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Pastime Baseball League
September Review (cont.)

Northern League Report

The regular season is over, and with the best pennant race in the Pastime Baseball League's three-year history complete the final month of the year was the PBL's most thrilling September to date.

The race between New York and Louisville was covered in detail for the month, so there's not much else to recap there. The Jim McCormick and Roy Oswalt suspensions were obviously the story of the league, but the interesting byproduct is that rather than turning their contempt to each other, the teams seemed to both turn anger toward the Philadelphia Ringers, who were involved in both brawls.

For the Heroes, Roger Connor (.331-25-112) was clutch all month, but the real offensive production came from Jesse Burkett (.321-16-96) - who hit .377, slugging .632 with 14 doubles for the month - and Irish Meusel (.283-14-75) - who hit .330 and slugged .616. Five hitters topped .300 for the month, and the only starter who didn't top .272 was David Wright (.228-17-80), who hit .222 and nobody seems to get what's wrong. The loss of closer Jonathan Papelbon (4-6, 3.56, 27 SV)to tendinitis was tough, and Frank Killen (22-6, 3.04) and Bill Drake (11-11, 4.88) weren't up to their usual standards. But in the end, the Heroes pulled it out.

Joe Kelley (.272-17-80) and Hardy Richardson (.246-18-79) each had a strong month, each banging six homers and topping 20 RBI. Richardson was the key, hitting more than 100 points higher than his season average, at .350. The loss of Dan Brouthers (.285-30-98) Sept. 18 to a back strain was a savage blow. Kelley moved to first, and Hideki Matsui hit .304 after entering the lineup to take Kelley's spot in left, but Brouthers is the team's only legit threat, and his injury couldn't have come at a worse time. Edinson Volquez went 4-1 with a 2.76 ERA down the stretch, but that was offset by Nig Cuppy's disasterous 1-5, 7.85 month.

The further the Philadelphia Ringers fell out of the race, the more they seemed to mail it in. They went 10-16 in September, and John Anderson and Ned Williamson were the only batters to top .250 for the month. Charley Jones hit .202, while Jonny Gomes hit .165 and Peanuts Lowrey hit .198 among others. On the hill, Satchel Paige went 4-1 with a 3.12 ERA to finish strong in his worst season of his career (14-13, 4.37).

For Charlotte, the look is ahead. The month was a downer, going 12-15 and being unable to escape the cellar. But the hope lies in the strong finishes of many of their bats and the evolution of several players, led by Mark Reynolds (.316-22-83), whose average was far beyond what anyone expected. John Beckwith (.284-18-81) will lose out on the Rookie of the Year, but that's a testament to Stan Musial and Eddie Waitkus moreso than his own play. On the hill, the excitement starts with Matt Cain (10-7, 3.51) , who recovered from elbow surgery and finished strong, going 4-1 with a 1.88 ERA in September.

In the west, Wichita had little to worry about in September. The Indianapolis Engines took the first two games of a four-game set in Wichita, threatening to make a final push. But Wichita won the final two of the series to end that, and take their third consecutive division crown.

Wichita was last in the Northern League in homers, hitting only 116 on the season. In fact, a player who didn't even join them until June 4 - Jay Gibbons - led the team with 18. Gibbons is a perfect example of Wichita's seemingly magical touch. Every move, no matter how unconventional or against the grain, has worked. Gibbons was .242/.336/.419 for Los Angeles. He'd hit 10 homers, and Wichita felt he'd blossom amidst their high OBP machine offense. Sure enough, he hit .338/.413/.604 with Wichita. Pitching is strong right now. Johnny Schmitz posted a 1.86 ERA in September, while Al Orth went 5-0 with a 2.42 and Rube Waddell posted a 3.38, striking out more than a batter an inning with a 1.13 WHIP. These guys are ready to go.

The Indianapolis Engines gave it a good run, a 16-11 September allowing their fans to toy with a dramatic run. Jake Beckley (.356-17-106) won the batting title, running off a 25-game hitting streak and batting .374 in September. But it was the outstanding rookie Stan Musial (.299-29-118) who led the Engines' surge in September, rapping 9 homers while driving in 27 on the month, hitting .318. The bullpen of Oscar Villareal, Victor Zambrano, Ferdie Schupp and Joakim Soria posted a collective 1.91 ERA in September.

The Chicago Hitmen played .500 ball over the final 56 games. They developed the possible Rookie of the Year in Eddie Waitkus (.295-27-107) - though he's expected to lose out to Musial. Joe Bush (8-9, 2.97) and Howie Pollet (14-11, 3.96) seem ready to be solid pieces of the rotation. The good news ends there. Virtually everyone else took a step back. Babe Ruth (.258-11-58) didn't develop the plate patience the team hoped would catapult him forward, while Albert Pujols (.259-18-76) regressed. Adam Dunn and Johan Santana went down for the season, while Cy Young lost 15 games despite a solid 3.61 ERA, though he too was shelved.

The disaster that is Sacramento ended with an 11-17 September and the Stingers losing 90+ games for the second time in three years. Alabama, Chicago and Las Vegas are the three other teams that have yet to have a winning season. They scored the fewest runs and allowed the most. They can't afford to mangle this draft.

AWARDS

Player of the Week
9/5 3B Mark Reynolds - Charlotte Cougars
9/12 LF Irish Meusel - New York Heroes
9/19 CF Stan Musial - Indianapolis Engines
9/26 SS Troy Tulowitzski - Chicago Hitmen

Batter of the Month
LF Jesse Burkett - New York Heroes

Pitcher of the Month
SP Al Orth - Wichita Brigade

Rookie of the Month
1B Eddie Waitkus - Chicago Hitmen