The Milburn Mallards (The Big Leagues)

[Dobber2419]

Season Predictions





I would have expected a better prediction for Philadelphia after all their moves this offseason.

I think it will be a close race in the East. Four teams could be in the running.

[Dobber2419]

[Dobber2419]

Opening Day

We begin the season at home against the Los Angeles Bluebirds. The pitchers for our 2 game series with LA are:
4/6/81 - Jose Trujilo (LA) vs. Juan Leyva (MLB)
4/7/81 - Eddie Shin (LA) vs. Ruben Solis (MLB)

Opening Day Lineup
1. Swan, SS
2. Auld, LF
3. Schwartz, C
4. Grier, RF
5. Carroll, 1B
6. Rainey, CF
7. Bugbee, 2B
8. Mora, 3B
9. Leyva, P

[Dobber2419]

4/13/1981

Week #1 Recap
Record: 3-4
Position: Tied for 5th (2 games behind Pittsburgh)
Runs Scored: 23 (Tied for 6th in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 23 (Tied for 8th in Hickory League)
Defense: .708 (12th in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: ( in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 82/100

The Mallards go 3-4 this week:
4/6 - beat LA 5-3 (W-Leyva, 1-0, S-Patterson (1), L-Ryan, 0-1) - 2 hits for Carroll, Rainey, Bugbee. 1 HR for Swan (1).
4/7 - beat LA 11-5 (W-Riggs, 1-0, L-Cotton, 0-1) - HRs by Grier 2 (2), Schwartz (1). 4 RBI for Grier, 3 RBI for Schwartz.
4/8 - loss to San Francisco 2-0 (W-Anthony, 1-0, S-Siciliano (1), L-Solis, 0-1) - Just 2 hits for the Mallards.
4/9 - beat San Francisco 3-1 (W-Amador, 1-0, S-Patterson (2), L-Toland, 0-1) - 3 hits for Schwartz.
4/10 - loss to San Francisco 5-2 (W-Beauford, 1-0, L-Carithers, 0-1) - HR by Schwartz (2).
4/11 - loss to San Diego 2-1 (W-Miller, 1-1, S-Runyan (3), L-Leyva, 1-1) - 2 hits for Auld and Bugbee.
4/12 - loss to San Diego 5-1 (W-Munoz, 2-0, L-Riggs, 1-1) - HR by Carroll (1).

Hitting Notes

• Schwartz off to a hot start, hitting .333/.379/.630 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI.
• Bobby Bugbee has 4 of his 5 hits thus far in 2 games.
• Ken Baldridge is off to a 0-7 start.
• Swan off to a slow start, batting .185/.312/333 with 1 HR and 1 RBI.

Pitching Notes

• Pedro Medina is the only bullpen pitcher to give up a run thus far.
• Jimmy Riggs has walked 10 batters in 15 innings thus far. He has also struck out 10.

Other Team News

• None

Next Week

• 3 games vs. Montreal
• 3 games @ Minnesota

Standings Notes

• Pittsburgh leads the HL East with a 5-2 record.
• Chicago Stars are off to a 6-1 start to lead the HL West.
• New York Metropolitans are also off to a 6-1 start to lead the AL East.
• Dallas, Seattle, Houston, and Chicago Unions are all tied at 4-3 atop the AL West.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. New York Metropolitans
2. Chicago Stars
3. San Diego
4. Boston
5. Minnesota
6. Pittsburgh
7. Houston
8. Philadelphia
9. Seattle
10. Toronto

Around the League

• Boston’s Bill Asher leads TBL with 4 home runs.
• Boston’s Steve Pope shut out the Washington Generals April 7th. He gave up 3 hits over 9 innings, striking out 10 and walking 1 in the Colonials’ 15-0 win.
• Boston star 2B Eric Turner has a hamstring strain and will miss 3 weeks.
• RF Don Barstad, who signed as a free agent with Cleveland, got the 1000th hit of his career on April 11th against the New York Metropolitans. He has a lifetime .305 average.
• Phil McFarren, pitching now for the Metropolitans, shut out his former team, Cleveland, on April 12th. He gave up 6 hits, striking out 3 and walking 3.
• New York Mammoths SP Paul Sutphen was named HL Player of the Week after going 2-0 this week. He worked 16 innings, striking out 10 and did not give up a run.
• Boston’s Bill Asher was named AL Player of the Week after batting .393 with 4 home runs and 11 RBI.

[Dobber2419]

4/20/1981

Week #2 Recap
Record: 6-7
Position: 7th (2 games behind 4 teams)
Runs Scored: 57 (tied for 3rd in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 41 (tied for 6th in Hickory League)
Defense: .727 (2nd in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 84.1,++ (16th in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 82/100

The Mallards go 3-3 this week:
4/13 - loss to Montreal 4-3 (W-Sandoval, 2-0, S-Jackson (2), L-Stone, 0-1) - 3 hits for Swan and Auld.
4/14 - loss to Montreal 3-2 (W-Lenox, 2-0, S-Jackson (3), L-Amador, 1-1) - 2 hits for Schwartz. 2 RBI for Auld.
4/15 - loss to Montreal 3-2 (W-Peeler, 1-1, S-Jackson (4), L-Carithers, 0-2) - HR for Swan (2).
4/16 - beat Minnesota 4-1 (W-Leyva, 2-1, S-Patterson (3), L-Benham, 1-2) - 3 hits for Auld. 2 RBI for Rainey.
4/17 - beat Minnesota 15-4 (W-Riggs, 2-1, L-Phillips, 1-2) - HRs by Swan (3), Schwartz (3), Auld (1). 3 hits and 4 RBI for Schwartz. 3 RBI for Auld.
4/18 - beat Minnesota 8-3 (W-Solis, 1-1, L-Young, 1-2) - HR by Swan (4). 3 hits for Swan, Carroll, and Rainey.

Hitting Notes

• Richie Swan was named HL Player of the Week after batting .478 on the week, with 3 home runs and 5 RBI.
• Ken Baldridge got his first two hits of the season this week. He is now batting .143.
• Ron Schwartz is batting .327/.382/.633 so far this season, with a 1.0 WAR. He has 3 home runs and leads the team with 11 RBI.
• Richie Swan is batting .320/.452/.620 this season so far, with a 1.2 WAR.

Pitching Notes

• Hal Holmes went on the 15 Day DL with Acromioclavicular joint irritation
• After having just two losses last season, Bob Carithers already has two this season.
• Other than Pedro Medina, the bullpen has not allowed a run in 11 2/3 innings pitched this season. Medina has given up 2 in 2.1 innings pitched.

Other Team News

• Lee Lewis has about 5 weeks left in his recovery from a torn flexor tendon in his elbow.

Next Week

• 3 games vs. Milwaukee
• 3 games @ Baltimore
• Start of 3 game series vs. New York Mammoths

Standings Notes

• Brooklyn, Montreal, Cincinnati, and Philly are tied atop the HL East, all at 8-5.
• The Chicago Stars and San Diego are tied atop the HL West, both at 9-4.
• The Metropolitans of New York lead the AL East with a 10-3 record.
• Dallas is a game up on Seattle in the AL West with a 9-4 record.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. New York Metropolitans
2. Dallas
3. San Diego
4. Chicago Stars
5. Phoenix
6. Brooklyn
7. Philadelphia
8. Seattle
9. Montreal
10. Toronto

Around the League

• The Philadelphia Centennials continue to strengthen their club, as they sign free agent reliever Steve Petti for a 1 year, $424,000 deal.
• Phoenix 3B Billy Hill hit the 100th home run of his career on April 15th.
• Dallas Texans All-Star LF Danny Roncal signed a 6 year extension on April 16th. The deal is worth $5,400,000 over the course of the extension.
• St. Louis Saints SP Tom Ave pitched a 7-hit shutout against the Kansas City Keystones on April 17th. He struck out 5 Keystones hitters in the game.
• Chicago Stars 2B Bernie Price hit the 2000th hit of his career on April 17th. The 36-year-old has a career batting average of .270 with 216 home runs.
• Philadelphia SP Johnny Osbon, last year’s Golden Arm winner while with Washington, pitched a 1-hit shutout of the New York Mammoths on April 18th. He struck out 6 and walked 2.
• The Ash League has named Toronto 3B Mike Thompson its Player of the Week this week, after the 24-year-old hit .481 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI.

[Dobber2419]

4/27/1981

Week #3 Recap
Record: 11-9
Position: 4th (3 games behind Philadelphia)
Runs Scored: 89 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 63 (tied for 5th in Hickory League)
Defense: .727 (2nd in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 106.0,++ (9th in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 82/100

The Mallards go 5-2 this week:
4/20 - beat Milwaukee 5-2 (W-Amador, 2-1, L-Walker, 0-2) - 2 hits and 2 RBI each for Mora and Schwartz.
4/21 - beat Milwaukee 6-1 (W-Leyva, 3-1, L-Theus, 1-3) - Complete game for Leyva. HR for Schwartz (4). 3 RBI for Santiago and Schwartz.
4/22 - beat Milwaukee 5-1 (W-Riggs, 3-1, L-Soria, 1-3) - HR for Grier (3), along with 3 RBI. 2 hits for Bugbee.
4/23 - loss to Baltimore 3-1 (W-Diaz, 1-1, S-Stamey (3), L-Solis, 1-2) - 2 hits for Auld and Grier.
4/24 - beat Baltimore 7-6 (W-Patterson, 1-0, S-Medina (1), L-Postell, 0-2) - 2 hits for Schwartz, Grier, and Rainey. 2 RBI for Schwartz and Mora. Schwartz hit a run-scoring single in the top of the 12th to propel the win.
4/25 - loss to Baltimore 7-2 (W-Vargas, 1-0, L-Amador, 2-2) - RBIs for Rainey and Bugbee.
4/26 - beat New York Mammoths 6-2 (W-Leyva, 4-1, L-Sutphen, 2-2) - Complete game for Leyva. HR for Swan (5), 3 hits, and 4 RBI as well. He goes 3-3 along with 2 walks on the day.

Hitting Notes

• CFer Jim Rainey is Day-to-Day with a sore elbow. He is hitting .243/.309/.324 on the season thus far.
• 2B Bobby Bugbee is batting .278/.361/.333 thus far, with 0 home runs and 6 RBI.
• 2B Dan Musgrave, last year’s starter, is currently batting .211/.400/.211 with 0 home runs and 0 RBI.
• Richie Swan leads the team in runs scored with 19.
• He also leads in WAR at 1.6. Ron Schwartz is at 1.4.
• Ken Baldridge is batting .160/.276/.200 with 0 home runs and 2 RBI.

Pitching Notes

• Former Mallard SP Wally Christensen goes down again for the season, this time with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow. It appears we made the right call not to re-sign him.
• Juan Leyva’s ERA now sits at 1.93. He has a 1.1 ERA and a 2.55 FIP.
• Jimmy Riggs is 3-1 with a 3.66 ERA, a 3.21 FIP, and a 0.5 WAR.
• Closer Harold Patterson has pitched 10 innings thus far without giving up a run. He has 3 saves so far.

Other Team News

• Bob Figiel is struggling so far at AAA Porterville. He has a 5.73 ERA in 3 starts.

Next Week

• 2 more vs. New York Mammoths
• 3 games @ Phoenix
• Start of 3 game series vs. Cincinnati

Standings Notes

• Philadelphia leads HL East by 2 games over Montreal and Cincinnati with a 14-6 record.
• San Diego’s 14-6 record leads the HL West by 1 game.
• New York leads the AL East with a 14-6 record.
• Dallas’s 13-7 record puts them 2 games ahead of Seattle, Houston, and Kansas City.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. Philadelphia
2. San Diego
3. New York Metropolitans
4. San Francisco
5. Dallas
6. Cincinnati
7. Montreal
8. Toronto
9. Milburn
10. Boston

Around the League

• Grant Fargason of the Denver Bears leads the HL with a .371 batting average.
• Ray Vargas of the Detroit Zephyrs has a .453 batting average.
• 3 AL players have 6 home runs to lead TBL.
• Boston’s Bill Asher has 22 RBI to lead TBL.
• Multiple pitchers have 4 wins, most in TBL.
• Bill DeMasi of the New York Mammoths leads all pitchers with a 1.7 WAR.
• Pittsburgh’s Jim Corbin hit the 150th home run of his career on April 22nd. He has a lifetime .330 average in 857 games.
• San Francisco Seals SP Nolan Siciliano pitched a 2 hit shutout on April 24th against the LA Bluebirds. He struck out 7 and walked 2.
• Dallas SP Radford Barr pitched a 3 hit shutout on April 26th against Detroit. He now has a 4-1 record with a 1.17 ERA on the season.
• The Hickory League named San Francisco SP as the Player of the Week after he went 2-0 with 10 strikeouts and a 0.53 ERA this week.
• Detroit Zephyrs RF Ray Vargas was named Ash League Player of the Week, thanks to his .458 average, 2 home runs, and 8 RBI this week.

[Dobber2419]

5/4/1981

Week #4 Recap
Record: 15-11
Position: Tied for 2nd (3 games behind Philadelphia)
Runs Scored: 129 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 82 (4th in Hickory League)
Defense: .725 (3rd in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 106.8,+ (7th in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 82/100

The Mallards go 4-2 this week:
4/27 - beat New York Mammoths 10-3 (W-Riggs, 4-1, L-Colbert, 0-1) - HRs by Baldridge (1), Auld (2). 3 hits for Pete Grier. 3 RBI for Baldridge.
4/28 - loss to New York Mammoths 6-4 (W-McFall, 1-0, S-Romero (5), L-Patterson, 1-1) - HR by Santiago (1). 2 hits for Rainey, Mora, Bugbee.
4/29 - beat Phoenix 11-1 (W-Carithers, 1-2, L-Magdziak, 1-3) - 3 hits for Schwartz. 2 RBIs each for Swan and Bugbee.
4/30 - beat Phoenix 11-5 (W-Amador, 3-2, L-Maxwell, 2-2) - HR by Carroll (2). 3 RBI for Mora.
5/1 - loss to Phoenix 4-3 (W-Maxwell, 3-2, S-Lerman (3), L-Leyva, 4-2) - 3 hits for Musgrave, 2 hits for Schwartz, Rainey, Baldridge.
5/3 - beat Cincinnati 1-0 (W-Medina, 1-0, S-Patterson (4), L-Manning, 2-2) - 4 Mallards with one hit. Run scored on a single by Auld in the 7th.

Hitting Notes

• Richie Swan was named HL Batter of the Month for April. During the month he batted .323 with 5 home runs and 13 RBI.
• Schwartz is batting .337/.416/.551 with 4 HR, 23 RBI.
• Pete Grier is off to a slower start - hitting .255/.353/.373 with 3 HR, 11 RBI.
• Without Musgrave starting, the stolen base total has dropped way off. We’ll see how long before Mr. Jacoby makes a comment.
• Schwartz has a 1.9 WAR, Swan with a 1.8 WAR.

Pitching Notes

• Activated Hal Holmes from the DL. Sent Theodore Walden down to AAA to make room. Walden had pitched well enough, but just not room for all.
• Leyva is 4-2 with a 2.34 ERA.
• Solis is 1-2 with a 2.58 ERA.
• Riggs is 4-1 with a 3.76 ERA.
• Amador is 3-2 with a 4.54 ERA.
• Carithers is 1-2 with a 3.75 ERA.

Other Team News

• Former Mallards prospect Mike Stokes, traded to the Detroit Zephyrs in the offseason, was lost for the season after hurting his elbow.

Next Week

• 2 more at Cincinnati
• 3 games vs. Philadelphia
• 2 games @ Pittsburgh

Standings Notes

• Philly leads the HL East by 3 games over Montreal and us.
• San Diego has a game lead over San Francisco.
• Boston is 1 game up on the Metropolitans in the AL East.
• Dallas leads Seattle by 3 games in the AL West.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. Philadelphia
2. Dallas
3. Boston
4. San Diego
5. San Francisco
6. Montreal
7. Milburn
8. Toronto
9. St. Louis
10. Detroit

Around the League

• Detroit ace Steve DeSantis pitched a shutout vs. the Dallas Texans on April 27th, striking out 6 and walking none.
• Milwaukee 3B Jose Pena achieved the 1500th hit of his career on April 27th against Denver.
• Baltimore C John Kinsey notched the 1000th hit of his career on April 30th. He has a .229 career average.
• Boston LF Bill Asher was named AL Hitter of the Month for April after batting .374 with 6 home runs and 24 RBI.
• Philly closer Bob Molsbee was named Hickory League Pitcher of the Month for April, courtesy of his 9 save, 0.56 ERA performance.
• The AL named Radford Barr the April Pitcher of the Month after going 4-1 with a 1.17 ERA.
• Montreal 2B Dickie Dorsey was named HL Rookie of the Month, when he batted .253 with 2 home runs and 12 RBI.
• Houston RF Wardell Lawton was named AL Rookie of the Month, thanks to his .312 average, 7 home runs, and 15 RBI performance.
• New York Mammoths SP Paul Sutphen notched the 100th win of his career on May 1st.
• San Diego Skippers 3B Dan Robertson collected hit number 1500 of his career on May 3rd.
• Detroit SP Steve DeSantis won the 200th game of his career on May 3rd after the Zephyrs beat Houston 9-3. He has a 200-124 record with a 3.08 ERA.

[reds1]

Nice to see the Mallards finding their groove early - no championship hangovers to speak of.

[Dobber2419]

A bit of a slow start, but starting to play better.

[Dobber2419]

5/11/1981

Week #5 Recap
Record: 19-14
Position: 2nd (2 games behind Philadelphia )
Runs Scored: 149 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 111 (7th in Hickory League)
Defense: .726 (2nd in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 104.6,- (8th in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 82/100

The Mallards go 4-3 this week:
5/4 - beat Cincinnati 2-0 (W-Riggs, 5-1, S-Patterson (5), L-Farakiko, 1-3) - HRs by Baldridge (2), Carroll (3). 3 hits by Baldridge.
5/5 - loss to Cincinnati 10-3 (W-Johnson, 4-1, L-Amador, 3-3) - HR by Rainey (1). 2 hits by Rainey, Schwartz, Mora.
5/6 - loss to Philadelphia 7-1 (W-Howard, 5-1, L-Leyva, 4-3) - 2 hits and an RBI for Grier.
5/7 - beat Philadelphia 5-4 (W-Stone, 1-1, S-Patterson (6), L-Molsbee, 3-1) - First career HR for Bugbee (1). 2 hits for Swan, Auld, Grier, Mora, Carithers. 2 RBI for Swan.
5/8 - beat Philadelphia 4-3 (W-Solis, 2-2, S-Patterson (7), L-Molsbee, 3-2) - 3 hits for Musgrave. 2 RBI for Swan.
5/9 - beat Pittsburgh 4-2 (W-Riggs, 6-1, S-Patterson (8), L-Jonkman, 3-1) - 2 hits for Swan, Carroll, Rainey.
5/10 - loss to Pittsburgh 3-2 (W-Box, 2-2, S-Ray (11), L-Amador, 3-4) - 2 hits for Musgrave.

Hitting Notes

• Bobby Bugbee has been placed on the Disabled List with back spasms. He is expected to miss 4 weeks. OF Oscar Gutierrez has been called up to replace him.
• Ron Schwartz is 2nd in the HL in RBI with 23.
• Schwartz and Richie Swan are tied for the HL lead in Batter WAR at 2.3.
• Ian Auld’s batting average is down from last season’s thus far, at .283. He has 2 home runs and 14 RBI.

Pitching Notes

• Jimmy Riggs tied for TBL lead in Wins with 6. He has a 2.80 ERA, 3.14 FIP.
• In 18.1 innings pitched, Harold Patterson has a 1.96 ERA and 8 saves. He has blown 1 save opportunity.
• In 5 innings of relief work so far, Hal Holmes has given up 1 hit and walked 2 for a 0.60 WHIP. He has not given up a run.

Other Team News

• Promoted SP Ricardo Lopez to A Cascadia City from Rookie League Coconut Bay.

Next Week

• 1 more vs. Pittsburgh (15-18)
• 3 games vs. Denver (14-19)
• 3 games @ Chicago Stars (15-18)

Standings Notes

• San Francisco’s 20-13 record is 1 up on San Diego in the HL West.
• Boston leads the AL East by 3 games with their 22-11 record.
• Dallas is 2 games ahead of St. Louis in the AL West with a 21-12 record.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. Boston
2. Dallas
3. Philadelphia
4. St. Louis
5. San Francisco
6. Brooklyn
7. Minnesota
8. Milburn
9. Baltimore
10. New York Metropolitans

Around the League

• San Diego ace SP Greg Wilder pitched a 1 hit shutout against Philadelphia on May 5th. He has a 2-1 record with a 2.52 ERA thus far.
• Sam Smart of Washington and Mushin Berkeley of St. Louis were suspended 4 and 8 games respectively for their parts in a benches clearing brawl between the two clubs on May 3rd.
• San Francisco SP Randy Boyer threw a 2 hit shutout against Minnesota May 7th. The free-agent signee is 1-1 with a 1.47 ERA thus far.
• St. Louis SP Tom Ave has angered another team with his post-game celebrations. After defeating Washington May 8th, Ave’s celebration was too much for Generals manager George Williams, who confronted Ave on the field.
• St. Louis 1B Tom Belongia collected the 1500th hit of his career May 8th against the Washington Generals.
• SP Johnny Osbon, the Golden Arm Award winner last season, who was traded from Washington to Philadelphia this offseason, has been signed to a 6 year extension by the Centennials. The 28-year-old will make $4,102,000 over the course of the 6 years.
• Brooklyn Atlantics 3B Jay Parker collected the 1500th hit of his career on May 10th. He has a career .290 average, with 52 home runs and 538 RBI.
• Minnesota Millers SP Mike Phillips has been named HL Player of the Week, thanks to his 2-0, 0.00 performances. He struck out 8 in 16 innings this week.
• Boston Colonials RF Bob Benware was named AL Player of the Week on the heels of his .484 average, 0 home runs, and 4 RBI week.

[Dobber2419]

5/18/1981

Week #6 Recap
Record: 22-17
Position: 3rd (3 games behind Philadelphia)
Runs Scored: 168 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 130 (7th in Hickory League)
Defense: .723 (3rd in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 102.5,- (9th in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 82/100

The Mallards go 3-3 this week:
5/11 - beat Pittsburgh 6-1 (W-Leyva, 5-3, L-Hughes, 0-7) - 2 hits for Schwartz, Grier, Rainey. 3 RBI for Grier and Rainey.
5/12 - loss to Denver 5-0 (W-Ermito, 3-0, L-Carithers, 1-3) - 4 measly hits in our first game against the expansion Bears.
5/13 - loss to Denver 4-3 (W-Dews, 1-1, S-Etchison (7), L-Patterson, 1-2) - Patterson gave up the game-winning single in the top of the 9th. 2 hits for Rainey.
5/14 - beat Denver 1-0 (W-Riggs, 7-1, S-Patterson (9), L-Black, 2-3) - Grier goes 4 for 4. Carroll has the Game-winning RBI.
5/16 - beat Chicago Stars 7-5 (W-Leyva, 6-3, S-Patterson (10), L-Gutierrez, 3-5) - HR by Musgrave (1). 3 hits for Schwartz. 4 RBI for Musgrave, along with 2 hits.
5/17 - loss to Chicago 4-1 (W-Gralhez, 3-1, S-Wyble (10), L-Carithers, 1-4) - 2 hits for Mora.

Hitting Notes

• Ron Schwartz, Richie Swan, and Pete Grier are the early All-Star vote-leaders at C, SS, and RF.
• Dan Musgrave is making a claim to win back his 2B job with Bugbee’s injury. He is batting .297/.416/.391 thus far, with 1 HR and 6 RBI. He has 2 stolen bases.
• 3B is an interesting battle. Baldridge has the power (2 HRs vs. none for Mora). Mora has the average (.311 vs. 197 for Baldridge). But Mora has walked just once in 90 plate appearances, and has a .323 OBP. Baldridge has a .300 OBP. No neither is anywhere near an All-Star level. Both have a 0.3 WAR.

Pitching Notes

• Jimmy Riggs’ 7 wins have him tied for the lead in TBL with Radford Barr of Dallas.
• Riggs’ 2.44 ERA also leads the staff.
• Bob Carithers is 1-4 with a 4.36 ERA.
• Jose Amador is 3-4 with a 4.72 ERA.
• Harold Patterson has pitched in 19 of our 39 games thus far. He has 10 saves.
• Lee Lewis has about a week left until he should return. He will to a minor league rehab stint when he does return.

Other Team News

• Jim Cahoon is 7-0 with a 1.59 ERA at AAA Porterville.
• Bob Figiel is 3-3 with a 4.25 ERA at AAA Porterville.
• Extend Lee Lewis: DONE

Next Week

• 1 more @ Chicago (19-20)
• 3 games vs. Brooklyn (22-17)
• 3 games @ Los Angeles Bluebirds (10-29)

Standings Notes

• Philly’s 25-14 record is 2 games up on the New York Mammoths in the HL East.
• San Diego is 23-16, 1 game ahead of San Fran in the HL West.
• New York Metropolitans and Boston are tied atop the AL East with 23-16 records.
• Dallas is 2 games ahead of St. Louis in the AL West with a 25-14.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. Dallas
2. New York Mammoths
3. Philadelphia
4. St. Louis
5. New York Metropolitans
6. San Diego
7. Brooklyn
8. Washington
9. Milburn
10. Toronto

Around the League

• St. Louis SP Tom Ave is at again, this time upsetting Dallas with his post-game celebration
• Kansas City SP Gene Wink threw the first no-hitter of the season, leaving the Detroit Zephyrs clueless on May 12th. It was his first win of the season against 5 losses.
• Pittsburgh’s star 1B Jim Corbin reached the 1000th hit of his career on May 13th against Philly. The 28 year old has a career .329 average in 877 games.
• Dallas SP Radford Barr shut out Atlanta on May 16th with a 3 hit gem. He is 7-2 with a 1.03 ERA this season.
• Boston RF Bob Benware had his 23 game hitting streak snapped on May 16th. He is batting .410 so far this season.
• The Hickory League named Philly CF Tony Albert as its Player of the Week after his .480, 4 home run, 8 RBI performance.
• Houston Buffaloes 2B Scotty Booth was named Ash League Player of the Week this week after batting .444 with 1 home run and 4 RBI.

[Dobber2419]

Draft Pool Revealed

One of the few things certain about the 1981 first-year player draft is that it will be held 30 days from now. Today the TBL announced its list of players filing for the event, though little is publicly known about any given player, sending scouts from each of the league's clubs scattering to uncover what they can in as little time as possible. Some clubs will draft the ideal prospect late, while others will stake their futures to big-name prospects, those deemed most likely to succeed by the fickle, nameless consensus.

The top players available (in no particular order) seem to be:
1. Noah Watson, 22 year-old RHP out of Thornhill University (Milburn, MI).
2. Bill Fontanella, 21 year-old RHP out of Louisiana-Lafayette.
3. Omer Kareef, 22 year-old CF out of USC.
4. Fred Brothers, 21 year-old CF out of Loyola-Marymount.
5. Simon Favero, 18 year-old RHP out of Edmonds-Woodway HS, Edmonds, WA.
6. Charlie Wellington, 21 year-old SS out of Arizona State.
7. Charlie Brabham, 20 year-old CF out of Jacksonville.
8. Jim Proctor, 21 year-old CF out of Fresno State.
9. John Powell, 21 year-old RHP out of Texas Tech.
10. Steve Nicholson, 21 year-old LHP out of Washington.


It would sure be nice to be able to draft the hometown kid, Noah Watson, from Thornhill University here in Milburn. But of course, since we have the last pick in the 1st Round, he'll be gone by the time our pick comes along. With success comes some sacrifices.

[Dobber2419]

5/25/1981

Week #7 Recap
Record: 25-21
Position: 4th (4 games behind Philadelphia )
Runs Scored: 198 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 156 (tied for 7th in Hickory League)
Defense: .730 (2nd in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 98.8,- (10th in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 82/100

The Mallards go 3-4 this week:
5/18 - loss to Chicago 5-2 (W-Dunn, 3-4, S-Puma (1), L-Solis, 2-3) - Rainey with 2 hits.
5/19 - loss to Brooklyn 4-3 (W-Chavarria, 4-2, S-Humphrey (13), L-Riggs, 7-2) - Carroll goes 3-4 with his 4th home run, along with 2 RBI. Only Mallard with multiple hits.
5/20 - loss to Brooklyn 5-3 (W-Crabtree, 2-0, S-Humphrey (14), L-Patterson, 1-3) - HR by Auld (3). 3 hits for Grier. 2 RBI for Auld. Swan had 2 hits and 2 walks in 5 plate appearances.
5/21 - beat Brooklyn 8-5 (W-Leyva, 7-3, L-Humphrey, 2-4) - HRs by Musgrave (2) and Rainey (2). 3 hits for Bob Tyson, 2 hits for Rainey, Musgrave, Baldridge.
5/22 - beat Los Angeles Bluebirds 6-0 (W-Carithers, 2-4, L-Trujilo, 0-1) - HR by Rainey (3). 3 hits for Auld.
5/23 - loss to LA 5-2 (W-Little, 3-1, S-Schaumburg (5), L-Solis, 2-4) - 2 hits for Swan and Schwartz.
5/24 - beat LA 6-2 (W-Riggs, 8-2, L-Cotton, 0-7) - 2 hits for Auld and Rainey.

Hitting Notes

• Richie Swan’s OBP is .422. He has primarily batted from the leadoff slot this season. He has 11 steals, but has also been thrown out 6 times.
• Overall stolen bases are way down this year. Partially because Dan Musgrave had lost the 2B job to start the season. But now that he is playing again due to Bugbee’s injury, he still has just 2 steals. We’ll see if Mr. Jacoby starts complaining about stolen bases again.
• Swan’s WAR is up to 3.0 on the season now. Schwartz is at 2.6.
• Jim Rainey is Day-to-day with a sore elbow.

Pitching Notes

• In 10 starts, Juan Leyva has pitched 82 innings.
• Also in 10 starts, Jimmy Riggs has pitched 77 innings.
• Both Hal Holmes and Leon Williams have yet to give up a run this season. But with the starting pitching pitching so well, they only have 8.1 and 9.2 innings pitched this year respectively.
• Mike Straub has a 5.87 ERA, but in just 7.2 innings. The bullpen is not getting a lot of work, which is good. But I have to keep an eye on the rust factor for them as well. May need to move some guys to free up more opportunities.

Other Team News

• Lee Lewis came off the Disabled List and started a minor league rehab assignment.

Next Week

• 3 games vs. San Francisco (28-18)
• 3 games @ San Diego (27-19)

Standings Notes

• Philly is 2 games up on New York, 2 1/2 up on Brooklyn in the HL East.
• San Francisco has a 1 game lead over San Diego in the HL West.
• Boston is ahead of Toronto by 4 games in the AL East.
• Dallas holds on to a 1 game lead over St. Louis in the AL West.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. Boston
2. Philadelphia
3. San Francisco
4. New York Mammoths
5. San Diego
6. Dallas
7. Brooklyn
8. St. Louis
9. Washington
10. Milburn

Around the League

• New York Metropolitans RF Joe Shemory collected the 1000th hit of his career on May 19th. He has a lifetime .295 average in 880 games.
• Chicago Unions closer Jerry Murphy has demanded a trade because he is unhappy with the team’s performance. He is a free agent at the end of this season. The 27-year-old has 9 saves thus far, with a 1.31 ERA on the season.
• Atlanta Thrashers SP Al Vraney has been lost for the season with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow. He was 3-4 with a 4.21 ERA on the season.
• Houston Buffaloes C Clinton Deck went 5-6 in the Buffaloes’ 6-5 loss to Atlanta on May 23rd.
• Baltimore Baybirds RF Wayne Pramann notched the 1000th hit of his career on May 23rd. He has a lifetime .303 average with 115 home runs, 528 RBI.
• Brooklyn 1B Ray Thompson was named HL Player of the Week, thanks to his .500 average, 3 home runs, and 9 RBI. For the season he is hitting .252 with 7 home runs and 24 RBI.
• Atlanta Thrashers 3B Artie Powell won the AL Player of the Week honors after hitting .429 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI on the week. He is batting .335 with 9 home runs and 33 RBI on the season.

[Dobber2419]

6/1/1981

Week #8 Recap
Record: 26-26
Position: 5th (6 games back of Philly)
Runs Scored: 220 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 193 (11th in Hickory League)
Defense: .728 (3rd in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 84.0,- - (21st in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 78/100

The Mallards go 1-5 this week:
5/25 - loss to San Francisco 11-3 (W-Toland, 4-2, L-Amador, 3-5) - HR by Amador (1). 2 hits for Schwartz.
5/27 (Game 1) - beat San Francisco 9-4 (W-Leyva, 8-3, L-Wheeler, 4-6) - 3 hits for Musgrave, 2 for Swan, Auld, Grier, Rainey, Leyva. 3 RBI for Swan, 2 for Leyva.
5/27 (Game 2) - loss to San Francisco 2-0 (W-Boyer, 3-2, S-Siciliano (8), L-Carithers, 2-5) - 1 total hit for Mallards.
5/29 - loss to San Diego 7-4 (W-Munoz, 6-2, L-Riggs, 8-3) - HRs by Baldridge (3), Swan (6). 2 hits for Swan, Baldridge. 2 RBI for Baldridge.
5/30 - loss to San Diego 6-2 (W-Burkett, 5-1, L-Solis, 2-5) - HR by Schwartz (5). 2 hits for Rainey, Tyson.
5/31 - loss to San Diego 7-4 (W-Miller, 5-2, S-Runyan (14), L-Amador, 3-6) - 2 hits for Rainey.

Hitting Notes

• Scouting Director Bill White has lowered his Current, Potential, Power, and Potential Power ratings for Bob Tyson. Understandable given Tyson’s age.
• White raised his eye rating for Jody Carroll to 85, while also increasing his potential rating to 3.0 stars.
• White lowered his outlook on 2B Bobby Bugbee, lowering his Overall and Potential ratings to 2.0/3.0 stars.
• White raised his outlook on 3B Ken Baldridge, increasing his Overall to 3.0, and Potential to 4.0.
• White raised his outlook also on CF Jim Rainey, increasing his Potential rating to 4.0 stars.
• Ron Schwartz closed the gap on Pittsburgh’s Jim Corbin as the leading All-Star vote-getter in the Hickory League. Corbin has 602,890 total votes, and Schwartz has 512,911 votes.
• Currently have no regulars batting above .300. Richie Swan leads the team with a .298 batting average.

Pitching Notes

• Scouting Director Bill White has updated his scouting report on 23-year-old Pedro Medina, bumping his overall rating to 3.0 stars, and his potential rating to 3.5 stars.
• He also bumped up his ratings for Jose Amador slightly.
• Jose Amador’s ERA has ballooned up to 5.70 on the season. His record is currently 3-6. We have Bob Figiel and Harry Schubert both pitching well in AAA, so may make a change soon.
• Leyva and Riggs are both 8-3, but the other three starters are 2-5 (Solis and Carithers) and 3-6 (Amador).
• Leon Williams gave up his first run(s) of the season this week.
• Harold Patterson is stuck at 10 saves because of our slide recently. His ERA sits at 2.54. He has a 3.32 FIP.

Other Team News

• Signed former Mallards OFer Steve Binks to a minor league contract and assigned him to AAA Porterville.

Next Week

• 3 games @ Montreal (29-23)
• 3 games vs. Minnesota (26-25)
• Start 3 game series @ Milwaukee (26-26)

Standings Notes

• Philly has a 3 game lead over New York in the HL East with its 32-20 record.
• San Diego and San Francisco are tied atop the HL West at 31-21.
• Boston increased its lead in the AL East to 6 1/2 games over Washington.
• St. Louis took over first in the AL West, 2 games up on Dallas.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. Boston
2. Philadelphia
3. St. Louis
4. San Diego
5. Montreal
6. San Francisco
7. New York Mammoths
8. Washington
9. Chicago Stars
10. Denver

Around the League

• Seattle’s All-Star closer Terry Simmons has been placed on the Disabled List with a strained hamstring. He will miss around 6 weeks.
• New York Metropolitans SP Phil McFarren picked up the 100th win of his career on May 29th after beating Atlanta. The former Cleveland player is 4-2 this year, with a 2.17 ERA.
• Boston’s Morris Lashley moved to 8-3 on the season, with a 1.67 ERA, after shutting out Dallas on May 31st.
• The Hickory League named Montreal RF Ken Reynolds as its Player of the Week thanks to his .471 batting average, with 3 home runs and 8 RBI output.
• Kansas City RF Lew Wafer was named AL Player of the Week on the basis of his .435, 5 home run, 11 RBI performance.
• The Hickory League has named Montreal SS Moses Anderson as the May Player of the Month. For the month, Anderson went .352 with 6 home runs and 23 RBI.
• Atlanta 3B Artie Powell was named Ash League Batter of the Month for May, thanks to his .360, 6 home run, 22 RBI performance.
• Milwaukee SP Lou Theus was named HL Pitcher of the Month for May after going 6-0 with a 2.02 ERA in the month. He is 7-4 with a 2.25 ERA on the season.
• St.Louis’s cocky ace Tom Ave was named AL Pitcher of the Month for May, thanks to his 5-0, 1.08 ERA stretch.
• Pittsburgh’s LF Kyushichi Hirayama was named HL Rookie of the Month for May after batting .305 with 4 home runs and 13 RBI this month.
• The Ash League named Atlanta SS Willie McCray has Rookie of the Month, in which he batted .367 with 0 home runs and 5 RBI.

[Dobber2419]

Dorrance Perfect Against Redbirds

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (6-1-1981) - Even as he reached the pinnacle of baseball achievement, Dan Dorrance never broke a sweat.

The 23-year-old right-hander pitched a perfect game at Metropolitan Stadium today for the Minnesota Millers, retiring 27 in a row.

"I still don't believe it," Dan Dorrance told reporters inside the Millers locker room, following the win. "Throwing a perfect game just doesn't seem real."

Dorrance was a picture of calm on the mound as he struck out 11 Cincinnati hitters and walked none as the Millers took the 1-0 victory.

"I had the best control of my life today and it felt almost effortless," Dorrance said with a smile. "I never knew throwing a perfect game would be so easy."

In 11 starts this season Dorrance has notched a 5-1 record and a 2.23 ERA.

[Dobber2419]

6/8/1981

Week #9 Recap
Record: 30-29
Position: 5th place (6 1/2 games behind Philadelphia)
Runs Scored: 249 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 220 (11th in Hickory League)
Defense: .720 (7th in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 92.5,++ (14th in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 81/100

The Mallards go 4-3 this week:
6/1 - beat Montreal 9-3 (W-Leyva, 9-3, L-Lenox, 4-3) - HRs by Rainey (4), Grier (4). 3 hits for Rainey. 3 RBI each for Rainey and Grier.
6/2 - loss to Montreal 4-3 in 15 innings (W-Holtslander, 1-0, L-Williams, 0-1) - HR by Rainey (5). 2 hits for Rainey and Schwartz.
6/3 - loss to Montreal 3-0 (W-Thrall, 1-1, S-Jackson (14), L-Riggs, 8-4) - Just 3 hits for Milburn.
6/4 - loss to Minnesota 5-2 (W-Young, 3-5, S-Burton (16), L-Solis, 2-6) - HR by Baldridge (4). 4 hits for Baldridge.
6/5 - beat Minnesota 4-3 (W-Patterson, 2-3, L-Burton, 3-3) - 2 hits by Auld, Baldridge. 2 RBI for Auld.
6/6 - beat Minnesota 4-3 (W-Patterson, 3-3, L-Dorrance, 5-2) - 8 Mallards with one hit.
6/7 - beat Milwaukee 7-6 (W-Carithers, 3-5, S-Patterson (11), L-Soria, 3-7) - 2 HR by Rainey (7). 2 hits by Rainey, Grier, Mora. 3 RBI for Rainey.

Hitting Notes

• Pete Grier collected the 1000th hit of his career in the June 7th game against Milwaukee. For his career, the 27-year-old is batting .294 with 139 home runs, 492 RBI, 500 runs scored, in 866 career games.
• Jim Rainey was named the Hickory League Player of the Week. He batted .367 with 4 home runs and 8 RBI this past week. For the season his slash line is .279/.328/.438.
• Jody Carroll continues to struggle this season. His slash line is .189/.344/.280. He is getting on base often because of his ability to walk, but has just 4 home runs thus far.
• Backup catcher Andre Barnett is 1 for 25 this season, good for a .040 average.
• After his All-Star and 1980 World Series MVP performance last season, Pete Grier has suffered from Championship Hangover all year this season. Last year he hit .320/32 HR/113 RBI, and he currently has a projection for this season of .256/10 HR/68 RBI.

Pitching Notes

• Juan Leyva is tied for TBL lead in Wins with 9, along with Tom Ave of the St. Louis Saints.
• Jose Amador the only starting pitcher with an ERA above 3.32. He currently is 3-6 with a 5.45 ERA.
• Harold Patterson is 11 of 13 in save opportunities thus far this season.

Other Team News

• Former Mallard minor leaguer Tony Moyer, selected by Denver in the Expansion Draft this year, was named Texas League (AA) Player of the Week.
• Supposedly the better defensive 3B, Mario Mora has 7 errors and a .904 ZR this season. Ken Baldridge has just one error in more chances, and a 2.3 ZR.
• CFer Jim Rainey leads the team with a 5.4 ZR.

Next Week

• 2 more games @ Milwaukee
• 3 games vs. Baltimore
• Start of 3 game series @ New York Mammoths

Standings Notes

• Philadelphia holds a 3 1/2 game lead over New York in the HL East.
• San Diego has a 2 game lead over San Francisco in the HL West.
• Boston increased its lead to 7 1/2 games over Washington in the AL East.
• St. Louis has a 37-22 record, good for a 3 game lead over Dallas in the AL West.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. Boston
2. San Diego
3. St. Louis
4. Philadelphia
5. Dallas
6. San Francisco
7. New York Mammoths
8. Washington
9. Chicago Stars
10. Montreal

Around the League

• Philadelphia CF Tony Albert notched the 1000th hit of his career June 4th against the New York Mammoths. Lifetime Albert has a .294 average with 142 homers, 509 RBI to go along with his 1000 hits.
• Toronto Maple Leafs SP Gill Carbone threw a 3-hit shutout against the Atlanta Thrashers on June 5th. He is 6-2 with a 1.97 ERA on the season.
• On June 6th, Pittsburgh SP John Clark threw a 1-hitter as he shut out the Montreal Royales 2-0. He is 3-4 with a 3.56 ERA.
• The Cleveland Foresters traded SP Roberto Mendoza, 26 years old, to the Detroit Zephyrs in return for 24-year-old minor league SS Josh Fencl. So far this season, Mendoza has a 2-3 record with a 5.02 ERA in 61 innings.
• Detroit RF Ray Vargas was named Ash League Player of the Week this week, after batting .615 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI this week.
• Montreal SS Moses Anderson is having a breakout season to this point. The 26-year-old leads the HL in Average, at .353, RBI with 40, and is 3rd in Home Runs with 10. He has never batted higher than .249 in a full season. His career highs in home runs is 18, and RBI is 79. He also leads the HL in Batter WAR at 4.2.

[Dobber2419]

Season Over for Holmes

MILBURN (June 13, 1981) - Losing pitchers for the season seems to be common place for the Milburn Mallards, and they have just lost their first one for the 1981 season.

Reliever Hal Holmes has been diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, and will not pitch again this season.

Holmes suffered the injury in the June 12th game against Baltimore. After getting the first two hitters out he faced, he grabbed his shoulder after throwing a pitch and motioned to the dugout.

In 15 innings pitched this season, Holmes had yet to give up a run, and had only allowed 5 hits.

Mallards manager Charlie Pepe has indicated he believes the club will replace the 26-year-old Holmes with a fielder rather than another pitcher. "Our starting pitchers have been going long into ballgames, so we can get by with five in the bullpen," he added.


Charlie is correct, we can get by right now with a 10 man pitching staff. Our bullpen has not been worked too heavily thus far, so we will fill Holmes' spot with a fielder. Most likely Oscar Gutierrez will get the call to be a 5th outfielder.

Losing Hal hurts though. He has been stellar in the bullpen this season, as well as last year. Fortunately we have some depth there, including some guys at AAA Porterville who could/should be up with the big club as well.

[Dobber2419]

6/15/1981

Week #10 Recap
Record: 32-33
Position: 5th place (5 games behind Philadelphia)
Runs Scored: 270 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 243 (10th in Hickory League)
Defense: .719 (7th in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 90.6,- (15th in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic
Fan Interest: 81/100

The Mallards go 2-4 this week:
6/8 - loss to Milwaukee 4-1 (W-Kraft, 3-1, S-Turner (8), L-Riggs, 8-5) - 2 hits for Rainey.
6/9 - loss to Milwaukee 3-0 (W-Harris, 6-6, L-Solis, 2-7) - Only 2 hits total. One for Musgrave, one for Auld.
6/11 - loss to Baltimore 4-2 (W-Beals, 3-7, S-McDowell (4), L-Leyva, 9-4) - HR for Rainey (8). 3 hits for Baldridge.
6/12 - loss to Baltimore 10-7 (W-Postell, 1-3, S-Garibay (4), L-Patterson, 3-4) - HR by Grier (5). 2 hits for Swan, Grier, Auld, Baldridge. 2 RBI for Grier and Bugbee.
6/13 - beat Baltimore 4-2 (W-Riggs, 9-5, S-Patterson (12), L-Diaz, 5-5) - HR by Baldridge (5). 2 hits for Baldridge and Riggs. 2 RBI for Swan.
6/14 - beat New York Mammoths 7-0 (W-Solis, 3-7, L-Dobson, 3-5) - 3 hits for Grier. 2 RBI for Grier and Solis.

Hitting Notes

• Jody Carroll is officially slumping. His average stands at .185, though he has a .339 OBP thanks to his ability to walk.
• Andre Barnett and Bob Casalino both have a negative WAR. Barnett is at -0.2 and Casalino at -0.1.
• In his contract year, Ian Auld is not putting up the numbers he hoped to. He is batting .268/.320/.355 with 3 home runs and 27 RBI so far.

Pitching Notes

• Our starting pitchers ERA is 3.39, which is 11th in the Hickory League. Carithers and Amador are both above the team starter ERA.
• The bullpen ERA is 3.10, good for 7th in the HL.
• Pitching WAR is 6.5, which is 11th in the HL.
• Behind Leyva and Riggs with 9 wins, the next most wins on the pitching staff is Amador with 3.

Other Team News

• Promoted 21-year-old SP Austin Hopson from A to AA.
• Promoted 22-year-old SP Jim Lathan from A to AA.

Next Week

• 2 more games @ New York Mammoths (37-28)
• 3 games vs. Phoenix (25-40)
• 3 games @ Cincinnati (30-34)

Standings Notes

• Philadelphia and New York are tied for HL East lead.
• San Diego has a 1 game lead over San Francisco in the HL West.
• Boston is up 6 1/2 games on Toronto in the AL East.
• St. Louis has a 4 1/2 game lead over Dallas in the AL West.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. St. Louis
2. Boston
3. Dallas
4. San Diego
5. San Francisco
6. Toronto
7. Chicago Stars
8. New York Mammoths
9. Milwaukee Chiefs
10. Minnesota Millers

Around the League

• Houston Buffaloes manager Dave Thompson blasted the media June 9th over what he called lack of journalistic integrity. One of the items being reported that irked him was “extracurricular indiscretions” by Buffaloes RF Mike Garrison.
• Milwaukee Chiefs closer Tony Turner has been lost for the season with a torn rotator cuff.
• Milwaukee Chiefs 1B Stevie Elia went 5-for-6 on June 13th versus the Pittsburgh Summits. He is batting .258 with 2 home runs and 14 RBI on the season.
• Boston Colonials starter Steve Pope threw a 5-hit shutout of the Houston Buffaloes on June 13th. Pope is now 8-5 with a 3.32 ERA this season.
• Pittsburgh SS Ron Stewart collected the 1500th hit of his career June 13th against Milwaukee. Stewart is hitting just .149 this season, the first in a number of years he does not find himself starting.
• Chicago Stars LF Ernie Anderson was named HL Player of the Week thanks to his .538 average, 3 home runs, and 8 RBI. He is hitting .296 with 9 home runs and 32 RBI on the season.
• THe Ash League has named Dallas Texans CF Rich Puckett its Player of the Week after he batted .429 with 1 home run and 6 RBI. For the season he is hitting .274 with 7 home runs and 28 RBI.
• Houston traded LHP Rickie Gillet and 19-year-old 1B Billy Haynes to the Chicago Unions for minor league pitchers Randy Hennings and Jim Berger. Thus far this season Gillet has a 5-6 record with a 2.17 ERA.