The Tournament of Champions: Another Chance for Glory

[Terpripken]

The birth of my son (and the lack of sleep that comes with those little bundles of joy), sudden employment, then sudden unemployment, and some unfortunate file issues have rendered my old dynasty "A Shot at Redemption: Another Shot to Win It All" dead in the water.

I was also not happy with the way I set things up, requiring me to play 64 games just to get through one day of the 1st round. To be truthful, with the dynasty being formatted that way, my interest was waning, as it was hard to be excited about a series whose conclusion would not be known for possibly months.

So....I am starting a new dynasty. I have promised myself to give an honest effort to see this one through. It is similar to ASAR, but with a couple of new wrinkles.

I learned a lot setting up ASAR, and have had several months of distance to let my experience marinate a little in my brain. After an extended hiatus from these boards, I have a new role in my household as a Stay at Home Dad, and now have both the time and the renewed focus to put into a making a great dynasty.

We'll see how this goes....if nothing else I'm ready to do some writing and play some OOTP. It offers a little respite from my little ones that I desperately need to keep my sanity.


UP NEXT: The Concept

[Terpripken]

The Concept: The concept is hardly original. Nick Soulis has a wonderful dynasty http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...-all-time.html, that both ASAR and this new dynasty are based off of. You take 128 of the greatest baseball teams, put them in a tournament and see how things shake out. It's a pretty straightforward idea. So the question becomes...how do I make my tournament different so that I'm not just rehashing another dynasty?

The concept behind ASAR was pretty solid and seemingly popular, but team selection was painstaking, and in the end I found myself wanting to include Word Series winners. Teams like the 1986 Mets, 1989 Athletics, and 1992-93 Blue Jays will always be special to me because they were part of the formative years of my baseball fandom. Having a greatest team tourney without so many of my favorite teams from my youth, dialed down my enthusiasm some, and utimately these things need to be fun.

So while the concept is not new or original I think you'll agree that my tournament will have its own distinct flavor.

UP NEXT: The Format

[Terpripken]

The Format: Having learned from my past mistakes, I have come up with a new way to do a 128 team tournament that is both easier and (I hope) more exciting. Instead of putting all of the teams in one league with multiple sub-leagues and divisions, The Tournament of Champions will in fact be two different tournaments.

The first tournament will be a qualifying tournament that will whittle the field down to 16 teams. This will be accomplished by having 16 different "mini-tournaments" of 8 teams each, with each winner qualifying and moving on to the main tournament for a shot at all the marbles.

Each of these mini-tournaments will have a different file. So I will be simming and reporting on one tournament at a time. Having to only deal with 8 teams at once not only makes the logistics of the tournament easier, but I think will make this dynasty easier to follow and read. Essentially there will be 16 8 team tournaments and then one 16 team tournament.

It's exactly the same thing as putting all 128 teams together, but hopefully more exciting, as a new qualifier will be crowned more frequently. The reader will also only have to follow what amounts to one real life MLB post-season at a time, and I think that will go a long way towards maintaining readability and continuity.

Finally, if a file is corrupted or I screw something up, I've only lost one section of the tournament and not the whole enchilada.

UP NEXT: Tournament Rules and Setup

[Terpripken]

Tournament Rules and Setup:
1) Each qualifying tournament will consist of 8 teams. (From now on I will refer to them as "pools".)

2) No franchise will be represented more than once in a pool.

3) Each series (1st Round, Semi-Finals, and Finals) in a pool will be 7 games.

4) When applicable the actual World Series roster will be used for each team. If a team did not make the World Series then I will use box scores from Baseball Reference and RetroSheet to piece together as best I can what players were on a teams post-season roster. If a team did not make the post-season at all, then September box scores and team transaction information will be used to determine what a post-season team might have looked like.

5) If a key player was injured and not on the teams post-season roster, he will NOT be included in this tournament. So no Rollie Fingers for the 1982 Brewers, no Tommy John for the 1974 Dodgers, etc. For teams that didn't make the post-season, a player who was on the Disabled List at the end of the regular season will not be eligible for pool play. After pool play, I may consider changing this rule.

6) Real life lineups and rotations will be used as much as possible. I don't expect these to perfect, but they should be pretty close. I will set lineups for both right handed and left handed pitchers and then let the AI set up a depth chart. Rotations will be close, but not perfect as sometimes a teams ace didn't throw the 1st game of the postseason if the team was trying to clinch or had a playoff. For my purposes, the rotations will be set up as if the ace had not pitched.

7) Injuries, suspensions, morale, financials, etc. will be off.

8) The starting dates for the beginning each pool will be consecutive. Pool 1 will start play in April, Pool 2 late April, etc. until mid-October when play will be suspended until the next calender year.

9) All effort has been made to have a good mix of teams from different eras in each pool, but there is no particular rule regarding the number of teams from each decade.

10) The DH will only be used in the home parks of post-1973 AL teams.


I may be missing some other rules, but these are the main ones.

UP NEXT: Team Qualification Requirements and Selection Methodology

[Terpripken]

Team Qualification Requirements and Selection Methodology: I have been withholding a couple of key pieces of information regarding the Tournament of Champions, and both have to do with team selection.

I am only going to be using teams from 1947 until 2010. No deadball era teams, no 1927 Yankees, and no Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Christy Matthewson, or Walter Johnson.

My reason for this is threefold:

A) While doing some research a few months back on the greatest teams of all- time, I came across an article espousing that no pre-1947 squad could be considered the best of all-time when not all players were allowed to play in the league. While I am still undecided on this theory, it certainly holds a lot of merit. One could make the argument that non-integrated teams and their competition were not as talented because they weren't using the entire available talent pool. A lot of baseball experts opine that the 1950's pre-expansion era was the sweet spot for overall team talent. Again...I'm not saying I agree, but it is a valid point.

B) The truth is that I have not been happy with the way that deadball era teams (specifically pitchers) have performed in the many tests that I have done with tournaments like these. I have never been able to figure out the right settings to successfully pit a deadball era team against a steroid era team and get believable statistics. I've tried everything imaginable, I just don't think OOTP is set up to do strange experiments like that. I know others on these forums have said the same. So why exclude the 1920's, 1930's & 1940's then?

C) My final reason is my desire to include more teams from the 1980's until the present. Plain and simple. It is more enjoyable for me to play with and write about teams that I have actually grown up watching. I have also found that choosing teams from 1901 on is too difficult for me. I have yet to find a method that selects a field that I like.

So by using the integration of baseball as a starting point for determining the best team of all time I accomplish multiple goals in selecting squads for inclusion.



For a team to be eligible for the tournament they must meet one of two qualifications.

A) They must have made the post-season.

B) Or they must have finished no less than one game back in their Division.

I have done away with the 3 year rule, but am still not comfortable with fielding teams from back-to-back seasons. So there will not be both the 1975 AND 1976 Reds, but their may be the 1972 and 1974 Athletics.

After the 128 teams were chosen, I used a rudimentary system for grouping each team within a pool. This system was based on record and post-season performance. Some pools may be more competitive than others, but for the most part I think they are evenly balanced.

After each pool was decided I seeded each one based on run differential from the regular season. Not a perfect system, but a good indicator of how teams should perform.

Finally....I won't be announcing the entire field all at once. I think it will add a little intrigue to introduce the pools one at a time. I also don't want to get into a debate about who should have been included or not. I have spent enough time obsessing over this, the last thing I need is to begin second guessing my choices. In actuality, doing them one at a time assures that I can make last minute adjustments to the field or pool placement without the reader even knowing. I will announce the field for the next pool midway through each sim.

UP NEXT: Pool 1 Introductions

[MadBum]

I'm looking forward to this, looking good. Is it just teams that didn't win it all, or will there be World Series winners included? I'd have to imagine of the Giants, the 1962 and 2002 versions will be included at the very least and if champions are included, the 2010 team could be in the pools. Should be intersting to see how the pools turn out.

[Terpripken]

Originally Posted by MadBum

I'm looking forward to this, looking good. Is it just teams that didn't win it all, or will there be World Series winners included? I'd have to imagine of the Giants, the 1962 and 2002 versions will be included at the very least and if champions are included, the 2010 team could be in the pools. Should be intersting to see how the pools turn out.

World Series winners will be included. My last dynasty was only teams who hadn't won. There are plenty of Giants teams, so your franchise will be well represented.

[Terpripken]

Pool 1 Team Introductions



#8 1959 White Sox



94-60, Finished 1st in American League
Lost World Series (4-2) to Los Angeles Dodgers

Manager: Al Lopez (94-60)
Scored 669 runs, Allowed 588 runs. Pythagorean W-L: 86-68

Top 3 Position Players (BY WAR)
2B Nellie Fox (6.2)---.306 AVG, 70 RBI, .988 Fld%
CF Jim Landis (6.0)---.370 OBP, 20 SB, 25 Rtot
C Sherm Lollar (3.3)---22 HR, 84 RBI, .993 Fld %

Top 3 Pitchers (BY WAR)
SP Bob Shaw (4.6)---18 W, 2.69 ERA, 1.18 WHIP
SP Early Wynn (2.7)---22 W, 3.17 ERA, 5 SO
RP Gerry Staley (1.5)---2.24 ERA, 14 SV, 1.17 WHIP

Awards and Honors

Most Valuable Player: 2B Nellie Fox
Cy Young Award: SP Early Wynn
Gold Gloves: SS Luis Aparicio, 2B Nellie Fox, C Sherm Lollar
All-Stars: SS Luis Aparicio, 2B Nellie Fox, SP Early Wynn, C Sherm Lollar, SP Billy Pierce
AP AL Manager of the Year: Al Lopez

Articles on the 1959 White Sox

"1959 Chicago Baseball Remembered" by Larry Kalas

"The 1959 'Go-Go' White Sox and the air-raid sirens" by Bob Secter (Chicago Tribune)

[Terpripken]

Pool 1 Team Introductions

#7 1991 Atlanta Braves



94-68, Finished 1st in NL West
Lost World Series (4-3) to Minnesota Twins
Won NL Championship Series (4-3) over Pittsburgh Pirates

Manager: Bobby Cox (94-68)
Scored 749 runs, Allowed 644 runs. Pythagorean W-L: 92-70

Top 3 Position Players (BY WAR)
3B Terry Pendleton (6.1)---.319 AVG, 94 R, 64 XBH
CF Ron Gant (2.3)---32 HR, 105 RBI, 34 SB
OF Otis Nixon (2.2)---.371 OBP, 72 SB, 81 R

Top 3 Pitchers (BY WAR)
SP Tom Glavine (7.4)---20 W, 2.55 ERA, 192 K
SP John Smoltz (4.7)---14 W, 3.80 ERA, 1.23 WHIP
SP Steve Avery (4.5)---18 W, 3.38 ERA, 1.21 WHIP

Awards and Honors

All-Star: SP Tom Glavine
NL MVP: 3B Terry Pendleton
NL Cy Young Award: SP Tom Glavine
NL Comeback Player of the Year Award: 3B Terry Pendleton
Silver Slugger Award: Ron Gant (OF) and Tom Glavine (P)
NL Manager of the Year Award: Bobby Cox

Articles on 1991 Braves

"Fan’s flashback: A look back at 1991 Atlanta Braves’ NL championship season" by Hobson Lopes

"1991 World Series had it all" by Jim Caple (Special to ESPN.com)

Triple Threat… The 1991 Braves Super Season by Ollie Walden

[MadBum]

Really liked the writing in those last two posts, especially the one describing the World Series in 1991. That was a very good piece of writing. Always nice to learn more about some baseball history that I wasn't alive to see. Can't wait for Pool A to begin!

[Terpripken]

Originally Posted by MadBum

Really liked the writing in those last two posts, especially the one describing the World Series in 1991. That was a very good piece of writing. Always nice to learn more about some baseball history that I wasn't alive to see. Can't wait for Pool A to begin!

I can't take credit for the writing. I credited the authors and linked to the appropriate sites. I will write all of the game recaps myself of course, but have found a lot of really good stuff on all the teams involved in this tournament and wanted to share it.

Yes the 1991 WS was a classic. I still remember it vividly.

[Terpripken]

Originally Posted by Terpripken

I can't take credit for the writing. I credited the authors and linked to the appropriate sites. I will write all of the game recaps myself of course, but have found a lot of really good stuff on all the teams involved in this tournament and wanted to share it.

Yes the 1991 WS was a classic. I still remember it vividly.

In fact...I edited the last 2 posts, and just posted links instead. I don't want to get in trouble for posting copyrighted material. Even though I credited the authors it is still a no-no. Still good articles though.

[Terpripken]

Pool 1 Team Introductions

#6 1989 Oakland Athletics



99-63, Finished 1st in AL West
Won World Series (4-0) over San Francisco Giants
Won AL Championship Series (4-1) over Toronto Blue Jays

Manager: Tony LaRussa (99-63)
Scored 712 runs, Allowed 576 runs. Pythagorean W-L: 97-65

Top 3 Position Players (BY WAR)
LF Rickey Henderson (5.3)---.425 OBP, 52 SB, 72 R
3B Carney Lansford (4.5)---.336 AVG, 37 SB, 81 R
CF Dave Henderson (3.8)---80 RBI, 77 R, 18 Rtot

Top 3 Pitchers (BY WAR)
SP Mike Moore (5.2)---19 W, 2.61 ERA, 1.14 WHIP
SP Dave Stewart (3.4)---21 W, 3.32 ERA, 1.28 WHIP
SP Bob Welch (3.3)---17 W, 3.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP

Awards and Honors

All-Stars: SP Dave Stewart, C Terry Steinbach, 1B Mark McGwire, OF Jose Canseco, SP Mike Moore, MGR Tony LaRussa

Articles on 1989 Athletics

"The Great 1989 Oakland A's" by Harold Friend

"All About the 1989 Oakland A's (and Giants, and Loma Prieta)" a blog by Arne

"Pitching, Steroids, and The 1989 Oakland A's" by Total Access Baseball

[Terpripken]

Pool 1 Team Introductions

#5 1999 Cleveland Indians



97-65, Finished 1st in AL Central
Lost AL Division Series (3-2) to Boston Red Sox

Manager: Mike Hargrove (97-65)
Scored 1009 runs, Allowed 860 runs. Pythagorean W-L: 93-69

Top 3 Position Players (BY WAR)
RF Manny Ramirez (8.0)---44 HR, 165 RBI, 131 R
2B Roberto Alomar (7.9)---120 RBI, 138 R, 37 SB
SS Omar Vizquel (6.6)---.333 AVG, 42 SB, 112 R

Top 3 Pitchers (BY WAR)
SP Bartolo Colon (3.8)---18 W, 3.95 ERA, 1.27 WHIP
SP Dave Burba (3.4)---15 W, 4.25 ERA, 174 K
MR Steve Karsay (1.9)---10 W, 2.97 ERA, 7.8 K/9

Awards and Honors

All-Stars: 2B Roberto Alomar, CF Kenny Lofton, SP Charles Nagy, RF Manny Ramirez, 1B Jim Thome, SS Omar Vizquel
AL Gold Glove: 2B Roberto Alomar, SS Omar Vizquel
AL Silver Slugger Award: Roberto Alomar (2B) and Manny Ramirez (OF)

Articles on 1999 Indians

"Hit and (Now) Missed: The 1999 Indians" by Lewie Pollis

"Cleveland Indians' Championship History: 1999 American League Central Division Champions" by Matt Bica

[Terpripken]

Pool 1 Team Introductions

#4 1978 New York Yankees



100-63, Finished 1st in AL East
Won World Series (4-2) over Los Angeles Dodgers
Won AL Championship Series (3-1) over Kansas City Royals

Manager: Billy Martin (52-42), Dick Howser (0-1) and Bob Lemon (48-20)
Scored 735 runs, Allowed 582 runs. Pythagorean W-L: 99-64

Top 3 Position Players (BY WAR)
3B Graig Nettles (5.9)---27 HR, 93 RBI, 12 Rtot
2B Willie Randolph (5.8)---.381 OBP, 87 R, 36 SB
OF Lou Pinella (4.0)---.314 AVG, 69 RBI, 34 2B

Top 3 Pitchers (BY WAR)
SP Ron Guidry (8.5)---25 W, 1.74 ERA, 248 K, 9 SO
SP Ed Figueroa (3.7)---20 W, 2.99 ERA, 12 CG, 1.23 WHIP
CL Rich Gossage (3.1)---10 W, 27 SV, 2.01 ERA, 8.2 K/9

Awards and Honors

AL Cy Young Award: SP Ron Guidry
Rolaids Relief Man of the Year: CL Rich Gossage
All-Stars: SP Ron Guidry, CL Rich Gossage, C Thurman Munson, 3B Graig Nettles, OF Reggie Jackson
AL Gold Glove: Graig Nettles (3B), Chris Chambliss (1B)

Articles on 1978 Yankees

"Historic comeback only part of why '78 Yankees were so memorable" by Larry Keith (Special to SI.com)

"Remembering the 1978 Yankees: A fan’s perspective" by Darren Pare

"The Greatest Comeback Ever: A Fan's Diary of the 1978 New York Yankees" by Kevin Rozell

[Terpripken]

Pool 1 Team Introductions

#3 1965 Minnesota Twins



102-60, Finished 1st in American League
Lost World Series (4-3) to Los Angeles Dodgers

Manager: Sam Mele (102-60)
Scored 774 runs, Allowed 600 runs. Pythagorean W-L: 100-62

Top 3 Position Players (BY WAR)
SS Zoilo Versalles (7.6)---126 R, 27 SB, 17 Rtot
RF Tony Oliva (6.0)---.321 AVG, 98 RBI, 107 R
CF Jimmie Hall (5.1)---20 HR, 86 RBI, 81 R

Top 3 Pitchers (BY WAR)
SP Mudcat Grant (2.4)---21 W, 6 SO, 1.16 WHIP
SP Jim Perry (2.3)---2.63 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 2 SO
CL Al Worthington (1.4)---10 W, 21 SV, 2.13 ERA

Awards and Honors

AL MVP: SS Zoilo Versalles
Associated Press AL Manager of the Year: Sam Mele
AL Gold Glove: Jim Kaat (P), Zoilo Versalles (SS),
All-Stars: C Earl Battey, 1B Harmon Killebrew, P Mudcat Grant, OF Jimmie Hall, OF Tony Oliva, SS Zolio Versalles

Articles on 1965 Twins

"Strictly the Facts: 1965 Minnesota Twins" by Justin Murphy

"Cool of the Evening: The 1965 Minnesota Twins" by Jim Thielman

[Terpripken]

Pool 1 Team Introductions

#2 1985 St Louis Cardinals



101-61, Finished 1st in NL East
Lost World Series (4-3) to Kansas City Royals
Won NL Championship Series (4-2) over Los Angeles Dodgers

Manager: Whitey Herzog (101-61)
Scored 747 runs, Allowed 572 runs. Pythagorean W-L: 100-62

Top 3 Position Player (BY WAR)
CF Willie McGee (8.5)---.353 AVG, 114 R, 82 RBI, 56 SB
2B Tom Herr (6.1)---.302 AVG, 97 R, 110 RBI, 31 SB
SS Ozzie Smith (5.7)---20 Rtot, .355 OBP, 31 SB, 70 R

Top 3 Pitchers (BY WAR)
SP John Tudor (7.5)----21 W, 10 SO, 1.93 ERA, 0.94 WHIP
SP Danny Cox (3.1)---18 W, 2.88 ERA, 4 SO, 1.20 WHIP
SP Joaquin Andujar (2.2)---21 W, 10 CG, 3.40 ERA, 1.29 WHIP

Awards and Honors

NL MVP: CF Willie McGee
NL Rookie of the Year: LF Vince Coleman
NL Manager of the Year: Whitey Herzog
NL Gold Glove: Ozzie Smith (SS), Willie McGee (OF)
NL Silver Slugger Award: Jack Clark (1B), Willie McGee (OF)
All-Stars: 2B Tom Herr, SP Joaqion Andujar, 1B Jack Clark, OF Willie McGee

Articles on 1985 Cardinals

"Revisiting the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals" by Rick Hummel

"Instant Replay and the 1985 World Series" by Ross Roley

"Open Mic: 1985 World Series, "the Call"" by Michael Collins

[Terpripken]

Pool 1 Introductions

#1 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers



102-60, Finished 1st in NL West
Lost World Series (4-1) to Oakland Athletics
Won NL Championship Series (3-1) over Pittsburgh Pirates

Manager: Walter Alston (102-60)
Scored 798 runs, Allowed 561 runs. Pythagorean W-L: 106-56

Top 3 Position Players (BY WAR)
CF Jim Wynn (8.6)---32 HR, 108 RBI, 104 R, 14 Rtot
3B Ron Cey (5.2)---18 HR, 97 RBI, 88 R, 12 Rtot
1B Steve Garvey (5.1)---.312 AVG, 21 HR, 111 RBI, 97 R

Top 3 Pitchers (BY WAR)
SP Andy Messersmith (5.2)---20 W, 2.59 ERA, 221 K, 1.10 WHIP
RP Mike Marshall (3.1)----15 W, 21 SV, 208.1 IP, 2.42 ERA
SP Don Sutton (2.5)---19 W, 5 SO, 3.23 ERA, 1.16 WHIP

Awards and Honors

NL MVP: 1B Steve Garvey
NL Cy Young Award: RP Mike Marshall
NL Gold Glove: Andy Messersmith (P), Steve Garvey (1B)
All-Stars: SP Andy Messersmith, 1B Steve Garvey, 3B Ron Cey, CF Jim Wynn, RP Mike Marshall

[Terpripken]

Pool 1 Match-ups

#8 1959 Chicago White Sox VS #1 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers

#5 1999 Cleveland Indians VS #4 1978 New York Yankees

#6 1989 Oakland Athletics VS #3 1965 Minnesota Twins

#7 1991 Atlanta Braves VS #2 1985 St Louis Cardinals



For the sake of continuity, I will report on an entire series before moving on to the next, even though all the match-ups will be played simultaneously. I have drawn the order I will report each series out of a hat (a virtual one LOL), and the 1st matchup will be the 1989 Athletics VS 1965 Twins.

UP NEXT: #6 1989 Oakland Athletics VS #3 1965 Minnesota Twins Preview

[Terpripken]

Pool 1 Preview

#6 1989 Oakland Athletics VS #3 1965 Minnesota Twins

1989 Athletics

Projected Lineup
LF Rickey Henderson
3B Carney Lansford
RF Jose Canseco
DH Dave Parker
CF Dave Henderson
1B Mark McGwire
C Terry Steinbach
2B Tony Phillips
SS Walt Weiss/Mike Gallego

Bench
C Ron Hassey
1B/RF Ken Phelps
2B/SS Mike Gallego/SS Walt Weiss
2B/OF Lance Blankenship
OF Stan Javier
OF Felix Jose

Projected Rotation
SP Dave Stewart
SP Mike Moore
SP Storm Davis
SP Bob Welch

Bullpen
CL Dennis Eckersley
RP Gene Nelson
RP Rick Honeycutt
RP Todd Burns
RP Matt Young
SP Curt Young

Analysis
Most people remember the A's dynasty of the late 80's and early 90's for the Bash Brothers, but it was actually the top of the lineup with the re-acquired Rickey Henderson and the impossible to strike out Carney Lansford that really made this team go. In 1989, the Oakland squads offense was not as good as it had been in 1988 or would be in 1990, but this team dominated in the post-season going 8-1. The pitching staff was fantastic and highly underrated, particularly Mike Moore who is rarely mentioned when discussing this squad. Their starting four can match-up with any team in this tournament, and they have the one commodity that most teams don't...a near automatic shut down closer in Dennis Eckersley.


1965 Twins

Projected Lineup
SS Zoilo Versalles
LF Sandy Valdespino/Bob Allison
RF Tony Oliva
3B Harmon Killebrew
CF Jimmie Hall
1B Don Mincher
C Earl Battey
2B Frank Quilici
SP

Bench
C John Sevcik
C Jerry Zimmerman
2B Jerry Kindall
3B/2B Rich Rollins
OF Sandy Valdespino/LF Bob Allison
CF/3B Joe Nossek

Projected Rotation
SP Mudcat Grant
SP Jim Kaat
SP Camilo Pascual

Bullpen
CL Al Worthington
RP Bill Pleis
SP/RP Jim Merritt
SP/RP Jim Perry
RP Johnny Klippstein
RP Dick Stigman
RP Dave Boswell

Analysis
Like the A's, the 1965 Twins offense starts at the top with AL MVP Zoilo Versalles. Tony Oliva, Harmon Killebrew, Jimmie Hall and Don Mincher are all capable run-producers in the middle of the order. The defense up the middle with Catcher Earl Battey, 2B Frank Quilichi and Jerry Kindall, and SS Versalles and CF Hall is a team strength and an asset to the pitching staff. The pitching staff is deep and versatile led by Starters Mudcat Grant and Jim Kaat. This team has few, if any, weaknesses. While not filled with superstars, the 1965 Twins are a dangerous team to face because of their depth and ability to beat you in a multitude of ways.

Series Notes
* Twins manager Sam Mele indicated he would go with a 3 man rotation, putting Grant in line to pitch Games 1,4, & 7.

*If a 4th starter is needed by the Twins for the middle of the series, they would likely turn to Jim Perry who made 19 starts in 1965 and had the lowest WHIP on the team at 1.13. Rookie Jim Merritt would be the other possibility.

*Giving Storm Davis the 3rd slot in the A's rotation may seem like a curious move from manager Tony LaRussa. However, this allows Bob Welch to match-up with Twins ace Mudcat Grant in Game 4. It is doubtful that Davis would pitch a Game 7 though, leaving Welch as the top candidate for that assignment as well.

*The A's will have to do without a big part of their offense when the series opens in Minnesota. DH Dave Parker will be limited to pinch hitting duties for the first two games at the the non-DH AL park. Harmon Killebrew will likely serve as the DH for the Twins when the series shifts to Oakland, with the much better defender Rich Rollins starting at the hot corner.