French Baseball League - Julien Henri

[stevem810]

Originally Posted by BirdWatcher

Things are pretty quiet out Paris way.
Hope you and Julien are both doing fine and will make a re-appearance soon!

Hey Birdwatcher...always great to hear from you. Yes, I'm doing great but my recent OOTP activities have expanded a little so taking a break from regular posting for the FBL.


I posted up the standings and it's pretty clear the Diamonds are still the team to beat as the Expedition may have been the FBL's version of a 'One hit Wonder', and they didn't even bring the trophy home losing in the 1968 first round.

Yes, Julien Henri is having a very good year for the Paris Artists, both with the arm and bat. Actually, he was the player of the game in tonight's contest. Henri has hit a few round trippers of late so at age 25 he still appears to have some room to get better. As you can see from the two Henri graphics he may have his best season both at the plate and on the mound.

Herve DeLage is playing very good, steady, but probably at age 30, about as he good as he will get.

It definitely is a change seeing the Diamonds from the other locker room. I'm, of course, still a fan of Le Diamant, but I am enjoying the Artists and how they are trying to get competitive. It's quite possible they will meet in the post-season.

Thanks for stopping by!

[stevem810]

As we enter into the final month before the post-season one thing is abundantly clear, there is only one powerhouse team in 1969 and they are the Le Diamant Diamonds. The Martinique league will likely provide the Wild Card team.

The Ottawa Expedition have rallied, of late, and are closing in on the Quebec Snake Eyes for the Canadian championship, but time is running out to make up the deficit. The Saint Michel Nobels are looking more and more like they will overtake the Snake Eyes who have led for the entire season.

In the France league, the Paris Artists have been playing just well enough to have a short distance between them and the Marseille Soleis. Julien Henri, now batting lead off much of the time, has been a very positive force for the Artists with the bat and his arm.

[stevem810]

Matthieu Michel, 1965 Rookie of the Year, was always a force in the Le Diamant line up and one of the players Julien Henri often cited as being key to the success of the Diamonds. Michel keeps getting better and better as he is one of these players who became a star at a young age (21) yet never took that step back that sometimes happens with young players. Michel will not be a one year wonder in the FBL and clearly has validated being the overall number pick in the 1961 Rookie Draft.

[stevem810]

The Artists appear to have lost their mojo as they fell out of first place for one day before winning two straight against the Soleis, their first wins after six straight losses. But, they went back to their losing ways when Marseille took the final game of the set. The two teams are now tied. It is a 138 game season in the FBL so every contest will be big from this point on.

The Ottawa Expeditions rise, coupled with the precipitous drop off of the Quebec Snake Eyes, have transformed the Canada race into a three way one. Just a few weeks ago Ottawa didn't appear to have a chance. Now, you have to wonder what can get in their way of another playoff position. With Brophy on the mound and Rolland in the center of the line up they have some kingpins that know how to deliver.

[stevem810]

Playing for the Herons often means flying under the radar. FBL enthusiasts have noted the excellent year that Adrien Duret is having, his best ever. The late bloomer leads Rolland by just .002 points.

Xavier Rolland pounded out 200 hits last season and projects to 198 this year. He is the only player in the history of the league to crack the 200 hit barrier. Rolland is a beast by anyone's standards.

[stevem810]

Both Henri and DeLage homered for the Artists as they powered there way to a 4-2 win in Paris picking up a game on the Soleis who were losing to the C.C. Waves 11-5 in Martinique.

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Three teams have a shot at the post-season in the Martinique League, with at least two that will qualify as it is the WC that is up for grabs. Both Paris and Marseille are on winning streaks with the Artists leading by two games. Hard charging Ottawa in the Canadian League is now just 2 out of first. The Expedition lost two extra inning games in a row to Le Diamant. In one game they scored three in the 10th only to give up 4 to the Diamonds in the bottom half of the inning. Still, they are the hottest team in the Canadian League that still has a chance (Montreal is 7-3) as both the Nobels and Snake Eyes have lost 8 of 10.

[stevem810]

Vic Cosman has been the staff ace for quite some time for Le Diamant. Over time both Burke and Bour have evolved to the extent that either could be considered a #1 SP in the rotation. To have three pitchers of the stature of these players makes defeating the Diamonds almost impossible in post-season play. They will enter the 69 playoff season as the favorites, again.

[stevem810]

Herve DeLage did his part to keep the Artists on the winning ways as he had a career day against the tough Cap Chevalier Waves.

[stevem810]

The Paris Artists have hit their stride after a serious threat that brought them to .500. they have reeled off 11 straight wins.

The Expedition, buried at the bottom of the standings all year, actually got to within 1 game of the Snake Eyes, but lost their last game to trail by 3 games. They do finish the season with Quebec with a 3 game set.

The Wild Card is still up for grabs between the Waves and Sting Rays.

[stevem810]

Here are the most up to date stats for Julien Henri. He has played 5 different positions through the course of the season. He's have a stellar year in his season with Paris.

[stevem810]

With the 11 game win streak halted, the Artists were laboring on a 2 game losing streak until Julien Henri put the Diamond hitters at bay with his 7.1 IP effort. The W raised his record to 15-8. More importantly, the Artists secured first place in the France League. Julien and Herve will both be going for their 4th straight championship, albeit with a new team.

The Canadian league continues to get even more intense as the Expedition, who have been in first place all year, are just one game back of the Snake Eyes who clearly are holding on, and not by much. The three game series is just around the corner between the Ottawa and Quebec, but lookout, the Saint Michel Nobels are just a game back. They will play Julien Henri and the Artists the final series in Paris. Paris is just 4-8 versus the Nobels.

[stevem810]

Ottawa came into Quebec a game behind with 3 to play and won the opener, easily. The second game was a bit closer as it looked like Quebec was going to win 2 straight until.....the relief pitcher got wild with 3 walks in the 8th. From there it got very interesting.

Saint-Michel Nobels won their game to remain in the race in Canada.

Do not know why the standings have the Expedition and Nobels eliminated as they are not! One game left to play.

[stevem810]

In front of their home fans, the Quebec Snake Eyes emphatically disposed of the Ottawa Expedition who gave it a great run, only to come up short on the final day of the season. Snake Eyes to the post.

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Best of 7 in each series.

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Paris Game - Vautier POG and Herve DeLage bangs out 4 hits.

Diamonds Game - Burke (SP) did his job, but the bullpen coughed it up. Monnier had a big HR for the Waves.

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Paris rolls to an easy win while Le Diamant appears to have their hands full with C.C. Waves.

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The wind was blowing out in Quebec and both pitchers, including Julien Henri, felt the effect. The two teams slugged their way to a tie before a SF in the 10th won it for Paris.

In Cap Chevalier, the wind was blowing in from the Atlantic but both teams had their bats working for them. The Diamonds finally got in the win column although they almost coughed it up in the 9th.

[stevem810]

The Artists posted a 3 spot up on the board in the second inning and it looked like it might be a short 4 game series. Edwin Carrazeles had other ideas as he was instrumental in virtually all of the Snake scoring. Ediwin raked two triples and belted a home run as Quebec rolled to a 7-4 win to the delight of the home crowd. The series staved off elimination for the Snake Eyes.

Meanwhile, on the island of Martinique, it is desperation time for the Diamonds as Cap Chevalier won another close game to go up 3-1 in the series. Never mind that the Waves were just 2-13 all year long against Le Diamant, and now the experts are wondering just what is going on on the French island. Twenty two year old Roger Colin hit a pair of solo shots for the Waves but it was Idriss Moulin's single with 2 out in the bottom of the 10th that sealed it for Cap Chevalier. The Waves will try and close it out tomorrow.

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Two elimination games that did not culminate in a series coming to an end. Paris returns home to try and finish off the resilient Quebec team while Cap Chevalier now has the daunting task of having to win in Le Diamant.