The Liberty League, Est. 1876

[Questdog]

Thursday, July 26, 1877, at Boston Red Caps (18-19 tied for 3rd place in the Liberty League)

Have you ever noticed that after a pitcher faces the Haymakers, their loss total usually goes up but their ERA goes down? I'm tired of that. Not the losses going up, but the ERA going down. Lets get some hits today and score some runs!

John Bendickson, Troy (25 R 8-7 2.58) vs. Charlie Morlock, Bos. (28 R 13-15 3.03)

Won - 7 to 6 in 10 innings

Ugly in the cradle; pretty at the table, as they say. This one started out ugly but then got pretty good. We made 5 errors in the first 3 innings and each team had a 5 run outburst and after 3 full, it was 6 to 6. But then no one scored again until the 10th inning, when C Eb Burke reached second on a 2-base error by 2B Bill Thompson with 2 outs and John Bendickson singled him home. Gotta love a pitcher that can hit.

In the bottom of the 10th, Bill Thompson singled with one out , trying to atone for his error with his 4th hit of the day, but 3B Billy Little hit a sharp grounder to Bill Rush at short that he quickly tossed to me at second and I fired it to Poppy at first to complete the twin killing and end the game.

1B Sol Popko had 3 hits and 2 RBIs. RF Wash Horsfall had 2 hits and scored 2 runs. LF Dave Taylor had a double for his 14th straight game with a hit.

Bendickson threw 164 pitches; not sure if he'll be ready to go in the finale on Saturday or not. I'll probably have to go with Abe Everette.

Other Games:
Washington (12) at Pittsburgh (13) in 14 innings - George Dennis (4-1) in relief of Bones Lane over Dick Wheeler (3-5) in relief of Rufus Lee. Dennis earned the win with 4.2 innings of shutout relief. Each team scored twice in the 10th inning. If memory serves, this is at least the third game the Olympics have lost after scoring in extra innings. That seems pretty remarkable. I'm too lazy to double check the records right now, though. Okay, I'll check: Yes it is the third time they have lost a game that they have taken the lead in extra innings. No other team has done it even once. Pittsburgh had 8 players with 2 hits and no one with more. It was a Henry Gunther triple that ended the game with 1 out in the bottom of the 14th. 3B Bill Sears for Washington had 5 hits including a double. He scored once and knocked a run in. After the game C Al Cannon announced that he was through being the manager for "this bunch of losers". Though the team played much better under Cannon than they had under Matthias Haak, they sill lost more than they won, going 9-15. Owner Henry Wilson deliberated a few hours before giving the job to 28-year-old 3B Bill Sears. Though never considered to be much of a leader in the clubhouse, everyone agrees that he is one of the smartest and hardest working players in the League.

St. Louis (15) at Philadelphia (3) - Socks Hawkins (9-6) over Charlie Moss (17-19). The Brown Stockings get revenge for being shutout last game. Actually, Moss didn't pitch much worse than he did in the shutout, but his defense was not as good. They made 7 errors this time and did not turn any double plays. Hawkins, on the other, was much better this game, only giving the Centennials 5 hits and hitting a 2-run double himself. LF Ed Radle had 2 hits, a double with 2 on base and a home run with 2 on base, garnering 6 RBIs on the day. He also scored 3 times. He was also the owner of the worst batting average of the 8 regulars in the lineup at .293.

[Questdog]

Saturday, July 28, 1877, at Boston Red Caps (18-20 4th place in the Liberty League)

John Bendickson threw a lot of pitches in his last start, so we are going to give him the day off and start Abe Everette.

Callaham beat us 2 out of 3 when he was the #1 guy back at the beginning of the year and his best game against us was the one he lost. Since then, he has fallen on hard times, giving up 38 hits in his last 2 starts.

Abe Everette, Troy (28 L 14-6 1.76) vs. John Callaham, Bos. (28 R 5-4 2.80)

Won - 12 to 7

I had 3 hits, scored 2 runs, had 2 RBIs and made 2 errors. 1B Sol Popko had 2 hits including an inside-the-park home run! It's his second homer of the year and the second for the Haymakers. Poppy is now tied for the League lead. He scored 3 runs and had 4 RBIs. SS Bill Rush had 2 hits with a triple, scored twice and had an RBI. Abe Everette even had 2 hits, scored twice and knocked in a run.

Other Games:
Washington (8) at Pittsburgh (19) - George Dennis (5-1) over Dick Wheeler (3-6). Everybody on Pittsburgh had a hit and everybody scored at least 2 runs, except pitcher Dennis. 2b George Brantner had 4 hits with a double, scored 3 times and knocked in 2. LF Henry Gunther had 3 hits with a double and a triple, scored twice and had 2 RBIs, but also made 2 errors.

St. Louis (2) at Philadelphia (6) - Charlie Moss (18-19) over Roger Lake (1-2). Moss held St. Louis to only 4 hits. CF Lou Landaal had 3 hits with a double and 2 RBIs. Rookie C Everett Hrdlicka had 3 hits, a walk and scored twice. The game was tied at 2 until the bottom of the 8th when the Centennials erupted for 4 runs.

[Questdog]

[Questdog]

[Questdog]

[Questdog]

[skyballer455]

Originally Posted by Questdog

... and then do a little manipulation and then use GIMP to make it pretty.

Sorry if I seem a little intrusive, but just how do you do that?

I just want to learn as much as I can before starting my own dynasty.

[Questdog]

Originally Posted by skyballer455

Sorry if I seem a little intrusive, but just how do you do that?

I just want to learn as much as I can before starting my own dynasty.

No problem; happy to help.

However, how do I do what, exactly?

[skyballer455]

Originally Posted by Questdog

However, how do I do what, exactly?

LOL!

How do you manipulate the data in the spreadsheet and then make it look pretty in GIMP?

[Questdog]

Here is what the League Standings look like in my spreadsheet before we make it pretty in GIMP:

Down toward the bottom are where I have pasted three separate reports: The League Batting, Pitching and Fielding Reports.

The upper part is all drawn from them or calculated, except the League DEF and the pass balls are entered by hand. To the right, is where I enter the SH and SF data by hand.

Then I take a screenshot of this and paste it into GIMP.

Then I use the Rectangle Select Tool to draw a box around the part I want to display.

Then I use the Fill Tool to Color Erase the White and then I copy the selection and paste it into another GIMP window where I have opened a picture of my paper background. Then I draw a box around that one and select it and paste it into a new window, auto-crop the image and export it to .jpg.

The League Leaders are done in a similar fashion.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, August 1, 1877, at Washington Olympics (12-24 6th place in the Liberty League)

We are 6-0 against Washington so far, so I guess we are due for a surprise or two.

John Bendickson, Troy (25 R 9-7 2.59) vs. Rufus Lee, Wash. (26 R 4-9 3.47)

Won - 4 to 1 in 14 innings

Well, 1 game and 1 surprise. Rufus Lee, last in the League in ERA among qualifiers, shut us down and good. We scored in the 2nd inning and they scored in the 3rd and then everything got real quiet until the 14th inning. 3 times in the game we had a runner on third base with less than 2 outs and did not score a run. We got out of some tight jams, too. 3 times, they had a runner on third with less than 2 outs and did not score. In the bottom of the 11th they had runners at 2nd and 3rd and nobody out and I was already making plans for where I was going to eat supper, but they did not score.

Bill Rush, Bobby Hubbard and Dave Taylor each had a triple for us.

Me and Poppy, the two best hitters on the team went 1 for 14 against this bum. And my 1 hit was in the 14th to drive in the 3rd run of the inning, which had little value to winning the game.

Other Games:
Philadelphia (1) at Pittsburgh (2) - Bones Lane (16-18) over Charlie Moss (18-20). The game was tied at 1, when Pittsburg opened the bottom of the 9th by getting 2 men on with back-to-back errors and then 2B John Bohler singled in the winner. Charlie Moss held Pittsburgh to 6 hits, but Bones Lane held Philly to 4, 3 of them by 2B Jim Ware and 2 of those doubles. He knocked in Philadelphia's only run, but also made one of those 2 errors in the 9th.

Boston (3) at St. Louis (5) - Socks Hawkins (10-6) over Charlie Morlock (13-17). Hawkins held Boston to 4 hits. SS Fred Young had 2 hits with a double and scored 2 runs. 3B Rube Ford, who started his Liberty League career with a bang, has only 1 hit in his last 4 games.

[Questdog]

Saturday, August 4, 1877, at Washington Olympics (12-25 6th place in the Liberty League)

John Bendickson, Troy (25 R 10-7 2.35) vs. Rufus Lee, Wash. (26 R 4-10 3.11)

Lost - 4 to 3 in 10 innings

Well, 2 games and 3 surprises. We got 2 surprises in this game or really 3. First, Rufus Lee did another number on us. Second, with 2-outs he knocked in the tying run in the seventh and gave the next guy the opportunity to knock in the go ahead run. Third, after we had tied the game up in the 9th and thought we would surely win in extra innings, we got to the bottom of the 10th and John Bendickson retired the first two batters and then up comes Willie Rudd who knocks one over Bobby Hubbard's head and runs all the way around the bases for an inside-the-park home run and just like that (Surprise!) the game is over.

I had 3 hits and an RBI and John Bendickson had 2 hits with a double, and scored a run.

Other Games:
Philadelphia (4) at Pittsburgh (5) - Bones Lane (17-18) over Charlie Moss (18-21). For the second straight game, Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia in the bottom of the 9th. 2b George Brantner led off with a single and then after he was bunted over to second, Rookie 3B Sam Clark triple him home. I know you think he should have only gotten credit for a double, but we have different rules in the Liberty League than most leagues. Moss only allowed 7 hits, but Lane only allowed 5.

Boston (1) at St. Louis (3) - Socks Hawkins (11-6) over Charlie Morlock (13-18). Hawkins held Boston to 7 hits. Morlock only allowed 8. C Bumpus Dowdy had 2 hits, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. Rookie 3B Rube Ford had 2 hits with a double. Manager/RF Pete Green of Boston strained his achilles tendon and will miss about 3 weeks.

[Questdog]

Wednesday, August 8, 1877, at Washington Olympics (13-25 6th place in the Liberty League)

John Bendickson, Troy (25 R 10-8 2.37) vs. Rufus Lee, Wash. (26 R 5-10 3.08)

Won - 5 to 3

Okay, Rufus Lee is the greatest pitcher in the world, I guess. We did not beat him today, his teammates gave us the game with their generous errors. We only had 4 hits: 2 by Sol Popko, 1 by me and 1 by backup C Jerry Bern. Everybody else in the lineup has gone cold as ice of late.

John Bendickson held them to only 1 run until the 7th inning when we already had the game in hand at 5 to 1.

SS Bill Rush did not handle a chance in the entire game.

Other Games:
Philadelphia (6) at Pittsburgh (5) in 10 innings - Charlie Moss (19-21) over Bones Lane (17-19). 2B Jim Ware had 3 hits and 2 RBIs. CF Hi Tucker had 3 hits with 2 triples, had an RBI and scored 3 runs, including the game winner in the 10th.

Boston (2) at St. Louis (12) - Socks Hawkins (12-6) over Charlie Morlock (13-19). 2B Bub Crawford had 3 hits, a walk, scored a run and had an RBI. Rookie 3B Rube Ford had 3 hits, scored twice and had an RBI. CF Washington Macho had 3 hits with a double, stole a base, scored twice and had 2 RBIs.

[Questdog]

Saturday, August 11, 1877, vs. Philadelphia Centennials (19-23 4th place in the Liberty League)

Last time we met, Philadelphia beat us 2 out of 3 at their place.

Charlie Moss, Phil. (36 R 19-21 1.97) vs. John Bendickson, Troy (25 R 11-8 2.30)

Won - 3 to 1

John Bendickson with a 4-hitter and struck out 6! Our offense is non-existent right now. Wash Horsfall, Dave Taylor and Eb Burke each had 2 hits.

Bobby Hubbard made one of the most sensational catches I have ever seen in center field, but I wish I had never seen it. He broke his ankle making it and is out for the rest of the season.

For the second game in a row, SS Bill Rush did not touch the ball on defense. I have never seen anything like that in my life. Nothing was hit within 20 feet of his reach. And Bendy is a groundball pitcher!

Other Games:
Washington (5) at Boston (10) - Charlie Morlock (14-19) over Rufus Lee (5-12). Only the Haymakers think Lee is the best pitcher in the world. LF George Zech had 2 hits, scored 2 runs and had an RBI. 2B Bill Thompson had 3 hits with a double and scored a run.

Pittsburgh (3) at St. Louis (7) - Socks Hawkins (13-6) over Bones Lane (17-20). It's the 5th win in a row for Hawkins and the 8th in his last 9 decisions. RF Ed Radle had 3 hits with a double and scored a run. Rookie 3B Rube Ford had 3 hits, scored a run and had an RBI. CF Dwight Crawford had 2 triples, scored twice with an RBI and made 2 errors.

[Questdog]

Monday, August 13, 1877, vs. Philadelphia Centennials (19-24 tied for 4th place in the Liberty League)

Ed Morgan is back of the Disabled List and Booby Hubbard is back on it.

Charlie Moss, Phil. (36 R 19-22 2.00) vs. John Bendickson, Troy (25 R 12-8 2.23)

Won - 15 to 2

They finally hit one to Rush at shortstop and he forgot how to pick the ball up made made an error. He remembered fast, though, the next one they hit to him he turned into a double play.

John Bendickson with a 2-hitter. That's 6 hits totals allowed in the last two games.

Wash Horsfall played third today for the slumping Crazy Kelley and had 2 hits, stole a base, scored 3 runs and had 3 RBIs. Bill Hammack, getting his first start in a while in right, had 3 hits and did not make an error and even made an awesome catch. The biggest day was by LF Dave Taylor. In a stroke of managerial genius he was moved up to the #2spot and responded with 4 hits with a triple and a home run, stole 2 bases, scored twice and had 4 RBIs. Only one player in the lineup went hitless and that was me. If I had to go O'fer, this was the game to do it, though. I obviously made up for my lack of production with managerial genius.

Other Games:
Washington (15) at Boston (9) - Dick Wheeler (4-6) over John Callaham (5-6). RF John Rodgers had 4 hits, scored twice and knocked in 2.

Pittsburgh (2) at St. Louis (8) - Roger Lake (2-2) over George Dennis (5-2). CF Washington Macho had 2 hits with a double and scored 2 runs. Rookie 3B Rube Ford had 2 hits, walked, scored twice and had an RBI.

[skyballer455]

Originally Posted by Questdog

Then I use the Fill Tool to Color Erase the White and then I copy the selection and paste it into another GIMP window where I have opened a picture of my paper background.

When I try to do that, there's still some white left over around the letters. Am I doing something wrong?

[Questdog]

Originally Posted by skyballer455

When I try to do that, there's still some white left over around the letters. Am I doing something wrong?

You need to crank the "Threshold" up to 255......it's in the tool options for the fill tool towards the bottom.....

[skyballer455]

That seemed to work much better. Now I have this:



This is the combined records of the 4 Mullaney League teams from 1871 to 1879.

However, I would like to have the faded edges you do. Any hints?

[Questdog]

Thursday, August 16, 1877, vs. Philadelphia Centennials (19-25 tied for 4th place in the Liberty League)

Charlie Moss, Phil. (36 R 19-23 2.14) vs. John Bendickson, Troy (25 R 13-8 2.13)

Won - 10 to 2

3B Wash Horsfall had 3 hits, a walk, scored twice and knocked in 2. LF Dave Taylor had 2 hits, scored 3 times and knocked in 2. I had 3 hits with a double, and 2 RBIs.

Bendickson held them to 8 hits and struck out 5.

Now St. Louis comes to town for our big final showdown.

Other Games:
Washington (1) at Boston (12) - Charlie Morlock (15-19) over Rufus Lee (5-13). Morlock held Washington to 3 hits. 2B Bill Thompson had 4 hits, stole 2 bases, getting caught once, scored a run and had an RBI. RF Dan Sloan had 2 hits with a triple, scored a run and had 3 RBIs. LF George Zech had 3 hits with 2 doubles, scored a run and drove 1 in.

Pittsburgh (3) at St. Louis (4) - Socks Hawkins (14-6) over Bones Lane (17-21). Now 6 wins in a row and 9 of 10 for Hawkins. Backup C Henry Crocker, making only his second start of the year, hit a 2-out 2-run single to win the game in the bottom of the 9th.

[Questdog]

Originally Posted by skyballer455

However, I would like to have the faded edges you do. Any hints?

In the tool options for the Rectangle Select tool, there is a box to check for "Feathered Edges".....just be sure you have a white background when you paste it into a new window instead of a transparent one. I also check the box for rounded corners.