The Arizona League: Real Players. Fictional Teams

[AZTarHeel]

1917 News & Notes

No No-Nos in 1917
For the second year in a row, no one in the Arizona League threw a no-hitter. The last one came in 1915, hurled by "Smokey Joe" Wood ...

George Ruth Update
While Babe Ruth tore up the Southern League, leading Tempe to a championship and hitting a new AZL record 49 home runs, brother George Ruth spent the entire year in Tucson's Triple A farm team. He was 12-5 with a 2.45 ERA but never got the call up from Tucson's big club this season. Seems like George's career is going backwards a bit...

So long, Sam?
This may be the end of the line for the man known as the greatest hitter in the early era of the Arizona League. "Wahoo Sam" Crawford, winner of nine Big Stick Awards, has just 69 at-bats in 1917, The 37-year-old outfielder batted just .145. In early September, Flagstaff asked Crawford to head for Triple A. Crawford refused and the Lumberjacks released their long-time star. That move wasn't well-received by many Flagstaff fans, who wondered why the struggling Jacks couldn't just wait until the end of the season. It was kind of a low blow to release him in September...

Crawford is a sure bet for the Hall of Fame, when and if he does retire after this season...

Ty Cobb misses two months
Just noticed that Tucson's Ty Cobb fractured a hip in June and missed two months of game action, surely one of the reasons the Saguaros didn't make the playoffs this season (in addition to Babe Ruth's rise in Tempe) ... Cobb had about 180 fewer at-bats than his norman seasons, getting 119 hits ... It was Cobb's first time missing the playoffs since 1909...

Big Hittin'
Bisbee' RF Vin Campbell hit for the cycle against Phoenix on May 27. He finished the game with six RBIs... A few week's later, Jerome's Gloomy Gus Williams cycled as well ...

Nogales 1B Emil Huhn set a new Southern League record with eight RBIs against ol' Tombstone on Aug. 20. Huhn had five hits for the game...

2,000 and counting
CF Sherry Magee of Nogales joined the 2,000 hit club on June against Tombstone...

Tempe SS Simon Nicholls joined the 2,000 hit club on July 17. He also had six hits in a game in May ...

Bisbee RF Jimmy Sebring earned his 2,000th hit on Sept. 1 ...

Flagstaff OF Watty Lee had his 2,000th hit on Sept. 11...


1917 All-Star Game
Here are your All-Stars for the 1917 season:

(The Southern League won the game 8-3. Bisbee's Rogers Hornsby was 3-for-4, earning MVP honors ... Carefree's George Ferguson was the winning pitcher ... Payson's Charley Hall took the loss (but still went on to win the Top Hurler honor for the Northern League...)

These players were selected for the NL OOTP-Allstar Team :
P Ray Keating from Kayenta
P Charley Hall from Payson
P Byron Houck from Grand Canyon
P Pete Schneider from Payson
P Fred Link from Jerome
P Bill Burns from Payson
P Russ Ford from Cottonwood
P Harley Young from Flagstaff
P George Dumont from Cottonwood
P Dave Black from Prescott
C Ted Easterly from Payson
C Tommy Clarke from Jerome
1B Vic Saier from Flagstaff
2B Eddie Collins from Prescott
3B Del Paddock from Payson
SS Donie Bush from Payson
LF Guy Zinn from Payson
CF Benny Kauff from Cottonwood
RF Danny Moeller from Payson
1B Joe Harris from Cottonwood
CF Tris Speaker from Payson
LF Zack Wheat from Sedona
CF Amos Strunk from Kayenta
2B Steve Yerkes from Flagstaff
3B Heinie Groh from Cottonwood

These players were selected for the SL OOTP-Allstar Team :
P Bert Gallia from Bisbee
P George Mcquillan from Tucson
P Marty Mchale from Carefree
P Phil Douglas from Carefree
P Howie Camnitz from Nogales
P Dave Davenport from Tempe
P George Ferguson from Carefree
P George Cunningham from Carefree
P Alex Malloy from Carefree
P King Lear from Phoenix
C Art Wilson from Carefree
C Tex Erwin from Tucson
1B Jack Fournier from Tucson
2B Heinie Zimmerman from Tucson
3B Jimmy Walsh from Nogales
SS Simon Nicholls from Tempe
LF Joe Jackson from Nogales
CF Charlie Hanford from Phoenix
RF Babe Ruth from Tempe
1B Babe Borton from Yuma
RF Harry Hooper from Tucson
RF Sam Rice from Tombstone
LF Bob Bescher from Tucson
2B Rogers Hornsby from Bisbee
2B Charlie French from Yuma


1917 Leaderboard

TOP 5 in BATTING AVG :
.369 Benny Kauff(CTW,NL SED)
.353 Joe Jackson(NOG,SL)
.348 Simon Nicholls(TEM,SL)
.345 Donie Bush(PAY,NL)
.343 Babe Ruth(TEM,SL)

TOP 5 in HOMERUNS :
33 Babe Ruth(TEM,SL)
26 Cy Williams(GCA)
19 Jimmy Walsh(NOG,SL)
14 Zack Wheat(SED,NL)
13 Fred Carisch(YUM)

TOP 5 in RBI :
124 Guy Zinn(PAY,NL)
110 Cy Williams(GCA)
107 Babe Ruth(TEM,SL)
106 Casey Stengel(KAY)
104 Eddie Collins(PRE,NL)

TOP 5 in ERA :
2.01 Charley Hall(PAY,NL)
2.22 Fred Link(JER,NL)
2.55 Bert Gallia(BIS,SL)
2.58 Bill Burns(PAY,NL)
2.59 Nick Maddox(GCA)

TOP 5 in WINS :
26 Charley Hall(PAY,NL)
26 Bill Burns(PAY,NL)
25 Dave Davenport(TEM,SL)
25 George Baumgardner(TEM)
25 Marty Mchale(CAR,SL)

TOP 5 in SAVES :
9 Al Schulz(FLG)
7 Harley Young(FLG,NL)
5 Nick Cullop(PAY)
4 George Disch(BIS)
4 Dave Black(PRE,NL)

[AZTarHeel]

1917 Retirees

For some reason, I feel compelled to go through the entire list of retirees each year before I begin a new season. I don't know why. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. Actually I'm worried I'll miss something notable that happened in my league (like the guy who gets one AB and hits a home run)

Frankly I kind of dread this past. It's tedious and slows up my posting on the new season (hence why I'm sometimes slow to get updates posted).

But then I start poking through the list of player profiles and find myself fascinated by what I find — from the guys who developed into Hall of Famers (there are some this year, plus a few up for debate) to the guys who only dipped their toes in the big leagues (a few players make my Cup of Coffee Hall of Fame this season as well)...

Anyways, here is the list of the 1917 retirees (including my favorite player so far, Sam Crawford -- sad, sad that he's done), plus some notes on a few of the more intriguing guys. Enjoy. If there is anyone else you want an update on, let me know and I'll look it up...

Heinie Berger retires ...
Sam Crawford retires ...
He will be in the Hall Of Fame!
Lena Blackburne retires ...
Jack Hayden retires ...
Joe Casey retires ...
Drummond Brown retires ...
Tommy Leach retires ...
Bill Chappelle retires ...
Matty Mcintyre retires ...
Harry Fanwell retires ...
Jack Coombs retires ...
Lefty George retires ...
Clyde Engle retires ...
Addie Joss retires ...
He will be in the Hall Of Fame!
Jack Flater retires ...
Harry Aubrey retires ...
Fred Burchell retires ...
Brad Kocher retires ...
Pat Hynes retires ...
Willie Hogan retires ...
Andy Coakley retires ...
Earle Gardner retires ...
Frank Lange retires ...
Jake Stahl retires ...
Art Griggs retires ...
Bob Groom retires ...
Phil Lewis retires ...
Allie Strobel retires ...
Denny Sullivan retires ...
Lou Fiene retires ...
Irv Higginbotham retires ...
Finners Quinlan retires ...
Eddie Murphy retires ...
Red Morgan retires ...
Jim Moroney retires ...
Henri Rondeau retires ...
Lew Richie retires ...
Alan Storke retires ...
Otto Knabe retires ...
George Whiteman retires ...
Amby Mcconnell retires ...
Queenie O'rourke retires ...
Tom Reilly retires ...
Ham Hyatt retires ...
Oscar Stanage retires ...
Art Phelan retires ...
Lefty Webb retires ...
Doc Kerr retires ...
Joe Riggert retires ...
Bob Williams retires ...
Alex Main retires ...
Harvey Russell retires ...
Art Watson retires ...
CTW: Hans Lobert retires ...
JER: Ed Willett retires ...
PRE: Happy Townsend retires ...
He will be in the Hall Of Fame!
BIS: George Disch retires ...
NOG: Bill Foxen retires ...
NOG: Chief Meyers retires ...
PHX: Al Mattern retires ...
PHX: Ben Houser retires ...
TOM: Del Mason retires ...
TOM: Frank Laporte retires ...


• Pitcher Al Mattern joins my Cup of Coffee Hall of Fame. He was drafted in 1919 and spent his entire career in Phoenix's Triple A team. Except for one game during the 1909 season. He came up to the big club, pitched to one batter and got a strikeout. That was it. No other appearances for the Dust Devils big club...

• Reliever George Disch was a reliever for the Bisbee Prospectors for many years. He only made one appearance in a post-season, but it was a good one. He was perfect through two innings of relief for Bisbee -- no hits, no runs, no walks -- in 1905...

• Pitcher Heinie Berger won 187 games with five teams, but lost 181. His final ERA: 2.91...

• RF Jack Hayden retired seven hits shy of 2,000 for his career. The RF spent 17 years with Phoenix, reaching one All-Star Game. His final average was .266.

• 3B Tommy Leach spent his entire 17-year career with the Grand Canyon River Runners. He amassed 2,320 hits — fourth-most in AZL history thus far — and finished with an average of .249. He's currently third on the career list in home runs with 139. He started every year but his last one with the Runners. Could get Hall of Fame consideration as one of the league's top pioneers.

• LF Matty McIntyre earned 2,030 career hits during his career with Tombstone and Jerome.

• "Colby Jack" Combs earned 197 career wins during his time with the Cottonwood Monsoon. He won 31 games in 1908, 30 in 1910 and 29 in 1911. His final record 197-135 with an ERA of 2.72. Hall of Fame worthy?? He was named Top Hurler in '08 and '10...

• Pitcher Fred Burchell was an interesting character. He won 209 games hurling for Payson, Lake Havasu, Cottonwood and Grand Canyon but lost 221. Yikes. He ERA was 3.5+ ... He only had three 20-win seasons ...

• Pitcher Bob Groom was the top overall pick in the 1909 draft (by Tucson). He didn't really pan out as a star, however. He finished with a career record of 6-6, with two saves. His ERA with the big club was a nice 2.01, but he spent most of his time in AAA. Weird that they didn't try to use him more. He didn't really have injury issues. One of those guys who got lost in the shuffle. Tucson had pretty good pitching without him...

• Pitcher Irv Higginbotham pitched a no-hitter for Tombstone in 1906, his AZL debut. He didn't strike out a single batter in that game, however. He went on to win Rookie of the Year and won 27 games the next season. But his career quickly tailed off and he finished with a career mark of 103-83.

• OF Henri Rondeau didn't have much of a career, finally retiring after being released by Cottonwood in 1914 (He was drafted the year before and no one else ever picked him up). But his career batting average will go down as 1.000. He appeared in two games, had two hits (one a double) and finished with four RBIs — a nice SLG of 1.500 and OPS of 2.500. He was a .253 hitter in two minor league seasons.

Up next: Hall of Fame Inductions...

[AZTarHeel]

1917 Hall of Fame Inductions

Four new members join the Arizona League Hall of Fame. Here they are:


Sam Crawford, outfielder (1901-1917)
Wahoo Sam, who just retired after the 1917 season, swung a big stick during his entire career. He left the game as the career leader in hits (2,801), home runs (238), runs (1,495), RBIs (1,386) and stolen bases (795). He's currently second in career triples (176) behind Sherry Magee's 193 and sixth in doubles (399).

Now that's a career! Crawford won the Arizona League's Big Stick Award (given to the most outstanding batter) nine times. There is talk that the award may be renamed in his honor — i.e. the Wahoo Sam Big Stick Award. No official action has been taken on the matter yet ...

Crawford spent his entire career with the Flagstaff Lumberjacks. The one sour note came in his last year, 1917. For some reason, Flag managers/owners designated Crawford for assignment in mid-September, with the Jacks way out of the playoff hunt. Crawford, maybe because of pride, refused the assignment. He was then released outright — with just a few weeks left in the season! Terrible PR move by Flagstaff, which got in a lot of hot water with its fans.

Crawford walked out of the clubhouse that day in a huff, leaving only his uniform hanging in its locker. He came to the Hall of Fame ceremonies but refused to pose for any photos with Flagstaff officials and did not wear any Flagstaff gear for official photos, just generic no-name baseball attire.

•••Just as a side note, we may not have seen the last of Wahoo Sam



Addie Joss, pitcher (1902-1917)
The fourth overall pick in the 1902 draft (by Yuma) became one of the league's premier pitchers. Joss retired with a 294-262 record (currently second in career wins). His career ERA was 3.06, and he had some seasons where he was much higher than that (which is why he lost a bunch as well as won a bunch). He struck out 2,216 (third-most K's in the AZL right now).

Joss spent his entire career with Yuma, except for the 1916 season when he was traded to Phoenix. He won the Top Hurler Award (MVP for a pitcher) four different times. He was 5-7 in the post-season with a 3.33 ERA.

In real life, Joss died at the age of 31 due to meningitis. He was still inducted in the baseball Hall of Fame after throwing a perfect game and another no-hitter. He had 160 career victories, using his famous pinwheel windup. Nice to see the Arizona League Joss live on and on.

This is neat: both the real life Joss and "my" Joss had 45 shutouts. He's the current AZL leader with 489 complete games.


Happy Townsend, pitcher (1901-1917)
Happy won just one Top Hurler Award but he was a highly coveted pitcher, who resurrected his career somewhat after getting traded to Prescott from Tucson in 1910. He finished with a career record of 289-253 with an ERA of 2.82.

Townsend struck out 1,672 batters (10th most in AZL). His best season came in 1904 when won 25 games. He won 25 again in 1910 and 24 the next season. Five of his six All-Star berths came in the back half of his career. He was 9-7 in the post-season.

Happy pitched 458 complete games, currently third best among league pitchers. He never threw a no-hitter but was part of three championship teams (two with Prescott and one with Nogales).

The real life Happy was just 35-82 with an ERA of 3.59. One year he was 5-26 with Washington. He liked Arizona much better.


Tommy Leach, third base (1902-1917)
Leach becomes the first infielder inducted into the Hall. Like the real-life Tommy Leach, the Arizona League version played for nearly two decades (all with the Grand Canyon River Runners). He quietly finished his career as the third-most prolific hitter (2,320 career hits). He recorded 1,046 RBIs (seventh highest in AZL), 297 doubles, 149 triples and 139 home runs.

Leach was fleet-footed on the bases, finishing with 521 stolen sacks. His career batting average was just .241 but he started and proved dependable on the hot corner for 16 of his 17 big-league seasons. Leach appeared in 53 post-season games for Grand Canyon during their "glory" years in the first decade of the league.

Voters gave him the nod for the Hall of Fame despite the fact he didn't fulfill all criteria based on his status as one of the "pioneer pillars" the league was built upon. His feats were even more impressive when you learn he was just 5-6, 135-140 pounds, earning the nickname "Wee Tommy." He'll be tough to replace in Grand Canyon, that's for sure...

(IRL, Leach hit 63 home runs, 49 of which were of the inside-the-park variety)...

[AZTarHeel]

1917-18 Winter Meetings

Tempe owners were seeing major dollar signs ($$$$) following the Sun Devils league championship this past season. So they spared no expense when hosting this year's Winter Meetings, putting extravagance on every street corner during the week's festivities.

Tempe also during the week unveiled a major stadium project — Diablo Stadium — that would put a new park in the heart of town, seating more than any other in the Arizona League. Owners figured with Babe Ruth, only 22 now, playing right field and smacking balls all over the place for the next 10-15 years, there was a lot of money to be made with baseball in Tempe — and hopefully more championships to be won. So, they seized on the opportunity while the iron was hot.

Secretly, some wondered if Tempe leaders were going a little too overboard. Some hefty money would have to be spent to pull everything off, and owners were dipping into a lot of others' pocketbooks to get the process started. Tempe's chief owner kept telling everyone not to worry. He'd done the math and foresaw great economic times ahead. He had a plan to pay everyone back. Of course that put a lot of weight on his team to win and keep fans in the seats.

• Meanwhile, the folks in Sedona were having the opposite problem. Owner Hans Larsen reported during the Winter Meetings that his franchise was in desperate need of new facilities but he didn't have the cash to pay for it. He brought the matter up before the Sedona town government back last spring but was virtually laughed out of town hall.

Larsen had major egg on his face this past season when Sedona leaders effectively kicked the team out of its stadium for a week to hold an arts festival, featuring vendors from all over the country and world. The team, which handn't been made aware for the festival until about two weeks prior, had to play home games at its Double A facility at West Fork, which was about a quarter of the size of the big club's stadium. Another home set had to be move to Flagstaff, turning that into a home series for the Lumberjacks.

Sedona was 69-93 this past year and prospects for the near future don't look that promising. Clyde Cooley, who has been searching for a franchise for his town of Show Low for years now, offered to "take the poor, pitiful Scorpions" off Larsen's hands. But that only made Larsen even more mad. Larsen had lost some big bucks to Cooley during the owners and friends' yearly poker game the past few years (ie "The Game" as many called it). There was no way he was going to give him the satisfaction of taking his baseball team, too.

"We'll find a way to make it work in Sedona," Larsen said.

• Baseball's popularity remains high in most AZL cities, even Kayenta, which has been showing signs of life the past few years. Carefree remains a baseball town on the rise, and the Blues fell just short of getting to play for the Cactus Champions Cup this season. The franchise has been exploring the possibility of a nickname change after outcries by some fans that "Carefree Blues" is too much of a downer. One person suggested Carefree Cardinals, but commissioner Doc Victory didn't like that. "No professional franchise in Arizona should ever be nicknamed Cardinals," he said.

• The Nevada-Utah Baseball Association has plans for a short-season summer schedule this year. The league is undergoing an overhaul in leadership, with plans to restart things on a small scale and build from there... We'll see what happens...

• The commissioner's grandson, "Lil Doc" Victory has said if he doesn't get drafted by the AZL this season, he'll play in the Nevada-Utah league in 1918. Not that they want him either...

[AZTarHeel]

So I go home Friday afternoon to do some work on my computer and it freezes up. I reboot and it freezes up again. Then I reboot again, and it doesn't boot up at all, never getting past the Windows start up screen. Repeated attempts just make things worse...

I had a huge lump in my throat as I sent my computer off with a repair guy in town. In addition to hundreds (maybe thousands) of pictures of my daughter that I worried about losing forever, my Arizona League files were on that hard drive (as well as other OOTP stuff and some TDCB basketball stuff). I had backed up the Arizona League, but my backups were on the same hard drive that was no longer responding. YIKES!!

I still haven't heard back from the repair man -- I'm not very confident because my wife fried the hard drive on her laptop a few months ago, and my computer is much older -- but I did find backup copies of all my daughter's photos on the new external HD we bought a few months ago (that was all my wife's doing).

And I also found where I had made a second backup of my Arizona League files (which I had forgotten about). If in my fact my original hard drive is dead, I will lose two seasons, but those are two seasons I haven't posted here yet. Also, I'd lose all of my almancs from 1901-1916. But the story and basic history items will still live on, so this thread doesn't have to die a painful death. WHEW>>>

Just a friendly reminder, if you're attached to your OOTP leagues, back stuff up religiously -- and in different places.

[AZTarHeel]

1918 Player Draft

Once again, teams go after pitchers like they're going out of style. Hats off to Eric Erickson, the first pick in this year's draft, who goes to Phoenix.

Interesting to find a Joe Wood drafted as a RF by Cottonwood. He's 28, and the same age as "Smokey Joe" Wood who is already in the league as a pitcher for Bisbee. Must be another Babe Ruth-like occurence in the data base I'm using where a pitcher who also fared well as a position player during his career has a "double" in the game.

In other news, Phinieus "Lil Doc" Victory III — the grandson of the Arizona League's commissioner, Phinieus "Doc" Victory — finally gets drafted! He somehow talked the Carefree Blues into taking a gamble on him in the third round ("there's not much there anyway - might as well earn some brownie points with the commish," owners likely thought). Just as long as he doesn't pitch to anyone, the league should be safe...

"I just want one at-bat in the Bigs," an excited Lil Doc tells everyone. "I'll pay my dues for a decade just to get that shot."

We'll see how his career turns out... (Lil Doc is my first fictional character in the Arizona League, created when I made a mistake and allowed too many Babe Ruths. He shares the same birthday as George and Babe but doesn't quite have the same baseball skills)...

Here is the complete draft for 1918:

Round 1:
Phoenix pick: P Eric Erickson
Cottonwood pick: P Bill Sherdel
Tombstone pick: P Hank Thormahlen
Sedona pick: P Speed Martin
Flagstaff pick: P Frank Shellenback
Yuma pick: P Red Causey
Prescott pick: P Brad Hogg
Bisbee pick: P Mule Watson
Nogales pick: P Dana Fillingim
Grand Canyon pick: P Frank Woodward
Kayenta pick: SS Charlie Hollocher
Jerome pick: P Walt Kinney
Tucson pick: P Rasty Wright
Tempe pick: RF George Harper
Carefree pick: P Scott Perry
Payson pick: P Jimmy Ring

Round 2 :
Phoenix pick: LF Austin Mchenry
Cottonwood pick: LF Irish Meusel
Tombstone pick: P Rudy Kallio
Sedona pick: LF Charlie Jamieson
Flagstaff pick: P Oscar Tuero
Yuma pick: RF Ross Youngs
Prescott pick: C Val Picinich
Bisbee pick: 3B Joe Dugan
Nogales pick: P Jake Northrop
Grand Canyon pick: P Bob Geary
Kayenta pick: RF Cliff Heathcote
Jerome pick: C Cy Perkins
Tucson pick: P Roy Johnson
Tempe pick: P Hugh Canavan
Carefree pick: P Jakie May
Payson pick: CF Buzz Murphy

Round 3 :
Phoenix pick: 1B Gene Paulette
Cottonwood pick: RF Joe Wood
Tombstone pick: P Bill Pertica
Sedona pick: P Roy Wilkinson
Flagstaff pick: C Al Devormer
Yuma pick: 2B Ed Sicking
Prescott pick: CF Roy Massey
Bisbee pick: C Truck Hannah
Nogales pick: 2B Claude Davidson
Grand Canyon pick: P Red Shea
Kayenta pick: 3B Fred Thomas
Jerome pick: 3B Bob Jones
Tucson pick: CF Frank Walker
Tempe pick: P William Pierson
Carefree pick: RF Phinieus Victory III
Payson pick: P Grover Lowdermilk

Round 4 :
Phoenix pick: C Otto Jacobs
Cottonwood pick: P Bugs Morris
Tombstone pick: P Norman Plitt
Sedona pick: RF Bill Mccabe
Flagstaff pick: P Ed Hovlik
Yuma pick: P Roy Sanders

[Mel Ott]

Originally Posted by AZTarHeel

So I go home Friday afternoon to do some work on my computer and it freezes up. I reboot and it freezes up again. Then I reboot again, and it doesn't boot up at all, never getting past the Windows start up screen. Repeated attempts just make things worse...

I had a huge lump in my throat as I sent my computer off with a repair guy in town. In addition to hundreds (maybe thousands) of pictures of my daughter that I worried about losing forever, my Arizona League files were on that hard drive (as well as other OOTP stuff and some TDCB basketball stuff). I had backed up the Arizona League, but my backups were on the same hard drive that was no longer responding. YIKES!!

I still haven't heard back from the repair man -- I'm not very confident because my wife fried the hard drive on her laptop a few months ago, and my computer is much older -- but I did find backup copies of all my daughter's photos on the new external HD we bought a few months ago (that was all my wife's doing).

And I also found where I had made a second backup of my Arizona League files (which I had forgotten about). If in my fact my original hard drive is dead, I will lose two seasons, but those are two seasons I haven't posted here yet. Also, I'd lose all of my almancs from 1901-1916. But the story and basic history items will still live on, so this thread doesn't have to die a painful death. WHEW>>>

Just a friendly reminder, if you're attached to your OOTP leagues, back stuff up religiously -- and in different places.

Whoa. Glad you had backups, this is one of my favorite dynasties. KUTGW!

[Sir Lurksalot]

Wow! That really blows. I'm glad you didn't lose any of your daughter's pics. I don't know how many pics we've lost when the hard drive decided to die.

Yuma actually picked up a guy I've heard of in Ross Youngs. Let's hope he has a nice long career in Arizona since IRL he died young.

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by Sir Lurksalot

Yuma actually picked up a guy I've heard of in Ross Youngs. Let's hope he has a nice long career in Arizona since IRL he died young.

Yeah, Yuma could use a break or two ...

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by Mel Ott

Whoa. Glad you had backups, this is one of my favorite dynasties. KUTGW!

Thanks for the kind comments, Mel ... I've gotten quite attached to this one. Still haven't heard back from the computer tech guy -- that can't be good news...

[AZTarHeel]

1918 Season Recap — Northern League



Ho Hum: Payson on top again
The Payson Longhorns jumped in front early and never trailed all spring, summer and early fall, cruising to an easy regular season championship in the Northern League. The 'Horns won their third title in a row, their fourth in the past five years and their fifth in the past seven years. Now that's domination.

This year's team was power-packed from the get-go, winning 101 games and taking the division by 12 over upstart Kayenta (which is just happy to be in the pennant race for a change).

Charley Hall, Payson's ace pitcher, has truly developed into a steamroller from the hill. The "Sea Lion" won 29 games against only nine losses and posted a 1.62 ERA. This is his fifth straight year of winning 24 or more contests. It was his career best ERA, eclipsing the previous mark of 2.01 set last year. He had 249 strikeouts, tying his career best set back in 1912. At 33, he's getting better with age!

So, too, it seems is CF Tris Speaker. The "Grey Eagle," age 30, pounded out 197 hits (.340 average), stroked 53 doubles and drove home 113 runs (the first time over 100 since 1911). He struck out just 29 times, showing his discipline at the plate.

Speaker batted third in the Payson lineup against righties, with C Ted Easterly cleaning up behind him (.314, 81 RBIs, 6 HRs). Against lefties, Speaker was the clean-up man, with 2B Jack Barry (.275, 81 RBIs) setting him up. This is definitely a club to be reckoned, but not a young one. Most of the standouts are over 30, and Arizona League history has shown what happens to teams that "age out" without restocking well (Yuma, Prescott, Flagstaff etc.).

Kayenta ended a long string of futility to get into the playoffs. The Turquoise Warriors, who finished third last year had been fifth or worse ever season since 1908. The Navajo franchise has enjoyed only one other playoff berth, back in '08. This year's 89 wins represents a franchise high and only the third time in 18 seasons of play that Kayenta has earned more than 80 victories.

The star players for this obscure, but apparently on the rise, franchise tucked away in the northeast corner of the state -- RF Casey Stengel (.281, 11 HRs, 100 RBIs, 29 SB), SS Charlie Hollocher (.299, 77 RBIs, 30 SBs) and P Rube Marquard (23-17, 2.51 ERA).

As Kayenta has risen, so has the stardom of Casey Stengel, now at age 28. He's sharp with his bat and quick with his tongue. When asked about his stellar season by a reporter from the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff, Stengel shot back: "I was such a dangerous hitter I even got intentional walks during batting practice."

People were amazed after Stengel caught a bird in the outfield during one of Kayenta's games in the regular season.

After Kayenta, it was mediocrity at best. What has happened to Prescott? Once the dominant team of the Northern League, the Antelopes continue to slump (77-85), missing the playoffs now for the fifth straight year. Flagstaff and Cottonwood also are down. Sedona's 79-83 record is actually considered decent for them ...

Here are final NL standings for 1918:

Team      	W	L	PCT	GB	 Pyt.Rec	Diff	 	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Payson  	101	61	.623	-	109-53	-8	 	52-29	49-32	9-5	20-25	*	L1	5-5
Kayenta 	89	73	.549	12.0	88-74	1	 	46-35	43-38	3-6	32-23	-	L3	5-5
Jerome  	81	81	.500	20.0	75-87	6	 	40-41	41-40	6-12	29-22	-	W3	5-5
Grand Canyon	79	83	.488	22.0	79-83	0	 	40-41	39-42	7-8	26-30	-	W1	3-7
Sedona  	79	83	.488	22.0	74-88	5	 	38-43	41-40	10-4	27-20	-	L1	6-4
Prescott	  77	85	.475	24.0	76-86	1	 	39-42	38-43	6-10	23-30	-	W3	7-3
Flagstaff	75	87	.463	26.0	70-92	5	 	32-49	43-38	14-5	25-20	-	W1	5-5
Cottonwood	67	95	.414	34.0	76-86	-9	 	32-49	35-46	6-11	22-34	-	L2	4-6

[AZTarHeel]

1918 Season Recap — Southern League


Tucson reigns supreme, again (But can they win the big one?)
Like the Northern League, the final SL standings had a familiar team sitting on top by early October. The Tucson Saguaros won their fifth title since the 1911 season and earned their seventh playoff berth during that time. A pretty impressive resume for sure.

Like Payson, the Cactus Kids had a pretty comfortable lead down the home stretch, topping Bisbee by eight games.

Centerfielder Ty Cobb, now age 31, continues to power the attack in Tucson. Cobb rapped 186 hits this season, drove home 96 runs, scored 95 times and stole 43 bases. He had 41 doubles and 15 triples, batting a cool .307. His tallies have bumped his career numbers up to 2,311 hits, 432 doubles, 147 three-baggers, 1,021 RBIs and 511 stolen bases. Hall of Fame, here we come for the Georgia Peach.

What rhymes with Peach and hits just as well? Bobby Veach (.307 average, 81 RBIs) gave the Saguaros a potent left-fielder to go with Cobb in center. 1B Jack Fournier drove home 80 runs for the Saguaros.

Tucson combined some of the best hitting (.255 average, second best in the AZL) with ace pitching (2.97 ERA, third best). Dick Rudolph posted an 18-6 record (missing a little time with back problems). Willie Mitchell won 23 games (though he lost 18). This might not be one of the vintage Tucson teams that could tear up the competition when hot, but the Saguaros should be in the hunt for a Cactus Cup if they can keep it together mentally.

Bisbee will be the team opposing the Saguaros in the Divisional playoffs. The Prospectors haven't been to the playoffs since 1911, but won the Cactus Champions Cup that year over Prescott. Bisbee, which also won the 1905 Cup, actually has more Arizona League titles than the Saguaros, who have only won one (in 1914).

Pitching has been Bisbee's strength all season. Smokey Joe Wood and Bert Gallia both won 27 games (Wood lost 10 and Gallia 7).

This is a team that Big Six of Pat O'Farrell dynasty fame might love. Not only is Joe Wood on the squad, but so is Bill "Rough" Carrigan, who has been Bisbee's starting catcher since 1911. Rough didn't have that impressive offensive numbers (.229 average, 39 RBIs) but was a team leader and stout defensive presence. (Had I read the O'Farrell dynasty thread sooner, I would have put him in my league as well...)

1B Dick Hoblitzel, 2B Rogers Hornsby, CF Benny Kauff and RF Happy Felsch were among the offensive leaders. Kauff batted .301 with 71 RBIs. He could flat out fly around the bases, stealing successfully 82 times. Hoblitzel drove in 74 runs, Felsch had 72 RBIs, while Hornsby had 70.

Should be an interesting playoff series between the two teams. I'd have to give the edge to Tucson based on offense. Pitching is pretty similar.

The Carefree Blues had another "almost" finish to their season. The close-but-no-quite franchise finished just one game away from tying Bisbee for second place. The Blues could have forced a one-game playoff but lost in extra innings on the final day of the regular season to Yuma. "It's the team's nickname," long-time fan Don Gustafson tells everyone within earshot. "It gets in the players' heads that they're going to 'sing the blues just like always' and they collapse in a clutch moment."

It was definitely a disappointing season for defending champion Tempe. Look at their Pythagorean difference of minus-15. Talk about underachieving! Tempe could have been right in the thick of the playoff hunt. RF Babe Ruth had a solid year (25 HRs, .298 average, 91 RBIs), and Howie Camnitz won 26 games from the hill. But these two didn't have much around them...

Tempe owners were frustrated at the lack of attendance once the team dropped out of playoff contention. They are opening a new ballpark next season and needed the fans to pour in to help pay for it. Some of the creditors are getting nervous, too, and itching for repayment...

Here are the complete standings for the SL in 1918.

Team      	W	L	PCT	GB	 Pyt.Rec	Diff	 	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Tucson  	99	63	.611	-	98-64	1	 	46-35	53-28	10-8	31-20	*	W1	5-5
Bisbee   	91	71	.562	8.0	86-76	5	 	43-38	48-33	12-10	42-22	-	L1	6-4
Carefree	90	72	.556	9.0	93-69	-3	 	42-39	48-33	18-13	34-33	-	L1	5-5
Nogales 	82	80	.506	17.0	76-86	6	 	41-40	41-40	11-5	31-24	-	W1	6-4
Tempe   	75	87	.463	24.0	90-72	-15	 	41-40	34-47	8-12	17-31	-	W1	6-4
Yuma    	74	88	.457	25.0	73-89	1	 	34-47	40-41	9-14	24-29	-	W2	5-5
Phoenix 	69	93	.426	30.0	70-92	-1	 	30-51	39-42	5-4	21-31	-	L1	4-6
Tombstone	68	94	.420	31.0	66-96	2	 	27-54	41-40	5-12	25-35	-	L3	3-7

[AZTarHeel]

1918 Divisional Playoffs — Northern League


Kayenta flattens Payson, earns first Cactus Cup berth

Game Scores
Payson 4, Kayenta 2 — WP: Charley Hall
Kayenta 7, Payson 3 — WP: Rube Marquard
Kayenta 12, Payson 7 — WP: Ray Keating
Kayenta 7, Payson 3 — WP: Vic Aldridge
Kayenta 3, Payson 2 — WP: Rube Marquard

Life is good up on the Navajo Reservation these days. After years of futility, the Kayenta Turquoise Warriors have earned their first birth into the Arizona League's championship series. They dethroned the Northern League's most potent team in the process, reeling off four straight wins after losing to 29-game winner Charley Hall in Game One.

Payson felt pretty good about its chances in Game Five, with Hall returning to the hill. The Longhorns took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, and Hall was mowin' em down. But Kayenta got one back in the bottom of the fourth and took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth. RF Casey Stengel had a big single in the sixth to score 2B Morrie Rath. LF Josh Devore then scored 3B Charlie Hollocher with an RBI single on the next at-bat.

From there pitcher Rube Marquard held the powerhouse Longhorns down. Del Paddock had an RBI single in the seventh for Payson but that was about it for offense the rest of the way. While Payson fans were in disbelief at their fate, Kayenta faithful held a huge pow-wow after the contest, a good chance for the Navajo reservation to show off its culture and heritage — and up-and-coming baseball team.

1B George Burns had a fabulous series for Kayenta, batting .500. He was 4-for-4 in Game Four, with a triple and an RBI. Stengel batted .375 for the series.

Payson picked up a new leftfielder this past season, Ward Miller, from Grand Canyon. He came in handy in the playoff series, batting .429 with two doubles. But aside from Miller and CF Tris Speaker (two triples, three RBIs, .313 average), no one else really stepped up big for the shell-shocked Horns....

[AZTarHeel]

Well, it appears that my computer problems aren't related to a hard-drive crash... whew... of course, I still don't have my computer in hand right now and there is something wrong with it, according to the tech ... at least I'll have my files in place whenever it does return (he's already backed everything up for me) ...

all around the arizona league, players -- worried about being snuffed out of existence forever -- breathed a huge sigh of relief...

AZ

[AZTarHeel]

While the Arizona League files are still alive, thanks to the techie who backed up my ailing hard drive, my poor computer should probably be put out to pasture, according to him... All sort of issues with mother boards and capaciters (Flux capaciters?), etc. ... and the hard drive was in the process of dying, he said, so I am lucky other things went ka-plooey first...

So, it looks like I'll be searching for a new computer, which I've been meaning to do for awhile anyways ... I still have a few seasons worth of stuff to post in the meantime so there shouldn't be much interruption to this dynasty. Just wanted to warn people in case there turns out to be some ...

I'll have to work this into my story line somehow

**If I do end up with a laptop, I might be able to OOTP a little more than usual since I won't have to sneak behind my wife's back at home I can take OOTP lunch breaks from work -- hehe

[Sir Lurksalot]

Good to hear! Looking forward to what's in store for us in the future.

[AZTarHeel]

1918 Divisional Playoffs — Southern League


Tucson stings Prospectors in six

Game Scores
Tucson 6, Bisbee 2 — WP: Erv Lange
Tucson 5, Bisbee 1 — WP: Willie Mitchell
Bisbee 4, Tucson 3 — WP: Ray Fisher
Bisbee 3, Tucson 2 — WP: Smokey Joe Wood
Tucson 6, Bisbee 2 — WP: Willie Mitchell
Tucson 6, Bisbee 4 — WP: Doc Ayers

While one favorite got knocked off in this playoff season (Payson), the Tucson Saguaros avoided the same fate.

Willie Mitchell won two games for the Cactus Kids, including the critical "swing game" (Game Five). He earned PoG honors both times, his third and fourth time in five recent starts. Mitchell walked just two in the two games, getting Bisbee to hit harmless grounder after harmless grounder.

CF Ty Cobb was kept pretty quiet during the series, but Tucson got plenty of offensive help from guys like C Tex Erwin (.381, four RBIs), DH Harry Hooper (.412, three RBIs) and LF Bobby Veach (5 RBIs).

The clinching Game Six turned in the bottom of the sixth inning. With the score tied 2-2, Ty Cobb struck out looking and 1B Jack Fournier grounded out to first against pitcher Ray Fisher. But then the Saguaros exploded for four runs with two outs, eventually chasing Fisher from the game. Hooper tripled to get things started. Erwin hit an RBI single. Veach walked, then 2B Ralph Young batted Erwin home with a single. An Art Fletcher triple scored the final two runs of the frame for a 6-2 cushion.

Bisbee got two back in the top of the eighth on singles by C Bill Carrigan (Rough!) and LF Joe Connolly, and a double from RF Vin Campbell. But Doc Ayers shut the Prospectors down in the ninth, with an error on the shortstop being the only blemish.

RF Happy Felsch had a big series for Bisbee, earning nine hits in 21 at-bats, with four runs and five RBIs. But the Prospectors' heaviest hitters — 2B Rogers Hornsby (.160), CF Benny Kauff (.208) and Dick Hoblitzel (.087) — really struggled from the 3-4-5 spots...

Tucson will make its fourth appearance in the Cactus Champions Cup, going for its second league title.

[AZTarHeel]

1918 Cactus Champions Cup


Tucson outlasts Turquoise Warriors for AZL title

Game Scores
Tucson 5, Kayenta 0 — WP: Willie Mitchell
Tucson 7, Kayenta 0 — WP: Erv Lange
Kayenta 5, Tucson 3 — WP: Vic Aldridge
Kayenta 5, Tucson 4 — WP: Rube Marquard
Kayenta 7, Tucson 6 (10) — WP: Ray Keating
Tucson 9, Kayenta 8 (10) — WP: Doc Ayers
Tucson 2, Kayenta 1 — WP: Willie Mitchell

At first it looked like Tucson would skunk Cactus Cup newcomer Kayenta, shutting out the Turquoise Warriors in the first two games and only giving up a handful of hits. Then, it looked like Kayenta would rally for an improbable Arizona League championship. But then, two tight games went Tucson's way, and the Saguaros hoisted the Cactus Champions Cup for the second time in franchise history.

Tucson won both Game Six and Game Seven with "walk-off" plays.

Kayenta led Game Six 8-6 going into the ninth, but the Saguaros rallied to tie with two runs, then won the game in the 10th. RF George Anderson beat out an infield hit with one out in the 10th off pitcher Vic Aldridge, then Heinie Zimmerman singled off new pitcher Sailor Stroud, sending Anderson to third. With one out, Ty Cobb put the ball in play, and the Turquoise Warriors couldn't make a play at home in time to get Anderson.

Game Seven was a pitcher's duel for sure between Willie Mitchell of Tucson and Rube Marquard of Kayenta. Tucson scratched a run across in the first, then Kayenta answered with a run in the fourth. The teams remained off the board until the Saguaros came to bat in the bottom of the ninth.

Zimmerman got aboard to lead off the ninth due to an error on Kayenta's third baseman (can you say Bill Buckner?). Zimmerman stole second, then reached third when the Warriors' threw the ball away trying to nab him (Buckner, part II).

C Tex Erwin was intentionally walked, then Fournier popped out to first trying to lift a sac fly into right field. Harry Hooper also was walked on purpose to load 'em up and create a force play at any base. While Rube Marquard struck out Frank Owens, he let one get away against pinch hitter Bobby Veach. Zimmerman scored on the wild pitch for a wild finish to this nip-and-tuck championship series. Wow... A series lost on a wild pitch... There has got to be a curse at work somewhere here

A few other interesting notes:
• The home team never lost in this series ...

• Ty Cobb batted just .220 in the playoffs. He was moved to the lead-off spot for some games, while hard-swinging catcher Tex Erwin (.389) shined in the clean-up spot.

• 2B Claud "Deek" Derrick appeared in three of the seven Cactus Cup games for Kayenta and made the most of his chances. He had five hits (one was a homer) and scored two runs in 10 at-bats.

• Kayenta 1B George Burns was Player of the Game three times during the playoffs. He had Kayenta's best average in the post-season, .393, with two homers and six RBIs.

• Now, only Sedona and Carefree from the 16-team Arizona League have failed to make Cactus Cup series... Tucson is one of only four franchises to have multiple titles.


Arizona League Championships
Prescott: 5
Payson: 3
Bisbee: 2
Tucson: 2
Cottonwood: 1
Flagstaff: 1
Grand Canyon: 1
Nogales: 1
Phoenix: 1
Tempe: 1
TOTAL = 18

Cactus Champions Cup appearances (and winning percentage):
Prescott: 6 (.833)
Grand Canyon: 4 (.250)
Payson: 4 (.775)
Nogales: 3 (.333)
Tucson: 5 (.400)
Yuma: 3 (.000)
Bisbee: 2 (1.000)
Flagstaff: 2 (.500)
Cottonwood: 1 (1.000)
Tempe: 1 (1.000)
Phoenix: 1 (1.000)
Jerome: 2 (.000)
Tombstone: 1 (.000)
Kayenta: 1 (.000)
Sedona: 0
Carefree/Lake Havasu: 0
TOTAL = 36

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
1916:Payson beat Tucson 4 to 1
1917:Tempe beat Jerome 4 to 3
1918:Tucson beat Kayenta 4 to 3

[AZTarHeel]

1918 Award Winners

Top Hurler Awards
Payson right-hander Charley Hall took home the desired trophy from the Northern League. He certainly earned it, striking fear into hitters all year long. He was very stingy with runs (1.62 ERA, 1st in the NL) and that obviously contributed to him winning 29 games (1st in the NL) and losing only 9. He struck out 249 and walked 155 in 361.1 innings. He had 37 complete games and 6 shutouts. Hall wins the award for the 3rd time in his 11-year career.

Carefree's right-hander Jeff Tesreau was untouchable much of the year, with a resume similar to Hall's. It's no wonder he's the SL's top pitcher. This season Tesreau compiled an ERA of 2.03, going 29-9 in 39 starts. He fanned 191 while giving up 259 hits in 362.2 innings. He had 36 complete games and 5 shutouts. He was 2nd in the Southern in ERA and 1st in wins.


Big Stick Awards
Despite the lack of a title this season, Payson centerfielder Tris Speaker had a fabulous season, no doubt about it. The Northern shared this opinion and gave the 30 year old another Big Stick honor. Speaker hit 5 homers this year while batting a whopping .341. He added 53 doubles, along with 92 runs scored. He was 1st in the Northern in batting and 1st in RBIs. This is Speaker's third Big Stick in nine years.

Tempe rightfielder Babe Ruth also picked up his third Big Stick, in only his third year in the league. Ruth hit 25 long balls this year while batting .298. He added 34 doubles, along with 99 runs scored. He was 6th in the Southern in batting, 1st in homeruns and 2nd in RBI! His career line thus far: 1,614 at-bats, 504 hits, .312 average, 92 doubles, 23 triples, 84 homers, 301 RBIs, 290 runs, 332 walks, 468 Ks, 42 stolen bases, .430 OBP, .554 SLG, .984 OPS. Nice...


Rookie of the Year Awards
The 1918 Northern Rookie of the Year winner is from Kayenta this season. Charlie Hollocher, age 22, put together impressive numbers for a rookie. He batted .299 with one homer this season. His 163 hits and 66 walks added up to a .375 on-base percentage. He was 5th in the Northern in batting.

The 1918 Southern Rookie of the Year winner is from Tempe this season. Mike Regan, age 29, put together impressive numbers for a rookie en route to win the first major award of his career. Opposing players hit .222 against the Tempe pitcher this season. While posting an ERA of 2.45 he went 13-11 in 24 starts, fanning 67 and walking 37 hitters. Mike pitched one shutout and 22 complete games.


Field General Awards
Northern Field General Award Winners:
Pitcher: Ray Collins (PRE)
Catcher: Ted Easterly (PAY)
First Base: George Burns (KAY)
Second Base: Eddie Collins (PRE)
Third Base: Fritz Maisel (PRE)
Shortstop: Ernie Johnson (PRE)
Leftfield: Edd Roush (JER)
Centerfield: Tris Speaker (PAY)
Rightfield: Danny Moeller (PAY)

Southern Field General Award Winners:
Pitcher: Red Causey (YUM)
Catcher: Art Wilson (CAR)
First Base: Dick Hoblitzel (BIS)
Second Base: Del Pratt (YUM)
Third Base: Harry Lord (YUM)
Shortstop: Arnold Hauser (BIS)
Leftfield: Joe Connolly (BIS)
Centerfield: Ty Cobb (TUC)
Rightfield: Grover Gilmore (BIS)

[AZTarHeel]

1918 News and Notes

An assortment of items from the most recent season in the Arizona League:

A Victorious Start?
I'm sure everyone is dying to know how Phinieus "Lil Doc" Victory III — the grandson of the Arizona League's commissioner — did in his first professional season. Well, the AZL's first "fictional" player actually performed much better than anticipated.

The 23-year-old right fielder batted .301 for Carefree's Double A team, located in Anthem. He had 18 doubles, one triple and 10 -- wow -- home runs. He recorded 59 RBIs and scored 69 times. He did strike out 131 times, so that's not too great. Scouts don't see him breaking into Carefree's Big Club lineup any time soon, though he did enjoy a brief foray with Carefree's Triple A team in nearby Cave Creek. He had five hits in 19 at-bats, with two doubles and four RBIs near the end of the season. Grandpa was pretty proud -- and surprised...

Smokin' Pitcher
"Smoky Joe" Wood pitched a no-no for Bisbee on May 6 (my sister's birthday by the way). He blanked Tombstone. Mike Menosky spoiled the bid for a perfect game when he walked with 1 away in the 7th inning. Wood (5-3 at the time) struck out 8 and issued 3 walks in all, throwing 64 of his 107 pitches for strikes. Amazingly Bisbee won just 1-0. Catcher Bill Carrigan of the Prospectors stroked 2 hits in support of his starter.

Lots of 1, 2 and 3 hitters this season. Wood must have Tombstone's number because he had a two-hitter against the Epitaphs later in the season. (Looking at the News items, I see another two-hitter against Tombstone, by Phoenix pitcher Art Fromme. Geez, the Epis are bad...)

Big Hittin'
• Nogales slugger Jimmy Walsh had a three home-run game against Yuma on July 13. He had a two-run shot in the second inning, a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run long ball in the sixth -- all against Yuma's battered hurler Bugs Raymond. Walsh had six RBIs for the game. Nogales won 12-2.

Only four other players have hit three HRs in a game, and no one has hit more than three. The last to do it, Babe Ruth of Tempe in 1917.

• Payson CF Tris Speaker was 5-for-5 with two RBIs against Flagstaff in May ... Wally Pipp of Tombstone had the same line against Tucson in August, but he managed six RBIs. The only other player to get five hits in a season was Sedona's Johnny Rawlings.

• Kayenta's Frank Snyder had seven RBIs on three hits against Sedona on May 25...

Iron Men
Tucson pitcher Ralph Glaze gave up just three hits in FIFTEEN (15.0!) innings of work against Nogales in a mid-summer game. He struck out three and allowed just one run.

Payson's Nick Cullop lasted 14 innings and surrendered only four hits against Jerome on Aug. 9. He fanned nine without giving up a run. Then his arm felt like rubber for a week...

Career Men
• Nogales CF Sherry Magee had 11 triples this season -- not bad for a 34-year-old -- to pad his lead in the career standings. He now has 204 triples lifetime...

• "Shoeless Joe" Jackson of Nogales is now the career leader for batting average (minimum 2000 AB), batting .334, just ahead of Tris Speaker's .331 clip...

• Carefree closer Alex "Lick" Malloy saved six games this season, increasing his career total to 52 -- best by far in the Arizona League. I think the next closest is 39 or so...


Record Breaker
• Bisbee's Benny Kauff set a new Southern League record with 82 stolen bases. That's one better than the NL record...