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Old 06-20-2019, 11:52 PM   #101
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Before addressing expansion, I need to address the situation with staff whose contracts are expiring with the end of this season. Those contracts include:

Milburn
Manager Charlie Pepe - obviously we need to offer Charlie an extension. He did a fantastic job this season, battling pitcher injuries all season, to lead us the World Series win. Just 42 years old, Charlie should be managing for a long time to come. His expiring contract paid him $117,920 per season. What kind of extension will he be looking for now?

Pitching Coach John Silver - you could either look at it as Silver did an amazing job in the midst of the plethora of injuries to the staff. Or did he contribute at all to those injuries through his coaching methods. I tend to think it is the former. John made $33,600 this season.

Scouting Director Bill White - Bill has a great eye for talent, helping put together this group of ballplayers, and helping me tremendously in bringing in Jody Carroll and Harold Patterson. Making $28,780 this past season, I definitely want to bring Bill back.

Minor League Staff
Manager Jack Fisher (AAA Porterville)
Pitching Coach John Scovell (AAA Porterville)
Hitting Coach Billy Sadler (AAA Porterville)
Manager John Lugo (AA Kernal City)
Pitching Coach Jimmy Bennett (AA Kernal City)
Hitting Coach Bill Howell (AA Kernal City)
Manager Paul Smith (A Cascadia City)
Pitching Coach Tom Daly (Rookie Coconut Bay)
Hitting Coach Tom Blackmon (Rookie Coconut Bay)

Will try to bring back all of the minor league staff with expiring contracts.
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Old 06-21-2019, 10:59 AM   #102
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Also, I met with Mr. Jacoby to review the goals he had set for me for this season, and long-term as well. We also discussed the budget for the 1981 season.

First off, let’s review what those goals were:
1. Achieve a winning record.
2. Improve your team stolen bases.
3. Sign Lee Lewis to an extension.
4. Acquire a hometown player.
5. Increase home attendance from 19,415 to 25,600 per game.
6. Keep building your team up, in order to reach the playoffs in the next 3 seasons.

Now, for his feedback on how we did/have done thus far on them:

1. “I’m thrilled with how the team did this season! I still can’t believe that we actually won the championship!"
- My thoughts - Yeah, right there with you Mr. Jacoby. I did not expect this quick a turnaround. Expectations will be high for awhile now, and that is a good thing.

2. I can see a marked improvement from last year in our stolen bases. While not quite top-6 like I hoped for, I’m still happy that you have improved from your previous showing of 12th."
- My thoughts - First of all, that wasn’t ‘my’ previous showing, since I wasn’t here before this season. But regardless, we did improve quite a bit, and if we improve our success rate, we should continue to build upon this growth.

3. “Thank you for locking up Lee Lewis. Quality players are hard to find, so we have to do everything we can to keep the ones we have.
- My thoughts - interesting he didn’t even mention Lee’s injury, which still has another 8 months or so until he can return. And then with his age, will he even want to? So far he hasn’t said he doesn’t plan to return. But also with his age, how much will he recover?

4. “Let me be blunt. When I said I wanted a hometown player, I expected you to find a decent candidate. Harold Patterson is not what I had in mind. I need you to redouble your efforts, starting now. Is that clear?"
- My thoughts - I didn’t find anyone from Milburn worth pursuing this past season. I get that Patterson is not what he had in mind, since Patterson is from Oak Lawn, IL, not super close to Milburn. Will keep trying.

5. “Attendance numbers look fantastic. I guess I obviously gave you too much time to complete this task. Well done!"
- My thoughts - well, thank you! But it was more the signing of Jody Carroll and then obviously our success which were the biggest factors in the growth.

6. “I’m very happy that you completed this challenge. I hope we continue to have a long and fruitful relationship."
- My thoughts - Same here, sir. Here’s to many more World Series wins for the Mallards!

With the review of last season’s goals, Mr. Jacoby then proceeded to give me some new goals for the new season:
1. Sign Ian Auld to an extension.
2. Acquire a Hometown player.
3. Build a team that can bring a championship home in the next 3 seasons.

Ian is a free agent after the coming season. At 28 years old, his current contract pays him $150,000 per season. One of the challenges of having a good team that is young is that all of those young players are going to have to get paid at some point. We probably won’t be able to keep all of them, so we need to do a good job determining which ones we really should invest heavily in. But with that said, I do want to keep Ian with the Mallards for a number of years.

Regarding the budget, Mr. Jacoby stated that we will have $7,600,000 available for team expenses. This marks a $1.4 million increase from last season. Winning has its rewards! Given our current spending on staff and other expenses, payroll should be around $6,500,000.

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Old 06-21-2019, 11:17 PM   #103
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Con Plagman Buys the Houston Buffaloes

HOUSTON, TX (10-10-1980) - "All my life I've dreamed of having my own baseball team, and now that dream has come true."

Those were the words of the brand-new owner of the Houston Buffaloes, Con Plagman, who today was introduced at a media gathering at Buff Stadium.

Plagman is a wealthy real estate mogul who recently purchased the team from Brooke Arrington.

He promised Houston Buffaloes fans that he would put forth a first-class product on the field. Candidly assessing his own personal temperament and management style, Plagman told reporters, "I'm controlling with my money and I'm quite demanding in working with people. I expect success -- that's the bottom line with me."

Houston finished last this past season in the Ash League West with a team record of 62-92.
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Old 06-22-2019, 10:28 AM   #104
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The Mallards announced today that Charlie Pepe has agreed to terms on a new contract. Terms of the contract reportedly are for two years at a rate of $165,520 per season. The deal makes Pepe the highest paid manager in The Big Leagues, surpassing the salary of Boston Colonials manager Lee Marx, who is making $161,520 per season through 1984.

Pepe, 42 years old, was born in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. During his playing career, Pepe was part of the Chicago Unions organization, but did not make it the big club. In four seasons with the Mallards, the club has won the Hickory League West Division twice, winning the World Series this past season. He has a 355-261 record with the Mallards.





It was a high price to pay, but with the number of teams looking for a manager, and not wanting to lose Charlie, I felt comfortable with the terms.

Mr. Jacoby has increased our budget this year, but we do not really need to make a big splash in the free agent market, so we can spend that money elsewhere.
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Old 06-22-2019, 12:52 PM   #105
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TBL Announces 1980 Award Winners

NEW YORK, NY (10-23-1980) - The Big Leagues has announced the Award Winners for the 1980 season today. Winners of the Player of the Year Award were Jim Corbin of the Pittsburgh Summits in the Hickory League, winner of the Award last season also, and Roger Dumont of the Kansas City Keystones for the Ash League. Winners of the Golden Arm Award for best pitcher were Juan Leyva of the Milburn Mallards in the Hickory League and the Washington Generals ace Johnny Osbon in the Ash League. The winners of the Kid Dynamite Award for top rookie were SP Barry Johnson of the Cincinnati Redbirds in the Hickory League and LF Pop Nivens of the Detroit Zephyrs in the Ash League. Finally, Top Manager Awards went to the World Series participants, Milburn's Charlie Pepe for the Hickory League and Cleveland's Al Miles for the Ash League.










Very excited to have Juan Leyva win the Golden Arm Award! Three straight All-Star seasons, and now the Golden Arm. He has become a dominant pitcher. Just 28 years old, his contract expires after this coming season, so will hopefully get an extension wrapped up with him before the season starts.

In the Player of the Year voting, Pete Grier finished 3rd in the HL, Leyva finished 4th, and Richie Swan finished 5th. Not a bad performance for the Mallards.

Also excited for Charlie winning Manager of the Year. We got his extension wrapped up before the announcement of this award, so maybe saved us a few dollars as a result . . . . (wink, wink)

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Old 06-22-2019, 08:25 PM   #106
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We finished out staff signings/extensions this week. We were not able to work out deals with a couple guys I wanted to retain:
* Jack Fisher - was manager at AAA Porterville. Ended up signing deal with the independent St. Joseph Drummers.
* John Scovell - was pitching coach at AAA Porterville. Ended up signing a deal to be manager with the A Huber Ridge Jazz in the Seattle Rainiers organization.
* Jimmy Bennet - was pitching coach at AA Kernal City. Signed deal to be bench coach with the independent Pawtucket Slaters.

When we weren’t able to work out a deal with Jack Fisher, we decided to focus on re-signing John Lugo, who was manager at AA Kernal City, and moving him up to AAA Porterville.

Also, contract talks with Porterville hitting coach Billy Sadler did not look like they were going anywhere, so we turned our focus to re-signing Bill Howell, and moving him up to Porterville, from Kernal City. After we did that, Sadler did end up returning, but at AA Kernal City instead.

Newcomers to our organization include:
* Wash Smalls (Pitching Coach, Porterville) - was pitching coach for the St. Louis Saints the previous two seasons, but did not have his contract renewed.
* Roberto Irizarry - was pitching coach for the Galveston Buccaneers, also of the AA Texas League.

Milburn
Manager: Charlie Pepe (5th season)
Pitching Coach: John Silver (Re-signed; 9th season)
Hitting Coach: Don Landrum (2nd season)
Bench Coach: Joe Birge (4th season)
Trainer: Wes Goldstein (10th season)
Lead Scout: Bill White (Re-signed; 6th season)

Porterville
Manager: John Lugo (Re-signed; 1st season)
Pitching Coach: Wash Smalls (1st season)
Hitting Coach: Bill Howell (Re-signed; 1st season)

Kernal City
Manager: PENDING
Pitching Coach: Roberto Irizarry (1st season)
Hitting Coach: Billy Sadler (Re-signed; 1st season)

Cascadia City
Manager: Paul Smith (2nd season)
Pitching Coach: Bill Vance (5th season)
Hitting Coach: Mark Hazelton (2nd season)

Coconut Bay
Manager: Tim Adams (2nd season)
Pitching Coach: Tom Daly (Re-signed; 2nd season)
Hitting Coach: Tom Blackmon (Re-signed; 2nd season)

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Old 06-23-2019, 09:45 PM   #107
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Pending Free Agents/Arbitration Hearings

We have four players who have an expiring contract now that the season is over. The four players are:
3B Paul Van Der Hoerst (33 years old) - played in AAA Porterville this past season.
OF Steve Binks (32 years old) - reserve OFer with the big club this season. Put up good numbers in very limited time.
SS Bob Hancock (31 years old) - I've discussed him a few times. Deserves to start, but with Richie Swan here, it won't be with us.
SP Wally Christensen (31 years old) - missed much of this season with injury, Wally is a quality starter.

I have decided to let all of them walk. I would like to bring Wally back, but he reportedly is looking for + $600,000 a season. No way am I going to pay him back. He has struggled with injuries, is 31, and we have a number of youngsters knocking on the door. He got his ring this season, and he can try for another with another team.

Bob Hancock. Love the guy. But he deserves to start, is in the upper half of shortstops in the league in fact, so as much as I hate to lose him, and the fans I know hate to lose him, he needs to play. He is reportedly looking for a deal paying him about $200,000 per season.

As for arbitration hearings, the team did alright overall. Here are the results:

Team "Wins"
Bob Figiel - $75,000 for 1 season. (He requested $118,000)
Hal Holmes - $85,000 for 1 season. (He requested $118,000)
Jim Rainey - $121,000 for 1 season. (He requested $137,500)
Alex Thigpen - $85,000 for 1 season. (He requested $118,000)
Leon Williams - $75,000 for 1 season. (He requested $118,000)

Player "Wins"
Bob Carithers - $331,425 for 1 season. (We offered $270,000)
Harold Patterson - $225,000 for 1 season. (We offered $189,000)
Mario Mora - $104,500 for 1 season. (We offered $100,000)
Richie Swan - $275,000 for 1 season. (We offered $220,500)
Jose Amador - $162,500 for 1 season. (We offered $130,000)
Ron Schwartz - $325,000 for 1 season. (We offered $325,000)

I'm not sure how Schwartz was considered a win for the player, since we offered what he got.
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Old 06-24-2019, 12:25 PM   #108
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I had to submit our Expansion Draft Protected List to the League Offices today. With this draft, we could protect 20 players, and the max we can lose is 3 players. Here is who we protected:

Name:  1980ProtectedList.jpg
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Some of the more familiar names left unprotected were:
  • 1B Alex Thigpen
  • OF Armando Santiago
  • 3B Marty Fuqua
  • C Andre Barrett
  • P Theodore Walden (picked him up in the offseason last year)
  • P Pedro Medina
  • P Leon Williams

I would imagine we will lose one or more from this list. None will be a major loss, but some of the pitchers, particularly Medina and Williams, played some fairly considerable roles for us last year.
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Old 06-24-2019, 06:05 PM   #109
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Mallards Lose 3 in TBL Expansion Draft

MILBURN (11-3-1980) - The Denver Bears and the Phoenix Scorpions began the process of assembling their rosters today, as The Big Leagues Expansion Draft took place. The Mallards expected to lose as many as the three possible players they could lose as part of the draft rules, and in actuality they did.

Denver started the draft off by drafting 26-year-old Starting Pitcher Jack Johnson from the San Diego Skippers. Johnson went 15-10 last year, and was a surprise non-protect by San Diego, and could be a key piece to the Bears rotation for years to come. He has 4 years of TBL experience.


Phoenix's first pick was Catcher 34-year-old Glenn McCarthy from the Boston Colonials. McCarthy played in 118 games last year for Boston, batting .274 with 15 home runs and 59 RBI. He is a 5-time All-Star. McCarthy is an 11-year veteran, and should be looked at as one of the leaders of this young team.


The first Mallard selected was RFer Tony Moyer, who played last season in AA with Kernal City, where he batted .341 with 5 home runs and 44 RBI. He was selected in the 7th round by Denver. Moyer has yet to make an appearance in The Big Leagues.

The next Mallard player drafted was 23-year-old CFer Ryan Brown, who played last season at AAA Porterville. He was selected in the 11th round, also by Denver. Brown also as of yet has not seen any time in The Big Leagues.

The final Mallards player selected was Alex Thigpen in the 15th round by Phoenix. The 27-year-old Thigpen was a starter with Milburn before the signing of Jody Carroll before last season. Last season Thigpen appeared in 37 games, starting 10, and batted .250 with 2 home runs and 9 RBI.

Here are the full draft results for each club:



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Old 06-25-2019, 06:40 PM   #110
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Free Agents File in TBL as Calendar Hits November

NEW YORK, NY (11-1-1980) - With November comes colder weather, bare trees, visions of Thanksgiving turkeys and cranberries, and baseball free agents filing with the league.

As this year's crop of free agent players envision signing big contracts, Big League teams focus on identifying needs, wants, and must haves. Which teams will spend wisely, and which teams will throw money to the wind? The annual questions that looms this time of year has surfaced once again.

The Top 10 players looking to hit paydirt this offseason, in order of anticipated asking price, are:
  1. Scott Ingram (LF, Kansas City, 27 years old) - All-Star last season, winner of the AL Silver Slugger Award in LF. Batting Champion in AL. .358/16 HR/97 RBI. Rumored to be asking for $820,000 per year for 5 seasons.
  2. Muhsin Berkeley (SP, Cincinnati, 30 years old) - 15-9 with a 2.68 ERA last season. Rumored asking price is $750,000/year over 8 years.
  3. Mike Albrecht (SP, Seattle, 28 years old) - 12-10 with a 3.30 ERA last season. Rumored to be looking for $661,000 per season for 9 years. Teams rumored to be interested include Detroit, Boston, Dallas. Went 17-6 in 1978.
  4. Wally Christensen (SP, Milburn, 31 years old) - 5-3 with a 3.86 in an injury shortened season last year. Reportedly looking for $616,667/season for 6 years. Philadelphia appears to be interested.
  5. Steve Weston (SP, Philadelphia, 33 years old) - Signed a 1-year deal with Philly last offseason. Went 11-6 with a 2.40 ERA for the Centennials this season. Looking for a 3 year deal paying him $616,667 per season. Rumored teams interested include the Chicago Unions, Cleveland, and Minneapolis.
  6. Ed Barley (2B, New York Metropolitans, 29 years old) - Batted .278 with 1 home run and 17 RBI last year for New York. Reportedly wants $563,333 per season for 6 years. Right now it would seem going back to New York is the most likely scenario.
  7. Kyushichi Hirayama (LF, International Free Agent, 29 years old) - Coming over from Japan this offseason. Power-hitting right handed batter. Rumors are that he is looking for $550,000 per season for 6 years. Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Brooklyn appear to be the teams in on him at this time.
  8. Bob Molsbee (Closer, Pittsburgh, 28 years old) - 39 saves last season for Pittsburgh, after signing a 1-year deal with them. Contract demands appear to be $522,000 per season for 5 years.
  9. Verne Waller (Closer, New York Metropolitans, 30 years old) - New York acquired Waller in a July trade with Brooklyn. Had 35 saves total for the season between the Atlantics and the Metropolitans. Looking for a deal paying him $500,000 a season for 5 years. Leading contenders at this time appear to be the Chicago Stars, the Los Angeles Seraphs, and returning to the Metropolitans.
  10. Miguel Gutierrez (1B, San Diego, 35 years old) - Batted .257 with 13 home runs and 65 RBI for the Skippers last season, his second with the club. Time appears to be running out on Gutierrez, a 5-time All-Star, as his production dropped considerably last season. Reportedly looking for $492,000 a season for 5 years. Not without suitors however, as Baltimore, Detroit, and Toronto are reportedly in the mix.


Not planning to be in the mix for any big-time free agents this season. Coming off of a World Series win, with all key contributors back again, no real need to make a big splash. One area I may look to upgrade via free agency or trade is a reserve who plays 1B as well as other positions. We currently have Armando Santiago, who could do it, but will put some feelers out at least.
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Old 06-26-2019, 06:27 PM   #111
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Milburn, New York Agree to Swap

MILBURN (11-11-1980) - In a move that has left many fans wondering, the Milburn Mallards have traded 25-year-old minor league RHP Mike Stokes, 20-year-old minor league C Andy Lamie and 23-year-old minor league C Ken Behringer to the New York Metropolitans. In return, the Mallards receive 30-year-old utility infielder Bob Casalino.

During his 195-game career Casalino, a Milburn native, has batted .256 and collected 150 hits, 6 home runs and 53 RBIs. Last season, he batted .257 with a .306 OBP and .342 Slugging Percentage with 1 home run and 20 RBI. He compiled a 0.9 WAR.


This deal was primarily about bringing home a native Milburnite. With letting Bob Hancock go in free agency, we did have a need for a utility player, and Casalino can play all infield positions. We also have Bobby Bugbee pushing for Big League time at AAA Porterville too though, so they will battle it out in Spring Training. This is the fourth time Casalino has been traded in his career, including twice within an 8 day span back in 1972.

Stokes had some potential, so he is the biggest loss in what we gave up. We have a glut of catchers at the lower minor league levels, so this clears up a bit of that.
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Old 06-26-2019, 10:39 PM   #112
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Richie Swan

Position: SS
Date of Birth: Oct. 1, 1956 (24 years old)
Place of Birth: Arlington, TX
Bats/Throws: Left/Right
Salary: $275,000
Signed Thru: 1981 (Arbitration)
Acquired: Draft (1975, 1st Round, 11th Pick)
Schools: Arlington Summit High School (Arlington, TX)
TBL Debut: 1977
Service Time: 3 years
Awards: All-Star (1980), Gold Glove (1980), Silver Slugger (1980)
World Series Wins: 1980
Career Grand Slams: 1
Career Walk Off HRs: 3
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Old 06-27-2019, 06:15 PM   #113
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$1,050,000 Lands SP Christensen for Centennials

PHILADELPHIA, PA (11-19-1980) - Wally Christensen and Philadelphia put the finishing touches on a $525,000-a-year deal that will keep the 31-year-old in a Philadelphia uniform for 2 years.

Team officials reportedly held their breath at the last moment, since Christensen had second thoughts mulling over other offers.

Thus far in his career, Christensen has worked 1640.1 innings with 962 strikeouts en route to a 95-85 record. The 31-year-old also has a 3.26 ERA.




It's hard to see Wally go, but this was a business move on our part. He is 31 years old, and was looking for more $ and years than we were comfortable giving him. And with him signing with Philadelphia, and us moving to the East Division this year, we should see him fairly often, which will make this an interesting relationship going forward.
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Old 06-28-2019, 06:33 PM   #114
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Key Free Agent Signings
  • SP Muhsin Berkeley signs with St. Louis Saints for 6 years, $660,000 a season
  • SP Mike Albrecht signs with Detroit Zephyrs for 6 years, $496,000 a season
  • LF Scott Ingram signs with San Diego Skippers for 3 years, $660,000 a season
  • SP Greg Wilder signs with San Diego Skippers for 2 years, $232,000 a season
  • CL Sheldon Owens signs with Philadelphia Centennials for 3 years, $346,000 per season
  • SP Randy Boyer signs with San Francisco Seals for 1 season, $570,000 per season
  • SP Marv Kindrick signs with New York Metropolitans for 4 years, $520,000 a season
  • LF Kyushichi Hirayama signs with Pittsburgh Summits for 4 years, $700,000 a season
  • 1B Miguel Gutierrez signs with Dallas Texans for 3 years, $560,000 a season
  • CL Verne Waller signs with Dallas Texans for 3 years, $720,000 a season
  • SP Bobby Dobson signs with New York Mammoths for 2 years, $520,000 a season
  • SP Ron Joyce signs with St. Louis Saints for 4 years, $580,000 a season
  • C Gordy Whitehurst signs with Chicago Stars for 2 years, $570,000 a season
  • SP Brendan Benham signs with Minnesota Millers for 5 years, $800,000 a season
  • SP Steve Weston signs with Baltimore Baybirds for 2 years, $880,000 a season
  • 2B Ed Barley signs with New York Metropolitans for 4 years, $490,000 a season

Free Agents from Top 10 Still Available
  • CL Bob Molsbee

Key Trades
  • Washington Generals traded SP Johnny Osbon to Philadelphia Centennials for 1B Ron Herrington and CF George Willliamson
  • Baltimore Baybirds traded SP Radford Barr to the Dallas Texans for LF Glenn Cross and C Jim Reilly
  • Houston Buffaloes traded Carlyle Gipson to the Pittsburgh Summits for 3B Ricky Cancel and 3B Dave Vermillion
  • Boston Colonials traded Randy Bolin to the New York Metropolitans for CF Bill Bolin, SP Candy Lenaburg, SP Charlie Hendrix, 3B Doc Schleifer
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Old 06-29-2019, 01:23 PM   #115
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Leyva Signs Massive Extension

MILBURN - (1-28-1981) - The Mallards announced they have reached a deal with Golden Arm winner Juan Leyva that will keep him in a Mallards uniform through 1989.

General Manager Stone Torkelson commented, “Juan is a critical part of our ball club, and we really wanted to get a deal done before the season started that would ensure he will stay here for years to come.”

Terms of the deal as announced were an extension of 8 years, paying Leyva an average of $1 million dollars a season. The initial year of the extension is $800,000, rising to a high of $1.2 million in 1988.

“The terms are high, but at the rate salaries are climbing in The Big Leagues, and given the fact that he is only 28 years old and coming off of a Golden Arm Award, we were comfortable with the deal,” Torkelson continued.

Eight years is a long time for a pitcher, and only time will tell if this was a good deal for both the Mallards and Leyva, or if Leyva pulled one over on the young GM Torkelson.

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Old 06-29-2019, 01:26 PM   #116
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Mallard In, Mallard Out


MILBURN (2-6-1981) - As one locker was cleared out in the Mallards clubhouse today, another player will be moving in to the now empty spot.

Mallards fan, and player, favorite Bob Hancock has signed a contract with the Philadelphia Centennials. Terms of the deal were not announced. Hancock will join Wally Christensen as former Mallards now plying their trade in Philadelphia this season.

Meanwhile, the Mallards have announced the signing of 1B Bob Tyson. Tyson, 37 years old, signed a 1-year contract paying him $181,200. Tyson will provide a solid left-handed bat off the bench, and provide some depth at first and third base. For his career, Tyson has played in 2206 games, with a lifetime batting average of .267, along with 376 home runs and 1326 RBI. Tyson returned to the Chicago Stars last season, after 6 seasons in San Francisco. Last season, he batted .227 with 14 home runs and 46 RBI in 125 games.

Prior to his time with the Seals, Tyson played 9 seasons with the Stars.

A 7-time All-Star, Tyson has also won 10 Gold Gloves at 1B, along with 4 Silver Slugger Awards, two at 1B, and two at 3B. He has also won 2 Hickory League Player of the Year awards, and was the 1974 World Series MVP for the San Francisco Seals.



Fans were understandably upset that Bobby left our club. He has been a fantastic member of the Mallards, but there was just nowhere for him with the emergence of Richie Swan. Bob deserved to be playing regularly. I just wish it wasn’t with a now-division rival. Both Christensen and Hancock now playing for Philly. Will be interesting.

As for Tyson, he initially had a much higher asking price, and so we were not interested. I had reached out to him though, and let him know that if his price comes down, we would have some interest in adding him to give us some more depth on the bench.

Well, after not finding much demand for his services, he did reach out and let me know that he would be interesting in discussing a potential deal. At $181,200 a season, I felt this was a doable deal for a bat like his to have coming off the bench.
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Old 07-01-2019, 10:21 AM   #117
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Spring Has Sprung
by Buzz Braden, Milburn Gazette
Milburn Mallards Beat Writer

(March 9, 1981) Christmas came early for our boys in the Christmas colors last fall, with the snatching of the World Series crown! I for one thought this was a possibility in maybe two years, but GM Stone Torkelson received a hand-wrapped gift earlier than I would grant even he expected.

But that was last season. While the sights of spring have not yet raised their weary heads in the midst of our glorious city, they have awakened in other corners of our land. And with the phoenix of Spring rising from the ashes comes the dawn of a new baseball season. As the Mallards face this dawning, they face it with a new piece of headgear. They wear a crown on their heads, but also they face it with a target on their backs.

Alongside of the new apparel the Mallards wear, they find themselves waking from the winter in a new house as well. As the Denver Bears and the Phoenix Scorpions throw out the bats and balls for the first time, the Mallards make their beds in a new division this season. They will battle the boys from the East, foes with names like the Baybirds, the Centennials, and the Metropolitans.

As part of any new season, we see friendly faces go, and we see new faces come. This year is no different. Amongst the faces we see go, however, are faces the citizens of Milburn have embraced. We say so long to Bob Hancock. We say so long to Wally Christensen. Both of them played key roles in helping the Mallards ascend to the top, and as a result, both find themselves with thicker wallets, but also wearing different uniforms.

Taking their place in the clubhouse, and his hope is in the hearts of Milburnites, is a future Hall of Famer. Bob Tyson brings his collection of Gold Gloves and tremendous stats to our city, with a role that will be smaller than he has known previously. We will find out how much is left in the tank of Tyson.

And with that, I bid adieu to the clutches of cold and ice, and say hello to the heat of hardball and home runs.

Play ball, boys! Play ball!

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Old 07-01-2019, 06:57 PM   #118
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Similar to last Spring Training, most of the battles being waged are on the pitching side of things. Barring injury, we will open the 1981 season with the same lineup as we had last season. The one question mark may be at third base, where either Mario Mora or Ken Baldridge will win the opening day 3Bman spot.

Here are how the positional situations stack up:

Starting Rotation: We have 7 pitchers vying for the 5 spots in the rotation. The only settled spot is the ace of the staff, Juan Leyva. Every other spot/slot is up for grabs. The pitchers battling it out for the remaining four spots are Bob Carithers, Bob Figiel, Juan Amador, Jimmy Riggs, Ruben Solis, and Harry Schubert. All started at times last season, and all pitched well.

Bullpen: A number of players are battling for bullpen spots. Once again, we have one spot settled as we head in to Spring Training. Harold Patterson is our closer. Lee Lewis is still 2-3 months out. When he gets back, we’ll see how he has recovered, and then we could have an interesting situation. But Patterson is younger for sure. Other pitchers looking to make the big club in the bullpen will be Bob Stone, Pedro Medina, Hal Holmes, Leon Williams, Theodore Walden, Mike Straub, Thomas Janney, along with potential rookies such as George Conley, Joe Hoehn, Neifi Rath, Johnny Middleton, Wash Harris, Alex Natal, Jim Cahoon, and our top pitching prospect right now, Ginger Saltz.

Catcher: I don’t expect any difference from this group from last season. Obviously Ron Schwartz is the starter, and I fully expect Andre Barrett to back him up again. Dave Harris, Fred Oxford, and Ray Ward will see if they might do something to unseat Barrett.

1B: Jody Carroll will be the starter, and he will be backed up by free agent signee Bob Tyson. Tyson will be a key bat off the bench.

2B: Dan Musgrave comes into Spring Training as the expected starter, but Bobby Bugbee will be pushing him hard. Bugbee may make the club as a utility player if he can’t unseat Musgrave. Another youngster, John McLaurin, will also get some time in the Spring. And then utility man Bob Casalino will also see some time.

SS: Richie Swan. Enough said. Battling for the backup spot will be Casalino, along with youngster Dick Roach. Roach, 22 years old, played at AAA Porterville last season.

3B: Here will be the interesting battle this spring. Will it be Mora or will it be Baldridge. Mora is the better hitter for average and slightly better fielder, but has no power (0 home runs last season). Baldridge definitely has more power, and is a good fielder, just not quite as good as Mora. Both are right handed batters, so not really a platoon situation here. Tyson plays third base as well, so will be a backup as well.

Outfield: Ian Auld is the starter in Left Field, Jim Rainey in Center, and Pete Grier in Right. One backup will be Armando Santiago, who returns from last season. Players vying for the 5th OFer spot are Oscar Gutierrez, who was on the big club in 1979, but did not make any appearances last season, Rodger Edinger, Chuck Gaffney, Johnny Provost, and Joe Rhoads. Rhoads, 21 years old, will be here one day, but will most likely need to continue refining his ability in the minors this season.


Jody Carroll and his son at Spring Training
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Old 07-02-2019, 09:27 AM   #119
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Spring Training Recap
  • Spring Training Record: 11-13
  • The only somewhat lengthy injury was prospect RP Wash Harris with an elbow strain. Out for 5 weeks.
  • Starting Rotation Will Be:
    1. Leyva
    2. Jimmy Riggs
    3. Ruben Solis
    4. Jose Amador
    5. Bob Carithers
  • Bullpen will be:
    Closer-Harold Patterson
    Setup- Bob Stone (R), Pedro Medina (L)
    Middle-Hal Holmes, Leon Williams, Mike Straub
  • One noticeable absence is Bob Figiel. He beat Straub out for the final spot, and has starting experience. But Straub had the ability to refuse a minor league assignment, Figiel did not. Looked for trade opportunities for either, but nothing that was acceptable.
  • Bobby Bugbee won the Opening Day 2nd base job.
  • Mario Mora won the Opening Day 3rd base job.
  • Just like last year, closer Bob Molsbee signs a free agent deal with a team in Spring Training. This year it is with the Philadelphia Centennials for 1 year, $840,000.
  • Also like last year, closer Jose Puma signs a deal in Spring Training as well. He signed with the Chicago Stars this year for 1 year, $580,000.
  • Starting Pitcher Phil McFarren signed a free agent deal with the New York Metropolitans. His deal is 3 years, $730,000 per season.
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Old 07-02-2019, 05:04 PM   #120
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Top 100 Prospects List Published

The season is about to start, so it's time to publish the annual Top 100 Prospects list. This year 21-year-old 3B Arturo Martinez of the Toronto Maple Leafs is the #1 prospect overall.

Here is the top 10:
1) 3B Arturo Martinez, 21, Toronto Maple Leafs
2) CF Jake Klein, 21, Washington Generals
3) LHP Gene Engle, 19, Atlanta Thrashers
4) CF Ned Fox, 20, Milwaukee Chiefs
5) RHP Amos Reid, 19, San Diego Skippers
6) CF Bill Hilson, 18, Los Angeles Bluebirds
7) LHP Dick Joy, 24, Milwaukee Chiefs
8) SS Billy Evans, 19, Milwaukee Chiefs
9) LHP Barney Raphael, 19, Washington Generals
10) RHP Farmer Ritchie, 19, Atlanta Thrashers


Bobby Bugbee is our lone prospect in the Top 100. Our organization ranks 27th overall, only ahead of the Chicago Unions and the expansion teams, Phoenix and Denver. It’s not hugely concerning since again we have such a young team at the Big League level. But we need to focus on building the strength of our system back up.

Milwaukee has the top system, followed by Washington, Houston, Minnesota, and Atlanta to round out the Top 5.
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