04-02-2007, 12:04 AM
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#181 (permalink) |
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1914 Leaderboard
TOP 5 in BATTING AVG : .342 Josh Devore(KAY,NL) .330 Harry Hooper(TUC,SL) .325 Wilbur Good(PAY) .322 Jack Hayden(PHX) .322 Sammy Strang(BIS,SL) TOP 5 in HOMERUNS : 14 Tim Jordan(PRE) 13 Jimmy Walsh(NOG,SL) 13 Jake Stahl(JER) 12 Bert Conn(TOM) 12 Clyde Milan(JER,NL) TOP 5 in RBI : 105 Ty Cobb(TUC,SL) 101 Fred Luderus(PHX,SL) 100 Jimmy Walsh(NOG,SL) 95 Harry Steinfeldt(FLG) 92 Jimmy Sebring(YUM) TOP 5 in ERA : 2.14 Barney Pelty(TUC,SL) 2.20 Lefty Leifield(PAY,NL) 2.26 Bill Burns(PAY,NL) 2.39 Charley Hall(PAY,NL) 2.42 Happy Townsend(PRE,NL) TOP 5 in WINS : 29 Bill Burns(PAY,NL) 28 Fred Beebe(FLG,NL) 25 Charley Hall(PAY,NL) 25 Tex Pruiett(PAY,NL) 24 Lefty Leifield(PAY,NL) TOP 5 in SAVES : 6 Jeff Tesreau(NOG) 5 Jack Flater(CTW) 5 Tex Neuer(FLG,NL) 4 Frank Lange(TOM) 3 Phil Douglas( CAR) |
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04-02-2007, 01:31 AM
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#182 (permalink) |
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Very First AZL Player Retires
 Nap Lajoie, selected first in the 1901 draft, spent his entire career playing for the Jerome Copper Miners Nap Lajoie had more than 2,000 hits The very first player chosen in the very first Arizona League player draft has chosen to hang it up after 14 seasons. Nap Lajoie, who spent his entire career as a second baseman for the Jerome Copper Miners, finally decided that age 40, he's had enough. He played sparingly in his final season, and Jerome actually released him in July. But fittingly for the warrior that he was, Lajoie got a hit in the final at-bat of his career. "With these old legs, it was tough to get to first, but there was no way I was going to be denied on that one," Lajoie said. "It knew it was over after that, and I appreciate how gracious Jerome was to me to let me have that one last AB." It's questionable whether Lajoie will end up in the Arizona League's brand new Hall of Fame (which as of yet, has no inductees). But here is some of his resume to ponder: • 2,081 hits, with a career .282 batting average • 519 doubles • 111 triples • 841 RBIs • 978 runs scored • .320 OBP • .410 slugging • .731 OPS Lajoie was named to the All-Star game nine times. For his entire career he only missed two stretches with serious injuries (each about a month). He never won any of the major awards but was honored with a Field General Award for his stellar play at 2B five different times. He had five hits in a game five different times and had a 23-game hitting streak back in 1910... Jerome only made the post-season twice, in 1902 and 1913, and didn't win the Cactus Champions Cup either time. But Lajoie did his part, batting .312 in 17 post-season contests, with three doubles, a homer and six RBIs. He leaves the game fourth all-time in career hits, 15th in RBIs, second in career doubles and seventh in career runs. Most of all he leaves a big hole in the hearts of his fans in Jerome and across the Arizona League. The first pick of the AZL draft was definitely a success story all the way around. •••Any thoughts on whether he should be in the Hall of Fame??? He falls below the cut based on default standards but was pretty solid all-around. Here are his year-by-year stats: Code:
Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS Teams 1901 127 495 164 36 9 2 53 59 33 44 42 11 .331 .373 .453 .826 ,NL 1902 147 606 166 45 10 6 76 90 27 34 43 9 .274 .305 .411 .716 JER,NL 1903 153 574 176 44 9 11 87 82 44 23 49 12 .307 .356 .472 .828 JER,NL 1904 153 572 153 30 7 5 72 70 46 32 42 10 .267 .322 .371 .693 JER 1905 154 607 170 44 10 10 81 77 33 28 45 9 .280 .317 .435 .752 JER,NL 1906 152 562 171 40 7 10 75 82 46 34 37 8 .304 .357 .454 .811 JER,NL 1907 148 570 147 43 7 6 57 71 27 37 41 10 .258 .291 .389 .681 JER,NL 1908 143 555 139 36 9 5 45 60 26 28 43 8 .250 .284 .375 .659 JER 1909 142 557 150 41 10 3 44 70 23 27 20 3 .269 .298 .395 .693 JER,NL 1910 126 487 121 38 9 3 49 58 24 28 18 5 .248 .284 .382 .666 JER 1911 142 605 206 51 5 3 82 95 27 51 32 9 .340 .369 .456 .825 JER,NL 1912 148 604 170 44 7 2 55 99 32 53 21 4 .281 .318 .387 .705 JER,NL 1913 141 547 138 25 12 2 59 62 27 61 13 8 .252 .287 .353 .640 JER 1914 12 35 10 2 0 0 6 3 1 6 0 0 .286 .289 .343 .632 JER Total 1888 7376 2081 519 111 68 841 978 416 486 446 106 .282 .320 .410 .731
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AzTarHeel's dynasty works: The Arizona League 3.0: Historical players in the Grand Canyon state Tall Tales: The Andrew Zarzour Story Baseball In The Tar Heel State: A Fictional Experience Win At All Costs: The 2004 Boston Red Sox The Arizona League: Real Players. Fictional Teams Last edited by AZTarHeel; 04-02-2007 at 01:32 AM. |
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04-02-2007, 01:56 AM
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#183 (permalink) |
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1914 Retirees
While the biggest news among the retirees was Nap Lajoie hanging it up, there were some other notable names on this year's list. Long-time Prescott outfielder Danny Green made his case for a spot in the Arizona League Hall of Fame. Here are his credentials. Better than Nap's: • 2,288 hits (2nd on career list) • .299 career batting average (7th on career list, minimum 2000 ABs) • 1,076 RBIs (2nd on career list) • 420 stolen bases • Won the 1911 Big Stick Award • Voted to 11 All-Star Games • Started on five AZL championship teams, batting .270 in 75 playoff games • Had a 31-game hitting streak in 1911. Thoughts on his inclusion in the Hall of Fame? Here is the complete list of retirees from 1914, followed by a few more notes: Jack Bracken retires ... Davey Crockett retires ... Nick Altrock retires ... John Dobbs retires ... Jap Barbeau retires ... Dave Altizer retires ... Bruno Block retires ... Herman Bronkie retires ... Danny Green retires ... Claude Berry retires ... Fred Jacklitsch retires ... Nap Lajoie retires ... Chappy Charles retires ... Wally Clement retires ... John Brackenridge retires ... Case Patten retires ... George Rohe retires ... Ossee Schreckengost retires ... John Skopec retires ... Rube Waddell retires ... George Browne retires ... Joe Dunn retires ... Wish Egan retires ... Carl Lundgren retires ... Andy Oyler retires ... Charlie Shields retires ... Tom Walker retires ... Jack Doscher retires ... Patsy Flaherty retires ... Weldon Henley retires ... Davy Jones retires ... Oscar Jones retires ... Dutch Jordan retires ... Lee Tannehill retires ... Bucky Veil retires ... Barney Wolfe retires ... Frank Corridon retires ... Fred Glade retires ... Dolly Gray retires ... Bill Lauterborn retires ... Harry Mcchesney retires ... Jim Mullin retires ... Simmy Murch retires ... Rabbit Nill retires ... Chick Robitaille retires ... Spike Shannon retires ... Terry Turner retires ... Mickey Doolan retires ... George Mcconnell retires ... Solly Hofman retires ... Bill Hogg retires ... Doc Scanlan retires ... Harry Eells retires ... Bill Essick retires ... Cy Falkenberg retires ... Harry Niles retires ... Fred Payne retires ... Paul Sentell retires ... Charlie Smith retires ... Pete Lister retires ... Jim Stephens retires ... Harry Swacina retires ... Jim Kane retires ... Bill Malarkey retires ... Harry Pattee retires ... Jim Scott retires ... Judge Nagle retires ... KAY: Burt Keeley retires ... PRE: Jake Thielman retires ... PRE: Joe Bean retires ... SED: Otis Clymer retires ... CAR: Henry Gehring retires ... NOG: Newt Hunter retires ... PHX: She Donahue retires ... • 1B Davey Crockett had 1,630 hits while playing his whole career in Yuma (in addition to his cool name)... • SP Nick Altrock went 166-134 with a 2.62 ERA while playing his whole career in Tombstone ... • LF John Dobbs had 1,706 hits during his career in Lake Havasu and Yuma... • SP Rube Waddell won 178 games for Kayenta, Prescott and Tempe... I can look up info on any of these other guys that you want ... And now, on to the Winter Meetings and the player draft for 1915. (Another exciting name will pop up for this draft)... |
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04-02-2007, 12:57 PM
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#184 (permalink) |
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1914-15 Winter Meetings
 A beautiful sunset lights up the sky near Tucson, home of this year's Winter Meetings The biggest buzz of the latest Winter Meetings, held in Tucson, centered around the upcoming player draft. Namely, where would brothers George and Herman "Babe" Ruth end up? The two brothers were polar opposites in many ways. George was the cerebral type. He wore glasses, stayed to himself and loved the intellectual aspect of baseball, one of the big reasons he enjoyed being a pitcher. Babe was more wide open. He was a social butterfly, craved the spotlight and just loved the feel of hitting a baseball. Both had been projected as first-round picks early in their youth league careers. While George's stock had simmered some the past year or so, Babe's has gone through the roof. Some scouts have even gone so far as to call him that once-in-a-generation type player -- the next Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, Danny Green or Tris Speaker. And with flair. But there was only one problem. Babe's name wasn't on the final list of eligible draftees on the last day of the Winter Meetings, when teams did the draft. In fact, the Babe was no where to be found at all. His brother George, who had been in town all week, didn't provide many clues, only to say that his brother "was doing what was best for him." That's great, but where was he? In other news from the Winter Meetings: • Sedona Scorpions owner Hans Larsen reported that someone stole his team's entire cache of new uniforms a week before the meetings. The new purple and silver outfits had just arrived in town and were to be the team's gear for the 1915 season. Since most players gave away their 1914 unis on the last day of the regular season, Larsen wasn't sure what his team would be wearing on opening day. "Maybe practice jerseys until our re-ordered unforms arrive in a few months." Over the coming weeks, some of the stolen jerseys began popping up in fans' hands across the state and Western U.S. A few said they bought them on the streets in Las Vegas. Another said he got his in Show Low. Go figure. • There was no hint at all of snow this year (unlike last year's Meetings, which were cancelled because of a great blizzard). Temperatures reached the 80s one day in Tucson. Still, commissioner Victory and few of his closest associates did manage to steal away for another mean round or two of poker, picking up their game from last year. Sedona's Larsen and Clyde Cooley from Show Low, who was the GM for Payson's Double A franchise and was now in charge of the AZL All-Star game, again cleaned everyone out. Larsen said he planned to use his winnings to help pay for replacement uniforms for his squad. Cooley donated his money to the Replace-Sedona's-Uniforms-Fund as well. He also volunteered to let the Scorpions wear his Show Low team's uniforms until the new ones arrived if they wanted. Larsen declined that offer. • A proposal to add four teams to the AZL was floated by Cooley, who said he had heard places like Camp Verde, Douglas and Sierra Vista were interested in hosting franchises. Of course, Show Low would want one, too, he said. But no action was taken on that motion. "We're still barely getting by with 16," Commissioner Victory said. "We just aren't in a place where we can expand just yet." • Right before the draft, AZL owners unanimously voted to give Phinieus "Doc" Victory a lifetime contract as league commissioner. "He's been good to the league since day one. It only makes sense that he take this post until he either dies or decides he's done with baseball," owners wrote in a joint statement. Victory graciously accepted and insisted that he'll host this post until he "keels over". OK, on to the draft!! And discovering what happened to Babe Ruth... |
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04-02-2007, 02:17 PM
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#185 (permalink) |
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1915 Player Draft
 Young George Ruth will be pitching for the Tucson Saguaros organization after getting drafted in the first round. As for his twin brother, Herman "Babe" Ruth? No one is quite sure where he is... Draft day comes and goes and no sign of Babe Ruth. Several teams, who had tried to position themselves for the Babe sweepstakes, are disappointed that he's not in the draft but focus on other needs as they try to restock their teams. George Ruth, the Babe's twin brother, falls deep into the first round. As it turns out, the right-handed pitcher came to Tucson for the Winter Meetings and will just stay there, since the AZL Champion Saguaros selected him with their first pick... Hats off to pitcher Carl Mays, who goes No. 1 to Grand Canyon. If you want to know why Sedona is perpetually bad, look at how they drafted. In the third round, the Scorpions picked a second baseman. In the fifth round, another second baseman, In the sixth round, another second baseman, In the seventh round, yet another second baseman. Good grief! Here is the complete draft list: Round 1: Grand Canyon pick: P Carl Mays Carefree pick: P Limb Mckenry Sedona pick: P Ernie Koob Tempe pick: P Dave Davenport Kayenta pick: P Clint Rogge Cottonwood pick: RF Braggo Roth Jerome pick: P Bernie Boland Prescott pick: P Tom Knowlson Yuma pick: P Fred Toney Tombstone pick: P Lee Meadows Phoenix pick: 1B George Sisler Bisbee pick: CF Happy Felsch Tucson pick: P George Ruth Nogales pick: RF Billy Southworth Flagstaff pick: P Sherry Smith Payson pick: P Ferdie Schupp Round 2 : Grand Canyon pick: CF Cy Williams Carefree pick: P Red Oldham Sedona pick: SS Dave Bancroft Tempe pick: RF Elmer Smith Kayenta pick: P Sam Jones Cottonwood pick: P Jack Nabors Jerome pick: CF Edd Roush Prescott pick: P Jim Park Yuma pick: P Cliff Markle Tombstone pick: 1B Wally Pipp Phoenix pick: C Hank Severeid Bisbee pick: C John Peters Tucson pick: 2B Ralph Young Nogales pick: 2B Ty Helfrich Flagstaff pick: 2B Carl Sawyer Payson pick: 1B Fritz Mollwitz Round 3 : Grand Canyon pick: 2B Bill Wambsganss Carefree pick: CF Carl East Sedona pick: 2B Johnny Rawlings Tempe pick: P Oscar Harstad Kayenta pick: P Ed Appleton Cottonwood pick: P George Dumont Jerome pick: SS Larry Kopf Prescott pick: P Neal Brady Yuma pick: LF Horace Milan Tombstone pick: RF Chick Shorten Phoenix pick: 2B Red Shannon Bisbee pick: 3B Walter Barbare Tucson pick: RF Tom Long Nogales pick: P Parson Perryman Flagstaff pick: SS Ernie Johnson Payson pick: 2B Ed Fitzpatrick Round 4 : Grand Canyon pick: CF Ed Barney Carefree pick: P Tom Phillips Sedona pick: C Ray Haley Tempe pick: P Bud Davis Kayenta pick: P Cap Crowell Cottonwood pick: P Bill Upham Jerome pick: 3B Ted Reed Prescott pick: P Charlie Young Yuma pick: RF Tommy Griffith Tombstone pick: CF Hy Myers Phoenix pick: CF Merwin Jacobson Bisbee pick: 1B Ray Schmandt Tucson pick: 3B Fred Lear Nogales pick: P Tom Sheehan Flagstaff pick: 3B Lew Malone Payson pick: 2B Mike Mcnally Round 5 : Grand Canyon pick: C Mack Wheat Carefree pick: LF Merlin Kopp Sedona pick: 2B Bill Rodgers Tempe pick: 3B Doug Baird Kayenta pick: CF Al Nixon Cottonwood pick: P Emilio Palmero Jerome pick: CF Bud Weiser Prescott pick: CF Jim Hickman Yuma pick: 2B John Gallagher Tombstone pick: P Clarence Garrett Phoenix pick: P Bill Morrisette Bisbee pick: 1B Rupert Mills Tucson pick: 1B Pete Shields Nogales pick: 1B Emil Huhn Flagstaff pick: C Bill Haeffner Payson pick: 3B Larry Strands Round 6 : Grand Canyon pick: P Harry Eccles Carefree pick: 2B Bruno Betzel Sedona pick: 2B Frank Fuller Tempe pick: RF Red Smyth Kayenta pick: LF Billy Lee Cottonwood pick: 3B Art Kores Jerome pick: 1B Joe Weiss Prescott pick: 3B Thomas Healy Yuma pick: 3B Eddie Mulligan Tombstone pick: P Harry Weaver Phoenix pick: P Tim Mccabe Bisbee pick: 3B Tom Connolly Tucson pick: 2B Joe Wagner Nogales pick: P Jack Richardson Flagstaff pick: 3B Charlie Pechous Payson pick: 2B Jack Hammond Round 7 : Grand Canyon pick: C Lew Wendell Carefree pick: 1B Ken Crawford Sedona pick: 2B Polly Mclarry Tempe pick: 3B Pete Johns Kayenta pick: P Socks Seibold |
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04-05-2007, 04:57 AM
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#186 (permalink) |
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It's a wonder that Yuma wins anything with the way they draft as well...
 Out of curiosity, did Lajoie import with no statistics from his previous years? I don't think it would be very fair to judge him on his accomplishments if he only received the statistics from when you began the dynasty and nothing before, especially if he was older than your average joe when he imported. Maybe you could have some sort of "Beginner's Rule" for him and a couple of the other Pioneers of this league? |
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04-05-2007, 01:07 PM
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#188 (permalink) | |
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04-05-2007, 01:09 PM
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#189 (permalink) | |
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04-05-2007, 01:44 PM
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#190 (permalink) |
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Breaking News: Babe Ruth Update
 The Arizona Republic is reporting that Herman "Babe" Ruth will play for a Nevada-Utah Baseball Association team in 1915. Commissioner Doc Victory cringed when he picked up his morning copy of The Arizona Republic. The top headline hit him like a punch in the stomach: Babe Ruth to join Nevada-Utah Baseball Association Well, that answered the question of why Herman "Babe" Ruth wasn't around on draft day. The story went on to flush out the details of how NUBA leaders had wooed the Babe into joining their fledging league. They basically promised him the moon, letting him pick what team he wanted to play for and some of his new teammates, promising him a giant wad of cash, even stake in a couple of silver and salt mines league officials said they owned. Victory had battled the Nevada-Utah league before over players before. He had fended off franchise takeover or league merger attempts by their weasaly leaders. But this was one of the few times he had lost. And this was a big loss. He worried about the future of the Arizona League if Babe made it big playing across the border. Would other top young players flee Arizona in the future? Would current players walk away to join "the next big thing"? Would teams jump ship? NUBA officials had approached Victory more than a few times about consolidation into a bigger three-state league. Victory had always shunned the requests, but maybe he would have no choice but to join up with them if the AZL suddenly found itself losing all the top players. Victory also worried about Ruth the player. He knew the Nevada-Utah league was nothing like the Arizona League in terms of talent, support and overall baseball experience. Some years they don't even finish out the season because of a lack of funding. He remembers hearing about one team that just up and folded over night. The entire ownership group fled town with tons of cash, leaving the players high and dry. Another player got shot during a game after a dispute with a fan, who was mad that he hadn't hit a home run in weeks. Victory worried about Ruth getting mixed up in all that, and as a result the baseball world could miss out on such an amazing talent... He vowed to do whatever it took to win Ruth to the Arizona League — and maybe put the Nevada-Utah folks out of business for good... |
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04-05-2007, 03:31 PM
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#191 (permalink) |
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1915 Season Recap — Northern League
  Repeat performance: Lumberjacks, Longhorns on top again For the second year in a row, Flagstaff and Payson led the pack in the Northern League. Only this year, Flag earned the honor as regular season division champion, besting the Longhorns by two games in the standings. The Lumberjacks held on despite fading a bit at the end of September. Payson will make its fourth consecutive trip to the playoffs and sixth in the history of the franchise. The FlagJax are perennial contenders as well, earning a seventh berth to the post-season. Prescott fans, used to winning after five Arizona League championships, are a bit antsy that their beloved Antelopes missed out on the playoffs for the second year in a row... RF "Wahoo Sam" Crawford continues to amaze. At 35, he's still pounding the ball in the cool Ponderosa Pines of Flagstaff, finishing this season with a .289 average, 15 triples and 77 RBIs. He returned to the All-Star game after missing the mid-summer classic for the first time in his career in 1914. 2B Steve Yerkes provided the real power on this team this year, though, batting .313 and driving home 99 runs. The 27-year-old had 44 doubles. He drove in six runs in two separate games against Jerome. Other top hitters for Flagstaff included the 1B platoon of Vic Saier (.321, 79 RBIs) and George Burns (.323, 38 RBIs), and outfielders Lee Magee (.289) and Watty Lee (.281). Pitcher Free Bebee, who won 28 games last season, followed that up with a 26-15 season in 1915. Like last season, his ERA was a cool 2.54. Payson CF Tris Speaker likely will put his stamp on another Big Stick award. He batted an NL best .350, with 99 RBIs. His tally included 46 doubles, 11 triples, seven homers and 41 stolen bases. "We really want our title back," Speaker said, referring to last year's loss to Tucson in the AZL championship. The Longhorns had three 20-game winners from the mound, Charley Hall (24-13), Bill Burns (25-10) and Ed Ruelbach (20-17). Hall and Burns were just plain tough to score on, posting ERAs of 2.08 and 2.06, respectively. Once again, should be a barn-burner of a series for the NL representative in the Cactus Champions Cup. Below are the complete standings for the Northern League. Interesting that only three teams played above .500 ball this season. Only a few games separated fourth from eighth. Of course, Sedona (playing with old tattered uniforms part of the season because their new ones got stolen) and Kayenta were at the back of the pack again. Sedona had TWO pitchers lose 25 games this season. Well, at least owner Hans Larsen can still play a mean game of poker. Code:
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Flagstaff 95 67 .586 - 94-68 1 45-36 50-31 10-7 29-24 * L3 4-6 Payson 93 69 .574 2.0 99-63 -6 43-38 50-31 6-6 22-26 - W2 7-3 Prescott 86 76 .531 9.0 87-75 -1 43-38 43-38 12-7 35-29 - W3 6-4 Jerome 76 86 .469 19.0 72-90 4 38-43 38-43 11-7 32-23 - L2 4-6 Cottonwood 75 87 .463 20.0 74-88 1 38-43 37-44 3-11 26-30 - L1 4-6 Kayenta 75 87 .463 20.0 73-89 2 40-41 35-46 11-10 25-27 - W1 6-4 Grand Canyon 74 88 .457 21.0 73-89 1 37-44 37-44 10-10 32-31 - L1 5-5 Sedona 74 88 .457 21.0 77-85 -3 39-42 35-46 5-10 22-33 - W1 4-6 |
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04-05-2007, 06:52 PM
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#192 (permalink) |
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1915 Season Recap — Southern League
  Saguaros earn chance to defend AZL title Tucson used to be the laughing stock of the Southern League — and the whole Arizona League at that. The Saguaros finished dead last in the SL standings their first three years of existence, and were at the bottom of the SL in four of their first five years and five of their first eight (never getting higher than fourth). But those days are long gone now. In recent years, Tucson has been the standard bearer for teams in the Southern part of the state. In 1915, the Cactus Kids collected their fourth regular season title in a five-year span. This latest crown keeps a streak going of six straight playoff berths. Of course, some of the diehard fans complain about the lack of Cactus Cups for the franchise (i.e. the Atlanta Braves of their day). Last year was Tucson's first AZL title. But this group looks more than ready for a repeat effort, streaking out to 107 wins. A good Phoenix team finished 13 games off the pace. Outfielder Ty Cobb had a great year in the Old Pueblo, batting .305 with 93 RBIs and 57 stolen bases. But he was third on his own team in RBIs, behind hard-hitting catcher Tex Irwin (111, .298, 9 HRs) and 1B Harry Fournier (102, .289). 2B Heinie Zimmerman had another 93 RBIs, while RF Harry Hooper had 90 more and LF Al Scheer had 85 on top of that. This team could definitely score runs. The Tucson pitching staff certainly did their part. Their top three starters might finish 1-2-3 in the voting for the Top Hurler Award (though Nogales had a 30-game winner this season; more on him later on): Jake Boultes (24-11), Jack Warhop (26-11) and George McQuillan (25-15). Ralph Glaze went 18-9 from the No. 4 spot, and spot starter Dick Rudolph was 12-4. Yikes. Scary stuff... Phoenix, on the other hand, was more workmanlike. The Dust Devils had 10 different guys hit between 40-71 RBIs. The team leader was CF Charlie Hanford, who finished with 91. Phoenix was dangerous on the base paths, with 3B Tiller Shafer swiping 67 bases and RF John Potts taking 66. Willie Mitchell (27-14) and Erv Lange (23-15) led the Phoenix pitching corps. Al Demaree had another 19 wins. The Dust Devils definitely have something to prove. Most newspapers and AZL observers are already crowning Tucson as the SL's representative for the upcoming Cactus Champions Cup, and talking about how they'll match up with Payson or Flagstaff. Phoenix has only been to the playoffs a few times and never made it past the divisional round. "Tucson had better not take us lightly," Mitchell said. "We're on a mission, and that's to bring the capital city its first professional championship." Tucson won 14 of the 24 regular season meetings with Phoenix. (As a side note, the Saguaros were 18-5 against Bisbee and 18-6 against Tombstone. That's domination.) ••• As for George Ruth's first season with Tucson. Babe's twin brother appeared in eight games, starting one, and finished with a 1-1 record and an unsightly 7.36 ERA. Here are the complete standings for the SL: Code:
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Tucson 107 55 .660 - 106-56 1 55-26 52-29 14-10 36-28 * W1 6-4 Phoenix 94 68 .580 13.0 94-68 0 46-35 48-33 6-9 29-28 - L1 7-3 Nogales 89 73 .549 18.0 88-74 1 46-35 43-38 11-8 27-23 - W1 4-6 Carefree 81 81 .500 26.0 76-86 5 40-41 41-40 6-8 26-22 - L1 5-5 Yuma 71 91 .438 36.0 75-87 -4 39-42 32-49 8-8 25-21 - L1 4-6 Bisbee 70 92 .432 37.0 69-93 1 31-50 39-42 4-5 22-27 - W1 4-6 Tempe 69 93 .426 38.0 71-91 -2 30-51 39-42 8-10 20-25 - W2 7-3 Tombstone 67 95 .414 40.0 66-96 1 33-48 34-47 11-10 22-33 - L2 3-7 |
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04-06-2007, 11:13 AM
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#193 (permalink) |
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1915 Divisional Playoffs — Northern League
Another barn-burner: Lumberjacks win dramatic series Final Scores: Flagstaff 7, Payson 6 (12) — WP: Hippo Vaughn Payson 10, Flagstaff 2 — WP: Charley Hall Payson 5, Flagstaff 4 — WP: Tex Pruiett Flagstaff 3, Payson 2 (10) — WP: Sherry Smith Payson 7, Flagstaff 1 — WP: Charley Hall Flagstaff 6, Payson 2 — WP: Ed Summers Flagstaff 2, Payson 1 — WP: Sherry Smith (Author's Note: What happened with this series is one of the reasons I love this game. As you read, think Yankees-Red Sox in 2004) Just like the 1914 NL series between these two teams, this one went seven games. And seven pretty thrilling games at that. Two of the first four went to extra innings, with Flagstaff prevailing in both. Payson had a 3-2 series lead but couldn't close things out, with Game Seven coming down to the final at-bats by the Lumberjacks. Flagstaff trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the ninth, getting pretty much nothing going against Payson starter Bill Burns (two hits allowed). Burns struck out Sherry Smith swinging to start the ninth. Two outs to go. But CF Lee Magee singled down the third-base line to put the tying runner aboard. That brought 3B Harry Steinfeldt to the plate, and he played the role of Aaron F***in' Boone, driving a two-run homer into the seats in deep left field. Game over. Series over. Flagstaff is on to the Cactus Champions Cup. Payson is left to ponder what could have been. As it turns out, Bill Burns is pretty much the goat for this series. He blew three close games, all in Flag's final at-bats. (Was Grady Little's grandpa managing the Longhorns?). The 'Jacks trailed Payson 5-1 going into the bottom of the ninth of Game One. In this one, Burns walked 2B Steve Yerkes to lead off. Then C Roger Bresnahan and RF Mike Mitchell singled back to back to bring home one score. After an error that plated another run, PH Harry Bay singled to right to make it a 5-4 game. Magee then hit a sac fly to tie things up and force extra innings. Payson went ahead 6-5 in the 11th but couldn't hold that either. A Jack Lewis RBI double in the bottom of the 11th (again against Burns -- take him out already!!) tied the game 6-6. Flag finally won it in the 12th on an RBI single by Yerkes (Steinfeldt, the Game Seven hero, had reached to start the inning and scored the winning run). You know who was pitching — Bill Burns. In the Game Four extra innings win, Payson jumped to a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning, and Burns looked ready for redemption. But a Yerkes RBI triple tied things up in the top of the sixth. The game stayed 2-2 until the top of the 10th. Burns got the first two batters out but gave up a double to Hero Boy Steinfeldt. LF Mike Mitchell then doubled to the gap in left center, scoring Steiny. Pitcher Sherry Smith sat the Longhorns down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 10th and that game went into the books. Hero = Harry Steinfeldt, Steve Yerkes, Sherry Smith. Goat = Bill Burns and Payson manager. |
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04-06-2007, 12:01 PM
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#194 (permalink) |
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1915 Divisional Playoffs — Southern League
 Phoenix Dust Devils upset favored Tucson in five Final Scores Phoenix 7, Tucson 5 — WP: Willie Mitchell Phoenix 10, Tucson 4 — WP: Erv Lange Tucson 6, Phoenix 3 — WP: Jack Warhop Phoenix 9, Tucson 3 — WP: Willie Mitchell Phoenix 4, Tucson 0 — WP: Erv Lange If the Northern League divisional series was like Yankees-Red Sox 2004, then the Southern League was more like Yankees 2005 or 2006 (or maybe Carolina Tar Heels basketball 2007  ). The team with the most talent tanked, coming up way short of expectations.The doubts for Tucson started to set in when Phoenix banged out 15 hits and won Game One. The doubts turned to panic when the Dust Devils slugged the Saguaros again in Game Two. While Tucson managed to snag Game Three, the Cactus Kids were all but finished after getting romped in Game Four. In Game Five, Tucson hardly showed up. What a surprise. Tucson had won 107 games in the regular season, by far the best record of anyone in the Arizona League. But, as Phoenix players kept reminding folks, everyone who makes the playoffs starts over a 0-0, and everyone has to win four games to advance. Some relative no-names came out of the wood work for Phoenix, and the Devils got great performances from the back of their lineup. 2B Del Pratt, who usually hits seventh, batted .526 for the series, getting multiple hits in nearly every contest. Catcher Doc Kerr, usually the Devils' No. 9 hitter, batted .400, and was the Player of the Game in Game 3 after banging out two hits with three RBIs. He had six RBIs for the series. RF John Potts, the No. 8 guy, had a .375 average during the five-game set. Throw in CF Vern Duncan's .392 performance from the No. 2 hole — plus great pitching from guys like Willie Mitchell and Erv Lange (two wins each) — and you've got the makings of a major meltdown in the Old Pueblo. And some championship magic for a franchise still seeking its first title. CF Ty Cobb and 2B Heinie Zimmerman did their part for Tucson, batting better than .300 with nine RBIs between them. But many of the Saguaro bats stayed quiet, including C Tex Erwin (the No. 4 batter, .111 average), SS Eddie "No Electric Avenue" Grant (.000) and LF Al Scheer (.000). Yeesh. Well, there's always next year, Tucson fans grumble. Though maybe not for the Saguaros' manager. He's on the hot seat with a segment of fans in Saguaro country for "not winning the big one." Good thing there weren't Internet message boards back in 1915! The Cactus Cup Series is set: Flagstaff Lumberjacks vs. Phoenix Dust Devils. This will be Phoenix's first chance at an AZL crown. Flagstaff will go for title No. 2. (As a side note: there are a lot of youngsters on the Phoenix team. Could it be that a new Sheriff is moving into the SL?). |
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04-09-2007, 07:32 AM
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#196 (permalink) | |
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I was a Cottonwood resident for awhile and spent a lot of time over in the Prescott area because I covered Mingus and Camp Verde sports teams for a local newspaper. They played Prescott and Chino Valley teams in a lot of sports ... I remember Prescott having a pretty good baseball player who got drafted back around 2001-02 range. Can't remember his name right now, though. I just recall he hit a shot of a home run at Mingus one afternoon that sailed over the right field fence and landed in the bleachers of the football stadium... |
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04-09-2007, 11:20 AM
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#197 (permalink) |
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1915 Cactus Champions Cup
Phoenix wins first AZL title. Final Scores Flagstaff 8, Phoenix 7 (10 innings) — WP: Hippo Vaughn Phoenix 3, Flagstaff 2 — WP: Erv Lange Flagstaff 7, Phoenix 3 — WP: Sherry Smith Phoenix 3, Flagstaff 1 — WP: Willie Mitchell Phoenix 8, Flagstaff 7 — WP: Earl Moore Phoenix 9, Flagstaff 4 — WP: Al Demaree Cross off another name for a franchise seeking its first Arizona League title. The Phoenix Dust Devils joined the illustrious group, beating the Tucson Saguaros in six games in the 1915 AZL finals. This was Phoenix's first appearance in the Cactus Champions Cup, and they sure took advantage of it. Here are some series notes: • Phoenix pitcher Willie Mitchell gave up a career high 15 hits in Game One but rebounded to get the win in Game Four. In that contest, Mitchell surrendered seven hits and only one earned run. • Lee Magee had the winning RBI for Flagstaff in the 10th inning of Game One, scoring pinch-runner Doc Johnston. • A four-run outburst in the top of the eighth inning put Game Six away for Phoenix, securing the team's title. 3B Tillie Shafer, 2B Del Pratt and RF Armando Marsans all singled with no outs against Sherry Smith. CF Charlie Hanford then walked to load the bases, and SS Buck Weaver tripled to clear them off. • 2B Del Pratt had 11 hits during the six-game series and finished the post-season with a .488 average. During the 1913 playoffs, Pratt batted .379. He's been clutch in October and now has a career post-season line of 32-for-72 (.444), with seven doubles, three triples, 16 RBIs and 13 runs scored. • SS Buck Weaver had 12 RBIs this post-season for the Dust Devils, plus a .377 average. The 25-year-old was playing Double A just two seasons ago. Weaver was 3-for-5 and earned Player of the Game status in Game Six. • Catcher Doc Kerr had 10 RBIs from the his No. 7 hole in the order for Phoenix. • 1B Steve Yerkes was Flagstaff's heaviest hitter. He went 2-for-3, 3-for-4, 3-for-5, 0-for-4, 4-for-5 and 1-for-5 in the six-game set with Phoenix. OF Sam Crawford, 35, had 12 hits against Phoenix in what could have been his last big chance to win a championship. In five of the six games, Wahoo Sam had at least two hits. Cactus Champions Cup History Nine of the AZL's 16 franchises have now won titles. Only four teams have yet to make an appearance in the league's championship series — Sedona, Kayenta, Carefree (formerly Lake Havasu) and Tempe. Two teams from the North and two from the South. Arizona League Championships Prescott: 5 Bisbee: 2 Payson: 2 Nogales: 1 Flagstaffl; 1 Cottonwood: 1 Grand Canyon: 1 Tucson: 1 Phoenix: 1 Cactus Champions Cup appearances (and winning percentage): Prescott: 6 (.833) Grand Canyon: 4 (.250) Payson: 3 (.667) Nogales: 3 (.333) Tucson: 3 (.333) Yuma: 3 (.000) Bisbee: 2 (1.000) Flagstaff: 2 (.500) Cottonwood: 1 (1.000) Phoenix: 1 (1.000) Jerome: 1 (.000) Tombstone: 1 (.000) Sedona: 0 Kayenta: 0 Carefree/Lake Havasu: 0 Tempe: 0 Past Results 1901:Payson beat Nogales 4 to 2 1902:Nogales beat Grand Canyon 4 to 1 1903:Prescott beat Jerome 4 to 2 1904:Prescott beat Grand Canyon 4 to 2 1905:Bisbee beat Flagstaff 4 to 3 1906:Prescott beat Grand Canyon 4 to 3 1907:Flagstaff beat Tombstone 4 to 3 1908:Cottonwood beat Yuma 4 to 1 1909:Grand Canyon beat Yuma 4 to 3 1910:Prescott beat Nogales 4 to 1 1911:Bisbee beat Prescott 4 to 1 1912:Payson beat Yuma 4 to 1 1913:Prescott beat Tucson 4 to 1 1914:Tucson beat Payson 4 to 2 1915:Phoenix beat Tucson 4 to 2 |
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04-09-2007, 11:30 AM
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#198 (permalink) |
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1915 Player Awards
Top Hurler Awards Bill Burns had a dominating season for Payson, and the left-hander wins the top award for pitchers in the Northern League. Burns went 25-10 this season, with an ERA of 2.08. In 320.2 Innings he was able to strike out 113 batters. He pitched 34 complete games and had 4 shutouts. He was 2nd in the Northern in ERA and 3rd in wins. Burns wins the award for the 2nd time in his 7-year career. Nogales' left-hander Reb Russell unseated Tucson's best pitchers for the SL pitching honor. Russell compiled an ERA of 2.55, going 30-9 in 39 starts. He fanned 113 while giving up 278 hits in 353.1 innings. He had 37 complete games and 4 shutouts. He was 3rd in the Southern in ERA and 1st in wins. The SL record for wins in a season is 32 (Babe Adams, Nogales, 1910 for those who are interested). Big Stick Awards Though Payson didn't make it back to the Cactus Champions Cup, CF Tris Speaker won the franchise another award. He was the Northern League's Big Stick, with a .350 average (207 hits in 592 at bats). He drove in in 99 runs, slugging .500. He was 1st in the Northern in batting, 6th in homeruns and 1st in RBI. Speaker wins the award for the 2nd time in his 6-year career. The Big Stick Award in the Southern was handed to Nogales' leftfielder Shoeless Joe Jackson. While compiling an on base percentage of .447, Jackson hit .376 and slugged .496. He collected 100 runs batted in this year. He was 1st in the Southern in batting and 4th in RBI. Jackson wins the award for the 3rd time in his 4-year career (a very nice start for him) Rookie of the Year Awards The 1915 Northern Rookie of the Year winner is from Flagstaff this season. Pitcher Sherry Smith put together impressive numbers for a rookie, compiling a record of 21-17 this season, with an ERA of 2.99. In 343 Innings he was able to strike out 125 batters. He had 37 complete games and 5 shutouts. He was 7th in the Northern in wins. Getting an award is a nice way to start a career. Bisbee's Howard Baker smiled as he was named the Southern Rookie of the Year winner. His season numbers are: .307 AVG, 165 hits, 25 doubles, 15 triples and 5 taters, along with 82 RBI and 71 runs scored. He was 5th in the Southern in batting Field General Awards Northern League Pitcher: Clint Rogge (KAY) Catcher: Ted Easterly (PAY) First Base: Tim Jordan (PRE) Second Base: Eddie Collins (PRE) Third Base: Cliff Daringer (KAY) Shortstop: Jimmy Esmond (JER) Leftfield: Harry Wolter (CTW) Centerfield: Tris Speaker (PAY) Rightfield: Wilbur Good (PAY) Southern League Pitcher: Carl Druhot (TOM) Catcher: Doc Kerr (PHX) - only player from champions to win an award First Base: Fred Merkle (TEM) Second Base: George Cutshaw (TOM) Third Base: Frank Baker (TUC) Shortstop: Arnold Hauser (BIS) Leftfield: Joe Jackson (NOG) Centerfield: Sherry Magee (NOG) Rightfield: Herbie Moran (TOM) |
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04-09-2007, 12:19 PM
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#199 (permalink) |
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1915 News & Notes
(I could spend hours looking through the yearly almanacs to see what nuggets each season produces. But, we'd never get anywhere if I did that. Here is what I did find this morning)... Pitchers Rule There must of have been something in the air during the first week of the 1915 season. There were two no-hitters and a couple more near no-hitters from April 1-7. Reb Russell of Nogales tossed a PERFECT GAME on Opening Day, the second pitcher in AZL history to do that. He struck out four against Yuma, previewing what was to be a Top Hurler season for him (30-9) record. (For some reason, the game did not note that it was a perfect game, just a no-hitter). Not to be outdone, Bisbee's Burt Humphries pitched a no-hitter of his own two days later, striking out six against Carefree. Humphries walked two and Bisbee committed two errors. On April 2, the day between the no-hitters, Yuma's Addie Joss tossed a one-hitter -- against Russell's Nogales team no less. Cottonwood's Orval Overall had a three-hitter on the same day. There were two more no-hitters during the season. Willie Mitchell of Phoenix tossed one for the eventual AZL champions on May 13, striking out four and walking three. Smokey Joe Wood gave Bisbee two no-no's in one season, getting his on June 3 (four Ks, three walks). Mitchell pitched three shutouts in a row during his hot mid-May stretch.  Christy Mathewson is the only AZL pitcher with more than 300 wins, currently sitting at 315. 300th win Prescott players had every reason to congratulate Christy Mathewson, who reached a milestone on May 21, winning his 300th game (the first in the AZL to do that.) Mathewson ended the year with 315 wins. He's got a league-leading 3,300 strikeouts. Can you say Hall of Fame? His career ERA is 2.78. Matthewson has won 20 games nine times in his career, setting a career high with 30 wins in 1913. Big Hits • Flagstaff OF Sam Crawford got his 2,500th career hit on April 22 against Kayenta. In that same game, fellow Lumberjack Lee Magee had six hits (tying or breaking an NL record, can't remember). • Tucson's Ty Cobb had six hits in a September game against Tempe, tying the SL record. • Tucson's Bill Kenworthy had THREE triples in a game on Sept. 5. Big Injuries • Yuma' rebuilding efforts took a huge hit when Happy "Smokey Joe" Finneran went down with a career-ending injury. He was the second overall pick in the 1914 draft. The 24-year-old had won 11 games in 1914 and eight in 1915. But shoulder issues couldn't be resolved and Happy decided he'd be happier hanging it up. • While Christy Mathewson reached a notable milestone, this was a tough year for the rest of the Prescott pitching staff. Young hurler Ernie Shore, 24, injured his shoulder and his career is done. He was the fifth overall pick in the 1914 draft. (There is a baseball field near where I live in NC named after him). Fellow Antelope Red Faber tore elbow ligaments in the mid-season, and the 27-year-old likely won't pitch again. Happy Townsend suffered a serious injury in August and that cost him the rest of his season. His status is questionable going into 1916. The Antelopes promptly fired their pitching coach at season's end. It may take them awhile to recover from this, considering Mathewson is nearing the end of his career... All-Star Game Show Low put on another great show in hosting the 1915 mid-summer classic. The Southern League won this one, 6-3. Stuffy McInnis, 25, of Nogales won player of the game honors, hitting a home run. Tucson's Ralph Glaze was the winning pitcher. Show Low has been awarded the 1916 All-Star Game as well, commissioner Doc Victory announced. "They've turned out to be a great host city," Victory said. "Few put on as good a show as they do up there in the White Mountains. If Clyde Cooley and company can remain patient, I'm sure this area will make for a good AZL franchise home some day..." 1915 Leaderboard TOP 5 in BATTING AVG : .376 Joe Jackson(NOG,SL) - wow! .350 Tris Speaker(PAY,NL) .339 Benny Kauff(TOM,SL CTW) .324 Wilbur Good(PAY,NL) .315 George Jackson(PRE,NL) TOP 5 in HOMERUNS : 17 Jimmy Walsh(NOG,SL) 12 Jake Stahl(JER) 12 Tim Jordan(PRE) 11 Clyde Milan(JER,NL) 11 Casey Stengel(KAY) TOP 5 in RBI : 111 Tex Erwin(TUC,SL) 102 Jack Fournier(TUC) 101 Jimmy Walsh(NOG,SL) 100 Joe Jackson(NOG,SL) 99 Steve Yerkes(FLG,NL) TOP 5 in ERA : 2.06 Charley Hall(PAY,NL) 2.08 Bill Burns(PAY,NL) 2.11 Happy Townsend(PRE) 2.13 Willie Mitchell(PHX,SL) 2.33 Russ Ford(CTW,NL) TOP 5 in WINS : 30 Reb Russell(NOG,SL) 27 Willie Mitchell(PHX,SL) 26 Otto Hess(PRE,NL) 26 Jack Warhop(CAR,SL TOM TUC) 26 Fred Beebe(FLG,NL) TOP 5 in SAVES : 6 Tex Neuer(FLG,NL) 5 Harry Suter(YUM) 5 Joe Boehling(GCA) 5 Dave Black(PRE,NL) 5 Jack Ryan(GCA,NL)
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AzTarHeel's dynasty works: The Arizona League 3.0: Historical players in the Grand Canyon state Tall Tales: The Andrew Zarzour Story Baseball In The Tar Heel State: A Fictional Experience Win At All Costs: The 2004 Boston Red Sox The Arizona League: Real Players. Fictional Teams Last edited by AZTarHeel; 04-09-2007 at 12:23 PM. |
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04-09-2007, 02:33 PM
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#200 (permalink) | |
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