together -- should be a lot of fun!

By the way, before we get into some of the action for the 54' SF vs 17' CWS highlights, check out Ron's brief (but excellent video of the GMABT action) at the link below...

• 1st Annual Greater Michigan APBA Baseball Tournament

Game #5 (and Game 1 for our series), we have Sal Maglie on the mound for the Giants as they travel to Chicago to face Red Faber. Maglie of course won 23 games in 1951 for the Giants & had a bounce back year of sorts in 1954 (after a down 1953) -- while Red Faber is a Hall of Famer that went on to win 250+ games, playing his entire 20-year career with the White Sox. Maglie is a B-YZ, while Faber is an A.

During the bottom of the 1st, Eddie Collins got things started with single, but Buck Weaver would hit into a double-play and nothing happened from there. Then in the bottom of the 2nd, Chick Gandil hits a one-out single to right, Nemo Leibold would smack a single & move Gandil to third; Leibold steals second on next play. Ray Schalk and Shano Collins would reward Gandil & Leibold's efforts by each striking out against Sal Maglie.

Irvin helps Giants break open Game #5.

The top of the 3rd, Red Faber strikes out Al Dark, but then gives up a single to the #8 hitter in Whitey Lockman & a walk to #9 hitter Davey Williams -- continuing the theme of the bottom of the order guys being a pain in my ass, a theme that Wendell's Giants started. It set things up beautifully for Monte Irvin as he smacked a three-run homer. Dusty Rhodes, playing DH, smacks a double & Hank Thompson made me pay the price with a two-run blast -- we are down 5-0 quickly, with Faber being knocked down from a Grade A to Grade B starter.

During the top of the 6th & 7th, my team avoided two potential run-producing innings for the Giants. Back-to-back singles by Willie Mays and Don Mueller kicked off the 6th -- which got Faber yanked for Claude "Lefty" Williams, but the following three went down in order, not being able to score anyone; While the 7th got started with a lead-off double by Davey Williams, followed by a walk from Monte Irvin, Dusty Rhodes would strike out while Hank Thompson flied out. With two outs, Willie Mays draws a walk, bases are now loaded for Mueller. I go to the pen again, and call on Joe Benz -- by the way, this was the first game of the tournament that I went to the pen. Mueller would ground out; The damage could have been worse during those two innings.

Top of the 8th, back-to-back singles by Joe Garigiola and Al Dark to lead off the inning, but once again the Giants just couldn't get them across the plate. Bottom of the 8th, I roll with results that resulted in back-to-back "11"s (single & a steal) in Eddie Collins and Buck Weaver. Collins by the way has three hits in this game (where were you last game, buddy?). "Shoeless" Joe Jackson's ground out moved Weaver over to third, as Happy Felsch's sacrifice fly scored Weaver. Suddenly, there is a pulse... I now trail the Giants, 5-2.

Top of the 9th, I get Monte Irvin & Dusty Rhodes on quick outs. I have to go to the bullpen, since Joe Benz is up to his 6 outs allowed for a reliever in this tournament --So Benz is out, and Dave Danforth is in, the 4th pitcher to be used by the White Sox in this one. He gives up a two-out double to Hank Thompson. The next batter was Willie Mays, and Ron Emch caught me by surprise, and asked me if I wanted to pitch to Mays or not-- there was so much noise in the room at the time, I first thought he asked me if I was playing in or deep; Regardless, I was going to pitch to him anyways, but it was a pretty cool, class act by Ron to offer me the choice, he didn't have to do that. Soon enough I realized I should have probably intentionally walked him, since Mays took it yard on the next dice roll -- Enter Homer Simpson's "D'Oh!" -- It was once again a five-run lead for the 54' Giants, and that's where it would stay, as he retired the bottom side in the ninth.

Sal Maglie pitches a complete game victory, allowing 7 hits & 2 runs, while striking out four, with no walks allowed. Red Faber, despite his 3-hit complete game victory against the Tigers, was rocked in this one, allowing 5 runs (all in the 3rd) with 7 hits in 5 innings, with 2 K's, allowing 3 walks (a lousy game WHIP of 2.000).

The last game had Reb Russell (A-Z) back on the mound for me, Russell went a distance of 11 innings against the 62' Giants, in which his White Sox teammates couldn't get that winning run across the plate. The 54' Giants send Ruben Gomez to the mound, while the White Sox tinker with the batting order, putting Nemo Leibold back at the top of the order (like he was against the Tigers in Game #1) -- the tinkering pays off.

Lead-off single & a steal for Leibold in the first, Eddie Collins smacks him in with a single.

Russell had a great tourney for Chicago.

Top of the 3rd, Swede Risberg leads off with a double, as Eddie Collins scores him in on a sac fly. The top of the 4th, the White Sox strand two runners -- while in the 5th, they added another run, with an RBI single by Nemo Leibold, scoring Swede Risberg from second. Risberg reached on a single, then stole second.

The White Sox lead 3-0 entering the bottom of the 6th, as Reb Russell surrenders his first hit to Al Dark leading off the inning (batting 7th) with a double, but the Giants were not able to capitalize.

Nemo Leibold continues his havoc with a two-run triple in the top of the 7th, Collins would score in Leibold, by grounding out. With the White Sox leading 6-0 entering the 8th, the White Sox added a run, with Monte Irvin dropping a fly ball, which resulted in an error -- "Shoeless Joe" Jackson scored from second, after leading off the 8th with a double; The bases would eventually be loaded, with reliever Marv Grissom walking in back-to-back runners, the wheels have officially came off, at this point so was the axel & everything else.

The bad news for Ron, my White Sox won 9-0, the good news is that Ron moved on to the playoffs from our bracket. My 9-0 beating of his 54' Giants, probably didn't help his team's run differential that may have effected his playoff seed -- I felt pretty bad about that actually, but it was just one of those games where nothing went right for his team, kind of like my 4th game, where I got my butt kicked by the 62' Giants, 7-0.

Ron would eventually be knocked out by Robert Mosher & his 1985 St. Louis Cardinals in the first-round of the playoffs.

The tournament was a blast, once again huge props to Rich Zawadzki who hosted the tournament, and to the kitchen crew & waitstaff at Gene Davis and Sons Steak Eatery in Jackson, MI.

I think for my trips in the future, I will go even lighter on luggage & not bring my extra card sets -- I always want to get a side game in, but then you socialize & don't get the chance to bust out an extra game after being eliminated from tournament contention. I didn't even get a game in with my brother at the hotel, we just talked a lot. By the end of the entire trip, my throat was shredded with the dry air, travel, the dehydrating coffee, and sinuses drainage... but it was so worth it!