[Questdog]

Let's Meet Your Makers!

Pitcher
John Bendickson
Last year, Bendickson was on his way to having a season for the ages when he tore something in his shoulder and missed the last half of the season. He's back and says he's at 100%, but I'm having my doubts. Last year, he led the League in walking the fewest batters per game, but this Spring he had trouble getting the ball over the plate. He only walked 0.30 batters per 9 innings last year, but walked 1.20 per 9 in the practice games. Hopefully, it is just a matter of being rusty after having gone so long without pitching. In his last 3 starts of the Spring, he only walked 1 total and struck out 10. Abe Everette, who filled in admirably last year when Bendickson went out, will be back to start the occasional game and provide insurance should Bendickson prove to be ineffective.

Catcher
Eb Burke
For all 5 years that the National Association existed and the first year of the Liberty League, Jumbo Tilford caught every game his team played without ever missing a one. He was a wonder of physical endurance at a position that sustains regular abuse. But this Spring in a game against Pittsburgh, Silver Borresen bowled him over in an effort to score a run. Borresen was out. Tilford held on to the ball, but let go of his wits. For 3 days he was spouting prophesies of the Apocalypse. When he finally came to his senses, he couldn't remember who he was for another couple of days. The doctors advised him that another blow to his head might cause permanent brain damage, so he hung up his spikes.

And we were hurting for a catcher. Tilford's backup last year was Henry Newman, but at 23, I don't think he is ready to take over on a regular basis. His defense especially needs more polish. The veteran catchers we had at Syracuse had all become free agents and signed with other teams by the time Jumbo was injured. We had signed one fella, John Hulett, to be Newman's mentor at Rochester this year, but he's no major league catcher. The catcher we drafted from the B Leagues, Jerry Bern, looked like the only option. But his play in the Spring games left a lot to be desired. So I scoured the free agent ranks and came up with Eb Burke, a 29-year-old backstop who was a backup in Lynn last year. He hit pretty well in the few opportunities he had, but if he wasn't good enough to start in the International League, he's probably not going to set the Liberty League on fire with his bat. But he's a top-notch defender and very smart game-caller and if he just hits a little, we'll be fine with him behind the plate. He'll bat 8th.

First Base
Sol Popko
I am really excited to see what Poppy can do in a full season. Last year, I had him in Syracuse for the first part of the year while I honored my commitment to Tom Stanley. Once he came up here, he tore the League up and finished second in the Batting Title race. I'm hoping he'll finish second again this year (to me) and lead the League in RBIs. He's not the best fielder, but with his bat, he'll do. He'll bat 4th.

Second Base
Reddy Ricker
Yours truly. I'm on a mission this year to prove that my .266 average of last season was a fluke. I'm gonna win the Batting Title this year or die trying. I'll bat lead-off and lead the team in runs scored and stealing bases.

Shortstop
Bill Rush
Bill tore the League up in Spring Training last season with his bat and then quit hitting once the real games started. Jerry Ames took over and hit great for a while, but then he quit hitting too. Bill's the better fielder and he hit pretty good this Spring, so he's back in the lineup at least for a while. He'll bat 7th.

The kid I drafted from the B Leagues, Sam Cowan, looks like he's going to be a star, but he's only 21 and I think he could do with a little seasoning at Rochester. There's also a question about whether he can handle the fielding at short. He looks to me like he has all the tools to be a great fielding shortstop, but some are saying he takes a little too long to get rid of the ball. We'll see how he does at Rochester, but his bat will eventually get him into the lineup somewhere.

Third Base
Crazy Kelley
Crazy was the only Troy batter to be honored with a spot on the Liberty League All-Star team at the end of last year. He'll bat 5th and knock in the runners that Poppy misses.

Left Field
John Hagadorn
Hags has all the tools to be a great player, but his head is holding him back. He's not a stupid guy, but just seems hard-headed. He can knock the ball a mile and seems to try to every time up, no matter the situation. He strikes out quite a bit because of it. He also has a bad habit of grounding into double plays. And he's very fast, but gets thrown out quite a bit on the bases. But he's a great fielder and I look for him to win a Gold Glove one of these days. And I'll keep harping on how to play smart. Maybe it will eventually sink in. He'll bat 6th.

Center Field
Bobby Hubbard
Bobby missed half the season last year and when he eventually came back he was not 100% and his play suffered. But he is healthy this Spring and back to pounding the ball with regularity and chasing down fly balls that look like sure doubles. He'll bat 2nd.

Right Field
Jimmy Gerber
Jimmy only played 14 games last year. He's our best hitter and if he can make it through the whole season, the Haymakers will not be hurting to score runs. He's also a great defender in right. He did not hit much this Spring, but hopefully that is only rust. He'll bat 3rd.

We're only playing 60 games this year, so the Haymakers will be hard-pressed to win as many as we did in '76. Plus, all the other teams have gotten quite a bit better by signing the ex-Chicago and New York players. Especially, Philadelphia. They look to be loaded for bear this year and I think the Haymakers are going to be in a dogfight to defend their title. But we are going to be better, too, if the guys that missed big chunks of last season stay healthy this year. That will more than make up for the loss of Jumbo Tilford.