The Milburn Mallards (The Big Leagues)

[Dobber2419]

5/5/1980

Week #4 Recap
Record: 19-7
Position: 1st place (2 games ahead of San Diego)
Runs Scored: 154 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 95 (3rd in Hickory League)
Defense: .701 (7th in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 136.5 (4th in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 78/100

The Mallards go 4-2 this week:
4/28 - beat San Diego 9-5 (W-Christensen, 3-2, S-Holmes (2), L-Munoz, 4-1) - 3 hits by Auld, Swan, Rainey. 4 RBI by Mora.
4/29 - beat San Diego 5-4 (W-Figiel, 4-0, S-Lewis (5), L-Black, 3-2) - 3 hits by Grier, along with 3 RBI.
4/30 - beat LA Bluebirds 12-7 (W-Schubert, 2-2, L-McKinney, 0-3) - 3 hits by Rainey.HRs by Grier (3) and Schwartz (2). 4 RBI for Grier, 3 for Schwartz.
5/1 - lost to LA Bluebirds 7-4 (W-Little, 1-0, L-Walden, 0-1) - 3 hits by Auld. 3 RBI for Schwartz. HRs by Auld (4) and Schwartz (3).
5/2 - beat LA Bluebirds 4-1 (W-Leyva, 4-0, L-Randall, 0-3) - HRs from Grier (4), Auld (5), Carroll (3).
5/4 - lost to Chicago Stars 8-2 (W-Quinonez, 5-0, L-Christensen, 3-3) - could only muster 4 hits against Quinonez.

Hitting Notes

• Auld is 2nd in the HL in Batting Average at .395. He also leads the team in HR with 5.
• Grier leads the club in RBI with 23, one more than Auld. That is good for 3rd overall in the Big Leagues.
• Auld and Schwartz both have a WAR of 1.3.
• Musgrave is up to 13 stolen bases. He leads the Big Leagues in steals.
• Richie Swan has been caught stealing 4 of his 6 attempts. Might need to put the brakes on him.
• Backup catcher Andre Barnett is 0-9 so far this season with 6 strikeouts.

Pitching Notes

• Leyva is 4-0 with a 1.38 ERA.
• Figiel is 4-0 with a 2.52 ERA.
• Lee Lewis gave up his first runs of the season May 4th against Chicago, when they scored 2 off of him. I thought I noticed a little wince, or grimace, after one of the pitches. Our manager, Charlie Pepe, noticed it too, but when he asked Lee about it afterwards, Lee tried to assure him it wasn’t. Something we will monitor closely.
• Schubert is now 2-2 with a 4.35 ERA. Pitching better still after the rocky start.
• Christensen’s 3.41 ERA is the highest amongst the starting pitchers.

Other Team News
* Progress Against Current Season Owner Goals:

• Achieve a Winning Record: GOOD
• Improve Team Stolen Bases: 30 (tied for 2nd in HL)
• Extend Lee Lewis: DONE

Next Week

• 2 more games vs. Chicago Stars
• 3 games @ Brooklyn Atlantics
• 3 games @ Milwaukee Chiefs

Standings Notes

• Baltimore and Philadelphia remain tied atop the HL East, both at 20-6.
• Cleveland leads the AL East at 17-8, 2 games ahead of the Metropolitans.
• St. Louis took over 1st in the AL West, at 19-7, 2 games ahead of Kansas City.
• The Los Angeles Bluebirds have the worst record in TBL at 5-21.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. Baltimore
2. St. Louis
3. Philadelphia
4. Milburn
5. Cleveland
6. San Diego
7. Kansas City
8. New York Metropolitans
9. Milwaukee Chiefs
10. Chicago Unions

Around the League

• St. Louis Saints RF Ron Iles notched his 1500th career hit on 4/28 vs. Atlanta.
• San Francisco Seals catcher Kenan Thomas notched his 1000th career hit 4/29 vs. the Bluebirds.
• Chicago Unions ace Dave Founds won his 150th Big League game 4/29, against Toronto.
• Philadelphia Centennials 1B Mike Seawright won HL Batter of the Month. For April, Seawright hit .416 with 8 home runs and 27 RBI. He leads the Big Leagues with 9 home runs total.
• Kansas City’s Roger Dumont won AL Batter of the Month for April after hitting .365 with 7 home runs and 19 RBI.
• Baltimore Baybirds SP Emery Beals named HL Pitcher of the Month for April. Beals went 4-1 with a 1.59 ERA, while striking out 26 in 39.2 innings.
• Rich Maki of the Chicago Unions was named AL Pitcher of the Month for April after his 4-1, 2.45 ERA performance.
• Cincinnati Redbirds CF Rich Bowling was selected HL Rookie of the Month for April. He batted .346 with 3 home runs and 15 RBI.
• Detroit Zephyr LF Pop Nivens was announced as the AL Rookie of the Month winner for April, after his .295, 3 home run, 8 RBI performance.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs lost their ace SP Don Hopen for the season after tearing the flexor tendon in his pitching elbow. He was 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA thus far in 1980.

[Dobber2419]

Well, in a season that thus far had been pretty much going better than expected, you almost kind of knew something was bound to happen.

This hurts, no doubt, for this season, but looking beyond that. We just signed Lewis to an extension thanks to an offer my predecessor had submitted. It was too rich for someone 39 years old, at least from a number of years standpoint. I wasn't comfortable with it, but left it out there thinking I didn't want to upset him at all. Hindsight is 20/20, but I probably should have gone with my gut.

At 39 years old, you have to wonder if this is the end of the line for Lee. How someone bounces back from an injury, and a rehab this lengthy, is a question.

For now at least, we'll sit pat with what we have, and see how things progress. I'll most likely call up Leon Williams from AAA to fill his roster spot. But we may not need 11 pitchers given the way our staff overall has pitched thus far this season. Something else to keep an eye on going forward.

[Dobber2419]

5/12/1980

Week #5 Recap
Record: 23-10
Position: 1st place (3 ahead of San Diego)
Runs Scored: 192, 1st in Hickory League
Runs Allowed: 123, tied for 3rd in Hickory League
Defense: .709, 3rd in Hickory League
Power Ranking: 126.5,+ (3rd in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 77/100

The Mallards go 4-3 this week:
5/5 - beat Chicago Stars 6-5 in 13 innings (W-Walden, 1-1, L-Cruz, 0-1) - 3 hits by Schwartz and Mora.
5/6 - beat Chicago Stars 11-3 (W-Carithers, 3-1, L-Dunn, 1-2) - 4 hits by Swan. 4 RBI by Schwartz. HRs by Schwartz (4), Carroll (4).
5/7 - loss to Brooklyn 4-0 (W-Moore, 2-1, L-Leyva, 4-1) - 2 hits by Grier.
5/8 - loss to Brooklyn 2-1 (W-Mirabito, S-Humphrey (5), L-Schubert, 2-3) - 4 singles by Mallards all we can muster.
5/9 - beat Brooklyn 11-7 (W-Christensen, 4-3, L-Calhoun, 1-6) - 4 hits by Thigpen, with a home run and 5 RBI. Grier (5) also hit a home run.
5/10 - loss to Milwaukee 3-2 (W-Moore, 2-1, L-Solis, 1-1) - 2 hits from Musgrave and Barnett.
5/11 - beat Milwaukee 7-4 (W-Solis, 2-1, L-Currie, 0-1) - 4 hits by Auld. Home run (6), 3 RBI by Grier.

Hitting Notes
* After losing his starting job with the signing of Jody Carroll, and not playing much this season yet, Alex Thigpen came out with a bang in a starting opportunity May 9th, with his 4 hits, home run, and 5 RBI.
* Pete Grier leads team with 6 home runs, and 30 RBI.
* Ron Schwartz has a 1.8 WAR to this point. Jody Carroll at 1.5.
* Dan Musgrave has stolen 16 bases.
* Backup catcher Andre Barnett is out a month with his fractured foot.
* The injury to Andre Barnett means that we call up Dave Harris from AA Kernal City. I may look to add a veteran catcher in Barnett’s absence. Harris is not Big League caliber, even for a backup.
* Auld, Grier, Musgrave, Rainey, and Swan have started all 33 games thus far this season.

Pitching Notes
* Leyva got his first loss this week, knocking his record to 4-1. His ERA stands at 1.50.
* Leyva, Christensen, and Figiel all have 4 wins to lead the team. Figiel is 4-0.
* Ruben Solis will fill the closer role for the time being at least. May now have our focus point for a Bob Hancock trade opportunity. Will give Solis time to see how he does though. Don’t want to be too hasty.

Other Team News
* 3B Jeff Harrison, at AA Kernal City, leads all of our minor leaguers with 6 home runs thus far this season.
* So far this season we are averaging 28,535/game in attendance.
* Progress Against Current Season Owner Goals:

* Achieve a Winning Record: GOOD
* Improve Team Stolen Bases: Currently 3rd in the league in team stolen bases.
* Extend Lee Lewis: DONE

Next Week
* 1 more against Milwaukee
* 3 against Pittsburgh at home
* 3 against Montreal away

Standings Notes
* Baltimore leads the HL East at 26-7, 3 games ahead of Philadelphia
* Cleveland continues to lead the AL East, with a record of 22-10, 2 games up on the Metropolitans
* St. Louis is on top in the AL West with a record of 22-11, ahead of Kansas City by 1 1/2 games
* The Los Angeles Bluebirds continue to have the worst record. Their record stands at 6-27, 17 games back of the Mallards.
* Power Ranking Top 10

1. Baltimore
2. Cleveland
3. Milburn
4. Philadelphia
5. St. Louis
6. New York Metropolitans
7. Dallas
8. Kansas City
9. San Diego
10. Chicago Stars

Around the League
* Philadelphia’s 3B Ernie Maclean knocked the 1000th hit of his career May 7th against Pittsburgh.
* Los Angeles Bluebird catcher John Kinsey hit the 100th home run of his career May 8th in a 8-7 loss to the New York Mammoths.
* Pittsburgh Summit 1B Jim Corbin was named Hickory League Player of the Week. Corbin hit .517 with 4 home runs and 6 RBI last week.
* Toronto Maple Leaf RF Jeff Wooten was awarded the Ash League Player of the Week after going .467 with 1 home run and 5 RBIs.

[Dobber2419]

5/19/1980

Week #6 Recap
Record: 28-11
Position: 1st (4 games ahead of San Diego)
Runs Scored: 221 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 136 (2nd in Hickory League)
Defense: .718 (1st in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 134.2, + (2nd in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 76/100

The Mallards go 5-1 this week:
5/12 - beat Milwaukee 3-2 (W-Leyva, 5-1, L-Ballinger, 0-1) - Leyva pitched 11 innings. 3 hits by Mora.
5/13 - beat Pittsburgh 4-2 (W-Holmes, 1-0, S-Straub (1), L-Box, 0-1) - 2 hits by Swan and Auld.
5/14 - beat Pittsburgh 6-3 (W-Christensen, 5-3, S-Solis (1), L-Stafford) - 2 hits by Auld and Grier. HR by Grier (7).
5/15 - beat Pittsburgh 7-2 (W-Figiel, 5-0, L-Trujilo, 2-2) - 3 RBI each by Swan and Grier. HR by Grier (8).
5/17 - loss to Montreal 2-0 (W-Scales, 2-7, L-Leyva, 5-2) - 2 hits by Auld and Carroll.
5/18 - beat Montreal 9-2 (W-Carithers, 4-1, L-Peeler, 0-4) - 4 hits by Auld. 3 RBI by Grier. HRs by Grier, 2 (10), Auld (6), Carroll (5).

Hitting Notes

• Ian Auld leads the Big Leagues in Average at .395.
• Pete Grier is 2nd in the Big Leagues in RBI with 38.
• Jim Rainey has been scuffling a little bit. Currently his hitting numbers are .265/.311/.329, with 1 home run and 16 RBI.
• Auld leads team in OPS+ at 158, followed by Carroll at 144, and Grier at 134.
• Carroll and Schwartz lead in WAR with 1.9 each.
• In limited playing time, reserve outfielder Steve Binks is batting .455/.538/.818 with 1 home run and 3 RBI. That is in 13 plate appearances.

Pitching Notes

• Harry Schubert had his start pushed back a couple days this week due to a blister.
• Juan Leyva has the lowest ERA amongst qualified Starting Pitchers in the Big Leagues, at 1.59.
• Theodore Walden, our pre-season trade acquisition, is struggling thus far. In 15.2 innings, he has a 6.89 ERA, and has given up 17 hits and 7 walks.
• Jose Amador has been called up from AAA Porterville, and will take Christensen’s spot in the rotation. At Porterville, Amador had been 4-3 with a 3.09 ERA.
• Leon Williams has been pitching well thus far, since his call up to replace Lee Lewis on the staff. Leon has pitched 7.1 innings, and has a 1.23 ERA thus far.

Other Team News

• Reliever Don Penland will start a minor league rehab assignment after returning from his elbow injury.

Progress Against Current Season Owner Goals:

• Achieve a Winning Record: GOOD
• Improve Team Stolen Bases: 30 (tied for 2nd in HL)
• Extend Lee Lewis: DONE

Next Week

• 1 more at Montreal
• 3 vs. Baltimore
• 3 @ Philadelphia

Standings Notes

• Baltimore leads the HL East by 2 games with a record of 29-10.
• Cleveland is 2 games ahead of the Metropolitans in the AL East with a record of 24-14.
• St. Louis leads the AL West with a record of 27-12, 3 1/2 games up on Kansas City.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. Baltimore
2. Milburn
3. St. Louis
4. Philadelphia
5. San Diego
6. Los Angeles Seraphs
7. Kansas City
8. Cleveland
9. Dallas
10. Chicago Stars

Around the League

• Atlanta 3B Artie Powell and SP Tom Heroff of the Washington Generals were suspended by the league for their roles in a bench-clearing brawl between the teams May 10th. Powell received a 4 game suspension, and Heroff got nailed for 9 games.
• Baltimore RF Wayne Pramann racked up 5 hits against Philadelphia on May 14th. On the season Pramann is batting .319 with 5 home runs and 25 RBI.
• In the same game, Philadelphia’s Tony Albert also notched 5 hits. For the season thus far, he is batting .286 with 6 home runs and 21 RBI.
• On May 15th, Minnesota LF Brian Baskett went 5-for-5 against the Bluebirds, bringing his season numbers to .335, 5 home runs, and 20 RBI.
• Dallas Texans 1B Dave Wood hit the 200th home run of his career on May 17th against the Metropolitans.
• Baltimore RF Wayne Pramann was named HL Player of the Week. He batted .571 with 0 home runs and 2 RBI for the week.
• The Ash League named Kansas City LF Scott Ingram as Player of the Week after his .500 average with 1 home run and 6 RBI.
• Pittsburgh 1B Jim Corbin is the current Hickory League leader in votes for the All-Star Game with 89,826.
• Dallas Texans LF Danny Roncal leads the Ash League in votes for the All-Star Game with 80,537 currently.

[Dobber2419]

[Dobber2419]

It just so happened that the morning after the news of Wally Christensen's injury came out, I was meeting my regular breakfast crew for our weekly round of the Edna Special at the Mayflower Coffee Shop. The topic resonating on the minds and dominating the conversation of all four of us was what's with these injuries all of a sudden. Two key pitchers lost for the season.

Johnny Redmond, who is a DJ at the local rock station WMLB, an old friend and longtime breakfast crew member, thinks without a doubt it is manager Charlie Pepe's fault. That he is overusing his pitchers.

"It is not Charlie's fault," I try to convince him. "Wally has pitched 50 innings in 8 starts. That's just 6 innings a start," I continue. "It's just a run of bad luck," I continue perhaps not so confidently.

"What are you going to do?" Bud Halvorsen wants to know. "You can finally trade Bob Hancock? He's hardly playing and could help some team at shortstop and get you some pieces back."

"I'll remind you, Bud, you are the biggest Hancock fan out there . . . . you really want to get rid of him?" I ask.

"If it helps the ball club win, I'll trade your mother," Bud retorts.

"For now, we'll call up Jose Amador from AAA, see what he gives us, and then decide if we need to make some moves," I responded. "It is way too early to make a panic move and shortchange our depth. We have some guys who can step in. Let's see what they can do, alright?" I continue.

"Alright, but you better not wait too long," Frank Pasternik, the other member of the breakfast crew, chimes in.

"Let's just give it some time, see how our pitching staff does without them, and then we'll make a move if I feel we need to. Bob's trade value goes up potentially too as we get closer to the trade deadline," I counter.

[Dobber2419]

1980 Big Leagues Draft Pool Revealed

NEW YORK, NY (5-19-1980) - The Big Leagues League Office today announced the draft pool for the 1980 First Year Draft from its league offices in New York. The draft will be held on June 15th at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago, and will be broadcast on Mutual radio and television.


According to our Milburn Gazette baseball expert, Buzz Braden, here are the top 10 players:
1. Amos Reid (18-year-old RHP) - North Bellport, NY, Newfield HS (Selden, NY)
2. Billy Evans (18-year-old SS) - Grosse Pointe Park, MI, Southeastern HS (Detroit, MI)
3. Gene Engle (18-year-old LHP) - Deptford Township, NJ, Glassboro HS (NJ)
4. Sam Fobb (19-year-old CF) - Los Angeles, CA, Hollywood HS (Los Angeles)
5. Ed Didlake (18-year-old RHP) - Glendale, AZ, Glendale HS (Glendale, AZ)
6. Charley McCoy (19-year-old LHP) - Columbus, OH, Briggs HS (Columbus, OH)
7. President Brown (23-year-old LHP) - Jasper, AL, University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB)
8. Bill Hilson (18-year-old CF) - New Orleans, LA, Karr HS (New Orleans, LA)
9. Hughie Taschner (18-year-old LHP) - Sheffield, MA, Lee HS (Lee, MA)
10. Bill Miller (21-year-old RHP) - Boone, IA, Oklahoma State

The Mallards have the 13th pick in the draft, so unless one of these players falls, GM Stone Torkelson and staff will be looking at other players. No indications as of yet from Torkelson on potential targets or general direction the team may take, but the organization is lacking in quality pitching prospects. That may be a direction or focal area for the club.



We have the 13th pick, so may not have any of these players available. Our philosophy will be to select based on highest rated, regardless of position. Some other players Chief Scout Bill White has rated highly are 3B Willie McClure (18 yrs. old from Camp Pendleton North, CA), SP Cy Nugent (19 yrs. old from Moorestown, NJ), and Stub Brice (17 yrs. old from Perris, CA).

Teams selecting ahead of us are:
1. Washington Generals
2. Montreal Royales
3. LA Bluebirds
4. Milwaukee Chiefs
5. Houston Buffaloes
6. Washington Generals
7. New York Metropolitans
8. Dallas Texans
9. Brooklyn Atlantics
10. San Diego Skippers
11. Cleveland Foresters
12. New York Mammoths

[Dobber2419]

5/26/1980

Week #7 Recap
Record: 33-13
Position: 1st ( 2 games ahead of San Diego)
Runs Scored: 256 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 155 (3rd in Hickory League)
Defense: .723 (1st in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 134.1, - (3rd in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 75/100

The Mallards go 5-2 this week:
5/19 - beat Montreal 9-1 (W-Schubert, 3-3, L-Fitch, 1-8) - 3 hits from Grier and Mora. 4 RBI from Schwartz. HR by Carroll (6).
5/20 - beat Baltimore 8-5 (W-Figiel, 6-0, L-Rand, 1-1) - 3 hits and 3 RBI by Rainey. HR by Swan (4).
5/21 - beat Baltimore 3-0 (W-Leyva, 6-2, L-Campbell, 1-4) - 3 hits by Mora.
5/22 - loss to Baltimore 2-0 (W-Diaz, 8-1, L-Amador, 0-1) - 2 hits by Auld.
5/23 - beat Philadelphia 9-3 (W-Carithers, 5-1, L-Guerrero, 3-5) - 2 hits by many. HRs by Swan (5), Rainey (2), Auld (7).
5/24 - loss to Philadelphia 5-0 (W-Barrett, 3-1, S-Farley (14), L-Schubert, 3-4) - 4 total hits by Mallards.
5/25 - beat Philadelphia 6-3 (W-Figiel, 7-0, S-Solis (2), L-Howard, 6-1) - 2 hits by Schwartz and Musgrave. HR by Grier (11).

Hitting Notes

• Grier is up to 11 HR and 41 RBI on the season, to lead the team.
• Jody Carroll has a .454 OBP to lead the team.
• Ian Auld has a sizable lead on runs scored, with 45. Richie Swan is 2nd with 35.
• Ron Schwartz has the highest WAR on the team, at 2.2.

Pitching Notes

• At 7-0, Bob Figiel has the most wins on the pitching staff.
• Jose Amador pitched well in his initial start replacing Christensen. He pitched 7 innings, giving up 2 runs.
• Hal Holmes has a sore elbow, and is considered day-to-day.

Other Team News

• AAA Porterville 1B Bill Kennedy leads the minor league organization with 8 home runs.

Progress Against Current Season Owner Goals:

• Achieve a Winning Record: GOOD
• Improve Team Stolen Bases: 30 (tied for 2nd in HL)
• Extend Lee Lewis: DONE

Next Week

• 3 vs. San Francisco (21-25)
• 3 vs. Minnesota (21-25)

Standings Notes

• Baltimore leads the HL East by 2 games with a record of 34-12.
• Cleveland is 2 games ahead of the Metropolitans in the AL East with a record of 28-17.
• St. Louis leads the AL West with a record of 30-16, 1 1/2 games up on Kansas City.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. Baltimore
2. San Diego
3. Milburn
4. Philadelphia
5. St. Louis
6. Kansas City
7. Cleveland
8. Los Angeles Seraphs
9. Chicago Stars
10. New York Metropolitans

Around the League

• Milwaukee CF Al Jackson knocked the 1500th career hit May 19th, against New York.
• San Francisco 3B Vic Neal got the 1500th hit of his career May 20th in the Seals’ game at Philadelphia.
• Pittsburgh Summit 2B Jesus Alcivar collected hit number 1500 on his career in their May 21st game against the New York Mammoths.
• On May 21st, Kansas City CF Rusty Finklestein hit the 100th home run of his career in the Keystones game vs. Toronto.
• Chicago Stars RF Tony Knelling was named HL Player of the Week after his .409, 5 home run, 9 RBI week.
• Detroit Zephyrs 1B Frank Anthony was named AL Player of the Week as a result of his .444, 5 home run, 10 RBI performance.
• New York Mammoths SP Bill DeMasi is the leading vote getter thus far in the Hickory League, with 334,749 All-Star votes.
• Dallas Texans LF Danny Roncal continues to lead the Ash League in votes for the All-Star Game with 280,884 currently.
• Charlie Gomes is the first managerial cut of the season, as the Cincinnati Redbirds fired him May 26th. The Redbirds find themselves with a record of 19-27, in 6th place in the Hickory East. No word yet on who will replace him.

[Dobber2419]

6/2/1980

Week #8 Recap
Record: 38-14
Position: 1st (1 game ahead of San Diego)
Runs Scored: 293 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 174 (tied for 2nd in Hickory League)
Defense: .720 (2nd in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 137.5,+ (2nd in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 78/100

The Mallards go 5-1 this week:
5/26 - beat San Francisco 5-1 (W-Leyva, 7-2, L-Marquez, 0-2) - 2 hits from Schwartz, including HR (5). HR also by Auld (8).
5/27 - beat San Francisco 5-4 (W-Solis, 3-1, L-Jakobsen, 1-1) - 2 hits by Swan. HRs by Swan (6), Grier (12).
5/28 - beat San Francisco 4-0 (W-Carithers, 6-1, L-Siciliano, 2-4) - 3 hits by Grier. 2 RBI by Grier.
5/30 - loss to Minnesota 9-4 (W-Young, 2-7, L-Figiel, 7-1) - 2 hits by Swan, Auld, Rainey, Musgrave.
5/31 - beat Minnesota 11-4 (W-Leyva, 8-2, L-Joyce, 4-5) - 4 hits by Musgrave and Schwarz. 3 hits by Auld and Mora. 3 RBI by Schwartz. HRs by Leyva (1), Schwartz (6).
6/1 - beat Minnesota 8-1 (W-Schubert, 4-4, L-Berry, 4-5) - 2 hits by Swan and Grier. HR by Grier (13). 4 RBI by Grier.

Hitting Notes

• Ian Auld hitting at a .387/.423/..550 clip, with an OPS+ of 158.
• Pete Grier continues to lead the team in Home Runs and RBI with 13 and 52.
• Dan Musgrave has 18 stolen bases, and Mario Mora has 17.

Pitching Notes

• Jose Amador has pitched well in replacement of Wally Christensen thus far in his 2 starts.
• Leon Williams has also pitched well since his call-up from AAA to replace Lee Lewis in the bullpen.
• Theodore Walden has a -0.1 WAR, and has struggled still. Because the team is doing so well overall, we can afford to be a little patient, but in the next couple weeks we may have to make a move. We could probably afford to go down to a 10 man staff too, but we shall see.
• Bob Figiel picked up his first loss of the season May 30th against Minnesota. He is currently 7-1 with a 3.53 ERA.

Other Team News

• Ron Schwartz is currently 2nd in HL All-Star voting at Catcher, Richie Swan is 2nd at SS, Ian Auld leads at LF, Pete Grier leads in RF, Juan Leyva is 2nd amongst Starting Pitchers, and despite his season-ending injury, Lee Lewis is 2nd in Reliever voting.
• Have a big 3 game series in San Diego coming up this week. The Skippers are just a game behind us in the HL West. San Diego has currently won 14 in a row.
• Ken Baldridge is hitting well at AAA Porterville. He is batting .310 with 4 home runs and 14 RBI since his return from injury. Bill Kennedy has hit 8 home runs at Porterville as well.

Progress Against Current Season Owner Goals:

• Achieve a Winning Record: GOOD
• Improve Team Stolen Bases: 30 (tied for 2nd in HL)
• Extend Lee Lewis: DONE

Next Week

• 3 @ Cincinnati (20-32)
• 3 vs. New York Mammoths (24-28)
• 3 @ San Diego (37-15)

Standings Notes

• Philly and Baltimore are tied atop the HL East, both at 35-17.
• Cleveland leads the New York Metropolitans by 1 game in the AL East.
• St. Louis is up 2 1/2 games on Kansas City, with a record of 36-16.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. San Diego
2. Milburn
3. St. Louis
4. Kansas City
5. Philadelphia
6. Baltimore
7. Dallas
8. Los Angeles Seraphs
9. New York Metropolitans
10. Cleveland

Around the League

• San Diego RF Aubrey Gaddis collected the 1000th hit of his career May 27th against Montreal.
• New York Mammoth SS Bill Pye notched the 1000th hit of his career as well, May 28th against Baltimore.
• St. Louis Saint pitcher Glenn Smith pitched a no-hitter May 28th against Seattle. He is 6-1 with a 2.26 ERA on the season thus far.
• Boston Colonials 1B Alex Salas got the 1500th hit of his career on May 28th in a Boston loss to the Chicago Unions. For his career, he also has hit 124 home runs, and driven in 765 runs.
• Toronto Maple Leaf 3B Don Galvin smashed the 300th home run of his career on May 31st against the Detroit Zephyrs. A free-agent signing this season for Toronto, the former Chicago Union star is hitting .276 for his career. On the season, he currently has 9 home runs and 28 RBI.
• New York Mammoths RF Mark Schulman was named HL Player of the Week after his .440, 3 home run, 9 RBI effort.
• St. Louis Saints 1B Mark Wilson was awarded the AL Player of the Week, courtesy of his .417, 4 home run, 13 RBI week.
• Hickory League All-Star Vote leader is still New York Mammoths SP Bill DeMasi, with 595,872 votes. Juan Leyva is the leading Mallards player with 469,337.
• Ash League All-Star Voting leader remains Danny Roncal of the Dallas Texans, with 496,791 votes.

[Dobber2419]

6/9/1980

Week #9 Recap
Record: 44-15
Position: 1st (4 games ahead of San Diego)
Runs Scored: 327 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 192 (1st in Hickory League)
Defense: .721 (1st in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 139.2, + (1st in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 75/100

The Mallards go 6-1 this week:
6/2 - beat Cincinnati 4-1 - (W-Carithers, 7-1, S-Solis (3), L-Johnson, 4-5) - HRs by Swan (7), Rainey (3).
6/3 - beat Cincinnati 4-3 - (W-Solis, 4-1, S-Holmes (3), L-Coleman, 0-1) - HR by Grier (14). 3 hits by Mora.
6/4 - beat Cincinnati 7-1 - (W-Figiel, 8-1, L-Berkeley, 5-4) - HRs by Schwartz (7), Auld (9). Auld went 5-5, with 3 RBI. 3 hits from Grier also.
6/5 - beat New York 4-2 (W-Leyva, 9-2, S-Solis (4), L-Sutphen, 5-7) - 3 hits by Mora.
6/6 - beat New York 3-0 (W-Carithers, 8-1, S-Solis (5), L-DeMasi, 8-4) - HR by Carroll (7). 2 hits by Caroll, Auld, Grier, Musgrave.
6/7 - beat New York 11-6 (W-Amador, 1-1, L-Beauford, 4-3) - HRs by Amador (1), Swan (8), Rainey (4), Auld 2 (11). 3 RBIs each by Swan, Auld, Rainey.
6/8 - loss to San Diego 5-1 (W-Johnson, 4-1, L-Figiel, 8-2) - 2 hits by Carroll, Mora.

Hitting Notes

• Pete Grier continues to lead in HR and RBI with 14 and 56 respectively.
• Ian Auld now has a .402 batting average, second only to Philly’s Mike Seawright’s .416 in all of the Big Leagues.
• Grier is 2nd in the Hickory League in home runs. Seawright leads all of TBL with 22 home runs.
• Grier is also 2nd in the Big Leagues in RBI with his 56, once again behind Seawright, who has 66.
• Auld is 3rd among Hickory League batters with a 2.8 WAR. Seawright leads with a 4.8.
• Auld also has the longest current hitting streak in the Bigs with 14 games and counting.

Pitching Notes

• Harry Schubert is the latest Mallards pitcher to go down. He will miss 6 weeks with a herniated disc in his back. Thus far he has a 4-4 record with a 3.39 ERA, 0.7 WAR, 1.07 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 115.
• Theodore Walden continues to struggle. Gave up runs in both of his outings this week.
• Juan Leyva continues to lead the Big Leagues in ERA, with a 1.59 ERA currently. He is also tied for the most wins, with 9, and is 3rd in Pitcher WAR, at 3.4, behind Bill DeMasi (NY Mammoths) at 4.4 and Francisco Munoz (San Diego) at 3.8.
• At AAA Porterville, Don Krawczyk is 5-4 with a 2.98 ERA.
• Also at AAA Porterville, reliever Bob Stone has a 3.38 ERA in 8 innings. The 21-year-old would be the most likely next call-up if we were to make a move.

Other Team News

• Richie Swan (SS), Ian Auld (LF), and Pete Grier (RF) all lead their positions in votes for the All-Star Game. Juan Leyva (SP) and Ron Schwartz (C) are both second at their respective positions.

Progress Against Current Season Owner Goals:

• Achieve a Winning Record: GOOD
• Improve Team Stolen Bases: 57 (5th in HL)
• Extend Lee Lewis: DONE

Next Week

• 2 more @ San Diego
• 3 vs. Los Angeles Bluebirds
• start of 3 game series against Chicago Stars

Standings Notes

• Philadelphia leads Baltimore in HL East by 2 games with a record of 41-18.
• Cleveland leads New York in the AL East by 1/2 game with a record of 33-25.
• St. Louis is 4 1/2 games ahead of Kansas City in the AL West with a record of 41-18.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. Milburn Mallards
2. Philadelphia Centennials
3. St. Louis Saints
4. San Diego Skippers
5. Baltimore Baybirds
6. Los Angeles Seraphs
7. Kansas City Keystones
8. New York Metropolitans
9. Cleveland Foresters
10. Chicago Stars

Around the League

• New York Metropolitans SP Chuck Sill pitched a 1-hit shutout against the LA Seraphs on June 3rd.
• San Francisco Seals star SP Tom Dewitt pitched a 3-hit shutout against the New York Mammoths on June 4th.
• San Diego Skippers SP Vern Black shut out San Francisco 2-0 on June 6th.
• On June 6th, LA Seraphs 1B Greg Carnes went 5-5, including a home run, against the Detroit Zephyrs.
• Chicago Unions 1B Ray Thomason notched 5 hits June 6th against the Atlanta Thrashers.
• The Houston Buffaloes traded SP Grady McConnell to the Brooklyn Atlantics for 24-year-old minor league RHP Charlie Cater and 19-year-old 2B Will Rotes. McConnell is currently 5-6 on the year, with a 4.13 ERA.
• Boston Colonials SP Morris Lashley picked up the 100th win of his career on June 7th against the Cleveland Foresters.
• LA Seraphs 1B Greg Carnes had his 22 game hitting streak snapped on June 8th against Washington.
• Philadelphia Centennials 1B Mike Seawright was named HL Player of the Week after a .519, 3 home run, 11 RBI performance.
• Boston RF Bob Benware was awarded the AL Player of the Week honor after going .484, with 2 home runs and 2 RBI.

[Dobber2419]

1980 Big Leagues First Year Player Draft

CHICAGO, IL (6-15-1980) The Big Leagues held their annual First Year Player Draft yesterday at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago, and all eyes were on the Atlanta Thrashers, who held the first pick. Many predicted the Thrashers would select Amos Reid, an 18-year-old pitcher from Newfield High School in Selden, New York. But the Atlanta brass changed course and ended up selecting another high school pitcher, Gene Engle, a lefty from Glassboro High in Glassboro, New Jersey. Engle, a 6’2” 18 year old, projects to have an excellent sinker, excellent splitter, and an excellent forkball. His changeup is slated to be fringy. All of his pitches have solid movement, which should help keep him from giving up too many long balls. The Thrashers are expected to start him off in AA Savannah.

The full Top 10 includes:
1. Atlanta Thrashers - SP Gene Engle, Glassboro, NJ
2. Montreal Royales - SP Ed Didlake, 18 years old, Glendale, AZ
3. Los Angeles Bluebirds - CF Bill Hilson, 18 years old, New Orleans, LA
4. Milwaukee Chiefs - SS Billy Evans, 18 years old, Detroit, MI
5. Houston Buffaloes - 3B Willie McClure, 18 years old, Vista, CA
6. Washington Generals - SP Barney Raphael, 18 years old, Salisbury, NC
7. New York Metropolitans - SP Hughie Taschner, 18 years old, Lee, MA
8. Dallas Texans - CF Sam Tobb, 19 years old, Los Angeles, CA
9. Brooklyn Atlantics - SP President Brown, 23 years old, UAB
10. San Diego Skippers - SP Amos Reid, 18 years old, Selden, NY



Our top five picks were:
1. SP Cy Nugent - (Round 1, 13th pick - 18 years old, Moorestown, New Jersey). He has three pitches right now, his best being his slider, a cut fastball, and a changeup. His stats this season included a record of 10-0 with a 0.73 ERA in 13 starts. He gave up 52 hits in 98.1 innings, while striking out 170 and walking 22. He gave up two home runs over the course of this season.
2. SS Willliam Meier - (Round 3, 91st overall pick - 19 years old, Vandenberg AFB, CA). Has a strong, lean frame. Should be an above average defender. Well above average speed. Has a good eye at the plate. This season he batted .407/.491/.615, 2 home runs, 23 RBI in 21 games.
3. SP Frank Moore - (Round 4, 119th overall pick - 19 years old, Norway, ME). Has a dominant curveball, average fastball, well-below average changeup. When he throws strikes, has the potential to dominate. But doesn’t throw strikes often enough yet. Stats this season were a 9-2 record, 1.26 ERA in 14 starts. 156 strikeouts in 107 innings. Walked 30 in those 107 innings.
4. C Milo Montgomery - (Round 5, 147th overall pick - 19 years old, Wilmington, DE). Tall, thick-bodied build. Projects to be a patient hitter with good discipline. Average power potential despite his size. Will probably strike out with regularity. This season he batted .420/.496/.661 with 3 home runs and 33 RBI in 27 games.
5. SP Juan Hernandez - (Round 6, 175th overall pick - 22 years old from Notre Dame). Repertoire includes cutter, fastball, and changeup. Lacks command right now, causing him to walk too many hitters. Stats this year were 4-7 record, 5.03 ERA, 107.1 innings in 16 starts. Gave up 111 hits and 62 walks, while allowing 13 home runs.

The rest of our picks were:
6. C Jimmy Charles (Round 7, 203rd overall pick - Dallas, TX)
7. SP Abe Stanek (Round 8, 231st overall pick - West Paterson, NJ)
8. C George Daniel (Round 9, 259th overall pick - Great Neck Plaza, NY)
9. SP Michio Furuya (Round 10, 287th overall pick - Eastmont College)
10. SP Silver Shoemaker (Round 11, 315th overall pick - Corsicana, TX)
11. SP Jim Johnson (Round 12, 343rd overall pick - Ft. Mitchell, KY)
12. SS Ben Rucker (Round 13, 371st overall pick - Sunnyvale, CA)
13. RP Billy Autry (Round 14, 399th overall pick - Wellesley, MA)
14. SS Jack Musgrove (Round 15, 427th overall pick - Kendall, FL)
15. SP Dewey Slinker (Round 16, 455th overall pick - Moreno Valley, CA)
16. SS John Wood (Round 17, 483rd overall pick - Gardena, CA)
17. SP Bob Goss (Round 18, 511st overall pick - Shelbyville, IN)
18. C Charles Morrison (Round 19, 539th overall pick - Parkland, WA)
19. C Rooney Roney (Round 20, 567th overall pick - Orchard Mesa, CO)
20. CF Bill Jackson (Round 21, 595th overall pick - Tucson, AZ)
21. C Dave Kenley (Round 22, 623rd overall pick - San Antonio, TX)
22. 2B Pat Vitale (Round 23, 651st overall pick - Owensboro, KY)
23. C Bill Tompkins (Round 24, 679th overall pick - Houston, TX)
24. C Ken Behringer (Round 25, 707th overall pick - Grand Junction, CO)
25. C C.V. Boone (Round 26, 735th overall pick - Danville, VA)
26. C Joe Vine (Round 27, 763rd overall pick - Rosemead, CA)
27. 1B Malachi Leone (Round 28, 791st overall pick - Lee’s Summit, MO)

My favorite names of our draft are SP Silver Shoemaker and C Rooney Roney.

[reds1]

I'm really enjoying this dynasty, dobber. And the Mallards are flying high!

[Dobber2419]

Originally Posted by reds1

I'm really enjoying this dynasty, dobber. And the Mallards are flying high!

Thanks so much reds1! That means a lot since your dynasty is one of the my all-time favorites!

[Dobber2419]

[Dobber2419]

6/16/1980

Week #10 Recap
Record: 48-17
Position: 1st (5 games ahead of San Diego )
Runs Scored: 348 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 210 (2nd in Hickory League)
Defense: .721 (1st in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 138.9, o (1st in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 74/100

The Mallards go 4-2 this week:
6/9 - beat San Diego 4-1 (W-Solis, 5-1, S-Straub (2), L-Munoz, 8-4) - HR by Carroll (8). Two hits each for Carroll and Grier.
6/10 - loss to San Diego 7-0 (W-Johnson, 8-1, L-Leyva, 9-3) - 2 hits for Auld.
6/12 - beat Los Angeles 7-0 (W-Carithers, 9-1, L-Galvan, 0-11) - HRs by Swan (9), Rainey (5). 3 hits by Swan.
6/13 - loss to Los Angeles 7-1 (W-McKinney, 4-5, L-Figiel, 8-3) - 2 hits by Schwartz.
6/14 - beat Los Angeles 3-0 (W-Solis, 6-1, L-Dobson, 3-8) - HR by Carroll (9). 2 hits by Schwartz.
6/15 - beat Chicago 6-3 (W-Leyva, 10-3, L-Cruz, 0-2) - 3 hits and 5 RBI by Schwartz.

Hitting Notes

• Ian Auld is now tied for 2nd in the Big Leagues in Batting Average at .392.
• Pete Grier’s 14 home runs is good for 2nd in the Hickory League.
• Ron Schwartz is third in the HL in WAR, at 3.2.
• Auld’s hit streak came to an end at 16 games.
• Mario Mora is already just two steals short of his career high, which was 23 in 1978.

Pitching Notes

• Bob Carithers pitched a 6-hit shutout of the LA Bluebirds on June 12th. He struck out 7 and walked 1.
• Charlie Pepe moved Ruben Solis into the rotation, and he promptly went out and pitched a 4 hit shutout on June 14th against the LA Bluebirds. He struck out 6 and did not walk a batter in his 9 innings of work, to run his record to 6-1 with a 1.37 ERA.
• With Solis moving into the rotation, Pepe has installed just-called up Bob Stone as the closer.
• Juan Leyva has fallen to 2nd in ERA, 2.02, behind Steve Weston of Philadelphia, who is at 1.76.
• Leyva is one of four pitchers in the Big Leagues with 10 wins.

Other Team News

• Ron Schwartz has been slowly closing the gap on All-Star votes at the Catcher position. He trails Cincinnati’s Luis Diaz by roughly 16,000 votes right now.
• Richie Swan, Ian Auld, and Pete Grier continue to lead in votes at their positions (SS, LF, RF).
• Made a few minor league promotions this week - moved 2B Bobby Bugbee up to AAA Porterville, moved CL Ginger Saltz up to AA Kernal City, moved RP George Conley up to AA Kernal City, moved SP Ernesto Mendoza up to AA Kernal City.
• Promoted C Jim Monahan, SP Ricardo Lopez, SP Chick Gonzalez, and SP Willie Scurry from our International Complex up to Rookie League Coconut Bay.

Next Week

• 2 more @ Chicago Stars
• 3 vs. Brooklyn
• 3 vs. Milwaukee

Standings Notes

• Philadelphia’s lead over Baltimore remains at 2 games, with the Centennials record of 45-20.
• Cleveland’s record of 38-26 gives them a 1 1/2 game lead over the New York Metropolitans.
• St. Louis, with their record of 45-20, has a 4 1/2 game lead over Kansas City.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. Milburn
2. Philadelphia
3. St. Louis
4. Baltimore
5. Kansas City
6. Pittsburgh
7. San Diego
8. LA Seraphs
9. Cleveland
10. New York Metropolitans

Around the League

• 3B Chuck Kizer, a free-agent signing by the New York Metropolitans from the Toronto Maple Leafs, collected the 1000th hit of his career on June 12th against Kansas City. Kizer is batting .263 with 4 home runs and 25 RBI this year.
• Kansas City LF Scott Ingram went 6-for-6 June 14th against the New York Metropolitans. He had 5 singles and a double. His season numbers are a .400 average with 7 home runs and 39 RBI.
• Detroit Zephyrs SP Lionell Blount logged the 100th win of his career on June 14th against the Boston Colonials. Blount is coming off of a 21-5 season in which he won the AL Golden Arm Award as the top pitcher for the season, and is currently 5-5 with a 3.78 ERA.
• Brooklyn Atlantics SS Ken Woods was named Hickory League Player of the Week this week after hitting .500 with 2 home runs, 6 RBI, and 7 runs scored. He is batting .327 with 8 home runs and 34 RBI on the season.
• Seattle Rainiers 1B Charlie Perkins received word he had been named Ash League Player of the Week this week. Perkins batted .400 with 3 home runs and 11 RBI. For the season he is hitting .355 with 7 home runs and 37 RBI.
• New York Mammoths SP Bill DeMasi continues to be the Hickory League’s leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game this season. He currently has 1,160,708 votes.
• Dallas Texans LF Danny Roncal continues to lead the Ash League in All-Star votes with 941,666 total votes thus far.

[Dobber2419]

I had been planning to sit tight, and not yet make any moves in the bullpen with Lewis out for the season, but then this development happened. Jim Howard has been one of the top closers throughout his career. But you can also see from his stat line that he wears out his welcome quickly wherever he plays. But I am intrigued indeed.

Matias Olivo is the GM in Minnesota. They are a division rival, so he may not be as willing to work a deal with me. But at the same time, Howard may not give him much of an option.

I'm going to give it a couple days and see how our bullpen performs. They have been pitching well, and we haven't missed Lewis much. But that could change in an instant, and I would like to have the reinforcements on hand.

[Dobber2419]

[SIZE="4”]6/23/1980[/SIZE]

Week #11 Recap
Record: 54-18
Position: 1st (6 games ahead of San Diego)
Runs Scored: 389 (1st in Hickory League)
Runs Allowed: 230 (1st in Hickory League)
Defense: .725 (1st in Hickory League)
Power Ranking: 144.0,o (1st in TBL)
Owner Mood: Ecstatic; Fan Interest: 74/100

The Mallards go 6-1 this week:
6/16 - beat Chicago 6-4 (W-Amador, 2-1, L-Friedlander, 3-5) - HR for Grier (15). 3 hits for Auld.
6/17 - beat Chicago 5-3 (W-Straub, 3-0, S-Holmes (4), L-Cruz, 0-3) - HR for Grier (16). 2 hits by Grier. 3 RBI for Musgrave.
6/18 - beat Brooklyn 13-4 (W-Figiel, 9-3, L-Mendez, 1-5) - HRs by Swan (10), Schwartz (8), Rainey (6). 4 hits by Swan and Rainey. 3 RBI by Schwartz and Rainey.
6/19 - loss to Brooklyn 4-3 (W-Calhoun, 4-3, S-Humphrey (14), L-Solis, 6-2) - 2 hits by Mora and Musgrave.
6/20 - beat Brooklyn 6-3 (W-Leyva, 11-3, L-Humphrey, 6-5) - HR by Grier (17). 4 RBI by Grier.
6/21 - beat Milwaukee 6-2 (W-Amador, 3-1, L-Harris, 2-5) - HR by Carroll (10). Grand Slam by Carroll.
6/22 - beat Milwaukee 2-0 (W-Carithers, 10-1, S-Stone (1), L-Theus, 4-8) - 2 hits by Mora and Swan.

Hitting Notes

• Ian Auld continues to have the 2nd highest batting average in the Hickory League at .382. Seawright is at .406.
• Ron Schwartz overtook Cincinnati’s Luis Diaz for the leading vote-getter among HL catchers for the All-Star Game.
• Not necessarily what I want in a third baseman, Mario Mora has not hit a home run all season yet. But he is batting .305.
• In his first 7 games at AAA, 2B Bobby Bugbee is hitting .281/.361/.406.
• 1B Bill Kennedy is up to 15 home runs on the season at AAA Porterville.

Pitching Notes

• Bob Carithers now has the 2nd lowest ERA in the Big Leagues, at 1.97.
• Juan Leyva has the 3rd lowest, at 2.08.
• Bob Figiel’s 3.85 ERA is the only current starter’s ERA above 3.00.
• Bob Stone blew a save in his first save opportunity June 17th. Picked up his first save on June 22nd.
• Injured reliever Pedro Medina has suffered a setback in his recovery from a damaged elbow ligament, and is expected to be out another week.

Other Team News

• To add to the pitching injury woes, top prospect Neifi Rath has a partially torn UCL and is out for 6 months.
• On June 21st, Chicago Unions GM Joe Cato called me and proposed the following trade: 26 year old closer Jerry Murphy for Ron Schwartz. Murphy has 14 saves on the season, and a 2.61 ERA, but I’m not trading Schwartz.

Next Week

• 1 more vs. Milwaukee (27-45)
• All-Star Break/Game
• 3 games @ Pittsburgh (40-32)

Standings Notes

• Philadelphia’s lead over Baltimore down to a game.
• Cleveland has a 1/2 game lead over New York with their 42-29 record.
• St. Louis’s 46-26 record gives them a 2 game lead over Kansas City.
• Top 10 in Power Rankings:

1. Milburn
2. Philadelphia
3. Baltimore
4. San Diego
5. Kansas City
6. Cleveland
7. Los Angeles Seraphs
8. St. Louis
9. New York Metropolitans
10. Pittsburgh

Around the League

• Seattle Rainiers SP Terry Abrams threw a No-Hitter on June 19th against Toronto. He struck out 7 and walked one. He is now 9-6 on the year, with a 2.61 ERA.
• Dallas Texans CF Charley Hall collected 5 hits June 20th against St. Louis.
• San Diego catcher Jesus Murillo knocked 5 hits June 21st against Los Angeles. On the season, he is hitting .302 with 7 home runs and 46 RBI.
• Montreal Royales CF Gene Walker went 5 for 6 June 21st against Philadelphia.
• New York Mammoths RF Mark Schulman hit the 150th home run of his career June 22nd against the Chicago Stars. For his career he has 1683 hits, 231 doubles, 724 RBI, and 762 runs scored.
• Philadelphia 1B Mike Seawright was again named Hickory League Player of the Week after his .464, 1 home run, 7 RBI performance.
• Recently called up Dallas Texans CF Charley Hall was named Ash League Player of the Week. For the week, Hall hit .706, with 4 RBI.

[Dobber2419]

The Big Leagues League Office released the 1980 All-Star Game rosters this morning. Some last minute ballot box stuffings have changed the starters at a couple positions. Here are the rosters (players with an asterisk next to their name are the starters at each position):

Hickory League


Ash League


The game will be held on June 25th at the Toney Bowl in Philadelphia.



Very exciting to have five Mallards players selected to the All-Star team this season, including four in the starting lineup.

• Juan Leyva - this will be his third trip to the All-Star game.
• Ron Schwartz - a last minute surge in votes for Ron propelled him into the starting catcher slot. This will be his third trip to the All-Star Game.
• Richie Swan - also a starter in the game. This will be his first trip, but I'm sure will not be his last.
• Ian Auld - starting as well in the All-Star game. This will be Ian's third trip to the All-Star game.
• Pete Grier - also starting. Pete's third trip as well.

[Dobber2419]

Pete Grier went 1 for 2 before being pinch hit for in the 6th inning. Ian Auld played the whole game in left field, going 1 for 4, but unfortunately leaving 5 men on base. Richie Swan also played the whole game, going 2 for 2 with a double, single, walk, hit by pitch, sacrifice fly, and an RBI, and Ron Schwartz went 0 for 2 before exiting in the 5th inning.

Juan Leyva pitched 1.1 innings without giving up a hit.

[Dobber2419]

Standings at the All-Star Break