The Arizona League: Real Players. Fictional Teams

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by Sir Lurksalot

Yuma did lousy so they could get a high draft pick.

Yep, that's it ... I believe they'll get the No. 2 overall selection... Too bad the Babe doesn't come out this coming season ...

[AZTarHeel]

1913 Playoff Recap



Northern League

Prescott sails past defending champs, 4-1

Payson looked more than ready to defend its Arizona League title in Game One of the NL championship series, winning 8-4. The Longhorns scored two runs in the top of the eighth and two in the ninth to steal one away on the Antelopes' home diamond.

But the rest of the series belonged to the boys from Whiskey Row. Russ Ford pitched a two-hitter in Game Two, helping the 'Lopes win 2-1. Prescott then won three straight in Payson, 6-3, 2-1 and 5-0.

Jack Warhop, Happy Townsend and Ford got pitching victories in the road sweep. Prescott pitchers kept Payson quiet most of the series. Longhorn leadoff man Ginger Beaumont was just 1-for-20. Tris Speaker, last year's Big Stick winner, was just 3-for-17 with one RBI. Catcher Ted Easterly and 3B Del Paddock were both 3-for-18. So much for a murderer's row top of the lineup.

"We just couldn't get anything going against those guys," Speaker said after the Game Five loss. "We were spell-bound at the plate."

Prescott didn't exactly light the world on fire with its offense, either. But guys like catcher Otto "Moonie" Miller (.267) and shortstop Rabbit Robinson (.333) at the bottom of the order came up with timely hits.

The Antelopes now will compete for their fifth AZL title since the league started in 1901. This will the 'Lopes sixth appearance in the championship series, with the only loss coming in 1911 to Bisbee.




Southern League

Tucson outlasts Phoenix, 4-2

The battle of the two biggest Southern League cities went to Ty Cobb and the Saguaros.

This was maybe the wildest playoff series in the history of the league. Tucson pounded out 19 hits to win the opener 14-3. Only Ty Cobb in the starting lineup failed to get at least two hits (he had one). But in Game Two, Phoenix answered with a resounding 16-6 decision. Tucson had 10 more hits, but the Dust Devils had 20(!!). CF Ed "The Midget" Mensor, 2B Del Pratt and LF Jimmy Sheckard each went 3-for-6. Pratt hit two doubles and four RBIs. Pitchers got whiplash from jerking around so much to see where the hits were flying behind them.

Games Three and Four both went extra innings and featured more potent offense.

Phoenix outlasted Tucson 7-6 in 13 innings in the third contest. The teams combined for 26 hits. 3B George Moriarty batted home the game-winning run in the bottom of the 13th.

Tucson won Game Four by the same 7-6 score, pushing the winning run across in the top of the 12th. This time, the two squads combined for 30 hits. Balls were sailing all over the park, with Cobb hitting one out as part of a 3-for-5 day.

Finally, a pitcher showed up for the pivotal Game Five. George McQuillan hurled the Saguaros to a 7-0 triumph, holding the Dust Devils to only four hits. The score was just 1-0 going into the top of the ninth when Tucson exploded for six scores to ice it. LF Hank Butcher crushed the Devils' spirits with a two-run homer.

More offensive fireworks returned in Game Six, but Tucson used two runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull away for a 5-3 victory. Saguaro pitcher Jake Boultes gave up 13 hits on the day but kept the Devils quiet down the stretch for the win.


So, the stage is set for the 1913 Cactus Champions Cup. It's the "old" favorite, Prescott Antelopes, vs. the upstart Tucson Saguaros, who have reached their first AZL title series in franchise history. It should be an interesting contrast of styles as well, with Prescott owning solid pitching and Tucson featuring explosive hitting... Stay tuned...

[AZTarHeel]

1913 Cactus Champions Cup



Antelopes still kings of the Arizona League

A much-anticipated showdown between pitching-savvy Prescott and hitting powerhouse Tucson in the AZL championship series turned into a one-sided affair.

Prescott never really looked back after winning Game One at home 4-3 in 12 innings. The 'Lopes won Game Two by a 5-2 score and took Game Three 9-6 in Tucson. The Saguaros staved off elimination in Game Four, holding off a late rally for a 7-5 win. But Prescott proved too much in Game Five, clinching its fifth AZL title in 13 years with a 4-1 decision.

Give Prescott pitcher Russ Ford the MVP trophy of the post-season. He had two of the Antelopes' wins from the mound, including pitching a stellar four-hitter in Game Five. He surrendered just six hits in Game Two. The 30-year-old right-hander went 4-0 in the post-season with a 0.75 ERA. He struck out 22, walked just three and had only three earned runs charged against him.

Ford helped himself at the plate, driving home seven runs in the playoffs. (Don't forget, he pitched a no-hitter in 1912 against Cottonwood).

There was controversy, though, when Tucson stadium officials claimed they saw Ford "preparing" baseballs using emery paper before his outings. They produced some scuffed balls, but Ford denied any wrong-doing. "I've just got some nasty stuff they can't hit," he said. "The scuff marks come from the bats and such, not anything I'm doing..."

1B Tim Jordan helped power Prescott's offense, earning nine hits with seven RBIs in the five-game set. OF George "Hickory" Jackson, who scored the winning run in Prescott's Game One victory -- after getting on with a leadoff double -- had a stellar post-season as well. He batted .308 with three doubles and stole six bases.

Ty Cobb did his part for Tucson, getting two hits in each of the first three Cactus Cup games. But the standout CF had little help from teammates on the offensive end. SS/DH Eddie Grant went 3-for-4 for the Saguaros in Game One but Tucson didn't really use him much the rest of the series.

That move, plus some others, had Tucson fans shaking their heads and wondering if the team will ever get over the hump and win a championship.

For Prescott, the big question seems to be just how many the Antelopes are capable of piling up. The one concern in the background, though, seems to be the age of the Antelopes' squad. Like Yuma, Prescott could be in for a rude awakening in the next few years with several key components getting "up there" in years... And what will become of the Russ Ford emery paper scandal?

[AZTarHeel]

1913 Award Winners

Top Hurler Awards
OK, it's no surprise that Prescott's Christy Mathewson earned the 1913 award for best pitcher in the Northern League. The 33-year-old had one of his best career seasons, posting a 30-7 record in 38 starts with a 2.15 ERA. He struck out an amazing 310 batters and walked only 51. He had five shutouts and 35 complete games.

Mathewson, a two-time winner of the award, continued building a Hall of Fame type resume, improving his overall record to 282-181 with a 2.75 lifetime ERA. So why in the name of pronghorn antelopes did Mathewson not throw a single ball in the post-season? Sure enough I checked his playoff stats for 1913, and he's got nothing to his name. His last appearance of the season was a Sept. 28 regular season win over Sedona. No record of any injuries either.

Obviously, Prescott didn't end up needing him, but good grief. Let the superstar pitch in the post-season! Mathewson was pretty steamed off the record but on the record just repeated the party line about doing whatever it takes for the team to win. Prescott managers privately said they were concerned about their right-hander's aging arm and worried about his durability since he had thrown so much in the regular season. Definitely a weird quirk (I wonder if his ratings plummeted at season's end, like Curt Schilling's did for me a few years ago when I did a Boston Red Sox dynasty -- I'll have to check that)...

In the Southern League, another 33-year-old "old timer" won the award. Tucson's Barney Pelty earned his first Top Hurler honor after posting an ERA of 2.52 and a 28-7 record in 35 starts. He fanned 170 while giving up 253 hits in 317.1 innings. Pelty pitched 3 shutouts and 34 complete games. He was 2nd in the Southern in ERA and 1st in wins. The post-season was a bit of a different story, as Pelty finished just 1-2 in four starts...


Big Stick Awards
Welcome back, Wahoo Sam. Good ol' Sam Crawford of Flagstaff proved he's still got his stuff. The 33-year-old (something about 33 this season), who moved from centerfield to left field in recent years, batted a robust .320 for the Lumberjacks. His 191 hits and 66 walks added up to a .386 on-base percentage. He was 2nd in the Northern in batting, 5th in homeruns (nine) and 8th in RBI (86). Crawford said preseason write-ups reporting that "Crawford's career is done" fired him up for the 1913 campaign.

Crawford now has nine Big Stick Awards but had been shutout since 1910. This last one will almost surely cement his name on the award for future generations.

Nogales left fielder "Shoeless Joe" Jackson may just be beginning a big run of Southern League Big Stick awards. He won for the second year in a row. Jackson, the SL Rookie of the Year in 1911, batted an eye-popping .366 (217 for 593) this season, driving in 78 runs. He led the SL in hitting and posted a .445 on-base percentage (drawing 81 walks).

In three years, Shoeless Joe has 637 hits, 127 doubles and 254 RBIs. Look out Wahoo Sam...


Rookie of the Year Awards
Jerome pitcher George Pearce has a bright future ahead of him. Opposing players hit .254 against George this season. While posting an ERA of 4.02, he went 19-19 in 39 starts, fanning 118 and walking 188 hitters (yikes on the walks, but hey he's new). He had 34 complete games and 2 shutouts. Despite the 19 losses, he ended up 9th in the Northern in wins...

The 1913 Southern Rookie of the Year winner is from Nogales this season, pitcher Reb Russell. Ol Reb went 20-17 in 37 starts, fanning 92. He had some control issues, too (132 walks) and obviously lost quite a few decisions. But he had a decent 3.70 ERA and threw two shutouts in 30 complete games.

With a few more years of experience under their belts, and these two could be the ace of their respective staffs. Maybe. This is a crazy league. And even if they win 30 games, they may get benched for the playoffs...


Field General Awards

Northern Field General Award Winners:
Pitcher: Bill Steen (SED)
Catcher: Red Mckee (CTW)
First Base: Bill Schwartz (SED)
Second Base: Larry Doyle (CTW)
Third Base: Germany Schaefer (PRE)
Shortstop: Jimmy Esmond (JER)
Leftfield: Zack Wheat (SED)
Centerfield: Tris Speaker (PAY) -- last year's Big Stick in the NL
Rightfield: Wilbur Good (PAY)

Southern Field General Award Winners:
Pitcher: Harry Coveleski (TEM)
Catcher: Fred Carisch (YUM)
First Base: Hap Myers (TUC)
Second Base: Del Pratt (PHX)
Third Base: Red Smith (CAR)
Shortstop: Dolly Stark (TOM)
Leftfield: Beals Becker (TOM)
Centerfield: George Browne (TEM)
Rightfield: Harry Lumley (NOG)

[AZTarHeel]

1913 News & Notes

• Kayenta finished last in the Northern League for the fifth time in eight years. Times are tough in Navajo Country... Sedona has been eighth or seventh in eight of the AZL's first 13 seasons. Times are even tougher in Red Rock Country. These franchises just can't seem to get it together...

• Tombstone catcher Nig Clark had an EIGHT (8!) RBI game against Tucson during the first week of the season. He had four hits, including a grand slam, a three-run homer and two doubles (one of which drove home a score). Clark set a new SL record for RBIs in a game... The NL record also is eight, set by Bill Coughlin back in 1903...

• On a more infamous note, Kayenta's pitcher Larry Cheney set the new NL record for losses in a season, with 28. One big reason - he walked an NL record 229 batters during the year. Ouch. Uh coach, it's time to make a change in the rotation. And you wonder why the "Warriors" are so bad...

• Of course, Cheney (no relation to the future vice president I don't think) didn't walk in a record number in one game. Jerome's Frank Lange did that on April 29 when he issued FOURTEEN (14!) free passes in a single contest ...

• Tucson's Tex Erwin was issued five walks in a single game in an early April matchup with Tombstone... Good grief...

• Jerome 2B Nap Lajoie, the very first pick in the AZL draft in 1901, earned his 2,000th career hit on June 22 against Sedona's Pete Alexander. Lajoie now has 2,071 - and counting?

• Prescott pitcher Happy Townsend threw a 12-inning three-hitter in a May victory over the hapless Kayenta Turquoise Warriors. He struck out eight and walked just three...

• For all the heat Kayenta has taken in recent years, the Warriors have the top position player prospect in the AZL in OF Casey Stengel. He played with the big club this season, earning a .264 batting average. Sedona has two of the top three pitching prospects in Frank Allen (AAA) and Dutch Leonard (AAA). Maybe one day these franchises will climb out of the cellar...

• This year's Winter Meetings will again be held on Whiskey Row in Prescott. Get your tickets now and come join the fun...

[AZTarHeel]

1913 Minor League Standings

For the first time in league history, each Arizona League "big club" has three minor league teams in its farm system. Most are filled sporadically with pro players. Here are the final minor league standings for those who may be from one of these far off places. I publish these mainly to show what may be coming up through the ranks for each big club...

Yes, the Lake Montezuma franchise is nicked the Lake Montezuma Revenge... Couldn't resist...

Northern, Triple-A Standings
 	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	 	 	 
1	Village of Oak Creek (SED)	81	57	.587	.0	 	 	 
2	Prescott Valley (PRE)	73	65	.529	8.0	 	 	 
3	Clarkdale	 (JER)	73	65	.529	8.0	 	 	 
4	Camp Verde (CTW)	71	67	.514	10.0	 	 	 
5	Strawberry-Pine (PAY)	70	68	.507	11.0	 	 	 
6	Page (FLG)	68	70	.493	13.0	 	 	 
7	Tusayan (GCA)	59	79	.428	22.0	 	 	 
8	Tuba City (KAY)	57	81	.413	24.0	 	 	 
Northern, Double-A Standings
 	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	 	 	 
1	Cornville (CTW)	72	66	.522	.0	 	 	 
2	Show Low (PAY)	71	67	.514	1.0	 	 	 
3	Chinle (KAY)	70	68	.507	2.0	 	 	 
4	Williams (FLG)	69	69	.500	3.0	 	 	 
5	Mingus Mountain (JER)	68	70	.493	4.0	 	 	 
6	West Fork (SED)	68	70	.493	4.0	 	 	 
7	Chino Valley (PRE)	68	70	.493	4.0	 	 	 
8	North Rim (GCA)	66	72	.478	6.0	 	 	 
Northern, Single-A Standings
 	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	 	 	 
1	Schnebly Hill (SED)	75	63	.543	.0	 	 	 
2	Four Corners (KAY)	75	63	.543	.0	 	 	 
3	Lake Montezuma (CTW)	72	66	.522	3.0	 	 	 
4	Dewey-Humboldt (PRE)	72	66	.522	3.0	 	 	 
5	Winslow (FLG)	68	70	.493	7.0	 	 	 
6	Havasupai (GCA)	67	71	.486	8.0	 	 	 
7	Cherry (JER)	62	76	.449	13.0	 	 	 
8	Pinetop-Lakeside (PAY)	61	77	.442	14.0	 	 	 
Southern, Triple-A Standings
 	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	 	 	 
1	Oro Valley (TUC)	87	51	.630	.0	 	 	 
2	Parker (YUM)	73	65	.529	14.0	 	 	 
3	Scottsdale (TEM)	69	69	.500	18.0	 	 	 
4	Glendale (PHX)	69	69	.500	18.0	 	 	 
5	Cave Creek (CAR)	68	70	.493	19.0	 	 	 
6	Rio Rico (NOG)	64	74	.464	23.0	 	 	 
7	Douglas (BIS)	61	77	.442	26.0	 	 	 
8	Huachuca (TOM)	61	77	.442	26.0	 	 	 
Southern, Double-A Standings
 	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	 	 	 
1	Quartzsite (YUM)	81	57	.587	.0	 	 	 
2	Benson (BIS)	78	60	.565	3.0	 	 	 
3	Sierra Vista (TUC)	73	65	.529	8.0	 	 	 
4	Willcox (TOM)	71	67	.514	10.0	 	 	 
5	Peoria (PHX)	69	69	.500	12.0	 	 	 
6	Anthem (CAR)	63	75	.457	18.0	 	 	 
7	Tubac (NOG)	59	79	.428	22.0	 	 	 
8	Mesa (TEM)	58	80	.420	23.0	 	 	 
Southern, Single-A Standings
 	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	 	 	 
1	Naco (TOM)	75	63	.543	.0	 	 	 
2	Patagonia (BIS)	74	64	.536	1.0	 	 	 
3	Queen Creek (TEM)	74	64	.536	1.0	 	 	 
4	Oracle (TUC)	70	68	.507	5.0	 	 	 
5	Sonoita-Elgin (NOG)	69	69	.500	6.0	 	 	 
6	Sun City West (PHX)	68	70	.493	7.0	 	 	 
7	Black Canyon City (CAR)	67	71	.486	8.0	 	 	 
8	Cibola (YUM)	55	83	.399	20.0

[Sir Lurksalot]

I am sure wondering why Mathewson didn't pitch in the playoffs... That's insane.

BTW, some of those Arizona "cities" made me laugh.

[AZTarHeel]

1913 Leaderboard

The Top Five guys in several categories...

TOP 5 in BATTING AVG :
.366 Joe Jackson(NOG,SL)
.326 Danny Green(PRE,NL)
.320 Sam Crawford(FLG,NL)
.312 Bobby Veach( YUM)
.309 Ty Cobb(TUC,SL)

TOP 5 in HOMERUNS :
14 Bert Conn(TOM)
13 Jimmy Williams(PAY,NL)
13 Jake Stahl(JER,NL)
11 Gavvy Cravath(CAR)
11 John Flynn(CAR)

TOP 5 in RBI :
105 Germany Schaefer(PRE,NL)
105 Jim Jackson(CTW)
96 Fred Luderus(PHX,SL)
96 Jimmy Walsh(PRE NOG)
95 Ty Cobb(TUC,SL)

TOP 5 in ERA :
2.15 Christy Mathewson(PRE,NL) - yet no playoff appearances?!?
2.23 Bill Burns(PAY,NL)
2.23 George Mcquillan(TUC)
2.37 Lefty Leifield(PAY,NL)
2.40 Russ Ford(PRE,NL)

TOP 5 in WINS :
30 Christy Mathewson(PRE,NL)
28 Barney Pelty(TUC,SL)
24 Bill Burns(PAY,NL)
24 Russ Ford(PRE,NL)
24 Harry Krause(SED)

TOP 5 in SAVES :
7 Lucky Wright(PHX,SL)
6 Jack Ferry(BIS)
6 Ed Hawk(TEM,SL)
5 Mack Allison(PHX)
4 Alex Malloy(CAR)

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by Sir Lurksalot

I am sure wondering why Mathewson didn't pitch in the playoffs... That's insane.

BTW, some of those Arizona "cities" made me laugh.

All are real places -- cities, towns or general areas (Mingus Mountain for example) ... I studied my atlas well... Wonder if any will ever get their own "big league" franchise? If I play this long enough they should...

[AZTarHeel]

1913 Retirees

The following players hung up their equipment after the 1913 season. Some notes follow the list. Interesting that three guys who threw no-hitters and two who hit for the cycle are among those stepping away from the game after this season:

Goat Anderson retires ...
Bill Bradley retires ...
Dick Braggins retires ...
George Bell retires ...
Neal Ball retires ...
Bill Coughlin retires ...
John Farrell retires ...
Harry Gleason retires ...
Art Brouthers retires ...
Emil Batch retires ...
Bill Keister retires ...
Frank Burke retires ...
Ben Caffyn retires ...
John Mcgraw retires ...
Lou Bruce retires ...
Frank Owen retires ...
Roy Patterson retires ...
Irv Waldron retires ...
George Winter retires ...
Forrest Crawford retires ...
Harry Bemis retires ...
Jimmy Mathison retires ...
Jack Morrissey retires ...
Alex Pearson retires ...
Larry Schlafly retires ...
Otto Williams retires ...
Dave Brain retires ...
Jack Dunleavy retires ...
Ambrose Puttmann retires ...
Jerry Freeman retires ...
Hugh Hill retires ...
Beany Jacobson retires ...
Red Kleinow retires ...
Tom Needham retires ...
Warren Gill retires ...
George Gibson retires ...
Big jeff Pfeffer retires ...
Jack Hannifin retires ...
Bob Peterson retires ...
Walter Morris retires ...
CTW: Bunk Congalton retires ...
GCA: Frank Smith retires ...
GCA: Heinie Wagner retires ...
GCA: Red Booles retires ...
JER: Jack Harper retires ...
KAY: Ed Abbaticchio retires ...
PRE: Cy Morgan retires ...
PRE: Mike O'neill retires ...
BIS: John Titus retires ...
BIS: Whitey Alperman retires ...
PHX: Vic Willis retires ...
PHX: Danny Shay retires ...
YUM: Freddy Parent retires ...

Pitcher Frank Smith tossed a no-hitter for Grand Canyon in 1904, as well as earned the Rookie of the Year and Top Hurler awards that season. He was injury plagued the rest of his career, though. Eleven different times he missed significant time because of various ailments. In 1908, back problems took him out for a full season. His career numbers: 87-78 with a 2.64 ERA. He had Hall of Fame potential if only for the injuries…

Pitcher Vic Willis was 224-223 during a journeyman’s career with Flagstaff, Payson, Prescott, Kayenta, Payson again, Sedona, Yuma and then Phoenix. His ERA: 2.81. He fanned 1,441 batters in 13 seasons. He pitched a no-hitter while at Flagstaff in 1909.

Yuma shortstop Freddy Parent was a great one, starting for the Prisoners for 13 years after getting picked in the seventh round in the initial AZL draft. He finished with 1,861 hits (currently ninth best on the career hits list). He had eight RBIs in a 1912 game against Tombstone. He played in four All-Star games, was named a Field General Award winner four times and was Batter of the Month four times. Yuma will definitely miss him. His 881 career RBIs is eighth best on the career list.

Reliever Dick Braggins was drafted in 1901 but only appeared in 18 big league games, retiring with a 1-1 career record. Somehow he withstood many years in the bush leagues of small-town Arizona.

3B “Scranton Bill” Coughlin felt he had accomplished all he could after reaching the 1,500-hit plateau. He finished with 1,502 hits for good measure. Coughlin was a three-time Field General Award winner…

2B John Farrell was the first to hit for the cycle in AZL history, doing so in August 1901 while playing for Flagstaff.

3B Art Brouthers was a career Minor Leaguer with the Sedona organization, except for two nights in August 1907. He was 0-for-7 with one strikeout in his only Major League at-bats.

SS Bill “Wagon Tongue” Keister finished with 1,669 career hits during his time with Cottonwood and Tombstone. He had 100 triples and 666 (yikes) RBIs.

3B John “Mugsy” McGraw hung it up at age 40. He also steps away after recording 1,669 career hits. Interesting, eh? He “only” had 90 triples and 659 RBIs. He spent his entire career with Nogales after getting picked in 1901.

Pitcher Roy Patterson won 20+ games in each of his first five seasons with Nogales. He finishes with a career record of 189-154…

2B Otto Williams had 3,333 at-bats from 1902-12, all with Yuma … He had 830 hits for a .249 average…

3B Jack Hannifan retires with a .500 batting average. Of course, he only appeared in two games for Grand Canyon in 1909, going 4-for-8 with a triple and four RBIs. Not sure what held him back after that but he went back to Double A in 1910 and was released by the River Runners after that season – never to be picked up by another team again…

Prescott pitcher Mike O’Neill, he of 1905 no-hitter fame, only had 12 official at-bats during his career. But he was money when he did come to the plate, recording nine hits. His final pitching record 108-77 with a 2.99 ERA…

RF “Silent John” Titus hit for the cycle in the playoffs in 1906 as a member of Bisbee’s lineup…

Now on to the 1913-14 Winter Meetings ... once again, they'll return to Prescott's Whiskey Row...

[Sir Lurksalot]

Originally Posted by AZTarHeel

All are real places -- cities, towns or general areas (Mingus Mountain for example) ... I studied my atlas well... Wonder if any will ever get their own "big league" franchise? If I play this long enough they should...

lol! I know they are all real places. I am just laughing at the thought that some of those places would be big enough to have even a minor league team let alone a little league team. lol!

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by Sir Lurksalot

lol! I know they are all real places. I am just laughing at the thought that some of those places would be big enough to have even a minor league team let alone a little league team. lol!

That's part of the fun of this whole dynasty ... in fact, when I lived in Arizona I covered some Little League baseball and softball teams from places like Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt, Prescott Valley, Sedona, etc. for a small newspaper I worked for ... great memories ...

[AZTarHeel]

Snows begin to cover Thumb Butte as the Great Storm sets in...

1913-14 Winter Meetings

The Prescott Antelopes, champs again in the AZL, were all prepared to host the Winter Meetings of 1913-14, with plenty of fanfare and revelry on tap, especially on Whiskey Row. But then, two days before the meetings began, one of the biggest snow storms to ever hit Northern Arizona (yes, they do get some big snows up in the mountains) dropped feet -- yes, feet -- of snow on the whole region. Then a deep freeze followed that didn't lift for days and days.

The meetings, in effect, were cancelled because no one could get there, except for the handful of people who had come early. On the day the Winter festivities were set to open, Commissioner Doc Victory counted just eight folks staying in the official AZL Winter Meetings hotel. And one of them was the league's official photographer, the wiley Jared Dort, who had captured some amazing images during the league's first 13 years.

Among the others who beat the storm were owners from Tucson, Nogales, Cottonwood and Yuma. Sedona owner Hans Larsen was there, as was Clyde Cooley, the man leading the charge (loudly and somewhat annoyingly) to bring an AZL franchise to the town of Show Low.

Since Larsen owned a printing business along with Sedona's newspaper, Cooley had come into town early to pick up fliers he planned to pass out to the thousands expected to be here for the meetings (once again urging everyone to support a franchise for his beloved town).

The fliers made it but the people didn't. Cooley had spent thousands of dollars on his personal PR plan to attract attention to his cause: "Show Low Deserves A Shot At The Big Show" It was quite an attractive flier, and Larsen had worked hours to perfect it. But most of them would now be used to keep fires going so folks could stay warm.

Since the eight gentlemen in town were basically stuck for awhile, they decided to do what guys do when left to their own devices -- eat, drink and play cards. By the second day, a rousing poker game was going full steam in one of the back rooms of a local tavern. The eight guys played well into the night, retired for a little sleep and then came back the next morning to do it all over again.

Every once in awhile they breaked to help someone dig their carriage out of the snow or help repair a roof that had caved in under the weight of the heavy, wet snows. But when duty didn't call, they were all about cards.

Sedona's Larsen and Show Low's Cooley turned out to be the craftiest players. It was like they could see your hand just by looking at your facial expressions and mannerisms. After a few days, the two had basically cleaned everyone else out. Victory was the last to fold but even he got out of the game after awhile. Rumor has it that some of the owners even threw a player or two in the pot when they lost their heads in the wee hours. No one can substantiate it but Ty Cobb was rumored to be lost and then won back again from Yuma on day four of The Game, as it was getting to be called.

"You know Hans," Victory said to Sedona's owner. "If you ran your baseball franchise the way you play cards, you'd be champs every year." Larsen just grimmaced, knowing his Scorpions had one just one regular season division title in 13 years but had finished last five times and seventh two other times.

"Maybe you should just let me have that team of yours, Hans," Cooley said. "I know we could do a better job that you're doing."

That only steamed Larsen all the more and he went all in on one hand around dinner time on day six of The Game, beating Cooley and ultimately raking in the whole kitty.

Obviously, no business got done this winter. Victory agreed this year's player draft would come a week before spring training, provided the snows melted. He also decided, after much cajoling by Cooley, to give Show Low this year's All-Star game. Cooley had bugged him about it all week long. "I'll play you for it. Five-card draw."

"OK, OK," Victory finally relented. "You win. Just don't pass out those darn fliers."

Show Low did have some amazing facilities, with Cooley and his entourage trying the "build it and they will come" philosophy, hoping folks in the AZL would get the hint that they meant business. Show Low's Double A franchise actually outdrew the big clubs in Tombstone and Kayenta last season. Maybe one day...

[AZTarHeel]

1914 Player Draft

The snows did relent, and actually temperatures warmed into the 70s two days after the Winter Meetings were set to end. That, of course, caused flooding, but that's another story.

Anyways, two weeks before spring the AZL Player Draft was held. Lots of players up for grabs this year. But can anyone from this group be a star? Surprise, surprise, Kayenta is picking first and they get a pitcher! Welcome to the AZL Jeff Pfeffer. Yuma, trying to rebuild, pins its first round hopes on Happy Finneran. Can he make the Prisoners happy?

Round 1:
Kayenta pick: P Jeff Pfeffer
Yuma pick: P Happy Finneran
Tempe pick: P Guy Morton
Sedona pick: P Doc Ayers
Cottonwood pick: P Ernie Shore
Tombstone pick: CF Benny Kauff
Grand Canyon pick: P Dan Marion
Bisbee pick: P George Kaiserling
Carefree pick: P Phil Douglas
Jerome pick: P Max Fiske
Nogales pick: P Rankin Johnson
Flagstaff pick: P Herb Pennock
Phoenix pick: P Erv Lange
Payson pick: P Pete Schneider
Tucson pick: 1B Jack Fournier
Prescott pick: P Red Faber

Round 2 :
Kayenta pick: C Wally Schang
Yuma pick: P Joe Oeschger
Tempe pick: P Jim Shaw
Sedona pick: P Pete Henning
Cottonwood pick: P Mike Prendergast
Tombstone pick: P Raymond Bressler
Grand Canyon pick: P Al Mamaux
Bisbee pick: P Fin Wilson
Carefree pick: P Ben Harris
Jerome pick: P Harry Harper
Nogales pick: P Jack Bentley
Flagstaff pick: 1B George Burns
Phoenix pick: P Erv Kantlehner
Payson pick: 2B Marty Kavanagh
Tucson pick: P Henry Keupper
Prescott pick: RF Jack Tobin

Round 3 :
Kayenta pick: RF Max Flack
Yuma pick: P Elmer Jacobs
Tempe pick: P Alex Main
Sedona pick: P Tom Mcguire
Cottonwood pick: P Jim Bluejacket
Tombstone pick: LF Mike Menosky
Grand Canyon pick: SS Roger Peckinpaugh
Bisbee pick: P Stan Baumgartner
Carefree pick: P Mellie Wolfgang
Jerome pick: P Fritz Coumbe
Nogales pick: C Steve O'neill
Flagstaff pick: LF Walton Cruise
Phoenix pick: P King Lear
Payson pick: SS Ike Mcauley
Tucson pick: P Snipe Conley
Prescott pick: P Dave Black

Round 4 :
Kayenta pick: C Frank Snyder
Yuma pick: SS Everett Scott
Tempe pick: P George Leclair
Sedona pick: P Johnny Enzmann
Cottonwood pick: SS Pep Goodwin
Tombstone pick: CF Ralph Mattis
Grand Canyon pick: RF Al Wickland
Bisbee pick: RF Grover Gilmore
Carefree pick: C Art Wilson
Jerome pick: P Ben Tincup
Nogales pick: P Steamboat Williams
Flagstaff pick: C William Rumler
Phoenix pick: RF Dave Robertson
Payson pick: P Abe Bowman
Tucson pick: P Karl Adams
Prescott pick: P Charlie Schmutz

Round 5 :
Kayenta pick: SS Cliff Daringer
Yuma pick: 2B Charlie Pick
Tempe pick: C Hank Gowdy
Sedona pick: 3B Fred Mcmullin
Cottonwood pick: 3B Heinie Groh
Tombstone pick: 3B Joe Leonard
Grand Canyon pick: 1B John Leary
Bisbee pick: P Eddie Matteson
Carefree pick: SS Ed Gagnier
Jerome pick: P Paul Fittery
Nogales pick: C Mike Gonzalez
Flagstaff pick: P Ross Reynolds
Phoenix pick: RF John Potts
Payson pick: SS Sam Crane
Tucson pick: RF George Anderson
Prescott pick: P Dan Adams

Round 6 :
Kayenta pick: 3B Tex Wisterzil
Yuma pick: P Herold Juul
Tempe pick: 1B Hughie Miller
Sedona pick: LF George Twombly
Cottonwood pick: C Lew Mccarty
Tombstone pick: CF Manuel Cueto
Grand Canyon pick: C Del Baker
Bisbee pick: 3B Milt Stock
Carefree pick: CF Jack Mccandless
Jerome pick: 2B Hal Irelan
Nogales pick: P Ducky Yount
Flagstaff pick: CF Zip Collins
Phoenix pick: CF Chet Chadbourne
Payson pick: 2B Jack Farrell
Tucson pick: P Dick Crutcher
Prescott pick: RF Larry Gilbert

Round 7 :
Kayenta pick: 1B Lee Dressen
Yuma pick: P Harley Dillinger
Tempe pick: SS Doc Lavan
Sedona pick: 2B Ed Hemingway
Cottonwood pick: CF Shag Thompson
Tombstone pick: SS Ollie O'mara
Grand Canyon pick: 1B Dick Kauffman
Bisbee pick: C Art Watson
Carefree pick: 3B Larry Pezold
Jerome pick: C Bill Wagner
Nogales pick: P Charlie Whitehouse
Flagstaff pick: LF Austin Walsh
Phoenix pick: CF Charlie Hanford
Payson pick: 3B Hank Schreiber
Tucson pick: 2B Carl Vandagrift
Prescott pick: 3B Al Halt

Round 8 :
Kayenta pick: P Chick Davies
Yuma pick: P Joe Houser
Tempe pick: P Herb Kelly
Sedona pick: 3B Fritz Von kolnitz
Cottonwood pick: C Harvey Russell
Tombstone pick: CF Cad Coles
Grand Canyon pick: CF Luther Bonin
Bisbee pick: 3B Ben Dyer
Carefree pick: SS Jimmy Smith
Jerome pick: C Nick Allen
Nogales pick: RF Jim Kelly
Flagstaff pick: LF Dan Costello
Phoenix pick: C Doc Kerr
Payson pick: C Harry Smith
Tucson pick: 1B Cy Rheam
Prescott pick: 1B Fred Brainerd

Round 9 :
Kayenta pick: P Ralph Mcconnaughey
Yuma pick: CF Joe Kelly
Tempe pick: 2B John Misse
Sedona pick: P Guy Cooper
Cottonwood pick: 2B Bert Niehoff
Tombstone pick: P Hi Jasper
Grand Canyon pick: 1B Ivan Howard
Bisbee pick: 1B Biddy Dolan
Carefree pick: P Al Tedrow
Jerome pick: C Bobby Schang
Nogales pick: P Dan Woodman
Flagstaff pick: 3B Al Boucher
Phoenix pick: C Jack Enzenroth
Payson pick: SS Jim Stanley
Tucson pick: C George Hale
Prescott pick: P Ed Henderson

Round 10 :
Kayenta pick: 3B Scotty Alcock
Yuma pick: C Clem Clemens
Tempe pick: 3B Angel Aragon
Sedona pick: C Art Lavigne
Cottonwood pick: 1B Bill Kellogg
Tombstone pick: 1B Bill Jackson
Grand Canyon pick: C George Textor
Bisbee pick: 3B Doug Neff

[AZTarHeel]

1914 Season Recap — Northern League



Payson, Flag run away from the rest

The Northern League was clearly a two-team race this season, with Payson cruising past everyone with 110 wins and Flagstaff leaving other contenders in the dust as well with 93. The next closest team was Prescott, which finished 81-81. Grand Canyon had a rare dip, winning just 61 games.

Payson had the perfect combination of pitching (first in ERA at 2.43 and first in opponent's average at .221) and hitting (second in batting average at .275). Centerfielder Tris Speaker was his old self, posting a .303 average with 80 RBIs, seven homers and 54 stolen bases. His outfield mate, Wilbur Good, was even better, statistically speaker. Good, a 29-year-old lefthander who plays in right, batted .325 with 85 RBIs. Left fielder Ginger Beaumont was the third prong in the Longhorns' triple threat outfield, batting .262 with 76 RBIs.

But the real story of this team had to be the fantastic pitching performances by Bill Burns, Charley Hall and Tex Pruiett. Burns was 29-12 (best record in the NL). Both Hall and Pruiett were 25-15. You're not going to lose many pennants with those kinds of records. All three should get Top Hurler consideration.

Sam Crawford, he of nine Big Stick awards, continued to swing the heavy lumber for the Flagstaff Lumberjacks. The 34-year-old had a .298 average with seven HRs, 12 triples and 71 RBIs. He's pushed his career hit total over the 2,400 mark. Can he get to 3,000 before he retires?

Flag also had a pretty potent outfield, with Watty Lee hitting .301 (64 RBIs) and CF Lee Magee batting .292 (62 RBIs).

Fred Beebe nearly matched Payson's Burns from the hill, posting a 28-13 record. Ray Caldwell was 23-12. Ed Summers won 19 games and Hippo Vaughn won 18.

The NL championship series should be a delight, with both teams featuring solid pitching and strong hitting. Crawford vs. Speaker. Burns vs. Beebe. Ponderosa pines vs. more Ponderosa pines. Goosebump potential big time.

Here are the final Northern League standings. Sedona and Kayenta were just glad not to be at the very bottom for a change.

Team	   W	L	PCT	GB	 Pyt.Rec	Diff	 	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Payson  	110	52	.679	-	109-53	1	 	52-29	58-23	10-7	35-20	*	W7	9-1
Flagstaff	97	65	.599	13.0	93-69	4	 	49-32	48-33	7-7	31-24	-	L4	5-5
Prescott	   81	81	.500	29.0	88-74	-7	 	41-40	40-41	8-8	26-33	-	W3	5-5
Jerome  	80	82	.494	30.0	79-83	1	 	40-41	40-41	4-11	26-23	-	L1	4-6
Cottonwood  	79	83	.488	31.0	80-82	-1	 	38-43	41-40	11-3	23-29	-	L2	5-5
Kayenta 	75	87	.463	35.0	76-86	-1	 	34-47	41-40	7-4	28-25	-	W1	4-6
Sedona  	65	97	.401	45.0	65-97	0	 	31-50	34-47	9-10	30-35	-	W1	4-6
Grand Canyon	61	101	.377	49.0	62-100	-1	 	32-49	29-52	2-8	22-32	-	L1	4-6

[AZTarHeel]

1914 Season Recap — Southern League



Nogales climbs back to the top

The Nogales Apaches played in the first two Cactus Champions Cup series, winning in 1902. They got back to the pinnacle series in 1910, only to lose to Prescott. This year, the always competitive franchise is back on top of the Southern League with aims to go all th way. Nogales won the SL regular season by two games over the close-but-not-quite Tucson Saguaros, who have yet to claim a championship.

The Southern League was much more balanced than the NL, with six teams playing .500 ball or better. No one in particular finished the season all that strong, so the playoffs could be a toss up.

Nogales features one of the up-and-coming stars in LF "Shoeless Joe" Jackson. After batting .349, .340 and .366, Shoeless Joe, age 25, had a somewhat down year for him. But hey, batting .314 still ain't all that bad. He had 71 RBIs and 54 stolen bases. Jackson earned his fourth trip to the all-star game in as many years. Third baseman Jimmy "Runt" Walsh also had a big year for the Apaches, batting .284 with 13 dingers. Another all-star, Walsh had a five-hit game against Yuma during the season.

The Apaches had three 20-win pitchers, led by Babe Adams (not Babe Ruth), who was 24-13.

This was a powerhouse year for Tucson's Ty Cobb. The now 27-year-old put himself in position to win another Big Stick Award, batting a cool .311 with nine homers and a whopping 105 RBIs. He got red-hot over the summer, batting .352 in the dry heat of August.

Cobb's outfield mate, Harry Hooper, carried a big stick as well, batting .330 with 91 RBIs.

Steady pitchers Barney Pelty (23-13, 2-14 ERA) and Jake Boultes (20-14) paced the defense.

Like the Northern League, there is lots of star power lining up for the 1914 SL Divisional playoffs... Can the Saguaros finally break through and win a championship? Can the Apaches climb back on the throne they held more than 10 years ago. Stay tuned ...

On a side note, it's interesting that the real "stars" of the league at this time, offensively speaking — Cobb, Speaker, Crawford, Shoeless Joe, etc. — are all in this year's playoffs. Should be fun to track how each does...

For all those Yuma fans, alas the Prisoners are still in rebuilding mode. "Old-timer" Addie Joss, 34, is still pitching. He won 21 games but lost 18, with an ERA at 4+ (his worst by far). Yuma needs to get younger, I think...

Here are the complete Southern League standings for 1914:

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	 Pyt.Rec	Diff	 	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Nogales 	92	70	.568	-	92-70	0	 	48-33	44-37	7-5	25-22	*	L1	4-6
Tucson  	90	72	.556	2.0	91-71	-1	 	42-39	48-33	11-16	22-27	-	L2	5-5
Bisbee   	86	76	.531	6.0	90-72	-4	 	44-37	42-39	8-11	26-27	-	L1	4-6
Phoenix 	83	79	.512	9.0	86-76	-3	 	40-41	43-38	9-7	24-20	-	W2	6-4
Tombstone	82	80	.506	10.0	79-83	3	 	42-39	40-41	14-9	32-24	-	L6	4-6
Yuma    	81	81	.500	11.0	78-84	3	 	45-36	36-45	11-11	23-20	-	W1	6-4
Tempe   	72	90	.444	20.0	66-96	6	 	41-40	31-50	8-7	23-28	-	W1	5-5
Carefree	62	100	.383	30.0	65-97	-3	 	30-51	32-49	6-8	20-27	-	W2	6-4

For fun, Nogales unveiled a new "alternative" look this season:

[AZTarHeel]

1914 Divisional Playoffs



Northern League

Payson defeats Flagstaff in thrilling series, 4-3

Final Scores:
Payson 3, Flagstaff 2 — WP: Charley Hall
Payson 4, Flagstaff 3 (12) — WP: Bill Burns
Flagstaff 13, Payson 2 — WP: Hippo Vaughn
Payson 5, Flagstaff 3 (10) — WP: Charley Hall
Flagstaff 5, Payson 4 (11) — WP: Herb Pennock
Flagstaff 8, Payson 0 — WP: Hippo Vaughn
Payson 13, Flagstaff 6 — WP: Charley Hall

This might have been one of the most exciting playoff series in Arizona League history (how many times have I said that in this dynasty?). Three games went to extra innings. Three were decided by one run, with another by two runs. Flagstaff came all the way back from a 3-1 deficit to force a Game Seven.

But then the Longhorns blew the doors off the place in the decisive seventh contest, jumping to a 5-0 lead in the third inning and a 12-1 lead after a seven-run fifth. Flagstaff made it a little exciting, scoring five runs in the top of the seventh, but that was all the gas the Lumberjacks had in them. Payson moves on to the Cactus Champions Cup.

2B Jack Barry went 4-for-4 for Payson in Game Seven. Not bad for a No. 8 hitter (setting his career high for hits in a game). The 'Horns didn't have a lot of extra base hits in this one, just a lot of good station-to-station work to push runs across.

Barry batted .308 for the series. Payson's star centerfielder Tris Speaker was held down (.192 average) but others stepped up mightily. Guys like SS Donnie Bush (.358) and 3B Del Paddock (.333) really crushed the ball regularly.

Flagstaff got a great series from 34-year-old LF Sam Crawford, the winner of nine Big Stick awards. He batted .321 for the series, though he only drove in two runs. Wahoo Sam went 4-for-5 in Game Six and 3-for-4 with three runs scores in Game Three. RF Watty Lee was probably the Lumberjacks offensive MVP for the playoffs. He had at least one hit in every game, finishing with a .333 average, five RBIs and a homer.

Folks are wondering if maybe this was Flag's last good shot at winning in a title in awhile. Crawford and Lee, age 35, aren't getting any younger...




Southern League

Tucson headed back to Cactus Cup

Final Scores:
Tucson 2, Nogales 0 — WP: George McQuillan
Nogales 5, Tucson 4 (11) — WP: Bill Foxen
Tucson 4, Nogales 1 — WP: Jake Boultes
Tucson 2, Nogales 1 (11) — WP: George McQuillan
Tucson 4, Nogales 2 — WP: Barney Pelty

Tucson, which got dusted off in five games by Prescott in last year's Cactus Champions Cup, will get a chance for redemption. The Saguaros outlasted a gritty Nogales squad in five games in a series that was closer than the final tally indicates.

None of these games was a blowout. Defense and pitching ultimately made the difference. The series seemed to turn in the Saguaros' favor with Tucson's Game Four win in extra innings. Nogales took a 1-0 lead in the second, then the Saguaros answered with a run in the third. Pitchers George McQuillan and Reb Russell took over from there, letting nothing home until Tucson clawed a run across in the 11th.

An error by Nogales allowed what would be the winning run aboard. Eddie Grant eventually scored on a fielder's choice play by Harry Hooper. Errors!

Even in the losing effort, Shoeless Joe Jackson of Nogales proved he was the real deal. The young outfielder posted a .478 batting average during the five game-set, including a 5-for-6 performance in Game Two (with three runs scored). Amazingly Tucson never walked him or really tried to. But no one else in the Apaches lineup hit better than .250. Several regulars were below the Mendoza line.

Ty Cobb from Tucson had a completely rotten series, fueling speculation that he's too inconsistent in the post-season. He went 1-for-3 in the opening game and then didn't get another hit, finishing the five games with a .053 average. Yikes.

Players like SS Art Fletcher bailed out their star, however. Fletch batted .400 for the series. Catcher Tex Irwin batted a cool .333.

Now, it's on to the Cactus Champions Cup. Will Tris Speaker and the Longhorns hoist another trophy or will Ty Cobb and the Saguaros get their first?

[AZTarHeel]

1914 Cactus Champions Cup



Celebration time in the Old Pueblo

Final Scores
Payson 4, Tucson 3 — WP: Nick Cullop
Tucson 7, Payson 2 — WP: George McQuillan
Tucson 6, Payson 2 — WP: Jake Boultes
Payson 4, Tucson 1 — WP: Bill Burns
Tucson 9, Payson 5 — WP: Geoge McQuillan
Tucson 10, Payson 9 — WP: Jack Pfiester



Ty Cobb slides into home for one of his four runs in a Game Two victory over Payson. The Georgia Peach finally has his championship.

Ty Cobb stood around a throng of reporters, flash bulbs popping from all directions. The 27-year-old centerfielder wore a big grin on his face and patiently answered questions for more than 30 minutes. The Georgia Peach, in his ninth year in the AZL, finally had his championship

Cobb and the Tucson Saguaros clinched the franchise's first AZL title with a 10-9 win in Game Six of the Cactus Champions Cup. Tucson lost to Prescott 4-1 in last year's Cup finals in their only other trip.

Cobb didn't exactly set the world on fire during this series or the 1914 post-season as a whole. He had just five hits in 24 at-bats vs. stellar Longhorns pitching. But that didn't matter. The burden had been lifted. Like other great hitters like Sam Crawford (Flagstaff), Tris Speaker (Payson) and Danny Green (Prescott), Cobb finally had a title to go with all the gaudy numbers.

Cobb's best game came in Game Two, with the Saguaros behind 1-0 in the series. He went 3-for-4, batting home the first run of the game. He also had a triple and scored all four times he reached base. Cobb also had a key RBI in the decisive Game Six, a one-run win.

"I'm just elated, for Tucson and my teammates. We've been trying for this thing for what seems like forever," Cobb said. "Now the goal will be holding onto the Cup for many years to come. We can do it.

Shortstop Art Fletcher was voted the Cactus Cup MVP. He had two hits in Game Five and three in Game Six, and finished the series with six RBIs. Fletch finished with a .390 average for the whole post-season, going 41-for-133 with eight doubles, five triples, 22 RBIs, 20 runs scored and three stolen bases. Cobb-like numbers.

"See, we're a team," Cobb said. "Fletch batted eighth in the order, and he didn't care. He just went out there and did what he had to do to help us win."

Pitcher George McQuillan was definitely the top pitcher in the post-season. He went 4-0 with a 0.51 ERA, beating Nogales twice and Payson twice. The second win over Nogales went 11 innings, and McQuillan stayed out there the whole time.

The only bad news — McQuillan tore elbow ligaments in his last outing. If the season were still going on, he would be out five weeks. Hopefully with the right treatment, he'll be good to go by spring training...

Here are past winners of the Cactus Champions Cup (insert hypnotic Arizona flute music here):

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

[AZTarHeel]

1914 Award Winners

Top Hurler Awards
Payson had the top stable of pitchers this season, and it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that one would win this award. The one with the most wins, Bill Burns, ended up getting the most votes. Opposing players hit just .210 against Burns this season. While posting an ERA of 2.26 he went 29-12 in 41 starts, fanning 129 and walking 86 hitters. Burns pitched 5 shutouts and 41 complete games. He ended up 2nd in the Northern in ERA and 1st in wins.

Tucson's right-hander Barney Pelty was untouchable much of the year. His work paid off as the Southern named him the Top Hurler Award winner. Barney had a record of 23-13 this season, with an ERA of 2.14. In 357 Innings he was able to strike out 187 batters. Barney pitched 3 shutouts and 36 complete games. He was 1st in the Southern in ERA and 4th in wins. This is the second time Pelty has captured the Top Hurler honor.

Big Stick Awards
A season for the ages earned Kayenta's leftfielder Josh Devore the Northern Big Stick Award this year. His season numbers are: .342 AVG, 196 hits, 21 doubles, 15 triples and 2 homers, along with 77 RBI and 99 runs scored. He was 1st in the Northern in batting. The only drawback — Kayenta struggled in the win-loss department.

Tucson certainly didn't, especially in the post-season. The Saguaro's Ty Cobb played a big role in that, winning this year's Big Stick honor for the SL. Cobb had 195 hits in 627 at-bats (.311) this season, hitting 9 homeruns and driving in 105 runs. He scored 105 runs on his own. He was 5th in the Southern in batting, 7th in homeruns and 1st in RBI. Cobb wins the award for the 2nd time in his 8-year career.
*
Rookie of the Year Awards
Doc Ayers of the Sedona Scorpions was named the Northern Rookie of the Year winner, giving hope that this franchise may one day climb off the bottom of the NL standings. The 24 year old compiled an ERA of 3.38, going 17-17 in 39 starts. He fanned 142 while giving up 326 hits in 335.1 innings. He had 27 complete games and one shutout.

Tombstone's centerfielder Benny Kauff worked hard to reach the big leagues. His work paid off as the Southern named him the Rookie of the Year winner. While compiling an on base percentage of .394, Benny hit .297 and slugged .462. He collected 71 runs batted in this year. He was 8th in the Southern in batting. Maybe Tombstone's fortunes are looking up as well.

Field General Awards

Northern League
Pitcher: Bill Doak (JER)
Catcher: Otto Miller (PRE)
First Base: Tim Jordan (PRE)
Second Base: Eddie Collins (PRE)
Third Base: Heinie Groh (CTW)
Shortstop: Otis Johnson (FLG)
Leftfield: Ginger Beaumont (PAY)
Centerfield: Tris Speaker (PAY)
Rightfield: Doc Miller (JER)

Southern League
Pitcher: Smokey joe Wood (BIS)
Catcher: Tex Erwin (TUC)
First Base: Fred Merkle (TEM)
Second Base: George Cutshaw (TOM)
Third Base: Tillie Shafer (PHX)
Shortstop: Dolly Stark (TOM)
Leftfield: Joe Connolly (BIS)
Centerfield: Ty Cobb (TUC)
Rightfield: Harry Lumley (NOG)

[AZTarHeel]

The Longest Game in Arizona League History

Tucson 6, Tombstone 5 (22 innings)

April 11, 1914

I might not have even noticed this if I hadn't been scanning the league record book to see if any new marks had been set in 1914. I saw where some Tucson hitters had 11 at-bats in an extra-innings game, and that brought me to find the box score. Wow.

Ty Cobb went 5-for-11, while Tucson teammate George Anderson had an average-killing 1-for-11 day. Both starting pitchers last 12+ frames.

The amazing part was that there were 12 scoreless innings before the two teams finally got on the board in the 22nd frame. The contest lasted EIGHT HOURS and 29 MINUTES!!

Here is the complete box score:

Tucson 010 003 000 000 000 000 000 2 — 6  18  1
Tombstone 000 012 001 000 000 000 000 1 — 5 16 3
 
Tucson	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVG	HR	RBI
A. Fletcher SS	5	1	1	1	0	0	.429	0	5
   E. Grant SS	4	0	0	0	1	1	.000	0	0
J. Fournier DH	10	1	2	0	1	3	.167	0	2
T. Cobb CF	11	1	5	1	0	1	.319	0	7
H. Hooper RF	7	0	1	0	4	0	.270	1	6
G. Anderson LF	11	0	1	0	0	5	.314	0	2
T. Erwin C	5	0	0	0	1	0	.250	0	4
   B. Bescher PR	0	0	0	0	0	0	.273	0	0
   F. Owens C	3	0	2	2	2	0	.429	0	2
H. Myers 1B	10	1	3	1	1	2	.286	2	5
B. Kenworthy 2B	5	2	2	0	2	0	.400	0	0
   H. Zimmerman 2B	3	0	0	0	0	1	.171	0	3
J. Ward 3B	9	0	1	1	0	1	.216	0	3
Totals	83	6	18	6	12	14	 	 	 
BATTING
Doubles: T. Cobb 2 (6, 6th inning off Cates, 1 on, 2 out, 14th inning off Lafitte, 0 on, 0 out.) H. Myers (2, 10th inning off Cates, 0 on, 1 out.) B. Kenworthy (1, 2nd inning off Cates, 0 on, 2 out.) J. Ward (3, 2nd inning off Cates, 1 on, 2 out.) 
Triples: A. Fletcher (3, 6th inning off Cates, 1 on, 1 out.) 
Homeruns: H. Myers (2, 6th inning off Cates, 0 on, 0 out.) 
Runs Batted In: A. Fletcher (5), T. Cobb (7), F. Owens 2 (2), H. Myers (5), J. Ward (3) 
Stolen Bases: T. Cobb (1), B. Kenworthy 2 (2) 
Sacrifice Hits: J. Ward (2) 

FIELDING
Errors: E. Grant (2) 
 
Tombstone	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVG	HR	RBI
B. Becker LF	7	0	0	0	0	3	.220	0	5
   J. Black 1B	2	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0
D. Gessler DH	9	0	1	0	1	1	.105	0	2
B. Kauff CF	10	1	3	0	0	1	.348	0	3
B. Conn 3B	6	1	1	2	0	0	.220	1	6
   O. O'mara 3B	3	1	0	0	1	0	.125	0	2
N. Clarke C	9	2	5	1	1	0	.412	1	3
H. Moran RF	8	0	0	1	2	0	.143	0	5
D. Gainer 1B	4	0	2	0	0	0	.324	0	3
   G. Cutshaw 2B	6	0	2	1	0	0	.289	0	4
M. Huggins 2B	1	0	0	0	3	0	.000	0	0
   R. Williams 1B	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0	0
   M. Menosky LF	4	0	2	0	1	0	.286	0	0
D. Stark SS	9	0	0	0	1	0	.111	0	2
Totals	79	5	16	5	10	5	 	 	 
BATTING
Doubles: B. Kauff (5, 15th inning off Groom, 0 on, 1 out.) N. Clarke 2 (3, 5th inning off Mcquillan, 0 on, 0 out, 20th inning off Glaze, 0 on, 1 out.) 
Homeruns: B. Conn (1, 6th inning off Mcquillan, 1 on, 2 out.) N. Clarke (1, 9th inning off Mcquillan, 0 on, 1 out.) 
Runs Batted In: B. Conn 2 (6), N. Clarke (3), H. Moran (5), G. Cutshaw (4) 
Stolen Bases: N. Clarke (5), D. Gainer (2) 
Caught Stealing: B. Kauff (4) 
Sacrifice Hits: J. Black (1) 

FIELDING
Errors: M. Huggins (1), G. Cutshaw (2), D. Stark (2) 
 
Tucson	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	PI	PS	ERA	RECORD
G. Mcquillan	12.1	9	4	4	4	4	2	193	107	4.60	 
B. Groom	5.2	2	0	0	3	0	0	75	39	1.13	 
R. Glaze W	4	5	1	1	3	1	0	71	35	2.25	1-0
PITCHING
Intentional BB: R. Glaze 
Batters Faced: G. Mcquillan 51, B. Groom 21, R. Glaze 18 
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: G. Mcquillan 25-9, B. Groom 10-6, R. Glaze 6-2 
Game Score: G. Mcquillan 69 
 
Tombstone	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	PI	PS	ERA	RECORD
E. Cates	12	12	4	4	4	3	1	191	111	2.10	 
E. Lafitte	3.1	1	0	0	6	2	0	82	41	0.00	 
G. Ford L	6.1	5	2	2	2	8	0	95	58	1.93	1-1
E. Koestner	0.1	0	0	0	0	1	0	4	3	0.00	 
PITCHING
Intentional BB: E. Lafitte, G. Ford 
Batters Faced: E. Cates 52, E. Lafitte 18, G. Ford 26, E. Koestner 1 
Ground Balls-Fly Balls: E. Cates 21-11, E. Lafitte 7-1, G. Ford 7-4, E. Koestner 0-0 
Game Score: E. Cates 61 
 
GAME INFO
Time: 8:29
Attendance: 41844 (45000) at Exposition Park
Weather: Clear skies (58 degrees), wind blowing out to right at 8 mph
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Ty Cobb
Game Notes:
Art Fletcher was injured being hit by a pitch. Ty Cobb sets a new single Extra-Inning Game SL-Record for At-Bats with 11. Ty Cobb sets a new single Extra-Inning Game SL-Record for Hits with 5! George Anderson sets a new single Extra-Inning Game SL-Record for At-Bats with 11. George Anderson sets a new single game SL-Record for Strikeouts with 5. Gene Ford sets a career high for K's in a game! Nig Clarke sets a new single Extra-Inning Game SL-Record for Hits with 5!

Here is the Game Log;