The Stars Align! (Integrated MLB 1921-1922)

Thanks a ton to the endless possibilities of Out of the Park Baseball 19, I can integrate Negro League stars into the Major Leagues.

I plan to do an in-depth blog story to further illustrate the magic of a what-if world where the greatest players of the Negro Leagues and some of their minor stars got a chance to play along with MLB superstars and stars.

When I originally did my Negro League Selection Draft, I was basing the draft order off of the 1919 MLB records, the worse teams got the best picks... I must have read it wrong, we were starting with the 1921 season.

1921 Negro League Draft

1. SP - Bullet Joe Rogan (Philadelphia Athletics)
2. SP - Dave 'Lefty' Brown (Philadelphia Phillies)
3. OF - Oscar Charleston (St Louis Cardinals)
4. SS - Dick Lundy (Washington Senators)
5. SP - Dick 'Cannonball' Redding (Boston Braves)
6. SP - Jose 'The Black Diamond' Mendez (St Louis Browns)
7. SS/3B/C - John Beckwith (Boston Red Sox)
8. C/2B/3B - Biz Mackey (Brooklyn Dodgers)
9. CF - Cristobal Torriente (Pittsburgh Pirates)
10. SP - Andy Cooper (Detroit Tigers)
11. OF - Bernardo Baro (Chicago Cubs)
12. P/1B - John Donaldson (New York Yankees)
13. 1B - Edgar Wesley (Cleveland / Boston Braves)*
14. 2B/SS - Dobie Moore (New York Giants)
15. RF/1B - Ben Taylor (Chicago White Sox)
16. SS - John Henry 'Pop' Lloyd (Cincinnati Reds)
17. 1B/RF - George 'Tank' Carr (Philadelphia Athletics)
18. C/OF - Dan Kannard (Philadelphia Phillies)
19. 2B/OF- Clint Thomas (St. Louis Cardinals)
20. C/OF/2B- Elias 'Country' Brown (Washington Senators)
21. OF - Charlie Blackwell (Boston Braves)
22. OF - Clarence Smith (St. Louis Browns)
23. OF - Fred Long (Brooklyn Dodgers)
24. RP - Bill Force (Pittsburgh Pirates)
25. OF/1B - Pete Hill (Detroit Tigers)
26. 1B/OF - Bill Pierce (New York Yankees)

Some players are long done like catcher Louis Santop, while 'Pop' Lloyd and Pete Hill are in their twilight years. Players were picked due to team needs and potential left in the tank, some players like Clint Thomas and Edgar Wesley are going to enjoy it as long as it lasts, even though it most likely will be brief.

* Edgar Wesley was traded to the Boston Braves in exchange for OF Roy Powell, RP Ira Townsend & a 1922 1st Rd Negro League Draft Slot. 

1921 Negro Leaguer Highlights

• The Boston Braves' Charlie Blackwell and Edgar Wesley each tied for the National League lead in home runs at season's end with 19 each.

• The Philadelphia Athletics' Bullet Joe Rogan, the league's 1st Overall Negro League Pick, wins the American League Cy Young & A.L. Rookie-of-the-Year Award; Rogan led the league in wins (23), WHIP (1.12) & Innings Pitched (338.1), with a 2.53 ERA & 295 strikeouts.

• Dave 'Lefty' Brown of the Philadelphia Phillies, wins the N.L. Cy Young & N.L. Rookie of the Year Award; Brown had a 17-12 record with a 2.57 ERA, 1.15 WHIP & 250 K in 322.1 innings.

• Oscar Charleston (.290, 8 HR, 59 RBI / .755 OPS) & Clint Thomas of the St Louis Cardinals are the first Negro Leaguers along with John Donaldson (New York Yankees), to play in the World Series (Yankees won series, 5-2). Charleston led the N.L. in triples (22) and stolen bases (48).

• The Chicago American Giants won the 1921 Negro League World Series, 4-1 over the Indianapolis ABC's.

• Doc Dudley of the Indianapolis ABC's led the league in HR (21) & RBI; Announced his entry into the 1922 Negro League Draft.

1922 Negro League Draft

1. CF - Cool Papa Bell (Boston Red Sox)
2. LF/3B- Jud Wilson (Philadelphia Athletics)
3. 2B/3B - Newt Joseph (Brooklyn Dodgers)
4. OF/C - Lewis Hampton (Philadelphia Phillies)
5. 3B - Tubby Scales (Chicago White Sox)
6. SP - Jose LeBlanc (St Louis Browns)
7. LF - Doc Dudley (Boston Braves)
8. 2B - John Henry 'Pop' Lloyd (Detroit Tigers) - was released by Cincinnati Reds following the 1921 MLB Season.
9. C/3B - Buck Ewing (Chicago Cubs)
10. 1B/OF - Robert Hudspeth (Pittsburgh Pirates)
11. 2B/OF - Clint Thomas (Cincinnati Reds) - was released by the St Louis Cardinals following the 1921 MLB Season.
12. OF - Clarence Smith (New York Giants) - was released by the St. Louis Browns following the 1921 MLB Season.
13.  RP - John Donaldson (Cleveland Indians) - was released by the New York Yankees following the 1921 MLB Season.

RF Ben Taylor signed with the Indianapolis ABC's while OF/1B Pete Hill signed with the St Louis Stars prior to the 1922 MLB Season.

1922 Negro Leaguers Highlights

• 1st mid-season trade that involved a Negro League star: The Philadelphia Athletics traded SP Bullet Joe Rogan to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for 1B Stuffy McInnis, RP Harry Hulihan, SP George Abrams & a 1st Rd 1923 Negro League Draft Slot. 

• John Beckwith of the Boston Red Sox has been consistently good his first two seasons for Boston: .296 BA, 21 HR & 150 RBI (.796 OPS) total.

• Cool Papa Bell led the A.L. with 71 steals, while hitting .277 with 6 HR & 44 RBI (99 runs) for the Red Sox... Oh... and he won a A.L. Gold Glove as well.

• Jud Wilson showed tons of power in brief playing time for the Philadelphia Athletics, hitting .302 with 6 HR & 16 RBI (1.089 OPS) in only 86 at-bats.

• George 'Tubby' Scales was huge for the Chicago White Sox (.269 BA, 20 HR & 105 RBI / .822 OPS).

The Boston Red Sox were nipping on the heels of the New York Yankees when they pulled off the trade for Rogan, but the team suddenly went south & had the 2nd overall pick in the upcoming 1923 MLB Draft.

New Negro League Set

I'm currently in the middle of creating my "Negro League Stars" Set, it will feature plenty of the cards that APBA came out with for their Negro League Set, while usually featuring the players' best Negro League seasons. There will be players featured in this set, that were not featured in previous APBA sets such as Alejandro Oms, Red Moore & John Beckwith, among many others.

Plus logos from the well-known Negro League teams, plus logos from little known Negro League Teams.

I found myself drawn to this idea of late, due to the fact, that I love Negro League Baseball, and due to all the unnecessary nonsense that has took place of late, in Charlottesville, Virginia -- there seems to be no better time to start creating a beautiful Negro League set. 

Not going to get too political here, but one thing is for sure...  Hate, Racism & Bigoty has no place in this society, it is acts like this that delayed Negro League players a chance to play in the Majors. This country has come so far, we can't afford to have this country revert to a dark area in our nation's history.

More news to come on these cards & how you may be able to acquire this set through trades...

Small Changes on Site

Just for everyone's information, I made a few changes to my site. I decided to delete my Heritage Baseball League page & Negros League Project page -- and placed the information of those two projects under a page called "Other Projects".

The Heritage Baseball League finished after only a 20-game season, and a tournament that watched the Buffalo Bison win the title. I plan to eventually return to a similar style league, involving the BATS 2, the seasons I have on computer, plus players here & there from all the World Series teams that I own on the computer. I want to make a league with 40 teams, where the emphasis on the league will have more role players than teams stacked with superstars. Each team will also have a payroll of $80 million each -- I will be using this site I found, that has great salary formulas of every player that has ever played.

Meanwhile, I have also been placing salaries on my APBA Baseball Cards, in case I ever do a face-to-face salary-based league, with friends locally -- that's a bit of a pipe-dream, worst comes to worst, I will play it solitaire or have some of my online friends be General Managers at least. I have a on-going APBA player card database in my Microsoft Excel program with players, duplicate options, their primary fielding grades with other fielding options, speed & injury ratings.

I know, right? Where do you find the time, Shawn?
Believe me, I dig for that time.

The Negro League Project was a fun, but brief project. I made two Negro League All-Star teams, in which they played each other once, and then played a few teams from the GTOP sets from APBA Baseball. The results of the exhibitions are in the Negro League section of the Other Projects page as well. I would like to get around and play a Negro League season eventually, involving the 20 Negro Leagues presented by APBA -- or at least a tournament.

* * * * * * * * * *

I will continue with a new post following this post, in a bit of a continuation on all the projects that I have been doing through APBA via cards & computer, which ones that are wrapping up, which ones will continue, as well as ideas for others.

The Great Return of Gibson

The Crazy 48's had quite the match-up this past Saturday night, we had the 2001 Seattle Mariners (19-7) visiting Negro League titans, Pittsburgh Crawfords (19-7). It was Game 3 of the series, with Joel Pineiro (B-Y) getting his second start of the season, due to an injured Jamie Moyer. The Crawfords send up Roosevelt Davis (D-Y), in hopes that the offense can match wits with Seattle's great lineup.

The amazing factor was not the fact that two of the best teams were going head-to-head, but the fact that Josh Gibson of the Crawfords is FINALLY coming off the disabled list! This team struggled without Gibson in the lineup, 7-5 since, although it was nice to see Oscar Charleston finally step up, and play like Oscar Charleston! 

Due to the fact that I decided to change it from 162 games to 48 games for each team, and starting with Game #29, we will see nothing but division match-ups there on, out -- mean't that I decided to cut all the injuries that existed down 50% from their totals, this is why Gibson is finally back.

Seattle jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the 2nd, including an RBI double by David Bell. Popeye Harris' solo HR tied up the game, 3-3 in the bottom of the 3rd. During the top of the 5th, an RBI double & RBI triple by Mike Cameron, put Mariners on top, 5-3. Bottom of the 5th, Gibson & the Crawfords struck back with his RBI triple, scoring in Harris.

You just knew it was going to be one of those games that was going to go back-and-forth, or keep going from the get-go. Top of the 6th, with the Crawford's David Harvey now on the mound, Dan Wilson scores on a sac-fly by Ichiro Suzuki to take 6-5 lead over Pittsburgh. Bottom of the 6th, Norm Charlton came in for Seattle, got the first two guys retired (including Cool Papa Bell's 2nd K of the game), then Judy Johnson (0-for-2) draws a walk, Andrew "Pat" Patterson hit a single. With runners on first & third, with two outs, Harvey (who can hit for a pitcher) smacked a two-run double to take a 7-6 Crawfords lead, Jimmy Crutchfield followed with an RBI single.

Down 8-6, the Mariners' Mike Cameron hit a solo HR during the top of the 7th, off of the Crawfords' Harvey; Cameron at this point was 3-for-3, with a HR, triple & single, plus two stolen bases (and a caught stealing) with 2 runs -- he's a double away from the cycle, with plenty of game left. Bottom of the 7th, the Mariners' reliever Ryan Franklin does not allow a run to the Crawfords, to keep the M's a run within Pittsburgh. Top of the 8th, with one out, Franklin's spot comes up in the lineup, with Wilson on second with his lead-off double, Seattle calls on Edgar Martinez to come off the bench to pinch-hit against Harvey -- Harvey gives up a two-run HR over the center field wall!

With a 9-8 lead, and Franklin in position for the win, the Mariners call on their usual closer Kazuhiro Sasaki (7 Saves) to pitch the bottom of the 8th, while Arthur Rhodes (2 Saves) warms up in the bullpen, the M's want to close this one out. Sasaki is a APBA Grade B-XYZ, while Rhodes is a Grade A&C-KYZ. Sasaki, despite giving up two walks, gets through the inning scoreless.

The top of the ninth, the Mariners failed to add any insurance runs off Pittsburgh's D reliever Bertrum Hunter. Bottom of the ninth, Rhodes strikes out Gibson to lead off the bottom of the ninth, Gibson is now 2-for-5 (with an RBI triple) in his first game back. Oscar Robertson would follow the Gibson K with a double, Sam Bankhead would ground out to move Robertson up to third. With two outs, and the tying runner at 3rd, Papa Bell would smack a game-tying double off of Rhodes, who is not on top of his game. Judy Johnson would fly out to make the 3rd out, this one is going to extras.

Tied 9-9, the M's are letting Rhodes swing the bat, they will try to keep him in for a few innings -- he strikes out. Ichiro would fly out to make it, two quick outs. Mark McLemore would keep the inning alive with a single, which was happily answered by Bret Boone's RBI double -- Seattle leads 10-9! John Olerud grounds out for final out.

Rhodes is now in position to win the game (after blowing the save in the 9th), he will have to face Patterson, pitcher Hunter & the lead-off man, Crutchfield. Patterson leads off with a single, but that is followed by Hunter hitting into a force, as Seattle gets the lead runner. Crutchfield hits into a ground out moving Hunter up to second, two outs. Harris hits a single, but fails to move the runner to 3rd. All setting up the table for this, runners on 1st & 2nd, Josh Gibson steps up to the plate, Rhodes could intentionally walk him, but Robertson has been hot of late & has really taken advantage of clearing the bases whenever he can. Rhodes sets up & delivers, this one is smacked to left-center, McLemore is looking over his shoulder, Cameron is racing from center to help, this one lands, Gibson is racing around first, Hunter scores, Harris is racing around third, as Gibson races into second, there is going to be no play at home -- Harris scores, the Crawfords win! A walk-off double for Gibson, in his grand return from disabled list! You can't write this stuff! The fans at Greenlee Field are going nuts right now!

An 11-10 victory for Pittsburgh as they improve to 20-7, while the Mariners fall to 19-8 -- both teams remain in first place in their respective divisions. The M's hold a 2.5 game lead over the 1998 Atlanta Braves in the STARS IV "Bobby Cox" Division, while the Crawfords are 2.5 games up on the 1929 Chicago Cubs in the STARS I "Ruth" Division.

Game Notes

• Sam Bankhead (PIT): 2-for-5, 3B, 2B, RBI & run.
• Josh Gibson (PIT): 3-for-6, 2 RBI, 3B, walk-off double.
• Popeye Harris (PIT): 3-for-6, HR, 3 RBI (RBI on each hit), with 3 runs.
• David Harvey (PIT): The pitcher was 1-for-2 at the plate, a two-run double.
• Mike Cameron (SEA): 3-for-4, HR, 3B (double short of cycle), 2 RBI, 2 SB (1 CS) & 2 runs.
• Mark McLemore, Bret Boone, David Bell & Dan Wilson (of SEA): 2 hits each.
• Ichiro Suzuki (SEA): 1-for-3, BB, HBP, Sac Fly & 2 steals.
• No great pitching anywhere, a total of a combined 30 hits & 21 runs, while Seattle made an uncharacteristic two errors.

My 26-man Negro League Team Roster

		My 26-man NEGRO LEAGUE Roster
		Hall of Famers - *
1	C	Josh Gibson*
2	C	Louis Santop*
3	1B	Buck Leonard*
4	2B/3B	Tubby Scales
5	SS	Pop Lloyd*
6	SS	Willie Wells*
7	3B	Judy Johnson*
8	3B/1B	Jud Wilson*
9	OF	Cool Papa Bell*
10	OF/1B	Oscar Charleston*
11	OF	Pete Hill*
12	OF	Turkey Stearnes*
13	OF	Christobal Torriente*
14	OF/1B	George Suttles*
15	OF	Willard Brown*
16	SP1	Satchel Paige*	A-XYZZ
17	SP2	Joe "Cyclone" Williams*	A&C-XZ
18	SP3	Willie Foster*	A-XYZ
19	SP4	"Bullet Joe" Rogan*	A-Y
20	SP5	Leon Day* (2B/OF)	A-X
21	RP	Jose Mendez*	C/B*-YZ
22	RP	Hilton Smith*	C/B*-Y
23	3B/C	Biz Mackey*
24	OF/SP	Ray Brown*	A-Z
25	2B/IF	Bingo DeMoss or Grant Johnson
26	MGR/1B/OF	Buck O'Neill

Satchel's Season of Dominance

Satchel Sets League Record with 16 K's in Single Game!

                             R   H   E
1993 Phillies        1    5    1
1935 Crawfords   5   11   0    F

Philadelphia (10-11) / Pittsburgh (18-3)

WP- Paige (6-0)/ CG (6)
LP- Schilling (0-3)

The only blemish during Satchel Paige's latest masterpiece was a two-out, ninth inning solo HR by Dave Hollins, just missing his 3rd shutout of the season. You knew it was going to be a long day for the Phillies' batters when Paige struck out the first five consecutive batters he faced at the start of the game. He would go on and strike out John Kruk all four times at the plate, Daulton would have a hat trick as well; in fact every Phillie got rung up by Paige.

Paige tied the record in the top of the 7th, by striking out Jim Eisenreich (tying the record with former record holder, Kevin Brown of the Padres), he would break the record later in the inning against Kevin Stocker. John Kruk & Darren Daulton would follow in the 9th.

Satchel Paige is the front-runner (hands down) for the Star League's Cy Young Award, here is his stats below (Red indicates League Lead, Red Italic indicates League Lead/tied & Black Bold indicates team lead & Black Bold Italic/ team lead tied).

Paige, with the St. Louis Browns, much later in his career.

SATCHEL PAIGE's Season to date:

Games: 9

Games Started: 6

Innings: 57

Complete Games: 6

Victories: 6

Shutouts: 2

Saves: 3

Strikeouts: 50

Earned Run Average: 0.95*

* Among starting pitchers, at least

WHIP: 0.526**

** Not sure where he ranks here, but very impressive, possible leader here.

Pitched a no-hitter in his 2nd start of the season (Game #5) against the 1942 St. Louis Cardinals.

Satchel Paige has the Pittsburgh Crawfords off to a league best 18-3 record (.857), and are on pace for a 137-23 record for the 160-game season. The Crawfords are without star slugger Josh Gibson, who will be out for another 29 games, and currently have a three-game lead over 2nd place 1929 Chicago Cubs in the Stars I (Ruth) Division.

Crawfords Win Again, Lose Gibson

(Game #16's)

                                R   H   E
1935 Crawfords      6   14   0
1971 Giants            5   12   1    F

Pittsburgh (15-1) / San Francisco (5-11)

WP- Kincannon (2-1)
LP- Bryant (1-3)
SV- Matlock (2)

INJURIES: J.Gibson (CRAW) - 34 Games.

The Pittsburgh Crawfords win their league-record 12th straight game, in another close contest with the 71' Giants, this one comes at a price as the Crawfords lose Josh Gibson to the DL, after he slid hard into second base. Fran Healy hit a three-run HR for the Giants in the fourth inning. Sam Bankhead, Popeye Harris & Jimmy Crutchfield all had three hits each for the Crawfords.

                                R   H   E
2007 Red Sox         0    5    1
1953 Dodgers         5    8    0    F

Boston (6-10) / Brooklyn (9-7)

WP- Roe (3-0)
LP- Schilling (0-2)

Preacher Roe pitched six shutout innings, striking out four Red Sox, while only allowing three hits. Carl Furillo went 2-for-4 (both singles) for 3 RBI.

                                 R   H   E
1962 Dodgers          5    6    1
1934 Cardinals        4   15   2    F / 12 Inn

Los Angeles (5-11) / St. Louis (8-8)

WP- Perranoski (1-2)
LP- Vance (2-1)

A weird game in which the team with twice the amount of hits as the other team, went to extra innings and actually lost. The Cards surrendered a 3-0 lead entering the 6th inning. Willie Davis went 3-for-4, triple, 2 RBI's, sac fly & BB for the Dodgers.

Ruth has been on fire recently, 11 RBI's in 2 games.

                                R   H   E
1969 Orioles           6    11   2
1927 Yankees        11   13   0    F

Baltimore (7-9) / New York (9-7)

WP- Ruether (1-0)
LP- Phoebus  (1-1)

The Bombers had back-to-back games for 11 runs, led once again by Babe Ruth -- going 3-for-4, 2 HR's & 6 RBI with a BB. Cedric Durst had three hits in a rare start at LF for the Yankees as well, while Dutch Ruether gets his first win of the season with 6 innings of 3 hit, 1 run ball. Clay Dalrymple went 2-for-3 with a solo HR, double & two runs for the losing Orioles.

Last 2 games for Ruth: 5-for-8, 3 HRs (one Grand Slam), 11 RBI, 2B, 3B & 2 BB's. He easily doubled his RBI totals for the season.

                             R   H   E
1993 Phillies         7   12   0
1937 Giants          5   10   0    F

Philadelphia (8-8) / New York (5-11)

WP- L.Andersen (1-0)
LP- Castleman (0-2)
SV- D.West (1)

Mariano Duncan returned from a considerable time on the DL, continuing where he left off -- going 4-for-5, with all singles & two runs. Milt Thompson had another productive game, going 2-for-3, HR, 2B & 3 RBI with a walk. Gus Mancuso went 2-for-4, with a HR, 3 RBI & two runs.

                           R   H   E
1984 Tigers        2    6    2
1904 Giants        4    9    0    F

Detroit (10-6) / New York (11-5)

WP- Wiltse (2-1)
LP- Berenguer (2-2)
SV- McGinnity (2)

The Giants avoided the sweep as Hooks Wiltse pitched 8 innings with 5 hits & 2 ER's with 6 K's. The top of the order (1-3) in Mike Donlin, Bill Dahlen, & Jack Dunn had 6 of the teams' 9 hits. Kirk Gibson had both of the Tigers' ribbies with a solo HR & sac fly.

Paige Goes the Distance... Again.

(Game #13's)

Paige's Izzy Legends card with K.C.

                            R   H   E

1971 Giants         0    2    1

1935 Crawfords   2    6    3    F

San Francisco (5-8) / Pittsburgh (12-1)

WP- Paige (4-0)/ CG (4)/ SHO (2)

LP- G.Perry (0-3)

It almost doesn't seem fair for a pitcher like Gaylord Perry (who pitched a good game of 2 ER's allowed in seven innings) against Satchel Paige, who right now seems to be from another planet! Paige goes the distance for the fourth time in four starts, striking out 8 (30 K's in 38 IP)! The Crawfords' offense was a bit subdued in this one, but Josh Gibson's RBI double & Oscar Charleston's solo HR seem to make it enough -- as the Crawfords' win streak is up to nine straight!

                             R   H   E

1953 Dodgers      11  11  0

2007 Red Sox       2    5   0   F

Brooklyn (7-6) / Boston (5-8)

WP- Erskine (4-0)

LP- Beckett (1-2)

The Dodgers dominated Beantown with long-balls from Duke Snider, Carl Furillo & Gil Hodges, as Carl Erskine pitched another solid performance with 6 innings of 2-hit ball & one earned run allowed. Mike Lowell had three of the team's five hits in this one.

                          R   H   E

1940 Reds         4   10   0

1981 Expos       2    2    1    F

Cincinnati (4-9) / Montreal (7-6)

WP- B.Walters (1-2)/ CG (1)

LP- S.Rogers (1-3)

The Cincinnati Reds snap a 6 game losing-streak with a great performance by Bucky Walters, who had his no-no broken up in the bottom of the 7th by Warren Cromartie, and shutout broke up by Gary Carter's two-run HR in the bottom of the 9th -- besides that, he only allowed 2 hits, while striking out 10 Expos in a complete game.

                          R   H   E

1937 Giants      3   10   0

1993 Phillies     4    9    0    F / 11 Inn

New York (5-8) / Philadelphia (5-8)

WP- Mit.Williams (1-1)

LP- Coffman (0-2)

Mitch Williams blown the save, while Dick Bartell drives in the tying run with an RBI single at the top of the ninth (3-3 tie); Bartell strikes again with go ahead, another RBI single at the top of the 11th, Dick Coffman allowed the tying run with an RBI single by Mickey Morandini, making it 4-4, he would walk Lenny Dykstra to load up the bases. With two outs, bases loaded for John Kruk, Coffman walks in the winning run!

                          R   H   E

1927 Yankees   10  15  1

1969 Orioles      4    8   0    F

New York (6-7) / Baltimore (7-6)

WP- Hoyt (2-1)

LP- Cuellar (2-2)

The 1927 Yankees have been playing more like themselves of late, this game is a perfect example why this team is so good -- the scary thing is Gehrig (two RBI singles, run) and Ruth (single, run) were quiet for the most part in this one. Mark Koenig went 4-for-5, 2 doubles & RBI, while Tony Lazzeri had 2 two-run HR's plus an RBI single. Waite Hoyt pitched 7 solid innings, allowing only two earned runs and five hits. Boog Powell (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) & Curt Motton (2-for-2, 2B, RBI & 2 RBI) were the bulk of the O's offense.

                            R   H   E

1925 Senators     6   12   1

1976 Dodgers     7    11   0     F

Washington (4-9) / Los Angeles (6-7)

WP- Rhoden (1-0)

LP- Marberry (0-1)

Lopes, Cey & Buckner were the names of the day for Dodgerland. Ron Cey went 3-for-4 (two-run HR, 2 doubles & 2 runs), Davey Lopes (2-for-4, RBI triple, SB, 2 steals, & 2 runs) & Bill Buckner gets two hits, with a double & walk-off single in the bottom of the 9th. Sam Rice, once again, was hitting the daylights out of the baseball, adding two more hits (23), including a two-run double; Rice is batting .411 for the season.

Josh Gibson: First Cycle in League History.

(Game #12's)

Gibson Hits for the Cycle, Crawfords Keep Setting Marks!

                            R   H   E
1940 Reds           7   15   1
1935 Crawfords  14  16   0    F

Cincinnati (3-9) / Pittsburgh (11-1)
Crawfords sweep Reds, 4-0

WP- Kincannon (1-1)
LP- J.Turner (0-2)

Josh Gibson became the first player in "Crazy 48's" History to hit for the cycle: double (first inning), triple (fifth), single (7th), and home run (8th) -- got walked in the third inning; finishing the game with 4 RBI. Popeye Harris tied the record for two triples in the same game with Mule Haas (1931 A's) & Lloyd Moseby (1985 Blue Jays). The Crawfords would get triples from Cool Papa Bell & Jimmy Crutchfield as well. Mike McCormick of the Reds had four hits in a losing cause.

                         R   H   E
1993 Giants      5    7    1
1984 Tigers      1    8    0    F

San Francisco (6-6) / Detroit (7-5)
Giants win series, 3-1

WP- Deshaies (1-1)
LP- Berenguer (2-1)

After back-to-back games of 2 HR's by Will Clark, it was Barry Bond's turn as he hit 2 HR's, going 2-for-3, BB & 4 RBI against the sliding Detroit Tigers. The Detroit Tigers started the season off 5-0, and have now lost 5 of their last 7 games; the road doesn't get easier for the Tigers who have to play the 1904 New York Giants next.

                        R   H   E
1960 Pirates    1    5    0
1906 Cubs       4   10   0     F

Pittsburgh (4-8) / Chicago (9-3)
Cubs sweep Pirates, 4-0

WP- Reulbach (2-0)
LP- Face (0-1)
SV- Lundgren (3)

The Pirates tied the 1971 Giants' mark of seven consecutive losses, losing to Ed Reulbach and the Cubs. Reulbach pitched eight strong innings allowing only 5 hits & a run, as Frank Chance of the Cubbies added two RBI doubles.

                          R   H   E
1971 Giants      4    5    1
1999 Rangers   3    8    3    F

San Francisco (5-7) / Texas (6-6)
Giants and Rangers split 2-2

WP- Bryant (1-2)
LP- Fassero (0-2)
SV- S.Hamilton (1)

The Giants surrendered a 3-0 lead, as Lee Steven's two-run HR in the third knotted the game up at 3-3; Willie Mays would deliver an RBI double in the top of the seventh for the Giants to come up on top.

                          R   H   E
1914 Braves      1    5    3
1953 Dodgers    7    9    1    F

Boston (6-6) / Brooklyn (6-6)
Dodgers win series, 3-1

WP- Roe (2-0)
LP- L.Tyler (1-2)

Two different pinch-hitters added clutch runs for the Dodgers in Bobby Morgan's two-run double during the bottom of the fifth (making it 4-1 Dodgers' lead) and a two-run HR by Wayne Bellardi (7th Inning).

                          R   H   E
1976 Dodgers   5    8    0
1995 Indians     3    5    3    F

Los Angeles (5-7) / Cleveland (5-7)
Dodgers and Indians split 2-2

WP- John (1-2)
LP- Nagy (0-3)
SV- Hough (5)

Tommy John cruised through his first seven innings until giving up a three-run HR to Albert Belle, which would be Belle's league-leading 8th homer. The Dodgers bullpen closed things out, as the Dodgers take the last two games of the series. Lee Lacy went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI for the Dodgers.

Game #5's / Paige's No-Hitter

I took the last week off, the wife an I had a lot of important things to take care of, and I didn't want to get invested in APBA -- when I needed to have 100% focus elsewhere. Now that everything has been taken care of, I finished the last five games (of this batch of 24 games) during the night.

I forgot to mention it on the APBA Baseball Group, the other night, but it was mentioned on my Boys of Summer Facebook Page. On April 28th, Satchel Paige of the 1935 Crawfords no-hits the 1942 St.Louis Cardinals.

PAIGE NO-HITS MUSIAL & the 42' CARDINALS!

Satchel Paige of the 1935 Crawfords delivers the second no-hitter of the season. A few games ago, "Seattle Bill" James of the Boston Braves delivered the league's first-ever no-hitter. This is also now back-to-back record performances for Paige as well, after setting the strikeouts (single-game) record with 10 strikeouts, he now has delivered the league's second no-no. The amazing thing is that the 42' Cardinals have Hall of Fame outfielders Enos Slaughter & Stan Musial, plus Whitey Kurowski, Walker Cooper & Terry Moore.

                              R   H   E
1942 Cardinals     0    0    0
1935 Crawfords   4     6    2    F

St. Louis (3-2) / Pittsburgh (4-1)

WP- S.Paige (2-0)/ CG (2)/ SHO (1)
LP- M.Cooper (0-1)

The Remainder of Game #5's ("Crazy 48's)

                              R   H   E
1986 Mets            4    6    3
2007 Red Sox       6   11   0    F

New York (0-5) / Boston (2-3)

WP- Buchholz (1-0)
LP- R.Anderson (0-1)
SV- Papelbon (1)

INJURIES: Pedroia (BOS) - 6 Games.

Wally Backman (.412 AVG) collected 2 hits for the Mets, but seems to be the only one able do anything with the bat -- as the Mets remain winless. The Red Sox snap their 3-game skid, as David Ortiz went 3-for-4, with 2 doubles & 2 RBI's.

                            R   H   E
1975 Reds          4     7    0
1999 Rangers     2     3    1     F

Cincinnati (2-3) / Texas (3-2)

WP- Nolan (2-0)
LP- Helling (0-1)
SV- McEnaney (2)

Cesar Geronimo led the charge with a 2-for-3 performance, featuring his first HR of the season; lifting his batting average to .313. The Rangers' Todd Zeile became the fourth Ranger with at least 2 HR's for the season (hitting both solo shots in this game).

                           R   H   E
1998 Yankees    1    8    2
1976 Dodgers    3    4    1   F

New York (4-1) / Los Angeles (3-2)

WP- E.Sosa (1-0)
LP- Mendoza (0-1)
SV- Hough (3)

Davey Lopes comes into the ballgame in the bottom of the eighth (pinch-hitting for Sizemore) and hits a solo HR off of reliever Ramiro Mendoza; later in the inning, Reggie Smith would hit the go-ahead 2-run HR (his 2nd) that would seal the deal.

Maddux was in charge for Atlanta.

                        R   H   E
1998 Braves   4     9    1
1971 Giants    0     2    0     F

Atlanta (4-1) / San Francisco (3-2)

WP- Maddux (1-1)/ CG (1)/ SHO (1)
LP- G.Perry (0-1)

Greg Maddux's bid for a no-hitter was broken up in the bottom of the 7th by Bobby Bonds. Chipper Jones tied the record for 3 steals in a single ballgame.

                         R   H   E
1995 Indians   12  14   3
1980 Royals     5    5    0    F

Cleveland (1-4) / Kansas City (3-2)

WP- J.Tavarez (1-0)
LP- Quisenberry (0-1)

The Indians looked as if they were heading to a 0-5 start, after trailing 5-1, entering the top of the 7th. The Royals' suffered an injury to starting pitcher Dennis Leonard who was looking pretty good, his start next series will be bumped a game -- but the Royals bullpen imploded, especially Dan Quisenberry, who didn't look like himself, by walking 4 batters & allowing 4 hits & 5 runs in one inning of relief. Julian Tavarez earned the victory for the Tribe with 2 solid innings of relief.

                           R   H   E
1931 Athletics   3    6    1
1937 Giants      10  12   1    F

Philadelphia (3-2) / New York (3-2)

WP- Hubbell (1-1)
LP- Grove (0-2)

Lefty Grove got knocked out early again, as his record falls to 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA in two starts -- he has also allowed 9 hits & 5 walks in eleven innings of work, while striking out six. Mel Ott went 2-for-3, 2-run HR & 2 BB's.

                          R   H   E
1904 Giants      10  16   4
1971 Athletics   5     6   0    F

New York (3-2) / Oakland (1-4)

WP- McGinnity (2-0)
LP- Blue (0-2)

Vida Blue got rocked again, he has now allowed 12 ER's (9.82 ERA) & 6 walks in 11 innings of work. Billy Gilbert & Dan McGann each had 4 RBI for the Giants.

                         R   H   E
1968 Tigers     3     6    1
1981 Expos     2     5    1     F

Detroit (3-2) / Montreal (3-2)

WP-McLain (1-0)
LP- Gullickson (1-1)
SV- D.Patterson (1)

Bill Freehan hit HR #4 of the season, a 2-run HR at the top of the 6th off of Bill Gullickson that would be the difference-maker. Willie Horton added HR #3. Montreal's Tim Raines swiped his 7th bag.

George Caster (Browns)

                          R   H   E
1927 Yankees   0    4    0
1944 Browns     1    2    0    F

New York (1-4) / St. Louis (2-3)

WP- J.Kramer (1-0)
LP- Hoyt (0-1)
SV- Caster (1)

During the first round of the APBA Tournament of Champions, the Yankees swept these same Browns, 3-0 -- this time, the Browns turned the tables, as Milt Brynes' solo HR was the difference. The Yankees' team ERA is 6.80 after five games.

                            R   H   E
1971 Pirates       1     4    0
1985 Blue Jays  2     6    0    F

Pittsburgh (1-4) / Toronto (3-2)

WP- Stieb (1-0)
LP- Blass (1-1)
SV- Lamp (1)

The Blue Jays like to play close games, they are now 3-2 with a score differential of 1 run. George Bell's 2-run blast in the bottom of the fourth was the decisive factor.

                        R   H   E
1984 Tigers     8    8    1
1998 Padres    1    6    1    F

Detroit (5-0) / San Diego (2-3)

WP- J.Morris (2-0)
LP- K.Brown (0-2)

Kevin Brown & the Padres were in countrol, up 1-0, with 2 outs on the Tigers during the top of the 6th -- with Barbaro Garbey on first, Lance Parrish knocked in a 2-run HR to take the lead in which they never looked back. Tigers would score 6 runs in the top of the 8th as well, including a 2-run triple by Howard Johnson (who leads the Tigers with 7 RBI's). Greg Vaughn hit HR #4 of the season.

Medwick delivers clutch single against Yanks.

                           R   H   E
1937 Yankees    2    3    0
1934 Cardinals   3    8    1    F

New York (1-4) / St. Louis (3-2)

WP- Haines (1-0)
LP- I.Andrews (0-1)

Frankie Frisch tied the game with a RBI triple off of reliever Ivy Andrews, in which Joe Medwick followed that up with the go-ahead RBI single. Myril Hoag had 2 of the Yankees' three hits (including a 2-run double).

                         R   H   E
1977 Phillies    6    7    0
1993 Giants     1    2    2    F

Philadelphia (4-1) / San Francisco (3-2)

WP- Garber (1-0)
LP- Mi.Jackson (0-1)

INJURIES: Ro.Thompson (SF) - 5 Games.

Tim McCarver put the game further out of reach with his pinch-hit Grand Slam off of Mike Jackson, during the top of the ninth.

                          R   H   E
2002 Athletics   1    3    2
1983 Orioles     3    6    1     F

Oakland (1-4) / Baltimore (2-3)

WP- McGregor (1-1)
LP- Zito (0-2)
SV- Tp.Martinez (2)

INJURIES: T.Cruz (BAL) - 1 Game

Replacing the injured Todd Cruz, Gary Roenicke hit the deciding 2-run HR in the bottom of the fifth. Scott McGregor was spectacular, allowing only 2 hits & a ER in 8 innings (4 strikeouts).

Brown (Cubs) sets 'K' mark with 11.

                      R   H   E
1906 Cubs     9   12   0
1969 Mets    1     3    1     F

Chicago (4-1) / New York (2-3)

WP- Mo.Brown (2-0) / CG (2)
LP- Seaver (1-1)

Mordecai Brown breaks the single-game strikeout record held by Satchel Paige & Denny McLain, with the new mark of 11 strikeouts, as the Mets were no match for the Cubs. Chance & Steinfeldt each had 4 hits, while Steinfeldt also had 4 RBI.

                              R   H   E
1917 White Sox    3    7    1
1953 Dodgers       4    5    0     F

Chicago (1-4) / Brooklyn (2-3)

WP- Erskine (2-0)
LP- Cicotte (0-2)
SV- J.Hughes (1)

Carl Erskine pitched another good outing, as the bullpen also contributed by holding off the White Sox. Billy Cox smacked in a 2-run pinch-hit double, as the Dodgers score 3 in the bottom of the fifth. Chick Gandil had 2 RBI's for Chicago.

                             R   H   E
2001 Mariners     3   12   1
1962 Dodgers       2    8    2     F / 11 Inn

Seattle (3-2) / Los Angeles (1-4)

WP- R.Franklin (2-0)
LP- Roebuck (0-2)
SV- Sasaki (3)

Ichiro smacked in Carlos Guillen with a single, for the go-ahead run at the top of the 11th, as Kasahiro Sasaki comes in for his third save. The Mariners' bullpen has been phenomenal, allowing no runs in 21 innings of work.

                             R   H   E
1954 Indians        11  13  0
1925 Senators       1    6   1    F

Cleveland (2-3) / Washington (2-3)

WP- Lemon (1-1)
LP- Coveleski (0-2)

The Indians would go on and score 7 runs in the third off of Stan Coveleski, including a 3-run triple by Vic Wertz & RBI double by Indians' starting pitcher Bob Lemon. Bobby Avila hit his 2nd HR of the season.

                            R   H   E
1969 Orioles       5    8    0
1993 Phillies       3    5    2    F

Baltimore (3-2) / Philadelphia (1-4)

WP- Cuellar (1-1)
LP- Schilling (0-1)
SV- D.Hall (1)

Don Buford of the Orioles fell a triple short of the cycle, going 3-for-5, 2 RBI's, while scoring twice. Frank Robinson hit HR #2, while the Phillies' Lenny Dykstra smacked in his first of the season (2-run HR).

Back-to-Back complete games for Root.

                            R   H   E
1946 Red Sox     1    5    1
1929 Cubs           5   12   1    F

Boston (1-4) / Chicago (4-1)

WP- Root (2-0)/ CG (2)
LP- Ferriss (0-2)

After allowing a RBI double (to Dom DiMaggio) with no outs in the first, Charlie Root of the Cubs settled down and shut down the Red Sox with a complete game, allowing only 5 hits -- He also contributed to his cause with a 2-run HR in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Cubs' Rogers Hornsby went 4-for-5, 2 doubles, RBI & 2 runs. 

                          R   H   E
1912 Giants      3    4    1
1940 Reds        4    7    0     F

New York (3-2) / Cincinnati (2-3)

WP- Vander Meer (1-0)
LP- Wiltse (1-1)
SV- Beggs (1)

The Giants appeared to have this game under control, until Hooks Wiltse blown the good game that Christy Mathewson got started, allowing a 3-run HR to Frank McCormick -- The inning started with an error by Fred Snodgrass. Joe Beggs came into the game to get his first save in his first appearance of the season.

                          R   H   E
1912 Red Sox   0    5    0
1960 Pirates      5    8    1     F

Boston (3-2) / Pittsburgh (4-1)

WP- Friend (2-0)
LP- J.Wood (0-2)

Pirates snap the Red Sox' three-game winning streak, as Bob Friend pitched 7 scoreless innings, allowing only one walk & 4 hits. "Smokey" Joe Wood has yet to pitch to his potential, allowing 16 hits & 5 walks in 10 innings of work this season, with a 12.60 ERA.

                         R   H   E
1953 Yankees  0    3    0
1914 Braves     1    5    0    F

New York (2-3) / Boston (4-1)

WP- D.Rudolph (2-0)/ CG (1)/ SHO (1)
LP- W.Ford (0-2)

Dick Rudolph's excellent pitching (3 hits allowed) & Butch Schmidt's RBI single in the first inning was the difference in this one.

Opening Day (Crazy 48's)

Paige logs 10 K's in opener against 44' Browns.

Out of  my "Crazy 48's" League (The league with 48 teams) - I dubbed it the "Crazy 48's" because there is 48 teams, and sort of a little shout out to "The Crazy 88's" in the first Kill Bill film (LOL!) -- The wife thinks it's a clever name as well, so I'm running with it.

I'm also playing the season, game to game, instead of entire series to series play for the first time in my life -- and let me tell you, I'm loving it, should have done this sooner. Plus I have a cool tool that it putting my stats together much faster.

Here are the outcomes from "Opening Day":

                        R   H   E
1906 Cubs       2    6    1
1954 Indians   0    2    1     F

WP- Mo.Brown (1-0)/CG(1)/SHO(1)
LP - B.Lemon (0-1)

Jimmy Sheckerd (Cubs): 2-for-4, RBI, Steal.

                          R   H   E
1937 Yankees    3   4   1
1931 Athletics    1   2   0     F

WP- L.Gomez (1-0)
LP- Grove (0-1)
SV- Wicker (1)

Frank Crosetti (Yankees) hit a go-ahead 2-run HR off Grove in Top of 8th.

                             R   H   E
1935 Crawfords   6   13   1
1944 Browns        4    6    0    F

WP- S.Paige (1-0)/CG(1)
LP- J.Kramer (0-1)

Browns had 4-2 lead, entering top of the 8th, plenty of clutch-hitting by Oscar Charleston, Jimmy Crutchfield & Satchel Paige himself (who had an RBI single to tie game 4-4 in 8th). Paige game struck out 10, but gave up 3 HRs to Eugene Moore, George McQuinn & Mark Christman.

                             R   H   E
1904 Giants         11  14  1
1953 Yankees       3    4   0     F

WP- Mathewson (1-0)
LP- W.Ford (0-1)

The Giants offense was lighting it up with 14 hits, playing small ball at it's best with no HR's, Yogi Berra supplied a HR for the losing Yankees. Mathewson did his thing, by allowing 4 hits & 3 runs. He actually was a bit sloppy in this one with 3 K's & 4 BB's in 8 innings -- but did supply a RBI triple with the bat.

                            R   H   E
1998 Padres        4    3    0
1976 Dodgers     5    9    0     F

WP- Sutton (1-0)
LP- K.Brown (0-1)
SV- Hough (1)

Carlos Hernandez's 3-run HR wasn't enough to keep the Padres the 4-2 lead, as the Dodgers' Reggie Smith with some help, hit a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 5th. The score remained while Hough shuts the door on the Padres.

                          R   H   E
1975 Reds         4    8    1
1998 Braves      3    7    0    F

WP- G.Nolan
LP- G.Maddux
SV- McEnaney

Gary Nolan and the Reds were control most of the game, Nolan pitched 6 scoreless innings, allowing 4 hits while striking out 5 until Manager "Captain Hook" Sparky Anderson went to the bullpen. Borbon got sloppy and allowed a 2-run HR to Andres Galarraga, as McEnaney and Carroll bail Borbon out. Dave Conception went 2-for-4, 2 steals & RBI & Joe Morgan went 2-for-3, double, RBI & 2 runs.

Campanella & the Dodgers deliver in 17-4 blowout of 1912 Red Sox.

                               R   H   E
1912 Red Sox         4   15   1
1953 Dodgers        17  16   0

WP- Erskine (1-0)
LP- J.Wood (0-1)

The Red Sox left many men on bases in this one, and "Smokey" Joe Wood got smoked out allowing 9 runs & 9 hits, walking 4 in five innings (6 runs came in bottom of 5th). The Sox bullpen wouldn't do much better allowing 7 runs in the bottom of the 8th! Roy Campanella was the big star in this one, 3-for 5, HR & 6 ribbies with a steal -- scoring twice. Yerkes for Boston had 4 singles in his first 4 at-bats & a RBI.

                              R   H   E
1969 Orioles          1    2   0
2001 Mariners      3    7   0

WP- F.Garcia (1-0)
LP- Cuellar (0-1)
SV- Sasaki (1)

Edgar Martinez's 2-run double to take a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 5th, was the difference in this one. The Mariners' bullpen also showed why it's one of the best with 3 2/3 scoreless innings without allowing a hit.            

                             R   H   E
1995 Indians        3   12   0
1984 Tigers         5     8    2    F

WP- J.Morris (1-0)
LP- Hershiser (0-1)
SV- W.Hernandez (1)
INJURIES: P-Dave Rozema (Out for 12 Games)

Howard Johnson drove in 4 RBI from the 9th slot, including a 3-run HR in the bottom of the second, that helped set the much-needed tone for the Tigers. The 84' Tigers came into this game with a lifetime APBA record of 2-7! Barbaro Garbey also went 2-for-3. Albert Belle was quiet for most of the game until blasting a 2-Run HR in the 9th.

                           R   H   E
1927 Yankees    7    9    2
1942 Cardinals   8   12  0     F / 10 Innings

WP- Pollet (1-0)
LP- Shawkey (0-1)

The Yankees wouldn't score until the 6th, and were down 6-2 entering the top of the 8th, Lou Gehrig hit a 3-run HR to bring the Yankees within one run. Bobby Meusel hit a 2-Run Double to take the lead for New York in the top of the 9th. Stan Musial tied the game with a 2-out RBI single in bottom of 9th & Whitey Kurowski scored the winning run off of Jimmy Brown's deep infield grounder.

                            R   H   E
1977 Phillies        4    6    0
2002 Athletics     0    4    0      F

WP- Carlton (1-0)/ CG (1)/ SHO (1)
LP- Zito (0-1)

The Athletics couldn't figure out Carlton, as the A's pitchers walked 7 Phillies. Larry Bowa was the star in the Phillies' lineup, 2-for-5, solo HR, 2B & 2 runs.

                             R   H   E
1917 White Sox   4    9    0
1960 Pirates         7   10   2      F

WP- Friend (1-0)
LP- Cicotte (0-1)
SV- Face (1)

Bill Virdon & Bob Skinner were both rolling as they both hit 2-run HRs. Virdon went 2-for-4 & also had a triple, while Skinner 2-for-4, including a double. Roberto Clemente, also went 2-for-4 with a triple & RBI. Nemo Leibold (2-for-5) had two steals & RBI for the White Sox, while Chick Gandil added 2 hits in 4 at-bats with a triple & steal.

                         R   H   E
1940 Reds        1    4    0
1929 Cubs        3    5    0       F

WP- Root (1-0)/ CG(1)
LP- B.Walters (0-1)

Rogers Hornsby's 2-run HR in the 6th Inning is the difference, with Charlie Root's excellent complete game performance.

                           R   H   E
1912 Giants        1    4   0
1946 Red Sox     0    4   0      F

WP- Mathewson (1-0)/ CG(1)/ SHO (1)
LP- Ferris (0-1)

After Red Murray kicked off the fourth with a double, Murray would score off Fred Doyle's sac fly, that's the difference in this game controlled by great pitching on both sides of the field.

                            R   H   E
1993 Giants        8    12   1
1983 Orioles       3     8    1      F

WP- Swift (1-0)
LP- McGregor (0-1)

Will Clark falls a triple short of the cycle, going 3-for-4, 2 RBI's & also drawing a walk. Matt Williams & Mark Carreon also added HR's. Kirk Manwaring (2-for-4) with a sac fly also contributed for the Giants. The Orioles' Dan Ford has 2 doubles in 4 AB's, while Cal Ripken went 2-for-4, 2B & 2 RBI.

                            R   H   E
1971 Athletics     2    5    2
1914 Braves       5    8    0        F

WP- D.Rudolph (1-0)
LP- Blue (0-1)
SV- Strand (1)

Boston's Larry Gilbert added two RBI's on a sac fly & double, plus 2 walks; while Joe Connolly scored 2 runs, plus a RBI triple. Rudolph would allow only 3 hits & 1 run in 7 strong innings, while Oakland's Blue hit the skids in the bottom of the 7th.

                           R   H   E
1968 Tigers        2    5    0
1985 Blue Jays  3    6    1      F / 10 Innings

WP- Lamp (1-0)
LP- Hiller (0-1)

Denny McLain pitched masterfully in 8 strong innings, striking out 10, allowing only 3 hits, 1 BB & 1 run; John Hiller blows the save with Rance Mulliniks' lead-off solo HR in the 9th, Ernie Whitt's RBI single scores in Willie Upshaw to win the game in the bottom of the 10th.

                          R   H   E
1971 Pirates      7    9    0
1981 Expos        2    6    1       F

WP- Blass (1-0)
LP- S.Rogers (0-1)

Roberto Clemente, a HR short of the cycle, goes 3-for-5, 2 runs, including 2-run triple. Willie Stargell went 2-for-4 with a double, as Bob Robertson went 2-for-4, with 2 RBI's & HR. The Pirates' Steve Blass pitched really good (despite 5 walks), allowing 4 hits & a run in 8 innings. Tim Raines had 2 steals in the 81' Expos APBA debut.

Stevens delivers walk-off for Texas.

                          R   H   E
1962 Dodgers   4    5    2
1999 Rangers   5    3    0       F

WP- Crabtree (1-0)
LP- Perranoski (0-1)

Drysdale pitched a solid game (despite 5 walks) allowing 1 hit & 3 runs through 7 1/3 innings, Perranoski would blow the save with a walk-off 2-run HR by the Rangers' Lee Stevens.

                           R   H   E
1934 Cardinals   8   13   0
1937 Giants        0    4    3      F

WP- D.Dean (1-0)
LP- Hubbell (0-1)

Dizzy Dean didn't have his usual freak strikeout flag flying (Only 5 K's), but still pitched masterfully in a complete-game shutout of the Giants, allowing only 4 hits. Frankie Frisch went 3-for-5, 2B, 3B & 3 RBI's.

                            R   H   E
1998 Yankees     7    9    2
1986 Mets           3    7    2      F

WP- Cone (1-0)
LP- Gooden (0-1)

New York, New York! David Cone pitches 5 effective innings, allowing 4 hits & 2 runs, while striking out 6 hitters. Posada went 3-for-4, HR & 3 RBI, Jeter added a solo HR as well. Dwight Gooden was all over the place allowing 6 hits & 4 walks in 5 innings, with only 2 K's. Darryl Strawberry of the Mets was the offense for the Mets, 2-for-4, 3B, steal & 2 RBI.

                           R   H   E
1925 Senators    1    6    3
1969 Mets          2    5    0       F

WP- Seaver (1-0)
LP- Coveleski (0-1)
SV- McGraw (1)

The Senators' Sam Rice goes 3-for-4, all singles in a losing effort, as their ace Stan Coveleski pitched effectively allowing 5 hits & 2 runs in 6 innings, while striking out five. Tom Seaver wasn't racking up the usual K's, didn't matter as he pitched 7 strong innings, allowing only a run & 6 hits. Tug McGraw comes in, and closes out the game with a 2-Inning Save (remember those?).

Ken Boswell had the difference maker with a 2-RBI single in the bottom of the fourth.

                           R   H   E
1993 Phillies       1    7    1
1971 Giants        2    5    1      F

WP- S.Hamilton (1-0)
LP- Mit.Williams (0-1)

The Phillies seemed to have had control of this game, Curt Schilling pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings. Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams was wild as usual walking Willie Mays, plunked Willie McCovey & then walked Bobby Bonds. Dick Dietz hit a deep grounder to Kevin Stocker, as Stocker air-mails the throw over John Kruk's head as the Giants score their only 2 runs in the game on this play to win it.

Mariano Duncan hit a solo HR for Philly in the fourth.

LAST, BUT NOT LEAST....

                          R   H   E
2007 Red Sox    4    8   1
1980 Royals      0    3    1       F

WP- Beckett (1-0)
LP- De.Leonard (0-1)

Josh Beckett pitched 5 shutout innings, allowing only 1 hit, striking out only one batter, while walking four batters. Beckett was pulled due to the fact the league is pitching 4-man rotations, and Beckett only had 200 Innings & Boston has the bullpen depth to keep their starters fresh. Boston has 5 B relievers + 3 A relievers (including Papelbon's A&C-KX), the team also will use Clay Buchholz's 22 innings in the bullpen as well (He's A-XYW).

The Red Sox bullpen pitched 4 scoreless innings, allowing only 2 hits. The Kansas City Royals were quiet in this one, with George Brett only being able to draw two bases on balls. While Julio Lugo (Boston) was a surprising contributor, going 2-for-4, a run & SB.

Stars & Stripes League ("Crazy 48's")

A couple weeks ago I posted that I was going to do a league of 48-teams, separated into two leagues of 4 divisions of 6 teams each. This is the break down of the set-up & etc.

SCHEDULING FORMAT

• All series are four games each (Starting Pitchers 1-4).

• Each team plays their division rival - 8 games each (40 games total).

• Each team plays the other 18 league teams, 4 games each (72 total); 2 Home/2 Road games for the 4-game series. The teams in the same-league match-ups with the worst Pythagorean Winning percentage hosts the first two games of the series. For example: If the 1927 New York Yankees play the 1940 Cincinnati Reds. The Reds will host the first two games of the four-game series, I'm doing this so that teams that are weaker have a better chance against tougher teams who likely have very strong #1 & #2 starting pitchers.

• INTER-LEAGUE ACTION: The upper 12 teams of one league (according to their Pythagorean winning pcts.) will play each of the opposite league's 12 upper teams, 4 games each (2 H/2 A set-up like the same league system); as the lower 12 teams of one league will play the opposite league's lower 12 teams, 4 games each (for a total of 48 games).

• The total games for a season will be 160 games for each of the 48 teams, next season I will have a smaller group, and taking an idea from Sgt. Dan's Tournament, the division winners will automatically be back for the next Stars & Stripes season. 

LEAGUE RULES & PLAY

• All teams will use a 4-man rotation, teams can interchange with spot starters, a lot of the modern day teams will have to do a lot to keep their starters fresh; while teams from the dead-ball era have an abundance of innings to use. Due to those dead-ball era teams having virtually no bullpen, the teams can use their #1 SP for one inning of relief on the #3 game, and the #2 SP for one inning of relief on the #4 game. I'm calling it the "Mathewson/McGinnity" Rule, because the 1904 Giants come quickly to mind. The team will have the option, but chances are with these M&M boys, they will just pitch a complete game most often than not.

• There is an Innings & At-Bats limits for season totals set. If a pitcher goes over, he goes down a grade for the rest of the season. For example: Johnny Podres pitched 255 innings in 1962 in 40 games started, which is perfect -- since this is a 160-game season using a 4-man rotation, which means probably 40 starts for Podres. His 1962 Card has him as a Grade C-YZ, he's going to want to average no more than 6 1/3 innings per start -- sure sometimes he'll get knocked out early and other times he may go for a shutout. But let's say that he is at start 37, and the Dodgers had to depend on him more than they figured they would, he passes Inning #255, he's now a D-YZ for the remainder of the season. UNLESS he faces a batter over his at-bats limit, and now he's a C-YZ for that match-up only unless he faces others over their at-bats limits. Think of it like a platoon-advantage situation, or whatever... if a batter is over his at-bats limits, and the pitcher is not -- the pitcher's grade goes up, if a pitcher is above his innings, batter is not (pitching grade down) and if both are over or both are not over go with the cards.

• Negro League Cards - I have the Pittsburgh Crawfords of 1935 competing, there is no limits on any at-bats or innings, well... because there is no proper record of all that. They are however all J-4's, which might get interesting, plus their entire roster consists of 16 players (10 batters & 6 pitchers), pitchers bat when the team is at home. The pitchers consist of two A pitchers in Satchel Paige & Leroy Matlock, the rest are all D's. The lineup however has 4 other Hall of Famers to go with Paige, in Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Judy Johnson & Cool Papa Bell. We'll have to see how this one plays out. I thought about adding the All-Star Negro teams, the Stripes and Stars teams, but I felt they may be too powerful, I plan to keep doing their barnstorming exhibition tours. That said, doesn't mean I won't add them in the future, one thing's for sure... the next season will also have another great Negro team of the past.

• Change of reliever in the middle of the inning, if you bring a left-hander to face a left-handed hitter, for that first batter only, the pitching grade goes up. Right vs. right, first batter only - same deal. Switch-hitters are not effected of course, you go by the grade on the card, and the team batting can counter back with a pinch-hitter to take away the advantage. This makes pitchers like the 1984 Detroit Tigers' RP- Bill Scherrer more valuable than if you were to have him come in to relieve between the innings. For example: The Tigers' Milt Wilcox (Grade C-Y) is now in the 6th (and we all know how Sparky doesn't like keeping his starters in too terribly long, hence the nickname "Captain Hook"), the Tigers are up 3-2 against Kansas City, 2 outs Wilcox just walked John Wathan and now has to face George Brett who bats left steps up to the plate, Sparky signals to the bullpen -- he wants Scherrer (normally a C*-Y) who will be upgraded to a B*-Y for this at-bat only, if they get Brett out it pays off  -- if they don't, than you have Scherrer (who has returned to a C*-Y), do you keep him in or do you bring in another reliever? Many people probably already use this, but in case they didn't I like to use it, makes bullpen's move useful that may have a lot of C*'s in their back-end of the bullpen.

There is a good chance (especially with the modern era teams) they will go over their limits in pitching, some teams' #1 & #2's pitched only 220 innings. At-Bat & Innings limits will reflect for a 162-game season, so teams that only played 149 to 154 games or whatever will be adjusted to 162 games, as will years effected by players strikes such as 1981, 1994 & 1995.

*** If you don't remember the league setup, take another look here. ***