North Carolina APBA Baseball League REGISTER An Official Publication of the NCABL - Established 1992
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Vol. 8, No. 3 |
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December 16, 1999 |
Cardinal Hurler Starts Year At 11-4
When Gaylord Perry was traded to Bellingham in the off season, the AL's top 1-2 pitching combination was broken up, and the chore of being the Cards' stopper fell into the lap of Phil Niekro. Niekro had been acquired last season from Berwyn after a disappointing 9-21 season in 1972. His 16-13 record last year was not the sort of thing a stopper is made of, so when reinging Cy Young winner, 2 years running, Gaylord Perry was dealt, the media was less than impressed.
The Cardinals poor showing in 1974 seems to indicate the media had a point, but Niekro cannot be to blame. Phil has been masterful, and his 11-4, 1.49 ERA lead the AL. Perry is 9-4 with an ERA of 1.57, so this friendly battle should be interesting to watch. Perry attempts to be the 2nd pitcher to win 20 games for the 5th time in his career. Mike Cuellar (67, 69-72) had done it five times. Mickey Lolich and Bob Gibson also have won 20 games four times.
NL News and Notes - 65 games...Lynn McGlothen throws the season's 2nd no hitter and the playoffs - is it all over but the shouting?
Lynn McGlothen put a gem on his resume with a sparkling 2-0 no hitter of Jamestown on June 2nd. McGlothen got Craig Robinson on a deep fly out to end the game. His dominant pitching is an example of why some feel the playoff races are just about over, at least in the NL. What was supposed to be a four team race in the East fizzled quickly as Mechanicsburg is off to a 48-17 start, including a 23-7 (.767) road mark. The general consensus is not that the Flash are so good but that so many NL teams are having an off year. Wisconsin sits comforatbly in 2nd, 7 behind the Flash but 9 ahead of Ohio and has a solid grip on a wild card position. Ohio made it to .500 after a 10-15 start in April, but have slipped a game below .500 at 32-33. Louisville ended April just 3 games out of first, went 11-19 in May and is now 20 games out. Satellite Beach - well, they're still waiting for the pieces to gel. Reports from the farm are that George Foster is working with form Saturn outfielder Felipe Alou.
Knarro is slowly pulling away from Wyandotte, 8.5 games up and sharing a league best 48-17 record with Mechanicsburg. After getting out with a 19-6 April, Wyandotte cooled a bit in May at 14-11 and is currently in a 6-8 June swoon. The good news is that they played well against Knarro and have a 7.5 game lead over Ohio for the 2nd wild card. The tone in Wyandotte is cautious optimism, but certainly playoff fever isn't too far away. Minnesota, the team that was supposed to be, has never recovered from their disastrous start. An 8-17 April, followed by a 10-15 May had left the Ostrogoths a whopping 23 out of first, and 14.5 behind Wyandotte. A major hot streak is needed to turn this season around. Jamestown (21-44) and South Shore (20-44)...when is next year's draft?
Individual notes - The fans in South Shore have one reason to come to the park - Davey Lopes continues to be perhaps the NL's best lead off hitter. Lopes is batting .313, 47 runs and is 34-8 in stolen bases. While Bill North doesn't have Lopes' average (.262) he does have 21 steals for Jamestown. Mike Schmidt leads the team in HR with 9, and the team hopes to build their offense around these two for years to come. Henry Aaron's struggles continue as he is hitting just .223 with 2 HR and 15 RBI. Not all is bad in Minnesota as Hal McRae is tearing up NL pitching at a .323 clip, including 17 doubles. Jeff Burrough's 11 HR and 37 RBI lead the team. Old man Willie Davis is playing like a 22 year old. Davis leads the NL in batting at .354, has 42 runs and 10 HR and 43 RBI batting out of the 5 hole. Willie McCovey (.319, 8 HR, 35 RBI) and Ron Cey (7 HR, 43 RBI) have given the Camels a solid middle of the order. They call him "Boomer" but with only 3 HR the name doesn't seem to fit this year. Doesn't matter to George Scott, whose .354 average ties Willie Davis for the NL lead. Ken Henderson (.308, 7, 44) has done the booming for Knarro this season.
One man's misfortune can be another's opportunity. Jerry Terrell has taken advantage of an opening at third base and has become one of Satellite Beach's more dependable hitters. Terrell's 6 triples is tied for the NL lead. Richie Zisk has been everything the Redbirds could have wanted and more. Drafted to eventually replace an aging Tony Oliva, Zisk has stepped to the front of the NL's power hitting parade with 15 HR and 44 RBI. His .592 slugging percentage leads the NL. Finding time to play both Rennie Stennett (.327) and Jorge Orta (.294) has been a pleasant dilema for Louisville management. Lee May (.294, 13 HR) has found a partner to carry the Buckeye offensive load in Bill Buckner (.305, 12 SB). Dave Concepcion, while struggling at the plate, has been a terror once he reaches first - 18 of 19 in steal attempts. Cesar Cedeno was supposed to have his MVP year last season, but it looks like this year will do as well. Cedeno leads the Timber Rattlers in runs (44), RBI (46), triples (6), HR (13) and steals (24). His .291 average isn't too shabby either. Lenny Randle (.336) and Greg Gross (.317) have maintained their contributions, while Nate Colbert (10 HR, 38 RBI) is looking more like the 1972 NL MVP than the mystery that he was last year. Two players have carried mcuh of the Flash offense this year - Al Oliver (.335, 38 runs, 38 RBI) and Johnny Bench (.321, 16 HR, 47 runs, 57 RBI).
On the mound - Wayne Garland's quick 4-0 start has leveled off to a 6-6 mark. Pat Dobson is the best pitcher no one is talking about. Dobson is 10-3 with a 1.69 ERA and 3 shutouts. Without him the Ostrogoths would be 15-37. The trio of Tanana, Morton and Reuschel are 22-7 for Wyandotte, and Rudy May is 5-1 out of the pen (1 start). These four deserve much of the credit for the Camels' turnaround. Knarro boasts three 8 game winners (Koosman, Rooker and McGlothen) and the "Fou-House" bullpen is 10-1 with 7 saves. Jack Billingham is proving that he is a winner, boasting an 8-3 record and 4 shutouts for Satellite Beach. The reigning Cy Young duo of Blyleven and Stottlemyre are a disappointing 8-5, receiving just over an average of 3 runs of support. Ohio's Jim Barr hit an 0-4 skid as his record has dipped to 5-7. His ERA is still below 2 at 1.83. Don Sutton (11-3) and Nolan Ryan (10-5) are both on pace to win 25 games for Wisconsin. Ryan is again posting large K totals, on pace for 351, and to break his 1972 mark of 339. Dave Roberts (11-1) lost his first game of the season this week to Nolan Ryan, so maybe the spell is over. Paul Lindblad's 15 saves leads either league.
AL News and Notes - 65 games...five teams chase four spots; Rod Carew challenges the .400 mark
Could this be 1971 again? That was the last time Ridgewood and Winchester both won their divisions, but this time they are doing it with big offense rather than pitching. Berwyn and Topeka have been strong, each hanging 3 behind the leader in their respective divisions. Hopewell is 2 behind Berwyn and just one behind Topeka, as the AL pennant race hits the 40% mark. Perrenial playoff team Cooperstown has a dismal 10-15 April, but has played a little over .500 since and is 5.5 behind Hopewell.
The other AL teams go as follows: Brooklyn Center trails Cooperstown by a game and a half, mostly due to a poor 2-7 record in extra inning games. Bellingham has fallen hardest, going from an April finish of one game out of first to a June record of 4-11, into the basement, 12.5 games behind Winchester. A hot streak could get them back into the race. Flatbush has been the hottest team in the AL, 11-3 so far in June. They have escaped the basement and now lead Monmouth by 3 games.
Individual notes - Rod Carew's .395 batting average is the talk in the AL West. Carew has batted third for much of the year, benefitting from Lou Brock (.280, 29 SB) being on base and Jerry Morales' consistent bat (.295) behind him. Brooklyn Center's Cleon Jones must think it's 1969 as he has emerged from obscurity to lead his team with a .333 average and 7 HR. Youngster Dan Driessen (.286) and newcomer Roger Metzger (.285, 7 triples) have also been major contributors. All of the Cooperstown regulars have finally gotten their averages over .200, with Doug Rader the lowest at .211. This can only mean good things for the Cards, who have also seen encouraging results from young Enos Cabell (.356 off the bench) and part timer Ron Blomberg (.406). Dusty Baker leads the squad with 11 HR. Topeka has five players with 10 or more steals, led by Mickey Rivers (.316, 21 SB in 23 attempts). Ralph Garr (.341) has added some power (.517 slugging) to his arsenal. Mention Winchester Rifles and you probably think Tom Seaver or perhaps Wilbur Wood's 1971 and 1972 feats. But this year the offense is getting the attention. Steve Garvey (.319, 11, 41) has looked like MVP material while Jim Wynn (.276, 12, 37) and Bill Freehan (.287, 8, 29) have resurrected their careers.
Speaking of resurrected careers, so far Joe Rudi looks like a good candidate for comeback player of the year. Rudi (.326, 15, 42, 18 doubles) leads the AL in two-baggers, is 2nd in HR and 3rd in RBI. His .602 slugging percentage also leads the league. Sophomore Cecil Cooper (.329, 9 HR) has been impressive in a platoon role at first. Another sophomore making headlines is Flatbush' Bill Madlock. "The Dog" leads the club with a .368 average and 34 runs. Teammate Tony Perez (.292, 12, 49) has rebounded from a slow start and now leads the AL in RBI. Hopewell doesn't have any one individual star, but every player does his part. Darrel Evans and soph Dave Winfield lead the team in HR with 10 each. Reggie Jackson (.298, 16, 46) has become the heart of the Berwyn lineup. He leads the AL in HR and is 2nd to Perez in RBI. Don Money (.283, 45 runs) has often been on base for Jackson. On a down note, Ken Singleton continues to struggle, hitting just .210 with 3 HR. Finally the Ridgewood machine is simply amazing. Now a buck if you can name their leading hitter...how about Don Kessinger at .312? Dick Allen (15 HR, 36 RBI), Rusty Staub (12, 42) and Gene Tenace (12, 33) have provided the power, driving in the likes of Joe Morgan (.281, 48 runs, 18 SB) and Roy White (.311, 47 runs).
On the mound - While Gaylord Perry is 9-4, Kevin Kobel struggles at 2-9. Sophomore Bill Campbell has saved 8 games for Brooklyn Center. An injury has limited his availability, but Dock Ellis (5-2) has made for a reasonable #2 pitcher to Phil Niekro (11-4). The other Cardinal starters are 7-17. Topeka's Catfish Hunter and Ken Holtzman are a combined 11-12, each with an ERA under 2.00, but Steve Carlton (9-5) and Wilbur Wood (8-5) have ERAs nearly a run higher. They also have over 2 more runs per game of support. Murphy and Murray are the AL's top bullpen as the Rifle duo is 4-1 with 15 saves. Vida Blue and Luis Tiant each have 9 wins. Things haven't gone so well for the Militia pitchers as only middle reliever Harry Parker and Bill Champion (6-3, 3.93) have ERAs under 4. Pedro Borbon has 9 saves, but he is also 1-6. Bums' ace Jim Palmer has struggled at 3-6, a far cry from the 30 win season he had in 1969. Rumor is that Palmer may be hiding an injury. Speaking of injuries, Tommy John has missed a few starts here and there, but currently stands at 8-0 with a 1.68 ERA for Hopewell. Orlando Pena has 11 saves, but like Borbon, has a poor W-L record of 1-4. Sophomore Andy Hassler is 6-0 in spot duty for Berwyn. The Baron staff has been helped greatly by a revamped bullpen featuring new closer Chuck Taylor (4-1, 9 saves. 1.82), Max Leon (1.40), Tom Walker (1.98), Jim Brewer and Ed Rodriguez. While Fat Mickey struggles at 7-5, the pre-Lolich star of the staff Dave McNally (10-3, 2.29) has his act in top form. Rookies Vern Ruhle and Joe McIntosh are a combined 9-2.
Players of the Month
National League - Johnny Bench, MechanicsburgAmerican League - Reggie Jackson, Berwyn
Standings - 65 games
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NL East |
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NL West |
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Mechanicsburg |
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Knarro |
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Wisconsin |
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Wyandotte |
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Ohio |
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Minnesota |
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Louisville |
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Jamestown |
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Satellite Beach |
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South Shore |
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AL East |
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AL West |
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Ridgewood |
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Winchester |
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Berwyn |
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Topeka |
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Hopewell |
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Cooperstown |
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Flatbush |
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Brooklyn Center |
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Monmouth |
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Bellingham |
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League Leaders - 65 games
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