[gori14]

It's good to see that you have a team from Nogales and since i am a former Apache I will continue to root for my hometown team.

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by gori14

It's good to see that you have a team from Nogales and since i am a former Apache I will continue to root for my hometown team.

No problem -- hats off to the 1902 Cactus Cup champs!! Thanks for stopping by ...

[AZTarHeel]

OK, so I'm getting way too involved in my "simple" dynasty idea ... Anyways, I have compiled a few logos and am interested in getting some more ...

If anyone is interested in helping with some logos, here's my "cry" for help in the Mods forum... Thanks for any help anyone can provide:

LOGO REQUEST

[AZTarHeel]

1902 Season Wrap-up

All-Star Game
The Arizona League's second annual showcase game produced a thriller, won by the Northern League's top players 9-7 ... It was definitely not a pitcher's duel, with the two squads combining for 23 hits. The 20 mph winds may have had something to do with that ...

Northern catcher Fred Jacklitsch earns MVP honors after a 3-for-3 performance ... 1B Frank Chance, Topsy Hartsell and "Fighting" Harry Wolverton each had two hits for the North, with one of Fighting Harry's being a triple in the eighth inning ... The winning pitcher ended up being Cottonwood's Roger Denzer, last year's Best Young Player from the Northern League.

(I forgot to look at the 1901 All-Star game ... I'll find the score and plug it in somewhere)


Award Winners

Northern Best Young Player
Carl Lundgren (Grand Canyon River Runners)
He had a record of 20-11 with an ERA of 2.50 and 2 shutouts for the Northern League pennant winners. In 40 games started, he pitched 309 innings, fanning 86 and walking 76 batters.

Southern Best Young Player
Mike O'Neill (Prescott Antelopes)
He had a record of 32-7 with an ERA of 2.68 and 6 shutouts. In 39 games started, he pitched 353 innings, fanning 105 and walking 68 batters. His 32 wins is a new Arizona League record and may be unmatched for years to come...

Northern Top Hurler Award
Roger Denzer (Cottonwood Monsoon)
He had a record of 28-14 with an ERA of 2.07 and 6 shutouts. In 44 games started, he pitched 395 innings, fanning 120 and walking 39 batters. (He also won the All-Star Game MVP, see above)...

Northern Big Stick Award
Mike Donlin (Kayenta Turquoise Warriors)
He batted .353 in 550 AB, with 10 homers and 84 RBI, keeping Kayenta in the playoff chase until the final week of the season (they were two games short)...

Southern Top Hurler Award
Mike O'Neill (Prescott Antelopes)
A very nice debut season for him. O'Neill fit right in to Prescott's more temperate climate and beat the 5,000-foot elevation, posting - as stated above - a record of 32-7 with an ERA of 2.68 and 6 shutouts. No "Coors Field" effect for him ...

Southern Big Stick Award
Billy Hamilton (Prescott Antelopes)
Hamilton gave his pitchers like O'Neill plenty of runs to work with, batting .351 in 587 AB, with 10 homers and 97 RBI for the Southern League regular season champs...

Northern Field General Award Winners
Pitcher: Togie Pittinger (Cottonwood)
Catcher: Roger Bresnahan (Flagstaff)
First Base: Bill Everitt (Cottonwood)
Second Base: Nap Lajoie (Jerome)
Third Base: Lave Cross (Cottonwood)
Shortstop: Billy Gilbert (Sedona)
Leftfield: Homer Smoot (Kayenta)
Centerfield: Jimmy Slagle (Sedona)
Rightfield: Cy Seymour (Grand Canyon)

Southern Field General Award Winners
Pitcher: Doc White (Bisbee)
Catcher: Ossee Schreckengost (Phoenix)
First Base: Fred Tenney (Phoenix)
Second Base: Bobby Lowe (Tempe)
Third Base: Bert Conn (Tombstone)
Shortstop: Joe Tinker (Tombstone)
Leftfield: Dick Harley (Yuma)
Centerfield: Chick Stahl (Yuma)
Rightfield: Sam Mertes (Nogales)

Interesting that the two Cactus Cup teams, Nogales and Grand Canyon, had just one field general winner apiece ...


No-Hitters

Once again, there were two in the Arizona League this season:

• Roscoe Miller of Flagstaff came within one walk of a perfect game on June 11. He struck out six for the Lumberjacks...

• Bob Rhoads of Sedona tossed his no-hitter just a few weeks later on July 26, 1902 (6 Ks, 5 BB) … He was a little more wild ...

[AZTarHeel]

I went back and looked at the 1901 All-Star Game -- it was a memorable one to say the least ... The Southern League team scores 1 in the first, and the Northern Leaguers answer with 1 in the third ... then the teams are scoreless until the top of the 10th, when Southern catcher Mike Grady from the Prescott Antelopes strokes a bases clearing triple for a 4-1 SL victory ... The WP is Joe McGinnity from the Yuma Prisoners ...

After two years, the NL and SL are tied 1-1 in All-Star Games...

[AZTarHeel]

1902 Off-Season

Retiring players
Only two guys decide to hang it up after the 1902 campaign. Both were just cup-of-coffee guys anyways.

PHX: Jack Ryan retires ...
TOM: Arch Mccarthy retires ...

The Draft for 1903
For the second year in a row, the Tucson Saguaros have the first overall pick. And for the second year in a row, the team selects a pitcher. This time, it's Chief Bender. The right-hander is just 19 years old but scouts like his upside ... NOTE: Tucson's No. 1 pick from a year ago, pitcher Bob Wicker, finished 12-22 with a 4.17 ERA in his debut. Not exactly the splash the team was hoping for -- but fan support remains high...

Here's the complete list of newcomers to the Arizona League. Pitching continues to be at a premium:

Round 1:
Tucson pick: P Chief Bender
Bisbee pick: P Mordecai Brown
Payson pick: P Fred Burchell
Lake Havasu pick: P Gus Dorner
Jerome pick: P Patsy Flaherty
Flagstaff pick: P Barney Wolfe
Sedona pick: P Weldon Henley
Tempe pick: P Norwood Gibson
Tombstone pick: P Oscar Jones
Phoenix pick: P Kaiser Wilhelm
Yuma pick: P Jake Weimer
Nogales pick: P Gus Thompson
Kayenta pick: 2B Ed Abbaticchio
Grand Canyon pick: 2B Johnny Evers
Cottonwood pick: P John Deering
Prescott pick: P Chappie Mcfarland

Round 2 :
Tucson pick: P Jesse Stovall
Bisbee pick: RF Walt Mccredie
Payson pick: 3B Pep Clark
Lake Havasu pick: P Henry Schmidt
Jerome pick: RF Jimmy Sebring
Flagstaff pick: P Ambrose Puttmann
Sedona pick: 3B Dave Brain
Tempe pick: C Frank Roth
Tombstone pick: P War Sanders
Phoenix pick: C Ed Phelps
Yuma pick: RF Jack Dunleavy
Nogales pick: CF Danny Hoffman
Kayenta pick: P Bucky Veil
Grand Canyon pick: LF Davy Jones
Cottonwood pick: SS Lee Demontreville
Prescott pick: 2B Rabbit Robinson

Round 3 :
Tucson pick: SS Simon Nicholls
Bisbee pick: RF John Titus
Payson pick: SS Charles Moran
Lake Havasu pick: 3B Joe Yeager
Jerome pick: CF Pat Hynes
Flagstaff pick: C Lew Ritter
Sedona pick: 2B Dutch Jordan
Tempe pick: SS Charlie Babb
Tombstone pick: C Fred Abbott
Phoenix pick: 1B Charlie Carr
Yuma pick: C Fred Carisch
Nogales pick: C Monte Beville
Kayenta pick: SS Harry Aubrey
Grand Canyon pick: 3B Hunter Hill
Cottonwood pick: P Jack Doscher
Prescott pick: RF Joe Martin

Round 4 :
Tucson pick: P Bill Bartley
Bisbee pick: P Grant Thatcher
Payson pick: C Charlie Moran
Lake Havasu pick: 3B Lee Tannehill
Jerome pick: C Tommy Raub
Flagstaff pick: P Jim Fairbank
Sedona pick: P Jimmy Wiggs
Tempe pick: SS Champ Osteen
Tombstone pick: RF Joe Marshall
Phoenix pick: CF Elmer Bliss

[AZTarHeel]

1903 Season Standings

Here are the final standings for year three of the Arizona League ... Poor Tucson. At least the Saguaros will get another No. 1 overall pick, their third in a row after winning just 62 and 61 games the two prior years...

Northern Division

Team         	W	L	PCT	GB	 Pyt.Rec	Diff	 	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Jerome    	96	66	.593	-	100-62	-4	 	53-28	43-38	7-8	31-22	*	L1	5-5
Lake Havasu	91	71	.562	5.0	83-79	8	 	42-39	49-32	15-6	34-28	-	W1	5-5
Kayenta  	88	74	.543	8.0	91-71	-3	 	45-36	43-38	7-9	29-22	-	W3	6-4
Flagstaff	85	77	.525	11.0	87-75	-2	 	39-42	46-35	3-10	23-27	-	W1	6-4
Cottonwood	75	87	.463	21.0	72-90	3	 	33-48	42-39	7-12	19-25	-	L2	6-4
Grand Canyon	75	87	.463	21.0	81-81	-6	 	37-44	38-43	10-10	21-39	-	W2	6-4
Payson    	71	91	.438	25.0	66-96	5	 	32-49	39-42	11-4	30-24	-	L1	5-5
Sedona   	67	95	.414	29.0	68-94	-1	 	35-46	32-49	9-10	26-26	-	L7	1-9

Southern Division

Team         	W	L	PCT	GB	 Pyt.Rec	Diff	 	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Prescott	93	69	.574	-	94-68	-1	 	45-36	48-33	8-4	27-23	*	W1	6-4
Bisbee     	90	72	.556	3.0	90-72	0	 	46-35	44-37	4-6	29-26	-	L1	6-4
Nogales   	89	73	.549	4.0	96-66	-7	 	43-38	46-35	8-9	19-25	-	W7	7-3
Yuma      	81	81	.500	12.0	80-82	1	 	42-39	39-42	11-7	27-23	-	L2	6-4
Phoenix   	79	83	.488	14.0	80-82	-1	 	37-44	42-39	9-6	28-26	-	W1	4-6
Tempe    	78	84	.481	15.0	78-84	0	 	36-45	42-39	6-8	28-30	-	W4	5-5
Tombstone	74	88	.457	19.0	69-93	5	 	36-45	38-43	5-8	26-23	-	L4	5-5
Tucson    	64	98	.395	29.0	59-103	5	 	33-48	31-50	6-9	21-29	-	L1	1-9

Nogales made a late charge at winning a wildcard spot in the Southern but winning the final seven games of the regular season still left them one game short. The Apaches beat second-place Bisbee on the final day of the regular season but that game meant nothing. A three-game losing skid before the seven-game win streak essentially took Nogales out of contention... For the first time, the SL will be represented in the Cactus Champions Cup series by someone other than the boys from Nogales...

In the North, Jerome achieves its most noteworthy season to date ... The playoffs could produce an all-mountain mining town final if Jerome and Bisbee both advance to the Cactus Cup...

[AZTarHeel]

1903 Playoffs

Northern League Divisional Playoffs

Jerome 4, Lake Havasu 1

The Copper Miners had the best ERA in the Arizona League this season, and they certainly kept that up in game one, beating the Blues 3-1 on a two-hitter by Patsy Flaherty. During the rest of the series, Jerome came to be known as the Copper Comeback Kids. They rallied from a 5-0 deficit to win game two, 10-5 and then rallied from a 4-0 deficit to win game four, 7-5.

A 14-hit effort give Jerome a convincing game five victory and the series championship.


Southern League Divisional Playoffs

Prescott 4, Bisbee 3

The first two games were blowouts, with the Prescott Antelopes winning the opener 12-2, and the Bisbee Prospectors taking the next match-up 9-1. The rest of the series was close however. Bisbee lost a 3-1 series lead, allowing the 'Lopes to win game five 2-0, game six 7-6 (winning run in the bottom of the eighth) and game seven 4-2. Some serious heartbreak in Prospector country... Winning pitcher Bill Donovan tosses a six-hitter to put Prescott in its first Cactus Cup series...


Cactus Champions Cup

Prescott 4, Jerome 2

The 'Lopes set the tone early, winning the first two games in Jerome, 2-0 and 3-2. Deacon Phillippe and Mike O'Neill get the pitching victories. But Prescott couldn't defend its home turf, losing a pair to the Copper Miners. Those Comeback Kids scored three runs in the top of the ninth to win game four 7-5...

O'Neill came up with a big pitching performance to push Prescott to a game five win, 4-2. Game six was all Prescott, with Donovan shutting out the Miners 5-0... He's definitely the playoff MVP for the Antelopes...

Centerfielder Billy Hamilton from Prescott led the offensive charge with a .326 batting average. The first draft pick in AZ League history, Nap Lajoie of Jerome, batted a robust .357 in the post-season but only had four RBIs...

Hats off to the 1903 champions, the Prescott Antelopes!!! The third team to win in the AZ League's three-year history...

[AZTarHeel]

1903 News & Notes

All-Star Game
The Southern Leaguers absolutely demolished their Northern brethern 13-5. The boys from the South pounded out 19 hits. "We all were in a zone," said game MVP Harry Bemis, who finished 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs. "We could have played all night..."

The Southern League took a 2-1 series lead, avenging last year's 9-7 defeat.


No Hitters
After four no-no's the first two seasons of the AZ League, there were none this year. Flagstaff's Vic Willis did have a one-hitter against Payson. Jerome's Jack Harper had a one-hitter against Sedona. Despite its woes in the W-L column, Tucson got a one-hitter from Win Kellum against Yuma. Cottonwood's Roger Denzer had a one-hitter early in the season before being shelved for two months due to injury...


There were numerous two-hitters during the season...


Injury Notebook
Tempe's Frank Roth missed a couple of games after getting some teeth knocked out in bar fight in after a game against Phoenix. Apparently there were arguments over a girl...

Flagstaff lost pitcher Roscoe Miller for the season due to a shoulder injury in July ... No career-enders this season...


Misc.
• Pitcher Ned Garvin was a bit of a nomad this season. After helping lead Payson to an AZ League championship in 1901, he was traded to last-place Tucson in June 1903 for pitcher Jack Powell. Tucson then turned around and traded Garvin to Nogales for pitcher Jesse Tannehill a month later. Interestingly, Tannehill also has a championship under his belt during his time in Nogales ... All three pitchers involved are 29 years old, so these were some interesting moves...

Still not many trades in the AZ League. Teams are a little gun shy in that department just yet ... (Note: financials are off right now for this dynasty)

• Cottonwood and Prescott had the best attendance of anyone in the league ...

[AZTarHeel]

1903 Awards

Top Hurlers
The 1903 Northern Top Hurler Award winner is from Payson this year. Noodles Hahn put together impressive numbers on the mound — an ERA of 1.90 and a 23-15 record. He struck out 111 and walked 52 in 360.1 innings. He pitched 33 complete games with 4 shutouts. Noodles ended up first in the Northern in ERA and third in wins...

Deacon Phillippe will never forget this year. His dominating season convinced the Southern League to name the Prescott right-hander the Top Hurler Award winner of 1903. This season Phillippe compiled an ERA of 2.53, going 29-11 in 40 starts. He fanned 108 while giving up 301 hits in 359.1 innings. He has 40 complete games and 4 shutouts. He was 5th in the Southern in ERA and 1st in wins...


Big Stick Awards
The Northern Big Stick Award goes to Flag's Sam Crawford, who also won the honor in 1901. He continued to swing the bat with power, hitting 20 homeruns while batting .354 this season. His 187 hits and 45 walks add up to a .407 on-base percentage. He's 1st in the Northern in batting, 1st in homeruns and 3rd in RBI...

The Southern Big Stick Award goes to Ed Delahanty of Phoenix. He had an extraordinary season as well! He hit 11 taters while batting .291 this season. His 174 hits and 53 walks add up to a .352 on-base percentage. He was 7th in the Southern in batting, 3rd in homeruns and 1st in RBI ...


Rookies of the Year
Flagstaff's Barney Wolfe compiled an ERA of 2.67 in his debut in the Arizona League, going 24-17 in 41 starts for the Lumberjacks. He fanned 99 while giving up 353 hits in 370.1 innings. Barney pitched 5 shutouts and 41 complete games. He's 2nd in the Northern in wins!

The Southern Best Young Player is Tombstone's Oscar Jones. His ERA of 3.10 helped him to a 18-12 record this year. He struck out 70 and walked 64 in 310.1 innings. He has 8 complete games and 3 shutouts.


Field General Award Winners

Northern League
Pitcher: Weldon Henley (SED)
Catcher: Heinie Peitz (KAY)
First Base: Frank Isbell (JER)
Second Base: Johnny Evers (GCA)
Third Base: Bill Coughlin (JER)
Shortstop: Honus Wagner (KAY)
Leftfield: Homer Smoot (KAY)
Centerfield: Roy Thomas (LAK)
Rightfield: Sam Crawford (FLG)

Southern League
Pitcher: Roy Patterson (NOG)
Catcher: Frank Roth (TEM)
First Base: Kitty Bransfield (TEM)
Second Base: Bobby Lowe (TEM)
Third Base: Billy Clingman (PRE)
Shortstop: Joe Tinker (TOM)
Leftfield: Kip Selbach (TOM)
Centerfield: Chick Stahl (YUM)
Rightfield: Fred Ketchum (TUC)

[AZTarHeel]

1903 Top Performers

Sam Crawford has been tearing it up for Flagstaff ...

Season Leaderboard

TOP 5 in BATTING AVG :
.354 Sam Crawford(FLG,NL)
.346 John Mcgraw(NOG,SL)
.333 Emmet Heidrick(TOM,SL)
.322 Willie Keeler(CTW)
.314 Bill Keister(CTW)

TOP 5 in HOMERUNS :
20 Sam Crawford(FLG,NL)
16 Frank Foutz(TUC)
16 Socks Seybold(JER)
15 Ginger Beaumont(PAY)
12 Bill Coughlin(JER,NL)

TOP 5 in RBI :
99 Ed Delahanty(PHX,SL)
92 Fred Clarke(CTW,NL)
90 Patsy Dougherty(FLG)
88 Joe Kelley(PHX,SL)
87 Sam Crawford(FLG,NL)

TOP 5 in ERA :
1.90 Noodles Hahn(PAY,NL)
2.10 James Callahan(TEM)
2.29 Vic Willis(FLG)
2.42 Jack Chesbro(GCA)
2.45 Henry Thielman(JER)

TOP 5 in WINS :
29 Deacon Phillippe(PRE,SL)
25 Roy Patterson(NOG,SL)
25 Jack Harper(JER,NL)
24 Barney Wolfe( FLA,NL)
24 Doc White(BIS)


Notable Performances

• Grand Canyon's Charlie Case threw a four-hitter over 13 INNINGS, with only one walk. Now that's control! His game score was 104...

• Payson's Jack "Red" Powell went 14 innings in the hot sun of July to beat Sedona. He only gave up eight hits. "I could have pitched another six or eight innings," Powell said afterward. "I was feeling great."

• Jerome's Bill Coughlin had three hits and eight RBIs against Cottonwood ... He had six RBIs in a Cactus Cup series game against Prescott, a 7-5 Jerome victory...

And now, on to 1904...

[AZTarHeel]

Following the 1903 season, owners and key personnel for each of the 16 Arizona League teams gathered in Prescott, home of the 1903 AZL champs, for the first-ever Winter Meetings. It was mainly an excuse to get together and party on Whiskey Row, but there was some business discussed.

Here are some of the highlights:

• An idea was floated to make the Cactus Champions Cup series a best-of-nine affair rather than best-of-seven. "These are the top two teams in baseball. They should be on stage for as long as possible," Bisbee's owner said. Ironically, Bisbee lost to Prescott 4-3 in this past season's Cactus Cup... No action was taken on the matter.

• Owners did resolve to keep the League Division series best-of-seven instead of switching in back to best-of-five...

• Phinieus "Doc" Victory was given a five-year term as commissioner of the Arizona League. Much of the league's inception was his brain-child. The 44-year-old with a peg-leg is a native of the Cottonwood-Jerome area. He has no ownership responsibilities with regards to individual teams, so no conflict of interest is expected. "His integrity is impeccable," one owner said. "He was one heck of a player before he lost that leg in a mining accident."

• A marketing group was employed to better publicize the league. "We need graphics and logos," Victory told owners. "People identify with colors and mascots and flashy things like that." Teams were encouraged to submit official team colors before the start of the 1904 season so the marketing committee could get too work.

• Owners from Lake Havasu discussed their struggles to keep a consistent fan base. "We're kind of far away from many of the teams in the North," they said. "Opponents just don't travel to see us. Grand Canyon and Kayenta in Monument Valley are far away from others, too, but they've got better natural wonders than we do." People will travel there.

There were rumors floated that the Blues might try to move closer to the Phoenix Metro area in the next couple of years. Havasu officials would not comment, only to say they would be back by the Lake in 1904... (Irony- I don't think there was a lake there in '04, right?)

• If Lake Havasu did move, Prescott Antelopes owners expressed interest in being shifted to the Northern League, while putting a new Phoenix-based team in the Southern. "We're a better fit up North," owners said. "Frankly, we felt a bit shafted being put in the Southern League to begin with but we understood that there wasn't a perfect geographic balance of teams."

• Officials from the Tucson Saguaros continued to maintain that they have ample support to keep their franchise afloat, despite horrible win-loss records. "We haven't gotten the job done on the field yet, but the fans are with us. We just hope they stay with us, as we aim to build a championship contender."

• The rules committee floated a proposal to outlaw the sale of whiskey and other "potent" alcoholic drinks at games. Prescott leaders successfully got that proposal shot down, with help from Tucson officials... "It's baseball. IT's supposed to be a festive atmosphere..." Some Tucson fans say the whiskey is the only reason they even go to games in the first place. That, and to watch great players on other teams...

• Several complaints were lodged against the Jerome Copper Miners by opposing franchises in the Northern League. "We just hate to play there," one owner said in a closed door session. "It's a lewd, crude city. It's one of the most devilish places in all of Arizona, and it would suit me fine if we never went back. We were propositioned by prostitutes just walking down the main street."

Jerome officials just laughed off the complaints. "They are just mad because we play a pretty mean game of baseball up on the hill."

• The league announced that the following players have officially played their last games with the league:

Bert Cunningham retires ...
Deacon Mcguire retires ...
Jim Mcguire retires ...
Pop Schriver retires ...
SED: Sam Dungan retires ...
CTW: Joe Quinn retires ...
PRE: Frank Foreman retires ...
TEM: Bill Hart retires ...
BIS: Dummy Hoy retires ...

[AZTarHeel]

Owners agreed wholeheartedly to make the Winter Meetings an annual part of the Arizona League. For now, the meeting will be held in the town/city that wins the previous Cactus Champions Cup (though some have vowed to boycott if that's ever Jerome)...

Owners also voted to make the annual amateur player draft the final component of the Winter Meetings. "We're all together. We might as well pick the new guys," Commissioner Victory said...

Here's how the 1904 turned out:

For the third year in a row, the Tucson Saguaros have the first pick. For the third year, they go with a pitcher. They just can't seem to get that rotation together ... A player by the name of Bull Durham goes late to Jerome... Other than that, I frankly don't recognize that many names. But there is a prospect that nearly everyone is familiar with who will be part of the 1905 draft...

Round 1:
Tucson pick: P Barney Pelty
Sedona pick: P Red Ames
Payson pick: P Frank Corridon
Tombstone pick: P Nick Altrock
Grand Canyon pick: P Frank Smith
Cottonwood pick: P Ed Walsh
Tempe pick: P Hooks Wiltse
Phoenix pick: P Andy Coakley
Yuma pick: P Walter Clarkson
Flagstaff pick: P Fred Glade
Kayenta pick: P Beany Jacobson
Nogales pick: LF Sherry Magee
Bisbee pick: P Otto Hess
Lake Havasu pick: P Chick Robitaille
Prescott pick: P Cy Morgan
Jerome pick: P Tom Fisher

Round 2 :
Tucson pick: P Ed Killian
Sedona pick: P Doc Reisling
Payson pick: P Mike Lynch
Tombstone pick: P Del Mason
Grand Canyon pick: 2B Miller Huggins
Cottonwood pick: 3B Art Devlin
Tempe pick: 1B Jake Stahl
Phoenix pick: RF Harry Lumley
Yuma pick: CF Rip Cannell
Flagstaff pick: P Ed Mcnichol
Kayenta pick: 3B Mike Mccormick
Nogales pick: 3B Emil Batch
Bisbee pick: 2B Jim Delahanty
Lake Havasu pick: P Charlie Jaeger
Prescott pick: RF Doc Gessler
Jerome pick: P Claude Elliott

Round 3 :
Tucson pick: SS Terry Turner
Sedona pick: LF Spike Shannon
Payson pick: P Ralph Caldwell
Tombstone pick: CF Harry Mcchesney
Grand Canyon pick: C Admiral Schlei
Cottonwood pick: 1B Jiggs Donahue
Tempe pick: C Red Kleinow
Phoenix pick: C Claude Berry
Yuma pick: LF Rube Vinson
Flagstaff pick: LF Moose Mccormick
Kayenta pick: 2B Rabbit Nill
Nogales pick: C Pete Noonan
Bisbee pick: P John Brackenridge
Lake Havasu pick: LF Lou Bruce
Prescott pick: CF Bill O'neill
Jerome pick: C Tom Needham

Round 4 :
Tucson pick: SS Charley O'leary
Sedona pick: C Tom Doran
Payson pick: 2B Gus Dundon
Tombstone pick: CF Hugh Hill
Grand Canyon pick: SS Joe Cassidy
Cottonwood pick: 2B Bill Lauterborn
Tempe pick: CF Bob Hall
Phoenix pick: SS She Donahue
Yuma pick: C Doc Marshall
Flagstaff pick: 3B Sam Woodruff
Kayenta pick: LF Fred Odwell
Nogales pick: 2B Simmy Murch
Bisbee pick: P Jim Mcginley
Lake Havasu pick: P Fred Applegate
Prescott pick: RF Izzy Hoffman
Jerome pick: P Bull Durham

Round 5 :
Tucson pick: 2B Jim Mullin
Sedona pick: 1B Bill Schwartz
Payson pick: RF Harry Cassady

[AZTarHeel]

1904 Season Standings/Wrap-Up

The fourth season of the Arizona League is in the books. This was the summer of the Grand Canyon River Runners, the only team in the AZ League to win more than 100 games in the regular season (104-58). The 'Runners came out of nowhere after winning just 75 games the year before and finishing tied for fifth in the Northern League... Grand Canyon was tough at home (52 wins) and on the road (52 wins). The team closed with eight wins in its last 10 contests to win the NL going away.

Grand Canyon had power (61 HRs, 2nd in the league) and loved to run (324 stolen bases). No one scored as many runs during the season (738 total).

The pitching staff was first rate, led by Frank Smith (29-12, 2.05 ERA), Carl Lundgren (26-13, 2.49 ERA) and Jack "Give Me A Bacon Double" Chesbro (26-13, 2.67 ERA). As a team, the 'Runners posted a stellar 2.66 ERA, also first in the NL. Opponents batted just .226 against them... The good news: Smith and Lundgren are just 24 years old. Chesbro, who is actually nicknamed "Happy Jack", is 30 but seems to have a lot left in his arm...

25-year-old left-handed catcher Zaza Harvey paced the Grand Canyon offense with a .263 average, 23 doubles, nine triples, six HRs and 84 RBIs. He was an All-Star and a Field General Award winner...

This seems like a team built to be a contender for awhile...

Northern League Standings

Team      	W	L	PCT	GB	 Pyt.Rec	Diff	 	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Grand Canyon	104	58	.642	-	103-59	1	 	52-29	52-29	8-9	32-22	*	W4	8-2
Flagstaff	85	77	.525	19.0	84-78	1	 	40-41	45-36	14-12	29-22	-	W5	6-4
Kayenta 	84	78	.519	20.0	83-79	1	 	39-42	45-36	11-9	23-27	-	L3	4-6
Sedona  	80	82	.494	24.0	81-81	-1	 	37-44	43-38	9-10	23-31	-	L4	5-5
Jerome  	79	83	.488	25.0	84-78	-5	 	41-40	38-43	9-9	22-29	-	W5	5-5
Payson  	78	84	.481	26.0	77-85	1	 	39-42	39-42	10-12	29-31	-	L2	5-5
Lake Havasu	77	85	.475	27.0	71-91	6	 	39-42	38-43	9-8	38-28	-	L1	4-6
Cottonwood	61	101	.377	43.0	65-97	-4	 	27-54	34-47	12-13	22-28	-	W1	3-7

The Southern League was much like last season, with the Bisbee Prospectors and Prescott Antelopes again finishing 1-2. This year, the Prospectors took the regular season crown with a 92-70 record. The Antelopes were 88-74. For the second year in a row, the Nogales Apaches were third, five games off the pace.

For all you Tucson Saguaros fans -- check this out!! For the first time in AZ League history, the Miracle Mile boys did not finish last!! The team won 79 games and appear on the upswing. (if anyone from the Tucson camp wants more info on the team, just let me know)

Southern League Standings

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	 Pyt.Rec	Diff	 	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Bisbee   	92	70	.568	-	90-72	2	 	45-36	47-34	15-5	34-23	*	W12	10-0
Prescott	88	74	.543	4.0	88-74	0	 	49-32	39-42	10-8	21-25	-	L1	6-4
Nogales 	83	79	.512	9.0	85-77	-2	 	41-40	42-39	10-12	34-31	-	L2	5-5
Tempe   	83	79	.512	9.0	83-79	0	 	40-41	43-38	8-8	31-32	-	W1	3-7
Phoenix 	82	80	.506	10.0	81-81	1	 	46-35	36-45	7-6	27-25	-	L1	4-6
Tucson  	79	83	.488	13.0	72-90	7	 	40-41	39-42	6-10	36-23	-	W1	5-5
Tombstone	77	85	.475	15.0	76-86	1	 	41-40	36-45	6-10	28-33	-	W3	5-5
Yuma    	64	98	.395	28.0	70-92	-6	 	35-46	29-52	7-10	18-37	-	L5	2-8

[Sir Lurksalot]

Well, at least Yuma will pick early in the draft this time...

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by Sir Lurksalot

Well, at least Yuma will pick early in the draft this time...

Yep ... I looked a little closer at Yuma for the season, and they really struggled in close games. The Prisoners were 18-37 in contests decided by one run. Also, the team ERA was 14th out of 16 (3.30) and they were 15th best in runs allowed ... Not the recipe for a strong season...

CF Otto Williams hit .294 and 1B Davey Crockett batted .283 to lead the offense ... Not much else around them however...

[AZTarHeel]

1904 Post-Season

Northern League Championship

Grand Canyon beats Flagstaff, 4-2
The River Runners overcame a deer-in-the-headlights start to this series to advance to its first Cactus Champions Cup series. The Flagstaff Lumberjacks won the Game One 11-2, scoring four runs in the top of the fourth and three in the top of second against a nervous Grand Canyon pitcher Frank Smith (eight walks). The 'Jacks then won a thrilling Game Two by a 2-1 count in 10 innings.

But you don't win 104 games in a season by rolling over at adversity. The River Runners came alive over the next four games, winning 4-2, 4-3, 4-2 and 7-3 to sweep into the Cactus Cup. One big key for Grand Canyon, keeping Flagstaff All-Star slugger Sam Crawford mostly in check. Wahoo Sam managed just six hits and three RBIs in the six-game series (23 ABs).

Southern League Championship

Prescott defeats Bisbee, 4-3
For the second year in a row, the Antelopes felled the Prospectors in a seven-game series. Just like the 1903 season, Bisbee won big in the opener, 8-2. But Prescott bounced back to win the next two games convincingly, 5-1 and 8-0.

Bisbee forced a Game Seven with a 1-0 triumph in Game Six, in a pitcher's duel between Frank Owen (BIS) and Mike O'Neill (PRE) that featured just nine total hits. Prescott jumped to an early 3-0 lead in Game Seven and held off a late Prospectors rally (four runs in the bottom of the ninth) to hold on for a 7-6 triumph.

Prescott catcher Mike Grady batted a whopping .464 for the series, with two home runs and four RBIs... Nice


Cactus Champions Cup

Prescott defeats Grand Canyon, 4-2
This time the River Runners couldn't overcome a 2-0 deficit. Grand Canyon won Game Three by a run but lost 7-1 in Game Four. Another one-run victory in Game Five kept the 'Runners alive, but the Antelopes became the first team in AZ League history to repeat as champions with a 3-2 victory in Game Six. Grand Canyon become the Cactus Cup's first two-time loser...

Grand Canyon nearly forced a Game Seven, snatching a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning after a home run by Miller "Hug" Huggins, the longest of his career at 408 feet. But Prescott answered with two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Pitcher "Wild Bill" Donovan then closed the deal, setting off another wild party on Whiskey Row in Prescott. Officials say the fanatic celebration nearly burned the town down...


Cactus Cup Champions
1901-Payson Longhorns (4-2 over Nogales)
1902-Nogales Apaches (4-1 over Grand Canyon)
1903- Prescott Antelopes (4-2 over Jerome)
1904- Prescott Antelopes (4-2 over Grand Canyon)

[AZTarHeel]

oops, double post ...

[AZTarHeel]

1904 News & Notes

1904 All-Star Game
The Southern Leagues have won three of four AZ League championships and also three of four All-Star games. Like last year, the Southern boys drilled their Northern comrades 12-2 ... MVP Joe Kelley (Phoenix Dust Devils) went 3-for-5 with TWO home runs and four RBIs ... Four other SL players had two hits each...

No-Hitters
Frank Smith tossed a no-no for Grand Canyon in early July against Payson (the first day after the All-Star Break). He didn't have any walks but four errors ruined the perfect game chance. Payson even scored a run...

Interestingly enough, the losing pitcher in that game, Payson's Noodles Hahn, had a no-hitter a month earlier against Sedona. In that game, Hahn walked one, and his teammates committed an error behind him.

The AZ League has had six no-hitters in four years (probably too many, eh). Here are the members of this exclusive club:

LEAGUE HISTORY - NO HITTERS
5/5/1901, Jack Chesbro (GCA), 7 K, 2 BB
9/28/1901, Jack Taylor (NOG), 2 K, 0 BB (PERFECT GAME!)
6/11/1902, Roscoe Miller (FLG), 6 K, 1 BB
7/26/1902, Bob Rhoads (SED), 6 K, 5 BB
6/5/1904, Noodles Hahn (PAY), 2 K, 1 BB
7/5/1904, Frank Smith (GCA), 3 K, 0 BB

Interesting note on Mr. Perfect Game Jack Taylor. He's been traded twice, from Nogales to Yuma and from Yuma to Sedona. After four seasons, he's 75-75 with a 3.33 ERA ...


Injury Notebook
The big news was the career-ending injury suffered by Phoenix's Fred Tenney. The 32-year-old first baseman tore up his knee pretty bad in July. "I'm done," he said. "I just don't have the spirit to try a comeback. It's been fun but I'll watch these young guys from now on..."

Tenney's career line: .260 average with a 1902 appearance in the All-Star game and a 1902 Field General Award...


Misc.
Pitcher Ned Garvin is certainly tired of changing addresses. After being traded twice in 1903, he was moved back to his original team, the Payson Longhorns, this season ... The next week after rejoining the 'Horns, he won Pitcher of the Week honors, winning two games with a 0.50 ERA

[jaxmagicman]

Hey great dynasty. I took a stab at some of your logos.