Alltime Allstar League begins operation

[batted balls]

Wow, have the White Sox ever tumbled. Maybe it's time for some minor league call-ups. The Chicago papers are circulating a rumor that Ozzie Guillen may soon replace Al Lopez.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by batted balls

Wow, have the White Sox ever tumbled. Maybe it's time for some minor league call-ups. The Chicago papers are circulating a rumor that Ozzie Guillen may soon replace Al Lopez.

The Sox will be ok when they get a few more hits.

The farm system is a little bleak on talent. Outfielder Johnny Mostil is about the best thing they have. They will looking at pitchers Doc White, Dick Donovan, Juan Pizarro, Alex Fernandez, Jack McDowell and Roberto Hernandez in the future.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Monday, June 9, 1902

NATIONAL LEAGUE

BRAVES TAKE NL LEAD BY 4 PERCENTAGE POINTS OVER PIRATES...NY GIANTS TUMBLE TO THIRD 1.5 GAMES OUT...DODGERS ARE FOURTH 2.5 GAMES BEHIND...CHICUBS FIFTH TRAIL BY 3.5 GAMES...CINCY REDS IN SIXTH BY A PERCENTAGE POINT OVER SEVENTH PLACE CARDS, BOTH 7.5 GAMES OUT...AND PHILS ARE ON BOTTOM 9.5 GAMES BEHIND.

The Boston Braves (35-27) hold a slight lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates (37-29) in the National League pennant race. The Braves finished the last three weeks at 12-10, while the Bucs were 13-10. Manager Bobby Cox lost his ace pitcher, Greg Maddux, for a couple of weeks due to strained back. Kevin Millwood was signed as his replacement. Dick Rudolph (1-0 3.38) also has been added to the roster and he had has two fine outings. Reliever Don McMahon (1-1 9.28) was sent down to make room for him. Boston's hitters are still doing quite a job. They are hitting .265 and are the best in both leagues with 75 home runs this season. Buck Leonard (.332/17/45), Chipper Jones (.326/15/48) and Eddie Mathews (.266/15/37) continue to batter NL pitching. Two rookies, Pete Hill (.279/8/30) and Joe Torre (.303/5/27) are a part of the Braves' success this year, too. Rookie outfielder Tommy Holmes (.323/2/15) has sparkled in limited action and is now a fulltime starter in leftfield. On the mound, it is Maddux (6-3 2.89), Warren Spahn (5-4 3.26) and Tom Glavine (5-3 4.18) leading the way. In the bullpen Steve Bedrosian (3-0 2.30 3 Sv) has been excellent.

Manager Danny Murtaugh has the best hitting team and the best pitching team in the National League. The Pirates (37-29) are batting .291 as a team and the pitchers have a 3.61 ERA. No one is very close on either count. But Pittsburgh is still four percentage points out of first place. For the last three weeks, they have turned out a 13-10 record and closed the gap between them and the Braves a little bit. When you have pitching like Deacon Phillippe (9-3 2.26), Vic Willis (8-3 2.82) and Ray Kremer (6-4 3.35) for starters and Roy Face (3-0 1.62 4 Sv) in relief and hitting like Arky Vaughan (.356/5/42), rookie Sadaharu Oh (.328/22/66), Roberto Clemente (.307/6/51), Honus Wagner (.302/7/36) and Pie Traynor (.338/2/15), good things happen for your club. Bob Veale (3-3 4.50) went down with an injury and will be on the DL for about a week. John Candelaria (1-1 3.38) has looked sharp in two starts thus far. Veale's roster spot might be in jeopardy, if Candelaria continues to do this well.

John McGraw is no happy camper at the Polo Grounds. His NY Giants (33-28) have fallen 1.5 games off the pace as they have played a mediocre 10-11 over the last 3 weeks and now rest in third place. Hitting has been their strong point this season, but has fallen out lately. A team batting average of .274 with 56 homers is nothing to sneeze at and the 3.74 team ERA looks good on paper. But when you look closely at the pitching, only Carl Hubbell (11-2 2.21) and Johnny Antonelli (4-2 2.79) show up well. Rookie Jeff Tesreau (2-0 3.41) has also looked good and may be destined for the starting rotation. The "M Boys", Christy Mathewson (6-2 4.64), Joe McGinnity (4-6 3.90) and Juan Marichal (4-4 4.57) have had lackluster seasons so far. In the batter's box Bill Terry (.329/4/25), Mel Ott (.297/11/39), Willie Mays (.282/7/37), Barry Bonds (.280/9/24) and Freddie Lindstrom (.265/4/32) have excelled, but cooled off in the last few weeks. The "M Boys" are going to have to turn it up a notch or two for the Giants to take charge of the National League title race.

The fourth place Brooklyn Dodgers (32-29) are still pounding the heck out of the ball, but the opposing teams are doing the same thing to the Bum pitching staff. Skipper Tommy Lasorda's club has gone 11-11 in the last three weeks and now trail the NL leaders by 2.5 games. Brooklyn is second to the Pirates in hitting with a .283 mark with 70 home runs, which is second in the NL and third overall in the Alltime Allstar Association. The Dodgers are led by Cristobel Torriente (.383/7/32), Zach Wheat (.347/8/51), Duke Snider (.330/12/39), Gil Hodges (.288/15/50) and Jackie Robinson (.309/6/20). On the mound side of the ledger, no starter, except for rookie Preacher Roe (3-2 3.71), has an ERA under 4.00. Dazzy Vance (3-3 4.17), a 19-game winner last year, is struggling. Sandy Koufax (5-6 4.57), Don Sutton (5-2 5.04) and Don Newcombe (6-5 4.21) are having a hard time, too. But the Dodgers do have several top prospects in the minors, who might be called on soon.

Jolly Cholly Grimm and his fifth place Chicago Cubs (32-31) completed the last 3 weeks with a record of 11-11 and dipped to 3.5 games behind. Grimm has three of the best pitchers in the league in Mordecai Brown (9-2 3.07), Ed Reulbach (7-2 3.01) and Lon Warneke (4-0 2.84), but nothing else. All of the other pitchers sport 4.50 ERAs or higher. The Chicub batters have slumped in the last few weeks with only Turkey Stearnes (.328/13/44) still hitting the ball. Newly-added starters, Billy Williams (.323/5/9) and Bill Madlock (.313/2/10) have done well and put a little offensive spark in the lineup. Rookie Cool Papa Bell (.283/4/23) is having a solid first year, while Ernie Banks (.274/8/39) and Mark Grace (.258/6/38) have slacked off considerably since the first month of the season. Grimm says several farm leaguers will soon be promoted to try to get some pitching help.

Sixth place Cincinnati (28-35) continues to slowly descend downward with a 10-13 mark over the past three weeks and have slipped to sixth place. Manager Sparky Anderson doesn't have a lot to cheer about. He can cheer his club's .272 BA. Most managers would be happy with that, but not when your team ERA is out of sight at 4.55. Only one pitcher has been solid...Gary Nolan (6-3 3.42)...the rest are for the most part 4.50 and above...way above. Tony Perez (.281/11/54), Ted Kluszewski (.331/14/40) and Frank Robinson (.281/11/54) continue to deliver at bat for the Reds, but they can't do it all. Sparky has indicated some lineup changes will be made soon.

Have the St. Louis Cardinals (27-34) turned it around? The Redbirds have been a redhot 13-8 in the last three weeks and find themselves in seventh place, 7.5 games out. They did the same thing last year with a poor first half and a fine second half. Can they do it again? They have a lot to make up, but don't look like they have the stuff to do it with this year. St. Louis is hitting only .249, still the worst in baseball and Tony Larussa's pitchers have a composite 4.20 ERA. Only Rogers Hornsby (.303/6/37) and Stan Musial (.276/13/32) have much to show for this season. Lately Ducky Medwick (.304/3/21) and Chick Hafey (.291/4/19) have been inserted into the starting lineup and had a hand in the recent surge, along with Hornsby and Musial. On the hill, Mort Cooper (4-7 2.81) has been excellent this year and could be a 10-game winner with a little run support. In the bullpen Todd Worrell (2-2 3.67 6 Sv) has stepped it up in recent weeks. Otherwise, it has been a long and dismal season for Cardinal hurlers. Rookie catcher Walker Cooper (.444/0/2), brother of Mort, made his debut last week and went 4-9 in his first two games.

Pulling up the rear are the Philadelphia Phillies (26-37), who went 8-14 in the last three weeks and have now plunged into the basement. Manager Danny Ozark's team is in disarray...next-to-last in both leagues with a .251 BA and last in both leagues with a monstrous 5.08 ERA. Only Curt Shilling ( 4-3 2.54 3Sv) has anything to brag about as far as the mound corps. He has moved to the starting rotation. Japanese rookie, Jiro Noguchi (6-3 4.28) has been inconsistent, but overall shows much promise. He is also now starting. Ozark sent down pitchers Steve Carlton (1-3 6.59) and Jim Konstanty (2-2 7.29) and replaced them with Larry Christenson and Al Orth. Curt Simmons (3-5 5.37) has a tender elbow and will be out for about a week. Tug McGraw will take his place on the roster. As far as hitters, only Chuck Klein (.292/10/39) and Von Hayes (.277/10/22) have contributed very much to the Philly attack.

See Boxscores, Standings and League Reports here:

http://aaa.allsimbaseball.com/index....tpage&Itemid=1

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Monday, June 23, 1902

AAA REACHES MIDSEASON...GETTING READY FOR SPECIAL DRAFT OF NEGRO AND JAPANESE STARS

The Alltime Allstar Association has now reached the midseason point. Once again there will be a special draft of Negro and Japanese talent. Each team will get one pick with the selection order based on today's season standings. The National League will get the first selection because the American League won the World Series last year.

Here is the draft selection order:
1. Cincinnati
2. Detroit
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. St. Louis Browns
5. St. Louis Cardinals
6. New York Yankees
7. Brooklyn
8. Philadelphia Athletics
9. Pittsburgh
10. Washington
11. Boston Braves
12. Chicago White Sox
13. Chicago Cubs
14. Cleveland
15. New York Giants
16. Boston Red Sox

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Monday, June 23, 1902

AMERICAN LEAGUE

REDHOT RED SOX ROAR INTO FIRST PLACE...CLEVELAND TRAILS BY HALF GAME...CHISOX THIRD 4.5 GAMES OUT...FOURTH PLACE SENATORS 5.5 BEHIND...SLUMPING ATHLETICS DIP TO FIFTH 6 GAMES OUT NOW...NY YANKS 6.5 GAMES BACK...TIED WITH BROWNS FOR SIXTH PLACE...AND TIGERS ARE STILL LAST TRAILING BY 10.5 GAMES

The Boston Red Sox (43-33) have surged past the Cleveland Indians by winning 12 of the last 15 games. Joe McCarthy's Bosox are first in hitting with a .273 BA, third in home runs with 74 and third in pitching with a 3.80 ERA. They have five .300 hitters in the lineup, paced by newcomer Ellis Burks (.357), Oscar Charleston (.316), Johnny Pesky (.316), Ted Williams (.304) and Joe Cronin (.302). Williams has 17 homers and 71 RBIs, rookie David Ortiz (.284) has ripped 17 home runs and driven in 53 runs and Charleston numbers 10 HRs and 42 RBIs to lead the healthy hit brigage. Even Nomar Garciaparra has perked up and lent some offense in the last two weeks. He is now hitting .260 with 7 homers and 36 runs driven in, after stuggling in the early part of the season down around the .220 mark. Pitchers have excelled, too. Roger Clemens (9-4 2.86), Pedro Martinez (8-4 3.48), George Ruth (8-6 3.28) and Mel Parnell (5-3 3.87) has been solid starters for McCarthy. Only Smokey Joe Wood (5-5) has a tough time with an ERA of 5.19. In the bullpen fireballer Dick Radatz (3-2 2.22) has gotten the job done and has 10 saves, tops in the AAA. Boston got Japanese outfielder, Hiromitsu Kadota, as the final pick in the Special Draft. The Red Sox sent him to the minors for more seasoning. Outfield is one of their strong points and he would just sit on the bench in the American League. McCarthy wants him to play everyday.

Cleveland (42-33) has played well with a 9-5 mark in the last two weeks and is only a half game out of first place. The Tribe's pitching corps has been its strong point with Addie Joss (9-4 2.71), Herb Score (9-6 2.92), Early Wynn (8-4 2.83) and Bob Feller (5-4 3.17) giving them a good chance to win in every game. If the Indians hit, they win. With a team composite BA at .253, they are the worst in both leagues. Only Tris Speaker (.308/1/24), Larry Doby (.304/8/41) and Luke Easter (.269/13/49) have provided much in the way of offense this year. Manager Steve O'Neill is hoping Earl Averill (.263/6/26) and Nap Lajoie (.265/1/21) can turn it around in the second half of the pennant race. A good hitter was his first priority in the Special Draft and LF Isao Harimoto, a talented hitter with good power was taken.

The White Sox (41-40) have fallen off the pace in the last couple of weeks with a 8-7 record and are 4.5 games out now; respectable, but not good enough to keep up with the sizzling Red Sox and the Indians. Skipper Al Lopez boosted his offense a little by moving in Minnie Minoso (.327/4/16) to leftfield fulltime and Magglio Ordonez (.301/7/27) into rightfield. But it is still the mound staff that is paying the bills for Chicago. Wilbur Wood (9-4 2.56) and Ed Walsh (5-5 2.40) have been outstanding. Adding Billy Pierce (3-3 2.56) and Gary Peters (3-3 3.21) into the mix keeps the White Sox in most of their games. Rookie reliever Mark Buerhle (4-2 2.59] has been very strong in the bullpen and has six saves in 41appearances. Lopez would love to put him in the starting rotation, but needs him too much in relief. Joe Horlen (6-6 3.75) and Ed Cicotte (6-8 3.77) have been inconsistent this season, but still are fine starters. The Chisox could use help at catcher, third base and shortstop. Any stepped-up production from those positions would put Chicago right back in the AL pennant race. In the Special Draft, Kazuhiro Yamauchi, a longball-hitting outfielder was selected. Manager Lopez indicated Yamauchi will get some playing time in rightfield against lefthanders.

Clark Griffith's Washington Senators (38-39) are pretty much like the AL-leading Red Sox, except in the power department. They are second to Boston with a .267 batting average and third behind Chicago and Cleveland with a 3.76 team ERA...but only have 33 home runs, by far the lowest total in both leagues. The fourth place Nats are 6-8 in the past two weeks and are presently 5.5 games behind Boston. Three players have kept Washington in the chase so far: Rod Carew (.317/0/20), Cecil Travis (.319/1/33) and Goose Goslin (.306/4/45). They are the club's mainstays. Griffith needs some assistance from the other five position players to move up in the race. He has some fine pitchers: Dutch Leonard (8-4 3.31), Camilo Pascual (7-5 3.10), Walter Johnson (7-2 3.50) and Firpo Marberry (5-4 3.45). Jim Kaat has been summoned from the minors to help out while rookie Brad Radke (0-4 3.59) is on the injured list. A longball hitter would be just the thing for the Senators and that's exactly what they got in first baseman, Mule Settles. Griffith said he will get the starting nod at first and replace Mickey Vernon (.262/5/29), who has only has so-so rookie season.

Philadelphia's pathetic 4-11 record has caused them to tumble drastically in the last two weeks. The A's (37-39) have dipped to 6 games off the pace since losing star outfielder Al Simmons (.304/8/35) due to a hip fracture. They were in first place prior to his absence and now find themselves in fifth place and going nowhere but down. On the hitting side of the ledger sheet, Mickey Cochrane (.310/4/27), rookie Shigeo Nagashima (.291/6/39), Jimmie Foxx (.286/18/53) and John Henry Lloyd (.272/10/39) have been the most productive. Pitching-wise only Lefty Grove (10-5 3.99), Ed Plank (8-5 3.76) and Rube Waddell (7-6 3.16) have had decent success. Grove and Plank benefited from the early season high octane attack and won some high-scoring games. Manager Connie Mack could use any kind of help right now. He hopes he got it in the Special Draft. His choice was a very well-rounded centerfielder, Alejandro Oms. Oms hits for average, power, runs very well, cover the field very well and has a good arm. He will be starting in centerfield until Al Simmons returns from injury.

The AAA defending World Series champions, the sixth place New York Yankees (37-40), still haven't put it all together this year. They are still wallowing in the second division. In the past two weeks, things haven't changed much...6 wins and 8 losses...yet they are within striking distance of the league leaders, trailing by 6.5 games. So all hope is not lost for Casey Stengel's crew. They just need some consistent pitching to get back into the title battle. Babe Ruth (.316/26/65), Lou Gehrig (.280/15/53), Joe DiMaggio (.266/12/37) and Company are still potent at the plate with 87 roundtrippers, tops in the American League. Derek Jeter (.320/8/37) is having a fine season as was Joe Gordon (.322/3/18) until he missed the last month of games with an injury. He is expected back within a week. That is great news for the Bronx Bombers. On the hill Whitey Ford (6-5 2.86), Lefty Gomez (7-6 3.24) and Herb Pennock (5-4 3.18) have done well, but need better hitting support. Manager Stengel needs a couple of good starters and Gordon back in the lineup to make a run at the crown this year. The Old Professor went for pitching in the Special Draft, choosing a tall Russian righthander, who lives in Japan. His name is Victor Starffin.

The St. Louis Browns (37-40) are tied with the Yanks for the sixth spot in the standings, going 5-8 over the past two weeks. The Browns are blasting fourbaggers fairly regularly with 74 this campaign, but too many of them have seen their batting average plunge to .250 or below. Josh Gibson (.270/15/42), Eddie Murray (.250/14/42) and Doug DeCinces (.235/10/31) are rattling the fences, but not for average. Thus far the team is hitting .257 on the year. Manager Earl Weaver needs somebody to get on base with more regularity to make any headway in the standings. He needs mound help as well with only Hoyt Wilhelm (8-4 3.08), Mike Mussina (7-7 3.51) and Jim Palmer (6-4 4.13) aiding the cause among the starters. The club's composite ERA is only 4.05 and near the bottom in the AL. Greg Olson (3-3 3.00) with 6 saves has been fairly good in relief and has suffered only one blown save. Pitching will probably be the Browns' top priority in the Special Draft for Negro and Japanese players. The Browns had the fourth selection in the draft and just might have picked up a fine prospect in Bill Foster, a solid southpaw and the younger brother of the Yankees' Rube Foster. Foster has great control and is reported to be the finest Negro lefthander.

Pulling up the rear in the cellar are the Detroit Tigers (33-44), who cooled down during the last two weeks with a 6-8 mark and are 10.5 games behind the top AL club, the Boston Red Sox. It has been a long half season for Manager Hughie Jennings, who finished a good third last year. No one except Ty Cobb (.351/8/44) is having a good year. Hank Greenberg (.255/14/58) has suffered with a low batting average, but has been productive in the RBI department. Not many hurlers are having good years. Hal Newhouser (7-6 3.88), Virgil Trucks (6-4 3.42) and recent acquisition, Jack Morris (3-2 3.05) are the only adequate pitchers. It may be soon be getting time for Detroit to get ready for next year and just give everybody more playing time and hope somebody gains from the experience. In the Special Draft, the Tigers has the second choice and selected a fine righthanded hurler, Chet Brewer. Jennings has indicated he will initially use him as the closer.

I will complete the National League tomorrow.

See Boxscores, Standings and League Reports here:

http://aaa.allsimbaseball.com/index....tpage&Itemid=1

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Tuesday, June 24, 1902

CINCY MAKES PITCHER RAY BROWN SPECIAL DRAFT'S FIRST PICK

SPECIAL DRAFT SELECTIONS

1. Cincinnati - Ray Brown - RHP
2. Detroit - Chet Brewer - RHP
3. Philadelphia (N) - Akiro Bessho - RHP
4. St. Louis (A) - Bill Foster - LHP
5. St. Louis (N) - Willard Brown - CF
6. New York (A) - Victor Starffin - RHP
7. Brooklyn - Yasumitsu Toyota - SS
8. Philadelphia (A) - Alejandro Oms - CF
9. Pittsburgh - Koji Yamamoto - CF
10. Washington - Mule Suttles - 1B
11. Boston (N) - Bill Wright - CF
12. Chicago (A) - Kazuhiro Yamauchi - OF
13. Chicago (N) - Tetsuharu Kawakami - 1B
14. Cleveland - Isao Harimoto - LF
15. New York (N) - Yutaka Fukumoto - CF
16. Boston (A) - Hiromitsu Kadota - LF

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Monday, June 23, 1902

NATIONAL LEAGUE

THE NY GIANTS ARE BACK ON TOP BY 2.5 GAMES...CHICUBS AND BRAVES TIED FOR RUNNER-UP SPOT...PITTSBURGH TUMBLES TO FOURTH 4.5 GAMES OUT...DODGERS FIFTH 5 GAMES BEHIND...CARDS IN SIXTH TRAIL BY 8 GAMES...PHILLIES SEVENTH 10.5 GAMES OUT...AND CINCY ON THE BOTTOM 14.5 GAMES BEHIND THE GIANTS.

The New York Giants (44-32) are first in batting (.279) and first in pitching (3.61) in the National League and also first in the standings. They sizzled with a 11-4 record in the last two weeks to jump ahead of everybody. Top producers are Mel Ott (.316/16/58), Willie Mays (.288/10/47), Freddie Lindstrom (.290/4/41), Bill Terry (.306/5/30), Martin Dihigo (.300/8/31) and Alvin Dark (.286/4/31). Manager John McGraw added a new bat to the lineup in leftfield, rookie Chino Smith (.336/6/18), replacing Barry Bonds (.274/9/26). On the hill King Carl Hubbell (14-2 2.36) and Christy Mathewson (7-2 3.90) have McGraw's go-to guys. Recently additions to the rotation, Johnny Antonelli (4-3 3.10) and Jeff Tesreau (3-0 2.84) have also stood out. It's been hit and miss with the other two starters, Juan Marichal (6-7 3.79) and Joe McGinnity (5-6 5.09). The rest of the National League teams better hope the Giants don't find one or two more capable starters. If they do, it could be a runaway in the second half of the season. In the Special Draft McGraw selected a basestealing outfielder, who excels at defense and is decent hitter, too. Yukata Fukumoto is his name.

The Boston Braves (42-35) lost the NL lead with a 7-8 mark over the last half month. Bobby Cox's bunch still wield big bats, leading the Alltime Allstar Association with 97 homers, but have faltered a little on the mound, especially without their ace, Greg Maddux (6-3 2.89). He was out for about three weeks with an injury, but is now back. Warren Spahn (7-5 3.55) has just developed a shoulder problem and will miss about a week. All other starters are over the 4.00 mark in ERA. Steve Bedrosian (4-1 2.59 3 sv) has sparkled as Cox's main bullpen man. The Braves' offense has been led by Chipper Jones (.323/18/59), Buck Leonard (.315/18/48), Joe Torre (.311/8/35), Pete Harris (.268/11/36) and Eddie Mathews (.259/19/47). Another bright spot in the attack is rookie Tommy Holmes (.341/3/23) since taking over in rightfield. In the Special Draft Boston added a fine centerfielder, Bill Wright. But he will have to wait his time as a backup right now. New roster add, righthanded pitcher Bob Buhl, will get some starts along with Johnny Sain, to try and get the Braves back on the right track. They are tied with the Cubs for second place and are only 2.5 games behind the first place Giants. Wally Berger (.250/2/5) and Kevin Millwood (0-2 8.03) were moved down to the minors to make room for the new additions.

Jolly Cholly Grimm is quite jolly these days. His Chicago Cubs (42-35) went on a 10-4 tear the last two weeks and find themselves within 2.5 games of first place. The name of the Bruins' game is hitting (.272 BA) and two topnotched hurlers named Mordecai Brown (11-3 3.25) and Ed Reulbach (8-2 3.16). The Cubs' batters are paced by Turkey Stearnes (.359/19/60), Ernie Banks (.269/10/52), Cool Papa Bell (.299/5/34) and Bill Dahlen (.312/4/30). Bill Madlock (.313/2/16) has added another good bat to the lineup, since moving into a regular spot at second base. In the Special Draft Chicago signed Japanese first sacker, Tetsuharu Kawakami, as backup to Mark Grace. The Cubs have also called up two pitchers, Carlos Zambrano and Bill Hands, both righthanders. Rick Reuschel (0-1 9.68) and Jack Pfiester (2-2 6.31) were sent down.

Manager Danny Murtaugh is down in the dumps as his Pirates (42-39) won only 5 of 15 and have plunged from first to fourth in the last two weeks. Pitching is the problem. The team ERA has skyrocketed from 3.61 to 3.90 since the decline. Pittsburgh promoted Bob Friend, Lee Meadows and Johnny Morrison and demoted Jesse Tannehill (2-4 5.90), Lefty Leifield (1-3 8.05) and Howie Camnitz (0-0 7.62). Murtaugh still has confidence in Deacon Phillippe (10-5 2.64), Vic Willis (9-5 3.20) and Ray Kremer (7-6 3.39), who took him to the World Series last season. Relief specialist, Roy Face (4-1 2.49), is solid in the bullpen and has 4 saves. Hitting-wise rookie first baseman, Sadaharu Oh (.321/26/75) has far exceeded any expectations. He is the best hitter in the AAA this year. Arky Vaughan (.330/5/49), Roberto Clemente (.293/8/60), Honus Wagner (.290/8/43) and Pie Traynor (.316/3/22) have put up some good stats, too. If the pitching comes around, the Bucs will be contending for the National League crown. When it came to Pittsburgh's selection in the Special Draft, they chose Koji Yamamoto, a fleet-footed centerfielder with good power.

The Brooklyn Dodgers (39-37) are still hitting the heck out of the ball and are still giving up a lot of runs, too. They finished with a 7-8 mark over the last two weeks and have dipped to sixth in the standings, trailing by 5 games now. Tommy Lasorda's battering crew is hitting .279, second to the Pirates (.285), but his mediocre moundsmen have compiled a helfy 4.55 ERA, third worst in the NL behind Cincinnati (4.63) and the Phillies (4.70). To remedy that, Brooklyn has sent Don Drysdale (2-2 5.18) and Orel Hershiser (1-3 6.00) packing to the minors and called up a stylish lefty, Nap Rucker and a hardthrowing righty, Van Mungo. Only Dazzy Vance (3-3 3.83) has an ERA under 4.00 on the entire staff. In the Special Draft, the Bums selected a power-hitting, good-fielding shortstop from Japan, Yasumitsu Toyota. Skipper Lasorda says it is his job to lose and will immediately go into the lineup. He will be added to a heavy-hitting crew of Cristobel Torriente (.368/7/41), Zach Wheat (.338/11/61), Duke Snider (.313/17/48), Gil Hodges (.282/18/60) and Jackie Robinson (.312/7/29). Roy Campanella (.295/6/19), recently promoted to first string catcher, has hit with authority, too.

The St. Louis Cardinals (35-40) are still playing above .500 in the last month, going 8-6 over the last two weeks. In the cellar for most of the campaign, the Cards have risen up to sixth place, 8.5 games out. The Redbird revival has been spirited by the hitting of new rookie catcher, Walker Cooper (.340/3/9), Rogers Hornsby (.297/6/43), Stan Musial (.281/15/43), Chick Hafey (.294/5/26), Ducky Medwick (.293/3/28) and Jim Bottomley (.289/2/15). Even splendid gloveman, Ozzie Smith (.281/0/15), has gotten into the act. Pitching is still a sore point for Larussa. Among the regular starters, the only decent ERAs belong to Mort Cooper (6-8 3.24) and Dizzy Dean (6-5 3.89). St. Louis may have gotten a jewel in the Special Draft. They selected a good, all around outfielder, Willard Brown, who can run, hit and throw. Ineffective Jason Isringhausen (0-4 9.78) and Slim Sallee (1-0 5.31) have bit the dust and were shipped to the minors to make way for Lindy McDaniel and Matt Morris, both righthanders.

The seventh place Philadelphia Phils (34-43) played well over the past two weeks and charted a 8-6 record. Overall they are 10.5 games in the rear of the high-flying NY Giants. Danny Ozark's team is seventh in batting in the National League at .257 and dead last with a 4.70 ERA. Japanese control artist, Akiro Bessho, was chosen by the Phillies in the Special Draft to shore up the pitching. Only Curt Schilling (5-3 2.45), Jiro Noguchi (7-3 3.75) and Rick Wise (6-3 4.09) are having respectable seasons thus far. Pete Alexander, last year NL Golden Arm Award winner with a 19-8 record and 2.27 ERA, is not the same pitcher. He is only 6-6 with a 4.68 ERA. 15-game winner last season, Robin Roberts, is 1-9 and 8.39 on the year. Top hitters for Philadelphia so far are Chuck Klein (.290/11/46), Von Hayes (.277/12/29), Lefty O'Doul (.321/7/35) and Biz Mackey (.318/7/31).

It's been the penthouse to the outhouse for Sparky Anderson and the last place Cincinnati Reds (30-47) this year. In the last two weeks that have managed only two wins against 12 losses. They hope to get some pitching help from the Special Draftee, Ray Brown, a fireballing righthander with great control. He is expected to go into the starting rotation right away. Gary Nolan (6-6 3.69) has been one of the few mound bright spots for Cincinnati. Other success stories are Tony Perez (.262/14/60), Ted Kluszewski (.320/17/45) and Frank Robinson (.279/13/45). It looks like the Reds will have to wait until next year.

[Eugene Church]

I am going to play out a month of games.

May take a few days...might take a week.

[seth70liz76]

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

I am going to play out a month of games.

May take a few days...might take a week.

We'll be here waiting for the update EC!

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by seth70liz76

We'll be here waiting for the update EC!

I have played about 15 more games...will play 15 more and that should take us to a 100 games into the season.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Friday, July 25, 1902

AMERICAN LEAGUE

THE CLEVELAND INDIANS LEAD THE BOSTON RED SOX BY 1.5 GAMES IN THE TIGHT AMERICAN LEAGUE RACE...SURGING PHILADELPHIA IS ONLY 2 GAMES BEHIND...THE YANKEES ARE A DISTANT FOURTH, 8.5 GAMES OFF THE PACE...THE CHISOX FELL TO FIFTH, TRAILING BY 10...THE BROWNS ARE SIXTH, 11.5 GAMES OUT...SEVENTH PLACE WASHINGTON IS 12.5 GAMES BEHIND...AND DETROIT IS STILL IN THE BASEMENT, 14 OUT.


The Indians (61-46) have moved past the Red Sox in the last month, running up a 19-13 mark. The Tribe has a 1.5 games lead over Boston, who went 17-15 in the same period. Cleveland has the best staff in the AAA with a 3.48 ERA, led by four fine starters: Herb Score (12-7 3.18), Early Wynn (12-6 3.40), Addie Joss (11-7 2.58) and Bob Feller (9-5 2.79). Manager Steve O'Neill recently added Bob Lemon (4-2 2.52) to the starting rotation to make the club even stronger. Relief ace, Doug Jones (5-6 3.79), has 13 saves and has only blown 2 of them this year. On the offensive side of the ledger, not one of the Indians strong points, they have compiled a .254 team batting average with only 76 homers, both figures are the second worst in both leagues. Luke Easter (.244/18/64) and Larry Doby (.275/10/57) are the big bats and power guys. Tris Speaker (.307/4/40) is their top hitter. Cleveland switched Willie Wells (.269/9/43) to shortstop and put Boojum Wilson (.287/2/16) in at third and solidified the infield. The Indians have use 4 shortstops this year. Rookie catcher Victor Martinez (.269/7/42) has also supplied some good offense to the attack. Skipper O'Neill has the pitching to stay in the race. If the batters come around and hit for a higher average and a little more power, Cleveland would waltz into the World Series.

In the last month the Boston Red Sox (60-48) have slipped to 1.5 games behind the Indians. During the period the Beantowners were 17-15 and fell out of first place. Manager Joe McCarthy gets by with prolific hitting from Ted Williams (.306/24/97), Oscar Charleston (.328/16/67), David Ortiz (.285/21/75), Nomar Garciaparra (.291/10/59) and Joe Cronin (.295/7/44). Overall the Red Sox are hitting .276 as a team, far and away the best average in the AL. On the hill he can call on three very capable starters and one reliever. George Ruth (13-6 3.46), Roger Clemens (12-5 2.80) and Pedro Martinez (12-6 3.24) are a potent trio, but need some other starters to step it up. They are third with a 3.92 ERA. Dick Radatz (4-4 3.10/11 saves) has been pretty steady in the bullpen, but has lost 4 save opportunities.

The hottest team in the league the last few weeks was the Philadelphia A's (59-48). Over the period they compiled a 22-9 mark and now only trail by a scant 2 games. The A's best batters this season are Jimmie Foxx (.308/29/77), Al Simmons (.307/11/56), rookie Shigeo Nagashima (.290/10/63) and Mickey Cochrane (.308/5/40). A recent signee from the Special Draft has been impressive. Alejandro Oms (.314/2/9), a rookie centerfielder, has done well in the leadoff spot since joining the squad. On the hill leading the way are Lefty Grove (14-5 3.13), Eddie Plank (12-6 3.82) and Rube Waddell (10-9 3.04). Dennis Eckersley (6-5 3.14) is also in the starting rotation and has been a solid addition. Rollie Fingers (2-3 2.74 12 saves) is Manager Connie Mack's best bullpen man. The rest of the staff have been disappointing. The A's are third in pitching with a 3.90 ERA and the team is fourth in hitting with a .263 BA and with 113 home runs. More pitching is what Philadelphia could really use. They recently lost shortstop John Henry Lloyd (.268/12/50) for a week and star third baseman Shigeo Nagashima for two weeks. Miguel Tejeda (.303/2/7) and Eric Chavez will fill in for them. Chavez was just called up from the minors. Al Simmons had missed about 3 weeks earlier. His return gave the club a great boost and they prompty turned it up a notch. If they continue to play like they have in the last 30 days, it would be tough for anyone in the AL to keep up with them.

The defending World Series champs, the New York Yankees (53-55), just haven't been the same ballclub. They are in fourth place, 16-15 over the last month and a distant 8.5 games out of first and not even playing .500 ball. They are still hitting home runs and are first in the AL with 120 and second to the NL Braves' 128 roundtrippers so far in the season. Other than the HR department, the Yanks are just average in pitching with a 3.98 ERA and subpar in hitting with a .255 team BA. Lefty Gomez (10-8 3.10), Whitey Ford (7-5 3.11) and Herb Pennock (7-6 3.12) have fine ERAs and keep them close in games, but the hitters can't seem win them like they did last year. Babe Ruth (.317/35/88) is having an outstanding season and will break his AAA home run mark easily this year. He just equaled last year's record. Lou Gehrig (.268/20/70) is productive, but is dismal compared to his .317 average of last season. Joe Gordon (.302/7/37) was having a fine season, but has played in only half the games due to a lengthy injury. He is back now and the club is playing better. Joe DiMaggio (.277/16/52) and Derek Jeter (.292/11/47) have played well. After playing around with the lineup to shake the Bronx Bombers out of the doldrums, Manager Casey Stengel has returned to pretty much the same lineup as last year in an attempt to regain the magic. To no avail thus far.

The Chicago White Sox (52-57) are heading up the second division and put up a pathetic 11-17 record in the last month. The fifth place Pale Hose have never been this low in the standings before, trailing the Indians by 10 games. Skipper Al Lopez still has the pitching (3.66 ERA, second to Cleveland's 3.48), but is feeble in the batting department, hitting only .258 as a team. They are down in both areas. Last year they sparkled with a 3.38 ERA and .263 BA. Wilbur Wood (11-7 3.06) and Billy Pierce (7-3 2.83) have been standout starters, but Ed Cicotte (7-8 4.51) and Joe Horlen (8-11 3.94) are having off years. Hardluck Ed Walsh (6-9 2.69) has a fine ERA, but nothing to show for it in the won-lost column. As usual Joe Jackson (.347/5/58) is a superlative hitter, but that about as far as it goes, except for big Frank Thomas (.255/20/71). Thomas is still a fine cleanup hitter and is on par with last year. A recent bright spot has been new signee, Kazuhiro Yamauchi (.469/1/8), a young Japanese outfielder, who has started in left 5 times. Magglio Ordonez (.266/8/30) and Luke Appling (.252/2/19), two of last year's leaders, have been disappointments and relegated to the bench. Ordonez has been a victim of the Lopez's platoon system, which has not seemed to work. The outlook for the Chisox is not so good.

The sixth place St. Louis Browns (50-58) are hitting a lot more home runs this year and have improved over last year, but are still only a mediocre ballteam. 13-18 over the past month, they have fallen 11.5 games off the pace. They did spend a little time in the first division this season. Albeit a short time. Manager Earl Weaver's Brown bunch are hitting .257 this year. The team BA is about like last year. But this year already have hit 105 homers, compared to just 76 last season. Josh Gibson (.266/23/57), Vern Stephens (.291/10/36), Eddie Murray (.261/18/53), Ken Williams (.273/14/51) lead the St. Louis attack. Cal Ripken (.289/8/28) has recently been installed at shortstop and put some spark in the team. Stephens was moved to third base to accommodate Ripken. Weaver is in some bad need for pitching. Only Hoyt Wilhelm (8-6 3.20) and Mike Mussina (1-9 3.44) have been consistently effective in the starting rotation. Dave McNally (5-7 3.46) and Jim Palmer (8-8 4.27) have been off and on. Last year's ace and 15-game winner Mike Cuellar (1-3 5.62) has been a flop this year. Weaver said Cuellar is too good to be stuck in the bullpen and will soon put him back into the rotation to see, if he can regain last season's form. The Browns are better this year, but will need more hitting and more pitching to continue their upward movement.

Clark Griffith's seventh place Senators (49-59) made a brief midseason run at the first division, but an 11-20 record sent them tumbling back to their accustomed spot in the AL standings. Washington's strong point is good hitters. They are second with a .267 team batting average and are paced by Rod Carew (.306/0/43), Cecil Travis (.311/4/45), Goose Goslin (.291/7/61) and Tony Oliva (.296/9/44). Heinie Manush (.310/3/26) has hit well, splitting time with Oliva. The Senators have added some power to the lineup for spacious Griffith Stadium and have surpassed last year's paltry total of 57. They have 59 fourbaggers this year, still the worst in both leagues. Dutch Leonard (10-7 3.79), Walter Johnson (9-4 3.61) and Camilo Pascual 99-8 3.47) gives Skipper Griffith three quality starters, but you need 4 or 5 to be successful. Washington can hit for average. They also need improvement in the longball department to rise in the standings.

What has happened to the Detroit Tigers (47-60)? They are absolutely last in the league. You think Hughie Jennings has gotten dumber in the past year? Is it all his fault? Last season the Tigers battled the Yanks and the White Sox tooth and nail all season long and faded right at the last and finished third. They did it with great hitting (.279 BA) and pretty fair pitching (3.79 ERA). But not this year! Detroit has dipped in both areas, hitting .267 and compiling a 4.27 ERA, last in the American League. The hitting perked up quite a bit and they finished 14-16 for the month. Earlier in the year the team BA hovered in the .240s. Any kind of pitching would have given them a much better mark. Ty Cobb (.380/10/61) is having a fantastic season. Harry Heilmann (.301/7/33), and Charlie Gehringer (.285/17/68) are solid and dependable. Hank Greenberg (.257/18/79) is having an off season batting average-wise, but is delivering otherwise. He hit .304 last year. Vic Wertz (.306/5/21) and George Kell (.317/0/22) have performed well since being inserted in leftfield and third base. Hal Newhouser (9-6 4.06) and recent call up, Jack Morris (4-5 3.01), are the only pitchers to speak of. Detroit needs wholesale improvement in the pitching corps to get back to the first division.

National League review coming soon. The OOTPBB2006 Text Committee is taking all of my time. It's a fulltime job done right. I think you will see great improvement in it, if you play out your games.

See Boxscores, Standings and League Reports here:

http://aaa.allsimbaseball.com/index....tpage&Itemid=1

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Friday, July 25, 1902

NATIONAL LEAGUE

NY GIANTS HAVE HUGE LEAD IN NATIONAL...TOP BRAVES BY 8 GAMES...THIRD PLACE CARDINALS BY 11.5 GAMES...PITTSBURGH AND BROOKLYN ARE TIED FOR FOURTH, TRAIL BY 12.5 GAMES...CHICUBS ARE SIXTH, 15 BEHIND...SEVENTH PLACE CINCINNATI 17.5 BACK...AND THE PHILLIES PULL UP THE REAR, 19 GAMES BEHIND.

Manager John McGraw is looking more and more like a prophet. In the preseason he went on record that his club would win both the NL championship and the Word Series, too. It looks like at least half of the prediction might come true. His Giants (66-42) won 22 of 32 contests in the last month and turn the National League pennant race into shambles. The runnerup Boston Braves are now a whopping 8 games behind. Simply put, New York has the best hitting (.279) and the best pitching (3.71) in the league. McGraw has a solid set of starters he can call on. Carl Hubbell (17-4 2.50) has been magnificent. And Christy Mathewson (11-4 3.76) and Juan Marichal (10-8 4.06) have come to life in the last month and pitched the way they did last year. Johnny Antonelli (8-4 3.15) and Jeff Tesreau (6-0) have been steady starters since being put in the pitching rotation. In the bullpen Dick Nen (2-7 4.40 13 saves) has made 46 appearances. It is hitting where the Giants really standout. Mel Ott (.318/24/81), Willie Mays (.276/14/69), Martin Dihigo (.288/19/58), Freddie Lindstrom (.286/5/51), Alvin Dark (.293/5/46), Bill Terry (.304/7/47) and Barry Bonds (306/15/40) are a very potent bunch of hitters, one of the prime reasons New York has such a big lead. Short of a complete collapse, it's looks like McGraw and Company are half way to the World Series.

The Braves (58-50) went 16-15 over the past month, but lost 5.5 games to the redhot Giants. They trail now by 8 games. They are still hitting homers with a 128 total, the best in both leagues, but the pitching has gone into decline. Greg Maddux (8-7 3.56) and Lew Burdette (8-10 4.58) have seen their ERAs shoot up. However Bobby Cox has been able to depend on Warren Spahn (10-6 3.24) and Tommy Glavine (9-5 3.48). John Smoltz (7-4 3.89) has come around in the bullpen and has 7 saves. Cox will have to get more out of his other pitchers to challenge New York. But other than these three, Boston's pitchers have been woeful. The hitters are still productive with Chipper Jones (.314/22/77), Buck Leonard (.288/23/75), Eddie Mathews (.248/26/64), Tommy Holmes (.322/8/36) and Joe Torre (.302/11/42) in the forefront. The Braves need a good, long winning streak and for the Giants to go into the tank to get back into the NL title chase.

The third place St. Louis Cardinals (54-53) are coming on strong again in the late season, just like they did last year, but it looks like they are only battling for second place. The first place Giants are just too far ahead. The rampaging Redbirds are 19-13 over the last 30 days and are hitting the cover off the ball, yet are 11.5 games out of first. At midseason Manager Tony Larussa went back to last year's regulars and it paid huge dividends. The Cardinal crew are now hitting .270 as a team. For most of the season, they were around the .240 mark. Heading the hit parade are Rogers Hornsby (.304/15/69), Stan Musial (.295/20/70) and Joe Medwick (.302/7/51). Johnny Mize (.290/13/44), Chick Hafey (.332/6/38), Frankie Frisch (.331/1/32) and Ozzie Smith (.272/0/23), all benched early in the season, got put back in the lineup and the club took off. Parttimer Jim Edmonds (.240/13/38) has supplied the longball on a platoon basis. As far as the mound staff, Larussa is still trying to find some stoppers. His aces are struggling. Bob Gibson (7-8 4.05), Dizzy Dean (8-8 4.02), Larry Jackson (9-7 4.04), Mort Cooper (7-11 3.81) and John Tudor 95-5 4.20) have been inconsistent this year. In the Cardinal bullpen, Todd Worrell (3-7 3.79/11 saves) has been off and on, too. Larussa is still looking for some dominant pitchers.

The fourth place Pittsburgh Pirates (54-55) are a mystery. They are tied with the Giants with a .279 team batting average and are second to the them with a 3.85 ERA. Manager Danny Murtaugh doesn't understand why his team is 12.5 games off the pace and playing under .500 baseball. The Pirates are currently tied with the Brooklyn Dodgers (53-54). In the last month they have mediocre 12-16 mark. Sadaharu Oh (.311/34/101) has been outstanding in his first AAA season. Arky Vaughan (.306/6/57), Roberto Clemente (.284/10/75), Honus Wagner (.297/8/50), Paul Waner (.298/4/38) and Pie Traynor (.299/3/31) have had good seasons, too. On the hill, Murtaugh has a solid nucleus: Deacon Phillippe (11-9 3.01), Vic Willis (10-7 3.44) and Ray Kremer (9-8 3.29). But the Bucs could use one or two more consistent starters. Roy Face (5-3 2.80/8 saves) has done a fine job in the bullpen. They need one or two more starters to challenge the New York Giants. Like the Cardinals, Pittsburgh is playing for second this year. It looks like National clubs will have to wait for next year. It ain't over till it's over...but it looks like the fat lady is getting ready to sing.

The Brooklyn Dodgers (53-54) have pounded the ball this year, but so has the opposition. The Bums have a .270 team batting average with 114 home runs (third in the AAA), but the pitchers have ballooned to a 4.30 ERA, one of the worst in the NL. The fourth place Dodgers are 14-17 in the last month and are 12.5 games behind the leading Giants. Manager Tommy Lasorda has many fine hitters to call on. In fact, he can't get even get a .431 hitter in the lineup. There is no room in the outfield or at first base for rookie Babe Herman (.431/1/8). Here are the guys that make the Dodgers go: Zach Wheat (.329/13/83), Gil Hodges (.260/21/74), Duke Snider (.309/23/67), Cristobel Torriente (.344/9/58) and Jackie Robinson (.293/9/35). A big plus for Lasorda has been midseason draftee, rookie Yasumitsu Toyota (.284/6/15). The young Japanese shortstop has really impressed with his power in his 28 starts so far. Lasorda also found a brilliant pitcher in his minor league system, Nap Rucker (6-0 1.04). This talented lefty has really dazzled and befuddled National League batters in his 6 starts...all wins. Brooklyn has some good talent in their mound corps, but so far this year, Sandy Koufax (9-10 4.4), Dazzy Vance (5-7 3.74) and Don Newcombe (8-12 4.24) have been disappointing. What is really puzzling?...Vance won 19 games last season. In the off season, you can be sure the Ebbets Field bunch will be scouring the minors for more Napoleon Ruckers. This year no one expects the Dodgers to finish higher than fifth.

In the last month Cholly Jolly Grimm has not been so jolly! His Chicago Cubs (51-57) have fallen from third place and 2.5 games off the pace to sixth place and 15 games out. A terrible 9-22 record did it. The Chicubs have hit well, but are severely lacking in pitching. As a team, the Chicubs have put up a strong .270 batting average, while the pitchers have a lofty 4.33 ERA. Turkey Stearnes (.336/26/86) is putting up great numbers. Bill Dahlen (.316/8/49) and Ernie Banks (.272/12/68) have produced solid stats, too. Rookie centerfielder, Cool Papa Bell (.299/5/34), has done very well, but fractured a hand and has missed all of the last month. He has been greatly missed. Manager Grimm recently inserted Tetsuharu Kawakami (.429/2/5) at first base and the Japanese rookie draftee has looked impressive in his few starts. As far as the pitching department, only Mordecai Brown (13-6 3.53) and Ed Reulbach (9-6 3.62) have done the job. Everybody else on the staff has a 4.00 or higher ERA this season. With the return of Bell and some improvement in the pitching, the Cubs might climb up to fourth place.

Suddenly the seventh place Cincinnati Reds (48-59) have regained their early season form, when the were sitting atop the National League. In the last month, they have sizzled with a 18-12 record. Good pitching has been the reason. Manager Sparky Anderson promoted Pete Donahue (8-3 4.04), Jose Rijo (6-7 3.45) and Smokey Joe Williams (4-4 3.74) to starting assignments and this has paid off. Gary Nolan (11-7 3.87) has been his ace this year. On the offensive side, Tony Perez (.249/19/80), Frank Robinson (.282/18/60) and Ted Kluszewski (.322/22/58) have been Cincy's big bats. Recently Anderson has made some changes in his lineup and platooned Gus Bell (.280/3/15) and George Foster (.284/2/11) in centerfield and it has worked out well. Like almost every team, Cincinnati needs pitching. They have the hitters. They just need somebody to occasionally get the opposing batters out. Sixth place may be the best the Redlegs can do this season.

It has been a long, long season for Danny Ozark and the Philadelphia Phillies (44-64). Last year's Cinderella club almost took the National League pennant, but this year they have been a flop. During the month they finished at 13-18 and dropped into the cellar. A 4.64 ERA and a .253 BA says it all for the Phils. Lefty O'Doul (.328/11/49) and Chuck Klein (.307/18/68) are only regulars having a good season. Last year's leaders Mike Schmidt (.194/22/56), Dick Allen (.221/2/15), Del Ennis (.259/3/17) and Richie Ashburn (.250/1/22) have been abysmal. On the good side, rookie Jiro Noguchi (10-4 3.42), Pete Alexander (10-7 3.90) and Curt Schilling (8-7 3.60) usually keep the game close. Alexander, last year NL Golden Arm winner with a 19-8 and 2.27 ERA, has not been the same pitcher. Neither has Robin Roberts (2-9 7.23), who finished up last season with a sparkling 15-8 mark and a strong 3.30 ERA. In 1901 almost everyone produced for Ozark. It was a magical year. 1902 has been the exact opposite. Looks like Philly will finish in last place this season.

See Boxscores, Standings and League Reports are here:

http://aaa.allsimbaseball.com/index....tpage&Itemid=1

[Eugene Church]

I need input from you regulars.

Do you like the new format...that justs gives monthly summaries?

Is it better than the old format, where I covered each game?

The new format means less writing for me and it also means I can play a season quicker than a year...maybe in about half the time.

But it is important know how the regular readers feel about the switch to the summary rather than individual game format.

Please comment.

Thanks.

[Eugene Church]

ALLTIME ALLSTAR ASSOCIATION

Wednesday, August 13, 1902

AMERICAN LEAGUE

With only a month to go in the regular season in the tight American League title chase, the Philadelphia Athletics have moved into first place by a scant one percentage point over the Cleveland Indians. Coming in third are the Boston Red Sox, who are 4 games out, followed by the fourth place Bronx Bombers at 7.5 games. Heading up the second division is St. Louis in the fifth position. The Browns are 11.5 games in back of the leading A's. The Chisox are 12 back and are in sixth place, Detroit and Washington are tied for last place, trailing by 12.5 games.

Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's (70-55) have put on a second half spurt and rest atop of the American League standings, although precariously. They went 11-7 in the last two weeks to nudge slightly ahead of the Indians by one percentage point. Jimmie Foxx (.301/31/88), rookie Shigeo Nagashima (.293/10/68), Al Simmons (.302/14/65), John Henry Lloyd (.272/16/63), Frank Baker (.292/21/54) and Mickey Cochrane (.304/5/46) have supplied the offense and Lefty Grove (16-6 3.22), Rube Waddell (12-10 2.85) and Eddie Plank (12-8 4.03) the starting pitching. Rollie Fingers (2-4 2.60/14 saves) and Bobby Shantz (11-4 4.22/6 saves) have done the job in the bullpen. A midseason pickup, Alejandro Oms (.328/4/16), has sparkled in the leadoff spot. The A's are clicking on all cylinders and look like the team to beat this year. As a team they are hitting .267 with 140 home runs (second in the AL, third in the AAA) with a team ERA (second AL) at 3.92.

The Cleveland Indians (71-56) are in second place behind the Athletics. Skipper Steve O'Neill's club went 10-10 during the last couple of weeks and will be a tough team to contend with because of a fine pitching staff. Herb Score (16-7 2.83), Addie Joss (14-7 2.61), Bob Feller (11-6 2.78), Early Wynn (12-8 3.71) and Bob Lemon (5-4 2.79) are the best pitching corps in both leagues, leading with a 3.46 ERA. The Tribe hitters are the worst in both league with a .255 team batting average. Luke Easter (.240/20/70), Larry Doby (.259/15/69), Willie Wells (.286/10/50), Tris Speaker (.304/4/44) and Nap Lajoie (.292/1/40) give them enough offense to get by, but nothing more. Recently O'Neill benched Easter and Earl Averill (.255/10/47) for Rocky Colavito (.328/6/14) and Jim Thome (.203/6/18) in an effort to get a little more offense. More offense and Cleveland could be headed for the World Series.

The Boston Red Sox (67-60) flirted with first place for a while, but fizzled in a series with the A's and put up a poor 7-12 mark over the last few weeks. The Bosox are tops in BA in the AL with a .275 mark and fourth in homers with 125. ERA-wise Boston's 4.12 stands fifth in the league, headed by Pedro Martinez (15-7 3.57), George Ruth (14-9 3.50), Roger Clemens (13-8 3.50), Mel Parnell (9-6 4.36) and reliever Dick Radatz (4-5 3.41/13 saves). A bevy of fine batters lead the charge for Joe McCarthy's club: Oscar Charleston (.323/22/78), Ted Williams (.301/28/113), David Ortiz (.289/24/87), Nomar Garciaparra (.295/14/73) and recent starter, Ellis Burks (.307/10/32). Boston lost their shortstop, Joe Cronin (.308/8/50) for a month with a torn muscle in his hip. The Red Sox have hit their way to third place so far. To challenge for the league title and the trip to the World Series, McCarthy needs the pitchers to step it up to a higher level. Boston's hitting is carrying the pitching thus far this season.

The New York Yanks (63-63) have played well the last couple of months and have climbed up to fourth place in the standings. Over the past two weeks they compiled a 10-8 mark and now trail the A's by 7.5 games. The Bombers still hit homers (141, #1 in the AL) like last year, but the pitching just hasn't been there. It has been a tough year for Lefty Gomez (11-9 3.29), Ron Guidry (9-8 4.40), Herb Pennock (9-7 3.02) and Whitey Ford (7-7 3.14). Likewise for ace reliever, Mariano Rivera (6-7 3.52/11 saves), who has been replaced by Goose Gossage (4-2 2.42/2 saves). Babe Ruth (.307/35/96) leads the Bomber brigade and is having an outstanding season. He hit 35 homers last year to set the AAA record, since broken by Pittsburgh's great rookie first baseman, Sadaharu Oh, who already has hit 38 this year. Lou Gehrig (.278/29/95), Derek Jeter (.306/11/51) and Joe DiMaggio (.283/18/65) have stood out, too. It will take a group turnaround by the New York starters to get them back in the race. But it will be hard to make up 7.5 games in the last month of the season.

In the fifth place position are Earl Weaver's St. Louis Browns (59-67). Home run power has moved them up in the standings. His team went 9-9 the last two weeks and are 11 games out. Dismal pitching has been the culprit this season. The Brownies are last in the American League with a 4.30 ERA. Last year St. Louis finished in last place and hit only 76 home runs. This season they have already collected 120. They finished 29 games out last year. Josh Gibson (.269/29/73), Eddie Murray (.259/20/63), Ken Williams (.269/16/58), Vern Stephens (.292/12/41) and Cal Ripken (.277/10/36) have led the club in hitting. Ripken has been a pleasant surprise since becoming the starting shortstop at midseason. Mike Mussina (12-12 3.73), Hoyt Wilhelm (9-7 3.47) and relief specialist Greg Olson (4-6 3.03/12 saves) have been the only productive pitchers. St. Louis could finish as high as fifth, but only if Jim Palmer (9-9 4.63) regains his early season form.

Manager Al Lopez is not a happy camper this season. His Chicago White Sox (59-69) have spiraled down to sixth place this season, after finishing last year in second place. During last few weeks they turned in a 7-11 mark and are now 12 full games out of first place. They are second in the AL with a 3.68 ERA, but have produced the least runs of any club in either league. On the mound Billy Pierce (9-6 2.71) has been Lopez's best. Ed Walsh (8-10 2.85) has been tough, but doesn't have many wins to show for it. Wilbur Wood (11-10 3.40) is solid, but hasn't gotten the run support. Joe Jackson (.349/6/64) is hitting the heck out of the ball again this season. Frank Thomas (.240/21/75) is providing the home runs and the RBIs and rookie outfielder, Kazuhiro Yamauchi (.369/4/14) has looked great in 13 starts. He was picked up in the Special Draft at midseason. The Chisox might be destined to a seventh place finish as the Detroit Tigers have started to play up to their potential of late and are on the rise.

Detroit (58-68) has been hot in recent weeks with a 11-8 record. They are currently tied with the Washington Senators for seventh place. The Tigers have finally found their batting eye and could move up as far as fifth place. It is not likely they will catch the Yanks. Ty Cobb (.371/11/68) is even more awesome this year and looks like a cinch to win his first batting title. Hank Greenberg (.271/27/98) and Charlie Gehringer (.292/20/84) have provided some important offensive punch as well. Manager Hughie Jennings inserted George Kell (.318/1/26), Vic Wertz (.310/5/28) and Al Kaline (.281/3/8) into the lineup to try and shake things up and it seems to have worked. The only effective pitcher this season has been Hal Newhouser (9-6 4.04), but he has been lost for the year with bones chips in his left shoulder. Detroit's ERA is 4.29 currently with no good in sight. The Tigers will just have to outscore the opposition. They might just do it and climb up to fifth place.

The cellar-dwelling Senators (58-68) hung around the first division for one-third of the season, but have now descended to their accustomed surroundings. Washington was 9-9 over the last two weeks and seems destined for a last place finish. They are 12.5 games behind the Athletics and tied for seventh in the league with the Tigers. Goose Goslin (.278/8/71), Cecil Travis (.337/5/51), Heinie Manush (.333/4/33), Tony Oliva (.293/9/48) and Rod Carew (.296/1/44) lead the offense, while starting pitchers Camilo Pascual (12-8 3.13), Dutch Leonard (12-7 3.59) and Walter Johnson (10-7 3.71) can be very hard to beat at times.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

The New York Giants are running away with the National League, leading the second-place St. Louis Cards by a whopping 11 games. In third place are the Boston Braves, who trail by 12.5 games. Rounding out the first division clubs are the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Brooklyn Dodgers, tied for fourth place in the standings, 15 games out. The Chicubs are 17.5 games behind and are in sixth place. Cincinnati is in seventh place, resting 21.5 games out of first. And the Philadelphia Phillies are in the basement, 23.5 games behind the Giants.

John McGraw predicted the Giants would win the World Series this year. He is well on the way to making that come true. New York has been devastating for the last two months, going 34-17. Their main opponent, the Boston Braves, have slumped to 23-26 in that same period. In the last two weeks the Giants have gone 12-7 and have made shambles out the NL race. McGraw does it with hitting. Look at his lineup: Bill Terry (.298/9/55), Martin Dihigo (.292/24/69), Barry Bonds (.298/18/48), Mel Ott (.317/25/92), Wilie Mays (.268/16/78), Freddie Lindstrom (.298/6/62), and three catchers, Roger Bresnahan (.256/3/28), Harry Danning (.314/3/12) and Tom Haller (.297/4/22), Alvin Dark (.291/7/56). The are the number one team with .279 BA and a 3.67 ERA. NY is no slouch in the pitching department, either. Carl Hubbell (20-4 2.28) has been brilliant. Rookie Jeff Tesreau (8-1 3.34) has come on strong since being moved into the starting rotation at midseason. Christy Mathewson (15-4 3.50) had gotten his game going in the second half of the season. Reliever Robb Nen (2-8 4.59/17) has been off and on at times, but has nailed down 17 victories, tops in both league. Toss in Johnny Antonelli (9-6 3.53) and you have a very potent and imposing ballclub. Look out American League!...here comes the Giants!

Tony Larussa's St. Louis Cardinals (67-60) have come on like gangbusters with a 32-20 mark in the last two months and 13-7 in the last two weeks, but still trail the Giants by 11 games. The Redbirds began their rampage when Larussa stopped experimenting with his lineup and returned to the guys who finished second last year and came within an eyelash of taking the title. The Cards have hit the cover all the ball, kicking their team average up from the .240s to .276. Even their pitching has improved from 4.38 to 4.01 during this stretch. Satchel Paige (11-1 2.98) came out of the bullpen and has been outstanding. Harry Brecheen (9-3 2.11) came up at midseason and really made the team go. And the hitters have been in orbit with Frankie Frisch (.356/4/49) is leading the league. Chick Hafey (.347/9/54), Rogers Hornsby (.315/19/79), Stan Musial (.288/24/83), Johnny Mize (.299/16/53), Joe Medwick (.299/8/61) and rookie Walker Cooper (.275/7/32) have also been mighty with the bats. It is too late for St. Louis to catch New York, but they look like they will finish in the second place perch this season.

The Boston Braves (65-61) hung in for a while, even holding first place as late as June, but their pitching went sour and so did the Braves. They were 7-11 in the last two weeks and have now fallen to third place, 12.5 games out. Bobby Cox's Braves lead the AAA in home runs with 150. Heading up the offense are Chipper Jones (.316/25/89), Buck Leonard (.282/27/86), Eddie Mathews (.247/32/76) and Pete Hill (.285/18/58). Rookie outfielder Tommy Holmes (.322/8/42) has a had a fine season, too. On the hill Tom Glavine (11-7 3.96), Warren Spahn (10-8 3.70) and Greg Maddux (10-8 3.56) have been the main cogs. If the pitching can come back, the Braves could challenge the Cardinals for second place.

The defending league champs, the Pittsburgh Pirates (63-64) have really disappointed. 21-25 over the last two months and 9-9 over the last few weeks. They are now in a fourth place tie with the Brooklyn Dodgers, 15 games in the rear. Rookie Sadaharu Oh (.306/38/116) has already broken the alltime Alltime Allstar Association home run record and is on his way to setting a new RBI mark, too. Pitching-wise Deacon Phillippe (13-9 3.07), Vic Willis (12-9 3.61) and Ray Kremer (11-9 3.33) have had good years.

The fourth place Dodgers (62-63) have gone 23-26 in the last two months and 9-9 in the last few weeks. Manager Tommy Lasorda's ballclub has been led by Cristobel Torriente (.341/11/72) and Zach Wheat (.328/14/93) offensively and on the mound by recent call-up, lefty Nap Rucker (6-3 2.39).

The Chicago Cubs (60-66) are sixth and have put up a record of 9-9 over the last two weeks. They trail the Giants by 17.5 games and are headed no where this year. Among Skipper Charlie Grimm's standout regulars are Turkey Stearnes (.335/33/100) and Bill Dahlen (.317/12/59). On the hill, it's been Moe Brown (14-7 3.71).

Seventh place belongs to Sparky Anderson's Cincinnati Redlegs (56-70), who have compiled an 8-11 mark the last two weeks. Heroes have been few and far between for the Reds. Only Ted Kluszewski (.325/23/72) has been anything to brag about among the regulars and only a couple of pitchers have had any success: Gary Nolan (12-9 3.95) and Jose Rijo (8-9 3.27).

And last year's great surprise, the Philadelphia Phillies (54-72), have had a terrible season and will finished in eighth place. In the last few weeks the Phils have been 7-11. Only Chuck Klein (.300/22/83) and Lefty O'Doul (.334/13/54) have hit well, while on the mound, only rookie Jiro Noguchi (12-5 3.76) has done the job for Manager Danny Ozark.

Sorry about the short reports on the NL second division.

Gotta run...WIFE IS SCREAMING AT ME TO GO!


See League Standings, Boxscores and League Reports here:

http://aaa.allsimbaseball.com/index....tpage&Itemid=1

[batted balls]

Eugene,

The new format is fine. I'm sure it's much easier to manage as opposed to the game-by-game pattern. I'll keep following no matter what the format. Is it time for the White Sox to call up some players from the minors?

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by batted balls

Eugene,

The new format is fine. I'm sure it's much easier to manage as opposed to the game-by-game pattern. I'll keep following no matter what the format. Is it time for the White Sox to call up some players from the minors?

Thanks for the feedback.

You are the only one that made any comment.

Yet 20 people view this each time I post a new league summary.

I plan to stay with it.

Not having to cover each game has helped. I also like the fact that I can play a season quicker...about twice as fast. It will take 6 months to play a season.

I want to give players a good chance to stay in the AAA. I don't want to be too quick to drop them from the roster. I will add a few players in the last month and see what they can do. The Sox are going to finish in the second division, so it won't hurt them, if I play the "rookies". If a player is having a good season, I don't usually put them on the bench just to play a rookie. So this limits how many players I call up.

Most of the time, I only go to the "minors", when I need to replace someone because of injury...or because they have very poor stats.

One problem with the Alltime Allstar format is that many clubs don't have that many great ballplayers. The White Sox are one of these teams.

I keep a list on each team of potential call-ups. Right now pitchers Doc White, Dick Donovan, Juan Pizarro, Alex Fernandez, Jack McDowell and Roberto Hernandez are on the list...position players OF Johnny Mostil, 3B Bill Melton and 3B Willie Kamm are waiting in the wings. I may recall Robin Ventura and Nellie Fox and give them another chance.

If you have any suggestions, let me know...and I will consider them.

The Dodgers are another team that will soon run out of top level players...the Indians, too.

Team like the Yankees, Cardinals and the Giants seem to have more top level players.

I will reach a point...don't know how soon...when I will have to use expansion team players on the original franchise teams or expand the league to include the expansion teams.

I haven't made any decision about this.

[batted balls]

What you are saying makes perfect sense. I am realizing that with my college baseball dynasty. You also don't want to throw away options or cause problems if you play with financials.

Still enjoying your work!

[seth70liz76]

Sorry I didn't get a comment in earlier.

While I miss the game by game wraps (I'm a mircomanager); I know how sloooooooow going that can be. You are still providing alot of information, and I don't really feel I'm missing very much when following the league. Stick with the new style--you can always switch back to game by game for a key series or two at the end of the season.

Keep on Keeping on!

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by batted balls

What you are saying makes perfect sense. I am realizing that with my college baseball dynasty. You also don't want to throw away options or cause problems if you play with financials.

Still enjoying your work!

Don't play with financials.

[Eugene Church]

Originally Posted by seth70liz76

Sorry I didn't get a comment in earlier.

While I miss the game by game wraps (I'm a mircomanager); I know how sloooooooow going that can be. You are still providing alot of information, and I don't really feel I'm missing very much when following the league. Stick with the new style--you can always switch back to game by game for a key series or two at the end of the season.

Keep on Keeping on!

Thanks for following the AAA.

The boxscores and game logs are provided on the website, so you could get the details there.

No...that's not right. I didn't include the game logs this time.

Does anybody want the game logs included?

Let me know.

I will cover the World Series almost inning by inning.

And will cover any game late the season that have a bearing on the league title.