1966 Season Thread

[leecemark]

--PLAY BALL! The first series has been completed and the Shoeless Joes and Diablos are off to 3-0 starts. The Diablos swept reigning champsion Hard Cider to jump start their challenge to the long time division rulers.
--Team reports will start with the next series. Leaderboards with the series after that.

[ElHalo]

Good luck everybody!

I actually feel that my team would have a decent shot if my rotation wasn't so lousy. My bullpen is pretty good, and my lineup this year is very nice (the Kaline - Clemente - Stargell outfield all have fantastic years). We'll see.

[catcher24]

I uploaded stats and, more importantly, box scores to the web site, so that you can check lineups if necessary and make any necessary adjustments.

Good luck to all this year. And Jim, your Diablos, even with a lousy staff, did very well in the majority of my test sims. You were never able to knock off the Hard Cider (nor did anyone unseat the Knights in their division), but you were the wild card entry a few times. The Hulbert was a bit more competitive, with the Skipjacks and Legends both winning titles. Unfortunately, it appears it will be another long season for the Stingers, who invariably finished last in their division, and frequently had the worst record.

[leecemark]

--The Diablos won 90+ and occasionally 100 in my sims and did manage to top the Hard Cider at least once. They made the playoffs in at least half of the sims, usually battling the Hulbert runnerup for the WC.

[mac195]

Assuming, with the first series now complete, we are free to sign free agents, the HC resign catcher Smokey Burgess, and add him to the minor league squad.

[catcher24]

--The Diablos won 90+ and occasionally 100 in my sims and did manage to top the Hard Cider at least once. They made the playoffs in at least half of the sims, usually battling the Hulbert runnerup for the WC.

I don't recall for sure, but I think their highest win total in my sims was 97. The HC managed 102 that year as well, so that tells you how the Stingers and Cannons did in that sim! The best teams consistently were the HC, Knights, Diablos, Skipjacks and Legends. The worst consistently were the Stingers, Redbirds and Gold Sox, with the Stingers and Redbirds looking like 100 loss seasons again. More variable were the Cannons, Joes, Pirates and Gamblers, who sometimes competed and sometimes had absolutely horrible seasons. But of course, even using the final rosters it's always a crap shoot, since the computer manager sometimes uses lineups vastly different from those set by the human manager.

[leecemark]

--We no longer have any undefeated teams, with the Cannons and Gamblers now tied for the best start at 5-1. The Pirates are still looking for their first win.

[Wasp]

Mark, Lines will be called up to the big leagues, and John O'Donoghue will be sent down. Rick Wise shall be put into a relief pitcher's role, and Lines will be main closer. Bill Hepler will be set at 10% use in the closer spot. Also, Mathews will still stay on the roster, and Charley Smith will take his place full time for now. Thanks.

[Erik Bedard]

Mark, please switch Groat and Buchek's roles. Also, Blass should be the #1 spot starter and Ford the #2.

EDIT: Blass should also be the default starter in case of injury.

[leecemark]

--To clarify, the spot starter is the injury replacement starter. They will never start a game unless one of your regular rotation is out. Ford started in place of Jim Perry, who got hurt in the first start of his new 100 million dollar contract.

[J W]

Good luck everybody! :applaud:

[Erik Bedard]

--To clarify, the spot starter is the injury replacement starter. They will never start a game unless one of your regular rotation is out.

OK, thanks. Wasn't aware of that.

Ford started in place of Jim Perry, who got hurt in the first start of his new 100 million dollar contract.

... ouch.

[leecemark]

--The Cannons retain the league's best record, but the Hard Cider have reeled off a 6 game winning streak to pull to within a game of the division lead. The Diablos suffered 2 injuries of DL length in their last series and have not been able to build on their opening series sweep of the champs. The Pirates remain winless.

[Erik Bedard]

I just got around to checking the box scores from the first series, so I missed this until now, but Randy Hundley hit a HR in his first CKL at-bat. Game-winner, too.

[ElHalo]

The Merritt injury stings. A lot. But maybe it'll mean I can use him more later in the season, as his IP is a little low for the year. J.C. Martin hurts, but he's just a backup catcher. Could be worse.

I'll call up Phil Roof to replace Martin, and... wait for it... wait for it... Sammy Ellis to replace Merritt.

[leecemark]

--The Cannons sweep to keep the league's best record, but the Hard Cider now have a 9 game streak to stay a game back with the 2nd best mark in the league. The Pirates finally pick up their first win.
--I'm headed to the beach tomorrow for a few days. I'll try and get one more series in either late tonight or early tomorrow before I leave. There will be a break in the action after that though for anybody who wants to do some fine tuning of their club.

[mac195]

Looks like Smokey Burgess accidentally got added to the major league roster...

[leecemark]

--Yeah, I must have forgotten to farm him after adding him back to your roster. He is down now.

[Wasp]

Some changes in my roster. Charley Smith will be sent down to the minors while Byron Browne is sent up. Manny Mota will be switched from a RF to a 3B. My lineup should now look like this:

CF Lou Brock
3B Manny Mota
1B Norm Siebern (Harrison 30%)
RF Byron Browne (Briggs 30%)
C Earl Battey (Howard 20%)
LF Mike Hershberger
SS Don Kessinger
2B Jerry Lumpe (Fuentes 30%)
Pitcher

Its a shame that both of my main third basemen are injured. Hopefully, there are no more injuries to come in the future. :(

[538280]

My starting lineup doesn't seem to be right. I should have Valentine at first, Tresh in left, and Wynn in center but it seems to be playing me with Tresh in center, Valentine in left, Whitfield at first, and Wynn not playing. I'm happy with how things have gone, of course, but I still want Wynn playing.

[leecemark]

--Chris, you are programed the way you have it above. You didn't get your profile in until late though so they opened the season otherwise aligned.

[catcher24]

I've uploaded the most recent box scores, and for those who might not usually check it out, I posted the first edition of News & Views. I ran off a series of 14 sims, and the results are posted there. Mac, Mark, Jim, Jason and me should be pretty pleased. Scott and Max may wish to avoid looking at it. Everyone else is kind of in the middle. If anyone has questions about a specific season, let me know and I'll do what I can to get the info to you (the autosim program I use saves them all to the encyclopedia, so many of the stats are available).

[leecemark]

--The HC run their winning streak to 12 and pull into a tie for first with the Cannons. All 4 Caertwright Division teams are now above .500. T he Diablos at 9-6 are tied for third best record in the league, but that only gets them 3rd in the division, 3 games back. Games resume in a few days.

[Erik Bedard]

Lew, did Jose Santiago do this well in any of your sims, or is this amazing start simply an aberration?

[catcher24]

Lew, did Jose Santiago do this well in any of your sims, or is this amazing start simply an aberration?

Sorry, Dan, I'm very embarrassed :blush: :sorry: to admit that I don't have the stats from the sims. I went to take a look at the encyclopedia tonight and discovered that I had set the DM program to not keep stats in order to speed up the sims. I didn't remember that I had set it that way until I saw the lack of stats, then I realized (the big oops moment) what I had done. Next time I do this I'll keep stats on, even though it does take longer.

Once again the Legends are off to an inauspicious start. I've expected this in the past, but this year I thought I'd get off to a quick start and keep going. The 0-6 record vs the Hard Cider certainly doesn't help. Not a good team to play when they're hot. Sure hope they turn it around. Next to last in team batting AND team ERA - certainly not what I expected going in!:hp

[catcher24]

Mark, have a nice and well deserved vacation!:waving :waving

[leecemark]

--Games are back underway. The Stingers ended the Hard Cider winning streak at 13 with a pair of wins of their own. The Diablos now have a 6 game streak going to move into a tie with the Cannons for 2nd in the leagues best division. The Cartwright's last place team, the Stingers, would be tied for first in the Hulbert.

[leecemark]

--The Gamblers take 2 of 3 from the Knights to pull into a tie for the Johnson division lead. The Shoeless Joes and Skipjacks each record a sweep to make the Hulbert look a little stronger. The Cannons great start has been buried by a 6game slide, dropping them back further in the tough Cartwright division.

[catcher24]

Website updated through games of 4/24; the most recent games posted by Mark are not there yet. Now one eighth of the way through this season, and the Legends can't seem to get anything going yet. Sure can't understand it, but there's still plenty of time. McCovey goes down for four games, and I'm not even concerned, because he's playing so badly it doesn't matter!

Joe, you might want to check the usage stats. You've got one player who is already at 60% through games of 4/24!:eek:

[leecemark]

--Lew, are you not going to be doing POTW and highlighting the top game performances in News and Views this season?

[Wasp]

Some changes in my line-up because Eddie Mathews is no longer injured:

CF Lou Brock
RF Byron Browne (Briggs 30%)
3B Eddie Mathews (Mota 30%)
1B Norm Siebern (Harrison 30%)
C Earl Battey (Howard 20%)
LF Mike Hershberger
SS Don Kessinger
2B Jerry Lumpe (Fuentes 30%)
Pitcher

[catcher24]

-Lew, are you not going to be doing POTW and highlighting the top game performances in News and Views this season?

I was considering skipping Player of the Week and only doing Player of the Month, because it was very often difficult to separate players (especially pitchers) on a weekly basis, as so many had decent weeks. But maybe I'll do a POTW, and pick him from among both batters and pitchers. What do you think?

I do anticipate getting some of the top game performances up. I've just had a very busy week, and haven't updated News and Views since I put up the sim results. And actually, I'm surprised you noticed, Mark! I was thinking no one looked at that stuff but me!:laugh

[Edgartohof]

Mark, could you change my Closer usage to less? Thanks.

I guess I forgot to change that for this season. Before this, Wilhelm was pitching 100+ innings, but he cuts back this year to only 80+ IP.

[Edgartohof]

The Pirates FO have realized that this season is not looking too bright. In fact, with a 4-17 season, they realize things have to change.

So in that light, they are opening up a couple of former untouchables in their last years of their contract.

The list begins with a couple big names:

Juan Marichal - He is in his prime right now, quite possibly on track for his best season ever! He is an ace for sure, and will be in Cy Young contention at years end.

Hoyt Wilhelm - This timeless closer may already be in his 40's, but he is pitching better than most players half his age!

Chris Short - He may not be the best pitcher out there, but he is a workhorse to be sure. If you are looking for a decent pitcher to eat a LOT of innings, he's your guy.

To any who are interested, now is the time to pick up on this offer. Anyone who is just looking for that last piece to the puzzle, to help them on their postseason bid, one (or all?) of these could be yours, if the price is right!

We are specifically looking for Draft picks, and a replacement player (anyone, as long as they have enough IP in them for the season - quality not so much an issue).

[jkc32]

Joe, you might want to check the usage stats. You've got one player who is already at 60% through games of 4/24!:eek:

Thanks for the heads-up. I knew Purkey wouldn't last too long so I'm not surprised. I'll use him until he nears the cut-off, then will drop him.

[leecemark]

--The Hard Cider sweep the Knights and again look like the class of the CKL. The Knights enter May at .500 and looking up at the Gamblers in the Johnson. The Redbirds have won 6 in a row to pull within 2 of the division lead. The Shoeless Joes have run off a 6 game streak to pull away in the Hulbert.

[catcher24]

It is getting a bit frustrating, as it must also be for Jason, since the Skipjacks aren't doing very well, either, at this point. And the Redbirds are very surprising - they did absolutely horrible in every replay. As I recall from the top of my head, a tenth place overall finish was the best they could do - and I think that only happened once out of 14 sims! And I'm quite surprised at the Knights as well. They're certainly under performing badly to this point. I see the Stingers are starting to drop, and the Pirates are struggling as expected.

But as you say, Mark, there's a long way to go. It's too late to get the stats uploaded tonight. I'll do it when I get home tomorrow.

[leecemark]

--Its way too early for anybody to get too down (or up) about how their team is doing. Memorial Day will be time to push the panic button and start making moves if you're stilll sputtering. At least thats when I'll be looking to make some moves if the Knights can't get rolling.

[leecemark]

--The Shoeless Joes run their winning streak to 9 games, while the Hard Cider were gettign swept by the legends, to claim the legaue's best record. The Gamblers up their lead in the Johnson to 2 games and the Diablos close to within 1 in the Cartwright.

[leecemark]

--Shoeless Joes closer Bob Purkey is at 115% of usage, probably making him the earliest official playing time warning issued in CKL history. Congrats Bob! Time to call it a season before you cost JKC a draft pick though.

[jkc32]

Drop Purkey.

Pickup free agent Bill Short.

Slide Short into the closers role against both LH/RH.

Thanks,

Joe

[catcher24]

while the Hard Cider were gettign swept by the legends,

It's about time. :dance :rofl: Mac's crew has been beating up on my Legends since league inception, and I was 0-6 against him so far this year!

[ElHalo]

Despite the fact that Sammy Ellis inexplicably pitched well in his stint in the rotation, he gets sent back down to the minors, while Jim Merrit is pulled off the DL.

Mark... Smith's out for a few games; I'm not going to bother putting him on the DL, but you could make Dal Maxvill just an emergency backup to Rose at 2B?

Good to see that my league best offense is somewhat compensating for my frightful pitching staff... even if my leading RBI man is leadoff hitter Luis Aparicio?

[ElHalo]

Also: I checked out the website, and it appears I have a player nearly a third of the way to his full season usage... Jim Brewer. Which is strange, because Brewer's supposed to be on my farm team. What's up with that?

[leecemark]

--The Merrit/Ellis and Maxwell moves have been made. Who should be on the MLB roster instead of Brewer?

[leecemark]

--The Legends and Hard Cider completed their season series, with the Legends surviving that tough early schedule with a 5-7 mark. The Hulbert/Cartwright interdivisonal play was for some reason all bunched together early and intradivisional play has barely begun for them. OTOH, the Johnson division has played mostly each other. The Knights and Gold Sox have already played 15 of their 24 game.
--I don't review all the boxes (see Lew's website for more of that), but there were some great performances in the last Knights-Gold Sox series. Tim McCarver went 5-5, hitting for the cycle, to lead the Knights to a win in game 1. Don Paveltich hit a 3 run pinch HR in the bottom of the 9th to pull out a 4-3 Knights win in game 2. Tony Cloninger tossed a complete game shutout to salvage game 3 for the Gold Sox.

[catcher24]

I am VERY happy to have taken five out of six from the Hard Cider this time around (and the sixth was a tough loss for Jenkins, 2-0 to Jaster), and pleased to be done with my season series vs the tough Cider team. Maybe I can use the good team performance in this tough series and move ahead!

Interesting that we now have out second cycle of this season. We had none last year at all. I was going to go back and check prior years, but then realized we didn't use the newspaper style box scores those years and so it wouldn't be possible. Too bad, it would be interesting to see how many we've had in our five+ seasons.

[ElHalo]

--The Merrit/Ellis and Maxwell moves have been made. Who should be on the MLB roster instead of Brewer?

Dick Nen, apparently. Backing up White 5% at first base.

[Erik Bedard]

Mark, I'd like to make some changes to my batting order.

3B Schaal
CF Berry
LF Wagner
RF Conigliaro
1B Johnson
C Dalrymple
SS Wills
2B Buchek

[leecemark]

--The Shoeless Joes have dropped 6 in a row, tightening up the Hulbert race. The Legends have won 8 of 10. The Pirates have won 6 in a row - but still have the league's worst record. The other divisions remain close. Nobody is taking charge in the Johnson. The Hard Cider have resumed their spot as the league's best team, but the Cannons and Diablos aren't far behind.

[catcher24]

Well, I have to say that I'm ecstatic (and lucky) to be even close to .500. As of my last upload, I have the third worst OPS in the league; I'm next to last in runs scored; and although my pitching isn't horrible, my team ERA is still only sixth best in the league! I'm hoping:crossfingers: that my bats come alive soon.

[catcher24]

Wow, looking ahead, the computer generated schedule is nutso!:noidea Things are pretty good until early June, when I have a NINE game series with the Skipjacks, ALL AWAY GAMES! :eek: End of July, nine games against the Pirates, but only six of those on the road.:bowdown:

[ElHalo]

Could I put J.C. Martin back in for Phil Roof?

[leecemark]

--The Shoeless Joes are on a 9 game slide, allowing the surging Legends to pull into a tie for first and the Skipjacks to pull within 2. The Gamblers hold a one game lead over the Knights, who will be coming to town to try and reverse that in the next series. The Hard Cider are on a 7 game streak, but the Cannons have a 5 gamer off their own to stay on their heels.

[Erik Bedard]

Please farm out Steve Blass and call up Wally Bunker.

New bullpen alignment:

Spot Starter 1: Bunker
Long man: Bunker
Mopup 1: Schwall
Mopup 2: Sanders
Setup 1: Latman
Setup 2: Burdette
Setup 3: Sanford
Closer (RH): Face
Closer (LH): Ford

[leecemark]

--The Shoeless Joes losing streak reaches 12 games, dropping them under .500 and gviing the Legends a 2 game lead in the division. The Kights take 20of 3 from the Gamblers to claim a share of that division lead. The Cartwright remains the class of the league. The third place Diablos would be leading either of the other divisions.

[catcher24]

Whoa, those series were close together. I'll get the stats through the first series uploaded tonight (through games of May 15th), but they won't be there long if Mark sends me another file tomorrow, so check them out quick. News and Views will be short as well. Nice to be in first for a while, at least, and also nice to see my negative run differential at a single digit (-7) after being -38 only a couple of series ago. Maybe this will be the year!:dance

[leecemark]

--The Shoeless Joes snap their losing streak with a shutout of the Gamblers by Gary Bell and Al MvBean. Great races so far in all three divisions and the WC. In the Hulbert and Johnson nobody has taken charge. In the Cartwright the Hard Cider are off to their usual great start, but the Cannons and Diablos are both playing great ball to keep it close.

[leecemark]

--For those who may not be checking the web site, Jimmy Wynn has won the last 2 POTW honors and has lifted his BA to .425 and his OPS over 1.200. His real season was more good than great so this probably isn't sustainable, but he is rivaling Gentile in 61 so far.
--Three teams are clustered within a game of .500 in the Hulbert. The Gamblers stick a game back of the Knights in the Johnson and the Cartwright continues to be the class of the league.

[catcher24]

Looking at the standings and it's interesting to note that the Legends have by far the worst record when leading after seven innings. My guys have lost seven games when leading after seven; next worse are four teams who have lost four games when leading after seven (Shoeless Joes, Skipjacks, Pirates). Actually, the entire Hulbert Division seems to be blowing a lot of games when leading after seven! It sure seems like my bullpen should be better than that, but Phil Regan is sadly under performing his real life production, and Ron Kline has been horrible.

Also interesting to note that we are one quarter of the way through, and the top Hulbert Division team is only sixth in overall league standings, while the Cartwright has the top three overall records (with the Knights tied with the Diablos for third). Since most series so far have been inter divisional, it'll be interesting to see what happens when the Hard Cider, Cannons and Diablos start squaring off against each other! And pity the poor Stingers - they might be a bit more competitive if they were in another division. I bet Max will be glad to see expansion when it comes.

[mac195]

Mark, please make this adjustment to my profile:

use relievers: most (Bunning less)

[ElHalo]

What I find interesting is that I have the same record as the Knights despite having nearly double the run differential. I think this is the second year in a row where that's happened to me.

[J W]

Time for some lineup changes:

Lineup vs. RHP
1) LF Yastrzemski* (Jones* 10%)
2) SS Fregosi (Salmon)
3) RF Oliva* (Jones*)
4) C Torre (McFarlane 15%)
5) 1B Powell* (Salmon)
6) 3B Robinson (Salmon)
7) CF Lock (Geiger*15%)
8) 2B Johnson (Hiller* 25%)

PH vR - Jones*, Geiger*, Hiller*
PH vL - Salmon, Hiller*

Lineup vs. LHP
1) SS Fregosi (Salmon 10%)
2) 2B Johnson (Hiller* 25%)
3) RF Oliva* (Geiger* 5%)
4) C Torre (McFarlane)
5) 3B Robinson (Salmon)
6) 1B Powell* (Salmon 50%)
7) CF Lock (Geiger*)
8) LF Yastrzemski* (Geiger* 5%)

PH vR - Jones*, Powell*, Hiller*
PH vL - Salmon

[Edgartohof]

The Pirates would like to announce a trade with the Knights.

The Pirates are sending their ace, Juan Marichal to the Knights, in return for

Dave Boswell, Camilio Pascaul and the Knights 1968 1st round draft pick.

The Pirates did this to help build for the future. They are sad to see their ace go, but he had seemed unhappy with the team and had not quite lived up to his expectations. The organization wish him the best in his endevors elsewhere (just not against us ;) ).

[mac195]

Yikes. That will make the Knight pitching pretty tough.

[leecemark]

--The Knights confirm. Now we just need to make sure we don't end up with the 3rd best record. I gave up too much for him to be a 1 year rental.

[leecemark]

--Knights Opening Day starter Sonny Seibert has had a pretty disappointing start to the season and entered today's game vs the Gamblers sporting an ERA over 7. He put it together today though, tossing a no hitter vs the Knight's main division rival. This is the 2nd no hitter for Seibert, the first a perfect game last season. Mike Cuellar nearly matched the feat in game 2, taking a no no into the 7th. Leecemark took the rubber match to move 2 games up on The Dude.
--Robert I put Boswell into Marichal's spot in the rotation until you provide some further direction. Pascaul I farmed out.

[catcher24]

Well, Mark, your offer was better than mine. I was kind of hoping Robert would recontact me with a counter offer, because I would've sweetened the original offer, but he probably wanted Marichal out of the division anyway!:laugh :nod:

I imagine you'll be able to keep him, since I anticipate your having the second best record behind Mac, and maybe the best record now with Marichal added to your staff. Once the Cider, Cannons and Diablos start knocking heads with each other, that's in your (and my) favor as well. He's very good again in 1967, and he's super in 1968, so congrats on landing him.

[leecemark]

--Marichal actually pretty much a wash with Boswell next year. He is very good in 68 though, when my rotation was looking pretty weak. One last great year in 69 (when Boswell is again very good too). Tough call on whether to keep a league average innings eater at 12M in 1970 to get to his last good (but not great) season in 1971. Guess it depends on how the rest of my pitching looks then. Ther Pirates get very good seasons from Boswell this year, next year and in 1969 and a pretty good 1968 from Pascual. Add in the first rounder and the cap savings I think he got a pretty good return. If Marichal can deliver the goods in the postseason then I got what I wanted too. If not or if he ends up a free agent I'll be regretting the deal.

[leecemark]

--The Hard Cider have put a comfortable 7 game cushion between themselves and their division foes - and the league as a whole. The other races remain tight. The Skipjacks break .500 and pull into a tie for first in the Hulbert with the Legends. Despite their recent swoon the Shoe Joes are only 2 back. The Knights hold a 1 game lead over the Gamblers. The Diablos and Cannons are falling behind the Macmen, but are tied for the WC lead.
--The Knights and Skipjacks squared off in an interestin series. Juan Marichal made his Knights debut in the opener and cruised thru 6. He ran into trouble in the 7th culminating in a 2 run in the park HR by Tony Olive to tie the game and send him ot the showers. Oliva doubled up on his heriocs with a game winning hit in the bottom of the 9th. Gary Peters won his 6th, backed by a 4 RBI game by Dick Green, in game two. In the rubber match Sonny Seibert followed up his no hitter by getting chased in the 2nd inning. Koufax only last 2 for the Skipjacks as well, but it was a long rain delay that ended his game rather than ineffectiveness. A trio of relievers followed him in shutting out the Knights.

[catcher24]

No offense to Scott, but dropping two out of three to the Redbirds isn't a very good omen for the rest of the season.:cry: And this time losing McCovey for 12 games will hurt, since he was just starting to get hot at the plate. Oh well, at least I'm still tied for first.

[leecemark]

--My computer crashed yesterday. It may be a few days before I get any more games in. Hopefully I haven't lost any CKL data. Worst case for this season would be having to replay the last series. Lew, Scott and Joe all have the current file excepting those games.

[catcher24]

Sorry to hear about your computer troubles, Mark. That is always such a huge pain in the butt. Good luck with resolving the problem!

[The Dude]

Lineup Vs RHP:
1.RF-Rico Carty
2.CF-Mickey Mantle (Curt Flood- 35%)
3.LF-Jose Cardenal
4.3B-Harmon Killebrew
5.1B-George Scott
6.2B-Jerry Adair
7.SS-Rico Petrocelli
8.C-Paul Casanova (Buck Rodgers - 40%)
9.Pitcher
Pinch Hitter: Default

Lineup VS LHP:
1.RF-Rico Carty
2.CF-Mickey Mantle (Curt Flood -35%)
3.LF-Jose Cardenal
4.3B-Harmon Killebrew
5.1B-George Scott
6.2B-Jerry Adair
7.SS-Rico Petrocelli
8.C-Paul Casanova (Buck Rodgers - 40%)
9.Pitcher
Pinch Hitter: Default

[leecemark]

--Well I'm back in business, but I lost alot of stuff. Lew, Scott or Joe please send me the league file. I'm afraid the last series posted will have to be replayed. My e-mail address book is gone too, as well as all my links.
--Scott please send me the link for the PAP league. Lew please send me the link for yourt CKl website.

[mac195]

To bad about your computer, Mark. Here is the link to Lew's site.

http://www.geocities.com/lougehrig24/

[catcher24]

Mark - Mac gave you the link, and I sent you an email with the league DB. Good luck with everything else I'm sure you need to replace as well!

[Erik Bedard]

Ouch. I had a streak of (at least) 20 straight scoreless innings going there.

[leecemark]

--My apoligies to those who did well in the last series. Good luck for those who didn't do as well. Hopefully nobody is going to lose a game or two and end up missing the playoffs by that margin. If we have any ties the difference in the lost series will be the first tie breaker. I should have the game up and running this morning and will get those series replayed.

[leecemark]

--The Skipjacks were the big losers in the replay. After originally taking 2 of 3 from the Knights they dropped 2 of 3 this time (Marichal tossed in 10 inning shutout in his do over of his Knight's debut). Meanwhile the Legends went from dropping 2 of 3 to sweeping the Redbirds and the Shoeless Joes also swept their series. A 3 game downward swing in the standings for JW. Sorry Jason. If its any consulation I would have gladly taken the losses over the headaches of my computer crash.

[catcher24]

Well, I'm certainly sorry that it happened to you, Mark, and for all the aggravation it most certainly caused you. But it sure worked out well for the Legends. We not only picked up two wins we wouldn't otherwise have, but we traded a 12 game injury to McCovey for a 6 game injury to Staub. But I do apologize in advance to Jason and Joe, should I end up winning the division by one or two games over one of them!

[Erik Bedard]

Ouch. From sweeping and giving up 2 runs to getting swept and giving up 22. :ughh Looks like the Joes were actually the big winners.

[Wasp]

Browne is injured, so Briggs will take over for the 5 games he's out.

[leecemark]

--The Marichal pickup has jumped started the Knights, with the Domincan Dandy tossing his 2nd shutout in as many starts, and they now have a 5 game lead over the slumping Gamblers.

[catcher24]

Mark, those league standings are the same ones you posted with the last scores. Just FYI. Everything else seems OK.

Sure wish I had gotten Marichal! But he probably would've pitched horribly for me, like he always did.

[Wasp]

Mark, I'm changing my lineup to:

CF Lou Brock
RF Byron Browne (Briggs 30%)
3B Eddie Mathews (Mota 30%)
1B Norm Siebern (Harrison 30%)
C Earl Battey (Howard 20%)
LF Mike Hershberger
SS Don Kessinger
2B Jerry Lumpe (Fuentes 30%)
Pitcher

[leecemark]

--The Skipjacks sweep the Legends to edge back over .500 and within a game of the division lead. The Knights run their win streak to 5 and move 6 games up in the division. The Cannons have a league best 6 game streak to get back within 3 of the Hard Cider and take charge of the WC race.

[catcher24]

A very inauspicious start to my nine game away series against the Skipjacks. That is one of my biggest complaints about Diamond Mind - the auto scheduler comes up with some real doozies! Guess if I come out of this nine game set 4-5 I'd be doing well at this point!

[leecemark]

--Yeah, 24 of my first 57 games have been against the Gold Sox - completing the season series vs a division foe with nearly 2/3 of the season to go. The alternative would be scheduling each game individually though and that is probably a little more work than I'm up for. Maybe I'll work on that for the 1969 season starting now. We'd be able to reuse that one for a long time.

[leecemark]

--The Cartwright continues to bully the rest of the league. Matched up against Johnson Division teams these series, the Hard Cider swept the Gamblers, the Cannons took 2 of 3 from the Knights and the Diablos 2 of 3 from the Redbirds. They still have 3 of the 4 best records in the league.
--In intra-divisonal play the Legends take 2 of 3 from the Skipacks and the Joes 2 of 3 from the Pirates. Parity still rules the Hulbert with the top 3 teams still within 2 games - and the division leader holding only the 5th best record in the league.

[catcher24]

and the division leader holding only the 5th best record in the league.

Boy, is that pathetic!!:sorry:

I'm still quite surprised at the Cannons and the Shoeless Joes continued excellent play. I went back and looked at the results of my 14 pre season sims, and the Cannons NEVER finished with more than 84 wins, and their highest overall finish was fifth - one time. The Joes highest win total was 85, and they never finished higher than sixth overall. So if one or both of these teams end up in the playoffs or close to it, I guess I'd have to vote Chris or Joe manager of the year!

I was glad to take two of three from the Skipjacks, and the one loss was a tough one (2-1 in 11 innings). I hope I can manage to do it once more in the next series. Getting out of there with a 4-5 record would be an accomplishment after dropping the first three.

[leecemark]

--With 60 games played it isn't that surprising that some teams are over/under performing. At a similar point last season the Stingers were still playing like a contender. Over the remaining 108 games the quality and depth of teams should be reflected in their records.
--Not to say that there shouldn't be some surprises. I ran alot of sims and the Cannons and Joes both had the occasional playoff season, although I wasn't recording all the data to tell you how many or what their high water mark was.
--The 5 teams currently under .500 did finish that way in virtually all my sims though. I expect the Pirates unloading of Marichal will not be the end of non-contending teams swapping prime time players for young talent/draft choices. The playoff teams this year will probably all look at least a little different then than they do today. The Hard Cider may be the only team that can afford to stand pat and still count on making the post season. Not that Mac has traditionally been idle in the trade market:laugh .

[leecemark]

--Its not too early to be speculating on who is looking like an All Star so far this season. Here is my preliminary list of candiates;
C: Clay Dalrymple, Johnny Rosebor, Tim McCarver, Tom Haller and Johnny Romano
1B: Don Clendennon, Boog Powell, Norm Cash
2B: Jim Lefebre, Pete Rose
3B: Don Buford, Jim Hart, Max Alvis, Ron Santo, Dick Allen
SS: Bert Campaneris, Louis Aparicio, Dick McAulliffe
LF: Willie Stargell, Curt Blefary, Willie Horton
CF: Jimmy Wynn, Al Kaline, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle
RF: Hank Aaron, Tony Oliva, Frank Robinson
SP: Jose Santiago, Earl Wilson, Jim Maloney, Sandy Koufax, Juan Marichal Gary Peters, Louis Tiant, Fergie Jenkins, Jim Bunning, Steve Hargan, Mike Cuellar
RP: Wes Stock, Don McMahan, Eddie Fisher, Lindy McDaniel, Jack Aker, Bob Locker, Billy McCool, Hoyt Wilhelm
--Sorry Max, but not a single Stinger I found that looks like an All Star.

[Erik Bedard]

Dalrymple and Santiago would be my two choices for Gold Sox All-Stars. Paul Schaal also should merit consideration, with the second-highest (.393 to Dick Allen's .398) OBP from a regular 3B.

[538280]

C: Clay Dalrymple, Johnny Rosebor, Tim McCarver, Tom Haller and Johnny Romano
1B: Don Clendennon, Boog Powell, Norm Cash
2B: Jim Lefebre, Pete Rose
3B: Don Buford, Jim Hart, Max Alvis, Ron Santo, Dick Allen
SS: Bert Campaneris, Louis Aparicio, Dick McAulliffe
LF: Willie Stargell, Curt Blefary, Willie Horton
CF: Jimmy Wynn, Al Kaline, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle
RF: Hank Aaron, Tony Oliva, Frank Robinson


Have to be tremendoulsy happy with having 5 of the 8 starting players, as well as the #1 relief pitcher.

[catcher24]

--Sorry Max, but not a single Stinger I found that looks like an All Star.

Perhaps he can send his team mascot to the All Star game!:nod: :laugh :D

But I guess that begs the question: will Max make the first 1967 draft pick Tom Terrific; The Straw That Stirs the Drink; or the No Runs, No Drips, No Errors man. Heck of a choice to make there, Max!

[ElHalo]

Perhaps he can send his team mascot to the All Star game!:nod: :laugh :D

But I guess that begs the question: will Max make the first 1967 draft pick Tom Terrific; The Straw That Stirs the Drink; or the No Runs, No Drips, No Errors man. Heck of a choice to make there, Max!

This rookie class is absolutely unbelievable. Oddly enough, Tom Terrific might not even be the first rookie pitcher from the Mets I'd take...

[leecemark]

Have to be tremendoulsy happy with having 5 of the 8 starting players, as well as the #1 relief pitcher.


--Chris, those candidates weren't listed in order of merit. All your guys worth a mention are listed first simply because your roster is the first one alphabetically (or numerically in your case) and I was just scrolling thru each roster in turn.

[leecemark]

--A little shake up in the standing this series. The Shoeless Joes have pulled in a tie for the Hulbert lead, the Diablos have overtaken the Cannons for the WC lead. The ElHalo squad got an assist from the Knights who swept the Cannons - jumping out to a 9 game lead over what looks to be a very weak field in the Johnson Division.

[catcher24]

Well, as I said after being swept the first three games, I'm very happy to leave Skipjacks land with a 4-5 record. I figure that's a decent recovery in a nine game away series against one of my chief rivals. Hopefully I'll do better at home! The season record is now 9-9 against the Jacks (only six games left against them midway through June!), so if I can manage to win the final two series.....

Sure wish Tommy John would start pitching well. He keeps getting rocked every time out. That would make a huge difference - especially since I'll eventually lose Nash and Tiant to usage problems.

[leecemark]

--The Shoeless Joes sweep the Hard Cider to run their winning streak to 7 and claim sole possesion of 1st in the Hulbert.

[Erik Bedard]

Two starters down, one my best... give Ford Perry's spot (he should be there by default) and Bunker will take Santiago's. Sanford will cover both Ford and Bunker's bullpen roles.

[Wasp]

Eh, I'm quite happy with how my pitchers are filling in. I have Jim Palmer, Phil Niekro, Don Sutton, Claude Osteen, Rick Wise... You guys better look out for these next upcoming seasons!

[leecemark]

--Some interesting games in these series'. Lew asked for a big game out of season long disappointment Tommy John and John delivered. He pitched a 10 inning shutout to beat the Cannons 1-0 and spark a sweep of the series. The Legends have won 5 in a row and 8 of 10 to take a 2 game lead in the Hulbert.
--Juan Marichal continues to dominant for the Knights, tossing his 3rd shutout in 5 starts since coming over in trade from the Pirates (4 CG and a 4-0 record). The Knights remain red hot since the deal, sweeping the Redbirds and running their division lead to 10 games.
--The Diablos and Pirates went extra frames twice in the series. The Diablos won 3-2 in 11, with the Pirates winning 3-1 the following day - in 20 innings! Those are some exhuasted bullpens:nod: . The Diablos fell another game back in Cartwright, as the Hard Cider swept the Shoeless Joes but added two games to their WC lead over both the Joes and Cannons.

[catcher24]

Lew asked for a big game out of season long disappointment Tommy John and John delivered. He pitched a 10 inning shutout to beat the Cannons 1-0 and spark a sweep of the series.

Yeah, it's about time!!:clapping :laugh :nod:

I'm really hoping John comes around before I lose Nash and Tiant to over usage - and Nash isn't that far away from that point! And I sure wish I'd offered Robert enough for Marichal so I had him instead of you, Mark!!:cry: But he probably would've gotten rocked if I had him - he did that for the three+ years he was on my staff.

[catcher24]

Ummm, Mark, in checking the game results for the most recent series, I noticed that it's the same results as your previous post (for the games 6/17 to 6/19). The standings are correct, but the game results aren't. I was looking for John's shutout and it wasn't there!

[catcher24]

I'm putting up my first usage report because I've got some serious issues with my staff, and I thought I'd go through to check everyone else as well. Since we are now about 40% of the way through the season, I've listed any player who is at or above 50% usage, since they would be right on the edge of exceeding playing time at that current rate of usage. Hope this helps!

Cannons: John Bateman,54; Jim Lefebvre, 50; Fred Valentine, 50; Steve Barber, 68; Carroll Sembera, 58; Wes Stock, 89; Ray Washburn, 54
Chris, I think you have as many problems with the staff as I do!:nod:

Gold Sox: Ken Berry, 58; Paul Schaal, 52; Don Schwall, 52 No extremely serious problems yet, Dan

Diablos: Fred Gladdin, 52; Joe hoerner, 52 Nothing too serious either, Jim. You'll be looking good when teams like mine start having to use the lesser players. If you have the cap room you might want to think about a trade with Robert for Wilhelm, since your pen seems to be the biggest problem.

Shoeless Joes: Curt Blefary, 59; Frank Howard, 54 The staff looks in great shape, Joe. You'll make up games when I lose Nash and Tiant to usage problems.

Skipjacks: Chuck Hiller, 50; Don Lock, 59; Minnie Rojas, 51 Same thing, Jason. I can see you and Joe burying me when my top players have to sit out.

Knights: As usual, no problems. Simply disgusting, Mark!:laugh :D

Legends: Joe Morgan, 55; Jim Northrup, 52; Fergie Jenkins, 54; Jim Nash, 84 :o ; Luis Tiant, 67; Chris Zachary, 50 I see real trouble when Nash and Tiant are gone, and Jenkins is on the edge too. Thank goodness I at least have Blue Moon Odom to bring up for a little while, but he only had 90 IP too. It could get real ugly in the second half!:cry: :( :shrug:

Hard Cider: Denis Menke, 52; Jerry Zimmerman, 54; Steve Hargan, 51; Larry Jaster, 58; Stu Miller, 50; Lee Stange, 51 Not too much trouble, although it could get a bit iffy at the end, Mac. But I expect you'll have the division wrapped up by then anyway!:laugh

Redbirds:Tommy Davis, 58; Bob Priddy, 73 Looking pretty good here, Scott. No major players in real trouble.

Pirates: Wayne Causey, 53; Ed Charles, 53; Jimmie Coker, 57; Hoyt Wilhelm, 70 Looks good for you, Robert. But I guess trading for Wilhelm wouldn't help Jim too much, since his usage is already high as well.

Gamblers: Jerry Adair, 59; Mickey Mantle, 60 Very good, Wil. Other than Mantle, no major problems with top players.

Stingers: Earl Battey, 51; Manny Mota, 51; Norm Siebern, 55 Also very good, Max. Perhaps a little tight at the end, but you're in pretty decent shape.

[leecemark]

--The Hulbert Division has been beating up on the Johnson the past couple series. The Legends swept the Gold Sox and now have a league best 8 game streak and a 4 game lead in the division. The Skipjacks swept the Gamblers and now have the 2nd longest streak (6 games), pulling into a tie with the Shoeless Joes for 2nd place.
--The exception to the Hulbert success was the Pirates-Knights matchup. The Hulbert cellar dweller dropped 2 of 3 for the Johnson leader. The Knights are now 12 games up as their division foes are sinking as fast as the Knights are rising.
--Intrdivisional play is underway in the Cartwright, which has allowed the Hulbert clubs to gain in the WC race and the Knights to pull within a game of the Hard Cider for best overall record.

[catcher24]

--Interdivisional play is underway in the Cartwright,

Yes, and interestingly enough as of my last stats update (thru games of 6/19), the Diablos are halfway done playing the Hard Cider (4-8), but the Cannons have played NONE against the league's toughest team. I can see the possibility of Jim making a big move if he can do well when the the Cannons/Hard Cider square offs occur.

And what the heck is an eight game winning streak? I've never had that happen before!!

And Holy Cow: RIP, Phil - you were a good man,

[ElHalo]

A sad day for all baseball fans.

Could I throw up Frank Bertaina in Gladding's spot for a while? Thanks.

[catcher24]

A sad day for all baseball fans.

For sure. I'm no Yankee fan - just the opposite - but he was a great little player and a true gentleman on and off the field.:cry:

[catcher24]

Well, for the second time today I've uploaded stats. Mark is flying through this first half! Those who read the News and Views have probably noticed that I now include links to the past "issues" in case you miss one and you're interested; just click on the link for any week and you should be able to get it. Incidentally, in case anyone missed it a couple series ago, Jim Ray Hart had a four homer game - the second in CKL history. I led off the News and Views with it, but I think it was one of those times when I uploaded a new version the very next day, so maybe those who read my ramblings didn't see it.

[leecemark]

--The Legends run their winning streak to 11, as they appear to be taking charge of the Hulbert race. The Diablos sweep the Cannons and are building a cushion in the Wild Card race.

[mac195]

Mark, I will DL Jaster and bring up Holtzman to replace him in the rotation. I'll also replace Menke with Brown at SS. Brown will bat 8th vs. both right and left handed pitching, with the others moving up one spot where necessary to fill the places above him. And Zimmerman's playing time at catcher is reduced from 50% to 45% vs. LHP.

[538280]

Please send Caroll Sembera down, and bring up Pedro Ramos. Change relief setting to this below:

Spot starter: Sadecki, Pena
Mop up: Pena, Reniff
Long man: Ramos, Stock
LH set up: Reniff, Pena
RH set up: Perranoski, Ramos
LH closer: McMahon, Perranoski
RH closer: McMahon, Perranoski

Also a few minor changes to the percentage of backups:

Lineup vs. RHP
1. Tresh, LF (Ferrara 15%)
2. Lefebvre, 2B (Jones 10%)
3. Aaron, RF (Johnstone)
4. Valentine, 1B (Whitfield 20%)
5. Bateman, C (Pagliaroni 35%)
6. Wynn, CF (Johnstone 35%)
7. Buford, 3B (Jones 5%)
8. Campaneris, SS (Bressoud)
PH: Ferrara, Whitfield, Pagliaroni

Lineup vs. LHP
1. Wynn, CF (Johnstone 10%)
2. Lefebvre, 2B (Jones 10%)
3. Aaron, RF (Johnstone)
4. Valentine, 1B (Whitfield)
5. Bateman, C (Pagliaroni 30%)
6. Tresh, LF (Ferrara 10%)
7. Campaneris, SS (Bressoud)
8. Buford, 3B (Jones 15%)
PH: Ferrara, Pagliaroni, Johnstone

[catcher24]

I'm sure not blowing anyone away, scoring six runs in the three games and managing a sweep. But I'm more than happy to win by one every time. The pitching sure seems to be coming around. Seeing all those Ws listed under last ten games is a new experience for me!:laugh

But there's still a long ways to go, and the Skipjacks are a very formidable opponent, as are the Joes, and the Pirates can get hot as well. A five game lead is certainly a long way from the enormous lead a certain team has in the Johnson Division!

[Wasp]

Changed some player percentages:

CF Lou Brock
RF Byron Browne (Briggs 30%)
3B Eddie Mathews (Mota 25%)
1B Norm Siebern (Harrison 40%)
C Earl Battey (Howard 25%)
LF Mike Hershberger
SS Don Kessinger
2B Jerry Lumpe (Fuentes 30%)
Pitcher

Also, because of Lumpe's injury, Fuentes will just take over for him full time.

[leecemark]

--As we move into July the separation between the contender and wait til next year crowd is becoming rather pronounced. The Shoeless Joes were swept by the Knights, falling 9 back in both the division and Wild Card races. The Diablos swept the Cannons, extending the Cannons losing streak to 6 and dropping them to .500, also 9 games back in the WC.
--All the likely playoff teams continue to play outstanding baseball. The Legends winning streak is up to 14 and their division lead is 6 games. The Knights now have a probably insurmountable 16 game lead, with the next best Johnson division team 10 games under .500. The Hard Cider have a 6 game winning streak going, but can't shake the Diablos who have bettered that with an 8 gamer. The only team over .500, but not currrently in a playoff position is the Skipjacks. JW's crew has won 8 of 10 to keep hope alive and is 6 back in both the division and WC hunts.

[mac195]

My starters are dropping like flies... I'll put Steve Hamilton in the rotation in place of the injured Stange. Please relieve Hamilton of his bullpen duties for now, and change my use relievers setting from "most" back to "more".

[catcher24]

AAAGGHH!!! I can't believe Willie McCovey goes down for the third time this year!:( :eek: He was one of the big keys to the Legends' recent success and will be sorely missed.:cry:

[leecemark]

--The rich get richer......The Legends, Hard Cider (9 in a row) and Diablos have all won 9 of their last 10 and the Knights 8 of 10.

[mac195]

Mark, I'll put Menke back in the lineups, now batting 6th vs. both RHP and LHP.

Lineup vs. RHP
1 Snyder CF (Reichardt)
2 Fairly RF (Whitaker)
3 Robinson LF (Reichardt)
4 Allen 3B (Menke)
5 Cash 1B (Fairly)
6 Menke SS (Brown) Brown DR
7 Haller C (Zimmerman)
8 Mazeroski 2B (Hunt)
PH vs RHP: Reichardt, Whitaker, Nicholson
PH vs LHP: Reichardt, Nicholson, Colavito
Lineup vs. LHP
1 Nicholson RF (Colavito)
2 Reichardt CF (Snyder) Snyder DR
3 Robinson LF (Snyder)
4 Allen 3B (Menke)
5 Cash 1B (Fairly)
6 Menke SS (Brown) Brown DR
7 Haller C (Zimmerman 45%)
8 Mazeroski 2B (Hunt)
PH vs RHP: Fairly, Snyder
PH vs LHP: Colavito, Hunt

[catcher24]

Well, the streak was broken at 14 - but it took the Joes 11 innings to pull it out. I'm more than happy to have experienced the third or fourth longest winning streak in CKL history (I seem to recall the Hard Cider running off a 16 game streak a couple of seasons ago; Mark has the record in 1964 of 17 straight). But the Legends are still winning, now without McCovey, Staub and John.

Mark, I'll be sending you an updated MP. Nash will have to come out of the rotation, now that he's over 100% for the season. May need him for a stretch run in September. I'll send down Nash and promote Blue Moon Odom; you'll get the MP later today. If I don't get it to you in time, just put Odom in Nash's slot.

[leecemark]

--Juan Marichal finally took his first loss as a Knight and the team was apparently so dishearted they dropped the next 2 games as well, with the suddenly hot Pirates getting the sweep. The Legends slip past the Knights into 2nd overall. All 4 Hulbert teams are on winning streaks at the expense of the Johnson squads.

[mac195]

Mark, please activate Jaster and put him in the rotation in place of Holtzman, who goes back to the minors.

And I'd like to make another lineup adjustment:

Lineup vs. RHP
1 Snyder CF (Reichardt)
2 Fairly RF (Whitaker)
3 Robinson LF (Reichardt)
4 Cash 1B (Fairly)
5 Allen 3B (Menke)
6 Haller C (Zimmerman)
7 Menke SS (Brown) Brown DR
8 Mazeroski 2B (Hunt)
PH vs RHP: Reichardt, Whitaker, Nicholson
PH vs LHP: Reichardt, Nicholson, Colavito

[538280]

Please send Wes Stock down to the minors and call up Bill Henry. Put Henry in the same spot Stock was in.

[leecemark]

--With less than 100 BF Henry is only eligible for call up if someone goes on the DL (or after Sep 1).

[Erik Bedard]

Mark, please put Santiago back in his normal rotation slot, start Kuenn at 1B for the next ten games, and put Face back as the #1 closer.

[leecemark]

--The Knights take 2 of 3 from the Legends to tie for 2nd best overall. The Skipjacks take advantage with a sweep, running their win streak to 5, and pulling within 6 of the division and 4 of the WC leaders.

[mac195]

Mark, please put Stange back in the rotation, and Hamilton back in the pen.

Pitching
SP1: Bunning
SP2: Hargan
SP3: Jaster
SP4: Stange
SP5: Howard (skip)
Spot: Jarvis, Humphreys
Mop up: Bennet, Humphreys
Long man: Humphreys, Bennett, Hamilton
LH set up: McCool, Hamilton
RH set up: Miller, Humphreys
LH closer: McCool, Hamilton
RH closer: Miller, McCool, Jarvis

[catcher24]

--The Knights take 2 of 3 from the Legends

I always have trouble with the Knights (and Hard Cider) - but I guess I'm not alone in that respect!:laugh

[catcher24]

--The Knights take 2 of 3 from the Legends

I always have trouble with the Knights (and Hard Cider) - but I guess I'm not alone in that respect!:laugh The only teams (to this point) that I have a losing record against are the aforesaid Knights (1-2, with 9 to play) and the Hard Cider (5-7, season series done). I'm 9-9 against the Skipjacks, with only 6 left to play against them.

BTW, Mark, I notice that everyone had four games this time - an odd single game and then a three game set. But in reviewing the dates and checking the games, I see those are actually the games of July 10 added at the beginning, in case anyone else is wondering.

[catcher24]

Since we are now one half of the way through the season, I decided to list all of the players who are at or over 63% usage at this point. Any player at that point now in the season is on course to exceed 125%.

Cannons: Steve Barber, 88; Carroll Sembera, 73 (farmed); Wes Stock, 102; Ray Washburn, 68

Gold Sox: Ken Berry, 75; Harvey Kuenn, 80; Paul Schaal, 67; Don Schwall, 66

Diablos: Joe Hoerner, 72; Jim Merritt, 65

Shoeless Joes: Frank Howard, 67

Skipjacks: Chuck Hiller, 65; Don Lock, 74

Knights: :clapping :applaud: :thumbsup:

Legends: Joe Morgan, 70; Jim Northrup, 64; Fergie Jenkins, 68; Jim Nash, 104 (f); Luis Tiant, 86

Hard Cider: Richie Allen, 63; Ron Fairly, 63; Steve Hargan, 65; Stu Miller, 67

Redbirds: Tommy Davis, 73; John Miller, 64; Bob Priddy, 85

Pirates: Wayne Causey, 70; Ed Charles, 68; Jimmie Coker, 79; Dave Boswell, 65; Hoyt Wilhelm, 93

Gamblers: Jerry Adair, 73; Rico Carty, 63; Mickey Mantle, 65

Stingers: Earl Battey, 65

[ElHalo]

Wow. The Kaline 21 game injury deals a serious blow to the Diablos' bid for their first ever postseason berth, and necessitates a major roster shakeup.

The Diablos make the following moves:

Lee Thomas is called up to take Kaline's roster spot.

Usage patterns are changed to:

SS: Aparicio (Maxvill 10%)
3B: Hart (McMullen 20%)
LF: Stargell (Johnson 30%)
CF: Gosger (Johnson 20%)
RF: Clemente (Thomas 10%)
1B: White (Nen 5%)
C: Roseboro (Martin 25%)
2B: Pete Rose (Smith 10%)


And in the bullpen:
Spot Starter: Wright, O'Dell
Mopup: Bertaina, Wright
Long man: Bertaina, O'Dell
LH set up: O'Dell, Hoerner
RH set up: Fisher, Bertaina
LH closer: Fisher, Hoerner
RH closer: Bertaina, Fisher

[leecemark]

Jim, I see you have Gladding in your pitching assignments. His DL stint is up, but you need to send someone down if you want him back on your active roster.

[leecemark]

--One more series to play before the All Star break. The All Star voting thread will be up this morning. Ballots due by midnight Thursday. There will be a 4 day break in CKL time so you have an opportunity to reshuffle rotations or whatever you need to do to get your club ready for the second half. There will be a 3 day break in real time, with no games Tuesday-Thursday. The trade deadline will be just a few days after the All Star break so this pause in the action is prime time for working on any deals you hope to make. There is a pretty clear divide between buyers and sellers this year, so maybe the deadline will feature a little more action than past years.

[ElHalo]

Jim, I see you have Gladding in your pitching assignments. His DL stint is up, but you need to send someone down if you want him back on your active roster.

You were right; Bertaina was supposed to be in that slot. I made the change on my post above.

[Erik Bedard]

The Gold Sox have made a trade with the Cannons. The Gold Sox will receive Ken Henderson and the Cannons 4th-round pick in 1967, and the Cannons will receive Tony Cloninger. Chris, please confirm.

Mark, please call up Blass and put him in Cloninger's spot. Henderson will go to the minors.

[538280]

Trade is confirmed. Send Wes Stock down to the minors to make room for Cloninger. Set pitchers like this:

SP1-Grant
SP2-Ellsworth
SP3-Cloninger
SP4-Sadecki

Spot starter: Washburn, Barber
Mop up: Pena, Reniff
Long man: Ramos, Pena
LH set up: Reniff, Pena
RH set up: Perranoski, Ramos
LH closer: McMahon, Perranoski
RH closer: McMahon, Perranoski

[leecemark]

--Okay we're up to the All Star break. No games until Friday. This is the week to make any changes you want to either get/stay in contention or prepare for the future. Also, please get those All Star Ballots in.

[Wasp]

Lumpe is off the DL so my lineup will change to:

CF Lou Brock
RF Byron Browne (Briggs 30%)
3B Eddie Mathews (Mota 25%)
1B Norm Siebern (Harrison 40%)
C Earl Battey (Howard 25%)
LF Mike Hershberger
SS Don Kessinger
2B Jerry Lumpe (Fuentes 30%)
Pitcher

[Erik Bedard]

I guess Johnson should go back to the everyday starter at 1B.

[mac195]

The Hard Cider trade their 2nd round pick in 1967 to the Gold Sox for their 3rd round pick, and Leon Wagner. EB, if you would confirm...?

[Erik Bedard]

Gold Sox confirm. Corresponding move coming up.

[Erik Bedard]

OK, call up Pete Ward.

New lineup:

3B Paul Schaal (Ward 15%)
SS Maury Wills (Groat 25%)
CF Ken Berry (Harper)
RF Tony Conigliaro (Ward 15%)
1B Deron Johnson (Ward 15%)
C Clay Dalrymple (Hundley 30%)
LF Tommy Harper (Ward 15%)
2B Jerry Buchek (Groat 20%)

[mac195]

Wagner is added to HC's minor league roster.

[leecemark]

--Games are back underway. The only real suspense in the races in the Hulbert and WC where the Skipjacks trail the Legends by 4 and the Diablos by 2.

[leecemark]

--This series takes us to the trade deadline. No games until Monday for those who would like a last chance to make a move. Quite a few injuries in this group of games too. Be sure and check that report.

[Edgartohof]

Could you call up Roger Repoz while Davidson is on the DL for me and put him in the LHSU role.

Also, Put my closer usage to least.

[leecemark]

--repoz is not a pitcher. pascaul is your only minor lrague hurler. you could sifn someone though/

[ElHalo]

Ugh. Good thing Kaline's coming back from injury and Clemente's wasn't that long; my team would be completely sunk without the two of them. I'll have to do another major roster shakeup after this series to work Kaline back in the mix.

[baseballPAP]

The Redbirds, out of the race and also out of touch....(sorry guys, been a busy several weeks), are putting just about anyone over age 28 on the block. If there is someone you want, send me an offer and I'll either confirm it or turn it down....I can't offer much more than that at this point....I'll be out the rest of this evening, until early tomorrow AM.

[Erik Bedard]

Anybody on my team can be had for the right price, aside from starting pitchers.

[leecemark]

--The trade deadline has passed. Games of 01-03 August are underway.

[leecemark]

--Were are into August now and Matty Alou is giving Redbirds fans something to stay excited about in an otherwise lost season. Matty has a 27 game hitting streak going, raising his average to .395!

[ElHalo]

Ok. With Kaline off the DL, we'll send Thomas back to the minors and switch the usage patterns to:

SS: Aparicio (Maxvill 10%)
3B: Hart (McMullen 20%)
LF: Stargell (Johnson 30%)
CF: Kaline (Gosger 5%)
RF: Clemente (Gosger 10%)
1B: White (Nen 5%)
C: Roseboro (Martin 25%)
2B: Pete Rose (Smith 10%)

[catcher24]

8/3/1966 Lew McCovey Collision on bases 8/16/1966 13 13

Is this a bad joke or what?:( This is the third time this year I've lost McCovey to injury! A total of 24 games. This is the worst yet!

[leecemark]

--Three of the 4 teams in playoff position recorded sweeps today. The Hard Cider was the exception, allowing the Knights to catch them for best overall record. The suspense is rapidly draining out of the race for the postseason. The Skipjacks are 5 back in the WC and 7 in the division and nobody else is over .500 or closer than a dozen games.

[catcher24]

I wouldn't count out the Skipjacks just yet, Mark. My Legends are going to come up against some serious usage problems shortly, and I'll be losing Tiant and possibly Jenkins before the end of the season. Morgan at second base is also going to have some usage problems. I'm set much better next year, when everyone actually plays a full season (Tiant, Jenkins, Morgan).

[catcher24]

OK, I finally got the web site updated. It's been crazy - moving my youngest daughter to college, among other things going on - so there are 4 series (12 games each team) uploaded since the last time I updated. All games from July 18th through August 3 are now available. I would STRONGLY recommend that everyone check the usage on their team. I have some problems looming, and I doubt that I'm the lone ranger in that department.

[Erik Bedard]

Mark, please reduce Harvey Kuenn's usage 10% everywhere he's listed (should be 1B, LF, RF).

[leecemark]

I wouldn't count out the Skipjacks just yet, Mark. My Legends are going to come up against some serious usage problems shortly, and I'll be losing Tiant and possibly Jenkins before the end of the season. Morgan at second base is also going to have some usage problems. I'm set much better next year, when everyone actually plays a full season (Tiant, Jenkins, Morgan).

--I wasn't counting out the Skipjacks. It looks like the Knights and Hard Cider are pretty much locked into the playoffs and the Legends, Diablos and Skipjacks are fighting for the other 2 spots. It would take a monumental hotstreak for anybody else to challenge for the postseason this year.

[leecemark]

--Maybe I spoke to soon on the Hard Cider. The Macmen have slumped, while the Diablos continue to play outstanding ball and ElHalo's crew has pulled within 3 games. Meanwhile the Knights have won 9 in a row to claim the league's best record.

[mac195]

Mark, I want to send Bennet down and bring up Holtzman, who will take Stange's spot in the rotation for the upcoming series vs. the Joes.

Pitching
SP1: Bunning
SP2: Hargan
SP3: Jaster
SP4: Holtzman
SP5: Howard (skip)
Spot: Jarvis, Humphreys
Mop up: Humphreys, Stange
Long man: Humphreys, Bennett, Hamilton
LH set up: McCool, Hamilton
RH set up: Miller, Humphreys
LH closer: McCool, Hamilton
RH closer: Miller, McCool, Jarvis

[leecemark]

--All three division leaders sweep their series, as do the Skipjacks.

[Erik Bedard]

Well, the Gold Sox picked a rather inopportune time to start winning ballgames, as they may cost me the #1 pick in the draft. Not like #2 is awful either, though.

[catcher24]

Well, the Gold Sox picked a rather inopportune time to start winning ballgames, as they may cost me the #1 pick in the draft.

Don't feel too bad, Dan. The Legends have done that to me two years in a row - play horribly until the beginning of September, then go on enough of a hot streak to cost me the top pick!

[Erik Bedard]

Actually, Bench, Jackson, and Seaver all scored within a point of each other on my draft value rating scale, so I'm perfectly okay with not having to pick one of them over the others.

[leecemark]

--Moving right along.....

[mac195]

Pitching
SP1: Bunning
SP2: Hargan
SP3: Stange
SP4: Jaster
SP5: Howard (no skip)
Spot: Jarvis, Humphreys
Mop up: Humphreys, Hotzman
Long man: Humphreys, Hamilton
LH set up: McCool, Hamilton
RH set up: Miller, Humphreys
LH closer: McCool, Hamilton
RH closer: Miller, McCool, Jarvis

[leecemark]

--Things tighten up a little between the Skipjacks and Diablos in the WC race.

[catcher24]

I just uploaded stats, and we've played 114 games, or 68%, through these games. Any player currently at 85% usage or above is in danger of exceeding their limit, so I have listed all of those below. Please review and make any adjustments that you feel are necessary.

Robert: Hoyt Wilhelm is at 125% as of this posting, and I would imagine he is now beyond his limit with the three additional games Mark has run. You should demote him immediately.

Cannons: Jimmy Wynn, 85; Steve Barber, 95; Wes Stock, 106 (F)

Gold Sox: Ken Berry, 102; Harvey Kuenn, 109; Don Schwall, 89

Diablos: Joe Hoerner, 93; Jim Merritt, 96

Shoeless Joes: Curt Blefary, 87; Frank Howard, 90; Dick Hall, 91; Bill Short, 85

Skipjacks: Chuck Hiller, 85; Don Lock, 87

Knights: NADA :clapping

Legends: Jake Gibbs, 86; Joe Morgan, 93; Jim Northrup, 85; Fergie Jenkins, 93; Jim Nash, 104 (f); Luis Tiant, 111 (f)

Hard Cider: Ron Fairly, 87; Russ Snyder, 85; Steve Hargan, 85; Larry Jaster, 89; Stu Miller, 88

Redbirds: Tommy Davis, 98; John Miller, 86; Bob Priddy, 108 (f)

Pirates: Wayne Causey, 101; Ed Charles, 94; Jimmie Coker, 105; Dave Boswell, 92; Hoyt Wilhelm, 125

Gamblers: Jerry Adair, 101; Jose Cardenal, 85; Rico Carty, 87; Mickey Mantle, 86

Stingers: Earl Battey, 85

[catcher24]

Mark - As per above, Hoyt Wilhelm is at (and probably over by now) 125%, so he should be demoted and not permitted to play any more this season.

[ElHalo]

Mark - As per above, Hoyt Wilhelm is at (and probably over by now) 125%, so he should be demoted and not permitted to play any more this season.

Shouldn't be a problem at the moment, since he's halfway through a lengthy DL stint.

[leecemark]

--I was also reviewing usage, but Lew beat me to the punch. Wilhelm was injured for the last series and remains at 125%. That injury will turn out to be a season ender for him as his eligibilty is all used up. That leaves the Pirates with only 9 pitchers ontheir active roster - and only 1 in the minors (Camilio Pascaul). Robert, I've included a list of free agents. You have 13 open spots on your roster so I'd encourage to sign a few players to get you through the season.

[ElHalo]

Diablos: Joe Hoerner, 93; Jim Merritt, 96


Merritt I meant to max out (Jack Hamilton will be taking his place after another couple of starts), but I could have sworn that I'd changed around Hoerner's usage patterns so he wouldn't be used as often and wouldn't slide up the scale so much. I'll have to milk him as long as I can, hope I can build a bit of a lead in the WC race, and pull him for Gladding.

[leecemark]

--Jim, Hoerner is your primary closer vs both RH and LH batters and your #2 LH setup man (behind O'Dell). You might consider removing him from one of those roles to keep him eligible to the end.

[mac195]

I'd like to use Stange, Howard and Bunning in the next series.

Pitching
SP1: Bunning
SP2: Hargan
SP3: Stange
SP4: Howard
SP5: Jaster (skip)
Spot: Jarvis, Humphreys
Mop up: Humphreys, Hotzman
Long man: Humphreys, Hamilton
LH set up: McCool, Hamilton
RH set up: Miller, Humphreys
LH closer: McCool, Hamilton
RH closer: Miller, McCool, Jarvis

[leecemark]

Mac, that probbaly won't get Bunning into the series. He'd be going on 3 days rest after 127 pitches in his last game. Not a skip situation. I can switch you to a 4 man rotation and then he will pitch game 3 of the series for sure, if that what you want.

[mac195]

I'll stick with the 5-man and replace Jaster with Jarvis, removing Jarvis from the pen.

[leecemark]

--The Skipjacks take 2 of 3 from the Knights, but still lose ground on the Legends. Lew's squad pounded the Redbirds for 50 runs in a sweep of their series! JW didn't gain any ground on the Diablos either as ElHalo took two of three. Meanwhile the Hard Cider dropped 3 to the Cannons, allowing the Diablos to close to within 5 in the Cartwright race. The Gold Sox have a league best 5 game winning streak to fall 3 games "back" of the Stingers in the race for first pick in next year's draft.

[ElHalo]

--Jim, Hoerner is your primary closer vs both RH and LH batters and your #2 LH setup man (behind O'Dell). You might consider removing him from one of those roles to keep him eligible to the end.

Ah. Not a huge deal, but back on August 19 I put in:

And in the bullpen:
Spot Starter: Wright, O'Dell
Mopup: Bertaina, Wright
Long man: Bertaina, O'Dell
LH set up: O'Dell, Hoerner
RH set up: Fisher, Bertaina
LH closer: Fisher, Hoerner
RH closer: Bertaina, Fisher

So Hoerner should just be the #2 Lefty closer and setup man.

[leecemark]

--Okay, changes made. As #2 in both spots Hoerner won't pitch much. You could probably leave him as #1 lefty close and #2 lefty setup and still not have to worry about going over 125%.

[Wasp]

I'm going to increase Howard's playing time to 35%.

CF Lou Brock
RF Byron Browne (Briggs 30%)
3B Eddie Mathews (Mota 25%)
1B Norm Siebern (Harrison 40%)
C Earl Battey (Howard 35%)
LF Mike Hershberger
SS Don Kessinger
2B Jerry Lumpe (Fuentes 30%)
Pitcher

[catcher24]

Lew's squad pounded the Redbirds for 50 runs in a sweep of their series!

Amazing, but a good thing for me since in reviewing the scores I see that the Redbirds actually averaged 8 runs per game in the three games, so I needed to score a lot (although certainly no that much!) to win those games. And that has to be even more frustrating to poor Scott - average eight runs per game and win none!:shrug: :hp

[leecemark]

--The Diablos sweep the Stingers to claw their way to within 4 of the Hard Cider for the division lead. On the down side, catcher JW Martin suffered a season ending injury in the series. The Skipjacks record a sweep of their own to stay 3 back in the WC chase and move within 5 in the division race.
--Jimmer Coker and Wayne Causey have both reached offical usage warning levels for the Pirates. Robert, if one of these players goes over you lose a third rounder. Both would cost you a first rounder. Its definately time for some moves on the Pirates. You are already running a player short due to maxing out Wilhelm.

[mac195]

Pitching
SP1: Bunning
SP2: Hargan
SP3: Stange
SP4: Howard
SP5: Holtzman (skip)
Spot: Jaster, Humphreys
Mop up: Humphreys, Jaster
Long man: Humphreys, Hamilton
LH set up: McCool, Hamilton
RH set up: Miller, Humphreys
LH closer: McCool, Hamilton
RH closer: Jarvis, Miller, McCool,

[leecemark]

--Things tighten up some in the Hulbert. The Pirates sweep the Legends, while the Skipjacks take 2 of 3 from the Shoeless Joes. JW is now 2 back in both the division and WC races.
--The Hard Cider take 2 of 3 from the Knights to win the season series 7-5. Game one was a pitchers duel between Gary Peters and Bruce Howard. Peters was backed by a rare triple play, but the HC still managed to pull it ourt 3-2. The Knights pounded Jim Bunning and the Mac bullpen for 11 runs in game 2, while Marichal tossed a shutout. The LM crew should have saved some of those runs for the next game though as Hargan held them to a pair in another 3-2 HC victory.
--These series' take us to August 31. No games will be played tomorrow. Teams still in the playoff hunt have until midnight EST tomorrow to make any roster moves for playoff eligibility. Only players on the 25 man roster or DL as of tomorrow will be eligible for playoff rosters. September callups will be permitted after the next series.
--The Knights disable Horace Clarke and call up Lee Maye. They also send down Casey Cox and call up Del Crandell.

[catcher24]

The LM crew should have saved some of those runs for the next game though as Hargan held them to a pair in another 3-2 HC victory.

I can relate to that. I've lost five out of six (to the Shoeless Joes and Pirates - NOT a good sign), and four of them by one run. Should've saved some of those 50 runs I scored against the Redbirds!:nod:

Mark, I'll send you an updated MP, but for now please demote Al Downing and John Odom and promote Jim Nash and Luis Tiant. If I hang on and make the playoffs, I most certainly want them eligible. I honestly believe that I'd still have more than a three game lead if I hadn't run into usage problems with them.

[leecemark]

--Lew, I suppose this is as good a time as any to remind you that the Legends need to win the division outright to take it. The Skipjacks got the tie breaker as compensation for the ground they lost when a batch of series' had to be replayed after my computer meltdown. I don't remember if the Diablos merit the same consideration, but I guess I'll have to go back and find the post with those lost games to see. You are currently tied with them for the WC - or would be if you weren't leading your division anyway.

--After checking those replayed games I see the Diablos also lost ground to the Legends in the do over. So they would also take the tie breaker in the WC vs the Legends. They didn't get the shaft as bad as the Skipjacks though and would lose out in a tie with them. So the tie breaking formula is;
Hulbert tie goes to JW
WC tie between Diablos/Skipjacks goes to JW
WC tie between Diablos/Legends goes to EH

[leecemark]

--Reviewing the remaining games of the teams battling for playoff position;
Legends: 3 vs Skipjacks, 3 vs Diablos, 6 vs Knights, done with Hard Cider
Skipjacks: 3 vs Legends, 3 vs Kinghts, 3 vs Hard Cider, done with Diablos
Diablos: 3 vs Legends, 9 vs Knights, 9 vs Hard Cider, done with Skipjacks
Knights: 6 vs Legends, 3 vs Skipjacks, 9 vs Diablos, done with Hard Cider
Hard Cider: 9 vs Diablos, 3 vs Skipjacks, done with Legends and Knights

Diablos 21 of 46 vs contenders
Knights 18 of 46 vs contenders
Hard Cider 12 of 46 vs contenders
Legends 12 of 46 vs contenders
Skipjacks 9 of 46 vs contenders


--The Diablos look to have the most difficult remaining schedule. The 9 head to head with the division leading Hard Cider do put their fate into their own hands anyway. The Skipjacks have the fewest games left vs other contenders, but also the most ground to make up.

[catcher24]

Yes, it certainly looks like the Diablos have the toughest row to hoe. I had forgotten about the computer meltdown, but the way you have adjusted that situation is certainly fair and I have no complaint. And that would mean also that if there is a tie, I would get the earlier draft pick since I get bumped from the playoffs, right?:happy: :laugh

[The Dude]

Lineup Vs RHP:
1.RF-Rico Carty
2.CF-Mickey Mantle (Jose Cardenal 35%)
3.LF-Jose Cardenal
4.3B-Harmon Killebrew
5.1B-George Scott
6.2B-Roy McMillan
7.SS-Ken Boyer
8.C-Paul Casanova (Buck Rodgers - 40%)
9.Pitcher
Pinch Hitter: Default

Lineup VS LHP:
1.RF-Rico Carty
2.CF-Mickey Mantle (Jose Cardenal 35%)
3.LF-Jose Cardenal
4.3B-Harmon Killebrew
5.1B-George Scott
6.2B-Roy McMillan
7.SS-Ken Boyer
8.C-Paul Casanova (Buck Rodgers - 40%)
9.Pitcher
Pinch Hitter: Default


BTW-I moved back into school, so I have the internet now.

[ElHalo]

Mark,

I'll immediately call up Phil Roof to replace J.C. Martin on the active roster while Martin recouperates.

It's a shame that my best pitcher, Jim Merritt, is going to be out of commission soon (I'm using him for one more start, possibly two if he gets yanked early, before he calls it a season). As was said, I have the toughest schedule of any of the contenders down the stretch. That said, I'm happy anyway with the way the season has gone; with the starting rotation I failed to put together going into the season, I was thinking .500 was about as good as it was going to get, even with my extraordinarily potent offense.

[leecemark]

Yes, it certainly looks like the Diablos have the toughest row to hoe. I had forgotten about the computer meltdown, but the way you have adjusted that situation is certainly fair and I have no complaint. And that would mean also that if there is a tie, I would get the earlier draft pick since I get bumped from the playoffs, right?:happy: :laugh


--That seems fair too.

[J W]

...Looks like no additions prior to call-ups from here. I'm going to have to keep my fingers crossed that the Skipjacks can take advantage of their late-season schedule.

Unfortunately, the team we put together does not appear to be good enough to dodge the last PFA bullet as per our master plan. Can't win 'em all, though.

[catcher24]

Well, let's see if the Legends can maintain their usual trend of a great finish to the season. The normal procedure is horrid season, great September. I'm sure hoping this year it doesn't become, great season, horrid September!:eek:

[leecemark]

--We've got 2 tight division races going, with the Skipjacks now with 2 of the Legends and the Diablos within 2 of the Hard Cider. The Skipjacks are also 3 back of the Diablos in the WC.
--September callups are now open. Any player with 50 or more PA/PF is eligible. The Knights call up Jerry Arrigo, Casey Cox, Vern Law, Don Nottebart and Jose Pagan.

[ElHalo]

The Diablos immediately send down Jim Merrit, and call up Jack Hamilton to take his rotation spot. Not that it matters, since he was injured in his last game.

[mac195]

Let's see here...

HC will bring up Steve Whitaker, Leon Wagner, Johnny Calison, Smokey Burgess, Dennis Bennett and Pete Cimino.

Lineup vs. RHP
1 Snyder CF (Whitaker)
2 Fairly RF (Callison) Callison DR
3 Robinson LF (Reichardt)
4 Allen 3B (Menke)
5 Cash 1B (Fairly)
6 Menke SS (Brown) Brown DR
7 Haller C (Zimmerman)
8 Mazeroski 2B (Hunt)
PH vs RHP: Reichardt, Whitaker, Wagner, Calison
PH vs LHP: Burgess, Reichardt, Nicholson, Colavito
Lineup vs. LHP
1 Nicholson RF (Colavito) Callison DR
2 Reichardt CF (Snyder) Snyder DR
3 Robinson LF (Wagner)
4 Allen 3B (Menke)
5 Cash 1B (Fairly)
6 Burgess C (Haller) Haller DR
7 Menke SS (Brown) Brown DR
8 Mazeroski 2B (Hunt)
PH vs RHP: Fairly, Snyder, Whitaker, Wagner, Calison
PH vs LHP: Colavito, Hunt

Pitching
SP1: Bunning
SP2: Hargan
SP3: Stange
SP4: Howard
SP5: Holtzman (skip)
Spot: Jaster, Humphreys
Mop up: Cimino, Bennett, Humphreys, Jaster
Long man: Humphreys, Hamilton
LH set up: McCool, Hamilton
RH set up: Miller, Humphreys
LH closer: McCool, Hamilton
RH closer: Jarvis, Miller, McCool,

[Erik Bedard]

No call ups for the Gold Sox, who are trying to save every penny they can.

BTW, I believe half of the HC's September call-ups are former Gold Sox.

[J W]

The Skipjacks will call up:

UT Ossie Chavarria
IF Phil Gagliano
1B Jim Gentile
C Bill Heath

...roster adjustments will be made later this week.

[J W]

This may be a jinx, but Sandy Koufax is entering September leading in all three triple-crown categories, mirroring his real life 1966 performance in a much tougher league. This is happening one season prior to Yaz's real-life 1967 batting triple crown.

It would be a great way to say aloha to the man, the legend.

[catcher24]

The Legends call up Al Downing, John Odom, Gene Oliver and Bill Monbouquette. I will email you an updated MP later tonight.

[leecemark]

This may be a jinx, but Sandy Koufax is entering September leading in all three triple-crown categories, mirroring his real life 1966 performance in a much tougher league. This is happening one season prior to Yaz's real-life 1967 batting triple crown.

It would be a great way to say aloha to the man, the legend.

Yeah, as great as Marichal has been for me he still is running behind Koufax in the CYA race. Just like real life for Juan:shrug: .

[leecemark]

--The Diablos run their win streak to 5, pulling within 2 games of the Hard Cider for the division lead and opening a 5 game bulge in the wild card hunt. The Legends break out of their mini-slump and open a 4 game advantage in their division.

[mac195]

Mark, we will rest Hargan in the next series and give his start to Humphreys.

[mac195]

pinch hitting
for pitchers: more
for non-pitchers: more
for platoon partners: more
in blowouts: more

[leecemark]

Gold Sox: Ken Berry 120 and Harvey Kuenn 112 are at the official warning point where they could cost you draft picks if you let them go over. Paul Schaal is also at 104.
Gamblers: Jerry Adair 114 is officially warned, Rico Carty 101 and Mickey mantle 100 also bear watching.
Pirates: Wayne Causey 122 and Jimmy Coker 121 have both previously received official warnings and are likley to go over next series if not sent down. Dave Boswell 110 is now at official warning status. ED Charles is at 103.

[Erik Bedard]

Farm out Berry and Kuenn and call up Swoboda, Kelley, and Sisk. Start Harper in CF, Ward in LF, and slide Swoboda into Ward's bench roles (minus the 3B backup, which Ward should keep).

Kelley will take Blass's spot in the rotation, and Sisk and Blass will temporarily have no assignments.

[The Dude]

Adair has been sent down. and rojas brought up

[leecemark]

--The Skipjacks and Legends had an exciting head to head series, with the Legends having a chance to build a commanding lead and the Skipjacks needing some W's to stay close. Luis Tiant returned to the rotation after taking some time off to rest a tired arm. He didn't show any signs of rust. winning his 17th game in a 2-1 pitchers duel vs Dave McNally. Jim Nash also returned from a break of his own and fired 7 scoreless innings, but he was up again the amazing Koufax who tossed 8 scoreless. The bullpens were fantastic as well and the scoreless deadlock lasted into the 14th before Brooks Robinson managed to drive in a run for the 1-0 win. The rubber match was yet another pitchers duel. Fergie Jenkins and Dean Chance each gave up 1 run over 8 IP, but the Skipjacks bullpen was a little better. Bob miller got the win 2-1 in 10 innings. JW pulls back within 2. Meanwhile the Hard Cider swept the Redbirds while the Diablos were dropping 2 of 3 to the Knights.

[mac195]

Mark, Hamilton can replace Stange in the rotation, with Stange replacing Humphreys. Hamilton is off bullpen duty, and Hargan has no assignment for now.

Pitching
SP1: Bunning
SP2: Stange
SP3: Hamilton
SP4: Howard
SP5: Holtzman (skip)
Spot: Jaster
Mop up: Cimino, Bennett
Long man: Humphreys, Jaster
LH set up: McCool, Jaster
RH set up: Miller, Humphreys
LH closer: McCool,
RH closer: Jarvis, Miller, McCool,

[catcher24]

Two really tough extra inning losses...:shrug: Couldn't have asked for much more from my staff; JW's was just a bit better. I was really hoping to take at least two of three, but at least I avoided the sweep. If I lose the division, I can blame my 11-13 record against the Skipjacks. Several of them were tough one run losses, but you have to win those games. Good series, Jason, and good luck the rest of the way.

Mark, I'll be sending you an updated PM. Tiant and Nash will have to go back down. Fair warning, Jim - the Diablos will be seeing them both (in probably their last starts of the year) in a couple of weeks.

[leecemark]

--Wayne Causey went over the playing time limit last series, costing the Pirates a 3rd round pick. Jimmy Coker is at 123 and when/if he goes over the penalty would increase to a first rounder. Dave Boswell is at 115 and his going over would result in the franchise being forclosed on and a new owner sought for 1967. I called up the entire Pirates minor league roster - both of them - to help get the team through the remainder of the season. I may be forced to add a couple free agents to keep the roster viable if Robert does not return to take charge of the team before Coker and Boswell run out of time.

[leecemark]

--The Skipjacks traveled to Yankee Stadium and dropped 3 games to the Hard Cider, putting themselves in a very difficult position. They now trail the Legends by 5 in the division and the Diablos by 6 in the WC. With only 30 games to go its going to require a really great run by the Skipjacks and/or a collapse by one of the 2 teams they are chasing to get them to the postseason.

[mac195]

HC will rest CF Russ Snyder in the next series.

[catcher24]

We have now played 82% of league games, which means that any player who is at or over 103% usage is in jeopardy of going over their limit, with commensurate penalty imposed. Those players at or above 103% are listed below. As noted before, an (f) next to the player indicates he is presently farmed out and will not be accruing any more playing time until promoted.

Cannons: Wes Stock, 106 (f)

Gold Sox: Ken Berry, 120 (f); Harvey Kuenn, 112 (f); Don Schwall, 108

Diablos: Joe Hoerner, 103; Jim Merritt, 108 (presently on DL)

Shoeless Joes: Dick Hall, 109; Al McBean, 105; Howie Reed, 105

Skipjacks: Don Lock, 104

Knights: Nobody even close, Mark. Three highest players are at 93%!:thumbsup: :applaud: :)

Legends: Jake Gibbs, 103; Joe Morgan, 107; Mike Shannon, 105; Fergie Jenkins, 107; Jim Nash, 109 (f); Phil Regan, 103; Luis Tiant, 115 (f)

Hard Cider: Richie Allen, 103; Russ Snyder, 107; Stu Miller, 106

Redbirds: Bob Priddy, 108 (f)

Pirates: Wayne Causey, 128 (f); Jimmie Coker, 127 (f); Ed Charles, 107; John Romano, 103; Dave Boswell, 115; Hoyt Wilhelm, 125 (DL)

Gamblers: Jerry Adair, 114 (f); Rico Carty, 106; Mickey Mantle, 107

Stingers: Max, I think you're the first one to match Mark and not have anyone on the list since we passed the 3/4 mark for the season!:thumbsup: :cap:

[leecemark]

--The Hard Cider have run off an 11 game winning streak, opening an 7 game bulge over the Diablos and probably locking up their 6th straight division title. The Diablos still hold a 5 game margin over the Skipjacks - the same deficit JW faces in the division hunt. The Knights clinched their division title in the last series as well.

[leecemark]

--Ed Charles and Howie Reed hit 110 each in the last series.

[mac195]

We will put Snyder back in CF vs RHP, and Hargan back in the rotation replacing Stange

Pitching
SP1: Bunning
SP2: Hargan
SP3: Hamilton
SP4: Howard
SP5: Holtzman (skip)
Spot: Jaster
Mop up: Cimino, Bennett
Long man: Humphreys, Stange, Jaster
LH set up: McCool, Jaster
RH set up: Miller, Humphreys
LH closer: McCool,
RH closer: Jarvis, Miller, McCool,

[Erik Bedard]

The Gold Sox will rest 3B Paul Schaal in the upcoming series. Ward will start at 3B, Swoboda in LF.

[catcher24]

Whoa, gotta have some sympathy for Jim and the Diablos. Just got Kaline back and now lost him again for another 20 games. The Diablos are hanging tough with all the injuries they've had.

[leecemark]

--The Hard Cider run their winning streak to 14 with a sweep of the Diablos. That puts them a probably unsurmountable 10 games up in the division. The Skipjacks pull within 3 of the Diablos and 4 of the Legends, keeping hope alive in Baltimore.

[leecemark]

Don Schwall 112
Dick Hall 116
Al McBean 110
Fergie Jenkins 113
Joe Morgan 110
Rico Carty 111

[Erik Bedard]

Put Sisk in Schwall's assignments for now. When I get home I'll fix my pitching.

[catcher24]

One of these years I'll win a season's series from the Knights or Hard Cider. I did go 6-6 against the Knights in 1963, but some year I'll win a series! The best I've ever done against Mac was my 5-7 record this year, so he's really had my number. I have at least one season series win against every other team - which isn't saying a whole lot, since this is our sixth season. I'll know I have a truly good team when I can take a season series from the Knights and Hard Cider.

[The Dude]

1.RF-Gates Brown
2.CF-Curt Flood


Lineup VS LHP:
1.RF-Gates Browns
2.CF-Curt Flood

[leecemark]

--The Diablos are having a very tough road trip. After dropping three to the Hard Cider they moved on to Detriot where their losing streak was increased to 6. Next on their itinerary are the Legends. 9 straight on the road vs the 3 division leaders wasn't exactly what the doctor ordered. Meanwhile the Skipjacks swept the Shoeless Joes to pull into a tie in the WC race. They gained no ground on the Legends, however, as Lew swept the Pirates.

[leecemark]

--I don't really see a favorite for the MVP award right now. With only 21 games to go its still pretty wide open. On the division leaders, I like Dick Allen of the Hard Cider - but strong finishes by Cash or Robinson could push them past Allen as team MVP. The Knights are getting the PR department behind Dick McAuliffe. He leads the league in OPS and RC/27 while playing mostly SS. The Legends leading candidate looks to be Ron Santo.
--If the Skipjacks succeed in making the playoffs Tony Oliva would be a very string candidate. After missing out on th eAll Star team he has been on fire in leading JW back into contention, The Diablos don't have such an obvious choice. Clemente looks like their best player to me, but Stargell and Aoaricio have delivered outstanding seasons.
--The Cannons have 2 ballot worthy players. Hank Aaron leads the league in HR and RBI. Jimmy Wynn is having a great all around season, but after being the first half MVP his second half slide coincided with the Cannons drop in the standings. The Redbirds have two young outfielders having terrific seasons. Matty Alou leads the league in hitting by over 40 points and is likely to shatter the CKL record in the department. Willie Horton leads the league in slugging. Both were picked up in trade last offseason, from the Legends an KNights respectively.

--The Cy Young race looks like a 2 man show, with Sandy Koufax and Juan Marichal both putting up seasons for the ages. Louis Tiant is been nearly as good, but hasn't been able to handle nearly as much of a workload.

--I actually have no idea who the top rookies are. I not sure who are rookies, so please make nominations for the top rookie on your ball club.

[mac195]

Mark, I'm having computer trouble, so I'm not sure how often I'll be able to check in. I will put the backups for Allen, Fairly, Menke and Snyder at 5% usage. Hopefully that will keep any of them from reaching 125%. Also, I'll put Hargan in the 5th starter (skip) role, and Holtzman in his #2 slot. Stu Miller will have only the backup RHP closer role. Take him off set up.

[Erik Bedard]

The Gold Sox, in the worst year to date of their young franchise, have only one nomination for any awards: rookie hurler Jose Santiago and his 2.82 ERA.

[catcher24]

I see that the Hard Cider winning streak ended at 15, so Mark's all time streak of 17 straight remains safe.

I think Mark handicapped the MVP race very well. In reviewing the stats each week, I come up with the same names although I'd probably go with Cash over Allen for the Hard Cider. McAuliffe jumps out at me every time - huge numbers for a shortstop. Hadn't noticed how well Oliva is doing, but Horton stands out, as does Matty Alou for the Redbirds.

Cy Young, at this point, would be Koufax, Marichal, Tiant. The first two may switch places before the season ends, but Tiant has had to miss too much time due to usage problems to come out on top. And I'd also have to consider my own reliever, Bob Locker. He's had a huge season and I don't think I would be where I am if not for him.

ROY: I agree with Mark, and have posted the same request every year. It is difficult to remember who all the rookies are, so if everyone could post their one or two top candidates (if you have any) it is most helpful, but perhaps wait until the season ends and we get into the playoffs. My own rookie nomination right now would have to be Fergie Jenkins.

[leecemark]

The Knights ROY candidate is LFer Tommy Agee. Agee has played every game, the only Knight to do so, putting up a line of 287/341/438. He has contributed 17 HR and a team record 20 SB while playing EX defense.

[leecemark]

--Based on the current standings these are likley PFA.
1) Knights: Bob Allison*
2) Hard Cider: Leon Wagner
3) Legends: Jake Gibbs*/Monbouquette*/Felipe Alou/Freehan (t2-5 slots)
4/5) Skipjacks: Jim Fregosi/Dean Chance (t4-5)
4/5) Diablos: Lou Johnson*/Willie Stargell
--making the playoffs is a double bonus for ElHalo as 4th costs him only backup OF Lou Johnson, while 5th would cost him slugger Willie Stargell
6) Cannons: Steve Barber/Jim Grant
7) Gamblers: Wes Covington
--holding this slot would be great for The Dude. Moving up one would cost Mike Cuellar and down one Gaylord Perry
8) Shoeless Joes: Don Clendenon/Julian Javier*
9) Redbirds: assortment of 750K players
10) Pirates: Marcelino Lopez
11) Gold Sox: assortment of 1M players
12) Stingers: Jerry Lumpe/Charley Smith

* = player on multi-year deal

[catcher24]

It appears the Skipjacks, Diablos and Gamblers are the only ones who might really get hurt. Losing either Chance or Fregosi isn't good for JW. Jim will be OK if he finishes fourth - losing Johnson at this point isn't too big a hit; Stargell's loss would be brutal. And Wil will be fine if he stays in his current slot; if not, the loss of Cuellar or Perry would be a heavy hit. In my own case, it'll be sayonara Jake Gibbs regardless of whether I finish second, fifth or anywhere in between.

[Erik Bedard]

The ROY race should be interesting. Cuellar, Santiago, and Jenkins rank 5-6-7 in ERA in the league.

BTW, it looks like that for the third year in a row, the Gold Sox will be giving up a player who leads the team in wins, OPS, or ERA in the PFA auction.

[leecemark]

--The Diablos dismal road trip continues. They dropped the first 2 to the Legends, running their losing streak to 8, before finally pulling out a win the last game. Meanwhile the Skipjacks are the league's hottest team, winning 6 in a row and 9 of 10. They have taken a 2 game lead on the Diablos and pulled to within 3 of the Legends.

[leecemark]

--Another large group of players went over the 110% of playing time in the last series. These are only new potential violators. For those who already received an official warning your next notice will be when/if you go over 125 and incur a penalty.
Cannons: Jimmy Wynn 110
Diablos: Joe Hoerner 111
Skipjacks: Don Lock 113
Legends: Jake Gibbs 110, Fergie Jenkins 113, Joe Morgan 111, Jim Northrup 111, Phil Regan 111, Chris Zachary 116 (added to Tiant and Nash from previous reports). Thats one tired ball club you've got going down the strech, Lew.
Hard Cider: Dick Allen 110, Ron Fairly 110, Dennis Menke 110, Stu Miller 111, Russ Synder - another club that is squeezing every last bit out of its roster

[ElHalo]

Wow, work a couple days straight and the whole team falls apart.

There's really nothing I can do to replace Kaline in his second long DL stint without really making the team worse. I just have to hope they can pull through this thing, turn this thing around.

[leecemark]

--Well the Diablos have completed their nightmare road trip, but the opponents don't get any easier. 3 vs the Knights and 6 vs the Hard Cider will make it 18 straight games against the 3 division leaders. Your boys have their work cut out for them if they are going to make the playoffs.

[catcher24]

Thats one tired ball club you've got going down the strech, Lew.

I knew this was coming, and I've actually gotten more out of a couple guys than I thought I would.

The CM screwed me up in the Diablos series. Jim was supposed to see Jenkins, Tiant and Nash, but for some inexplicable reason the CM chose to skip Jenkins and Tiant and start with Nash (fifth slotted pitcher), then pitched John and Moeller on TWO DAYS REST EACH!!:rant: :grouchy Surprised I didn't lose both of those last two games!:rolleyes:

[leecemark]

--Well its 1966:cool: . The 4 man rotation was the norm and going on 2 days rest was not that unusual, although the programming is set to modern conventions and I wouldn't recommend a steady diet of short rest starts (I think your pitching set up was actually caused by an error in the MP you sent me) . I was replaying the 67 season with actual teams and schedule and was shicked by how many double headers there were. I don't remember that at all, even though I was a big fan by the late 60s. Even using a bigger staff than the Tigers actually did, I had to run guys out on short rest pretty often to handle the doubleheaders.

[leecemark]

--We move into October and the Diablos continue to slide, dropping 2 of 3 to the Knights. Meanwhile the Skipjacks won 2 of 3 to increase their WC lead to 3 games and the Legends swept their series to go 4 up on the Skipjacks in the Hulbert race. Earl Wilson provided a bright spot for Dioablos fans, taking a pitchers duel from Juan Marichal for his 20th win.

[mac195]

Computer seems to be working again...

Looks like Allen is good to go. I'll put him back at 100% playing time so he has a decent shot at the MVP.

[leecemark]

--One new addition to the official warning list - Hal Reniff 112.
--The Pirates have their 4th player, Dave Boswell, max out. Robert has not responded to PMs, e-mails or notices on this thread. Unfortunately, there is no option but to take the Pirates under league control for the remainder of the season and look for a new owner for 1967.

[catcher24]

Certainly sorry to see that happen. Robert put together a team that competed for the playoffs the first year and I think would continue to compete if the effort was put into it. Always sorry to see anyone leave but especially sad under this type of situation.:cry:

[leecemark]

--The good news is we have a good replacement owner already lined up. Welcome Ed Buppers, a long time DM player and owner in the PAP league with Scott, Joe and myself. The Pirates (or whatever they may be called in the future) will be in good hands.

[mac195]

"Sad" is not the word I would choose to describe this dissapearing act. Pathetic is more like it, especially since he still logs in and posts regularly in other parts of Baseball Fever.

Hey Edgar, if you wanted to give up the team, why not just say so?

[catcher24]

Mark, I sent you an updated MP. My rotation sure looks ugly the rest of the way. JW has his chance now. Just glad I didn't have to use this rotation all season long - I'd be fighting to stay out of last place!