16 Event Franchise League Archives

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[b:f6404decca]Giants look to close out Dodgers[/b:f6404decca]

The Giants, coming into the Championship series as prohibitive favorites, have their bitter rivals the Brooklyn Dodgers on the ropes. After posting the league's best record, with 94 wins, many expected the Giants to make short work of the 83 win Dodgers. But at a closer look, the Giants' advantage is less certain. Despite winning 11 fewer games than their cross town rivals, the Dodgers out scored the Giants 866 to 852 during the regular season and allowed 11 fewer runs than the Manhattanites.

While the Giants boast 3 starting pitchers with 22 wins (Tim Keefe 22-17, Joe McGinnity 22-14 and Carl Hubbell 22-13), the Dodgers have two 20 game winners of their own and three starters who finished the season with an ERA under 4 (Dazzy Vance 3.29, Don Drysdale 3.42 and Sandy Koufax 3.98).

The Giants got a boost during the regular season from their bullpen as Marv Grissom was much better than anyone, including Giant manager Leo Durocher, dared to predict he'd be. Initially slated to be a long-man, Grissom was so consistent during the season that he earned Durocher's trust and wound up with 20 saves and a staff best 2.43 ERA.

The Dodgers didn't have a hitter who could compare to league MVP Willie Mays (.326, 67, 162), but the trio of Mike Piazza, Pedro Guerrero and Duke Snider combined for 130 HR and 357 RBI. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, Guerrero went down with a calf strain in Game 2 of the series and they haven't managed a win since.

Following Game 2 at the Polo grounds, the Dodgers seemed to be in great shape. They hit 6 home runs in that second game on their way to a 13 -1 rout. Jakcie Robinson and Gil Hodges each hit two, and Snider and Piazza hit one a piece. Dazzy Vance got the complete game victory allowing 1 run on 7 hits. The Dodger win squared the series at one after McGinnity pitched the Giants to a 4-2 win in game 1.

The Dodgers seemed to have the momentum and were headed back to Dodger Stadium with Sandy Koufax ready to start game 3. But Tim Keefe got the better of Koufax through 8 innings and the Giants held a 5 -3 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. Keefe got into trouble in the final inning though, and his bullpen couldn't bail him out. When Scott Garrelts issued back to back bases-loaded two-out walks to Maury Wills and Robinson it looked like the Dodgers were headed for a 2 games to 1 lead. But George Davis made a nice play in the hole on a Willie Keeler ground ball to end the ninth and Willie Mays hit the first pitch of the 10th inning into the center field stands. Garrelts stranded two Dodgers in the home half of the 10th for a dramatic 6 - 5 Giant win.

In game 4, the Dodgers held a 4 - 3 lead going into the seventh inning, but three Dodger pitchers surrendered 5 runs to give the Giants an 8 - 4 lead. Felipe Alou delivered the big blow with a two-out grand slam on a Hugh Casey fast ball on the inner half of the plate. The Dodgers added a run in the bottom half of the inning to make the final 8 - 5.

It's do or die now for the Dodgers, as they must win the final game in Dodger Stadium and then return to the Polo Grounds and win two on the Giants' home turf. "It's a tought spot," Dodger manager Walter Alston said, "but we've got Drysdale tomorrow night and then Dazzy and Sandy for games 6 and 7 across the river. With those guys on the mound we feel like we should win every game."

Informed of Alston's comments, Durocher would only say, "We should've swept those bums."

[pjatscfy52]

I'm beyond impressed, JP. Keep this up if you can. Very entertaining.

[andycummings65]

agreed.

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Thanks. I'll add stuff as I'm able to. I definately intend to keep the rankings up to date as each season finishes, and I'll summarize the statistical leaders for each season. Maybe other managers will add commentaries etc... about seasons, playoffs, games... I may have missed a no hitter or somebody hitting for the cycle. It would be good to record that stuff here as well.

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[b:a50c34983a]Swiper No Swiping! - The Giants are Champs![/b:a50c34983a]

It was Mayhem in Manhattan as the the New York Giants claimed the inaugural 16EFL championship in 5 games over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Despite dropping 9 of 12 regular season contests to the Dodgers, the Giants took only 5 games to vanquish Brooklyn in the Championship Series. While the Dodgers had the regular season edge, the Giants came into the championship as decided favorites after boasting the best record in baseball for most of the season and finishing with a league best 94 wins. After such a successful season, the Giant players and fans clearly felt that anything short of a championship was unacceptable.

But it wasn't long ago that the Giants aspirations were in serious jeopardy. They were 4 outs away from elimination in the Division Series, trailing the Braves 2 games to 1 and down 8 - 7 with two out and nobody on in the 8th inning of game 4. But Felipe Alou homered off of Cecil Upshaw to tie it at 8 in the 8th. In the 9th, Rabbit Maranville couldn't come up with George Davis' ground ball with 2 out and runners on 1st and 3rd to give the Giants a 9 -8 come from behind win. The Giants never looked back.

The Dodgers on the other hand finished the season just 4 games over .500 despite finishing second in the league in runs scored and fourth in ERA. That trend continued in the Championship Series as both teams scored 27 runs over the 5 games but the Dodgers managed only 1 win.

Joe McGinnity led the Giants to their clinching 8 - 2 victory in game 5. McGinnity, the series MVP, had two impressive victories, as he also won the opener 4 - 2. McGinnity allowed 3 earned runs in 17 innings of work during the Championship. In his two starts he gave up just 10 hits and 1 walk while striking out 6 Dodgers. The Giants have gotten used to winning when McGinnity is on the mound. He had 22 victories in the regular season and his 3.67 ERA was the best among Giant starters and 8th among all starters this season.

The Giants will celebrate for a while longer. But tough economic times may make it difficult to repeat. They may find it impossible to keep McGinnity next season and league MVP Willie Mays will likely be out of their price range as well. With the Giants expected to cut $40 million in salary next year, even more affordable players like Orlando Cepeda may be leaving. The Giants are expected to say Bye-Bye to Cha-Cha who hit 50 HR and drove in 119 runs while playing for less than half of Mays' salary.

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[b:98b21f3eb7]Decreased payrolls, increased parody provide an exciting finish[/b:98b21f3eb7]

With only nine games to go in the regular season, ten teams remain in the hunt for the post season. While most teams are feeling the crunch of tough economic times, the Pirates, an organization used to operating with limited financial resources, have pulled away from the field and clinched the Eastern division with an 89 - 64 record and an 11 game lead. Pud Galvin has led the way for the Bucs with a record of 23 - 8 and a 3.64 ERA. Most consider Galvin a shoe-in for the Cy Young Award this year.

That leaves nine teams battling for three playoff spots. Only the Orioles (8 back in the wild card race and 19 back in their division) and the Reds (9 back in their division and the wild card) have no realistic shot at a play off berth. The remaining nine teams are separated by only four games.

The Braves, last year's wild card, are 11 back of the Pirates in the East, but lead the wild card race at 78 - 75. Two and a half weeks ago the Braves felt confident that the wild card spot would be theirs, but they've lost 12 of their last 15 and allowed the rest of the field to catch up. Doyle Alexander has been the only starter to notch a win in that time, going 2 - 1 with a no decision. During the slump, the Braves have dropped 5 of 6 to the lowly Orioles and been swept by the streaking Phillies who outscored the Braves 21 - 8 over the three games on the strength of 5 Mike Schmidt home runs.

The Philadelphia club has won 12 of their last 15 including six straight. The Phils have taken advantage of the soft spots in their schedule, taking six of six contests against the Orioles in the last two weeks. During their recent hot streak, they've made up nine games on Braves and at 77 - 76 are only one game out of the wild card.

It may come down to the last weekend of the season when the Phillies visit the South End Grounds for a three game set with the Braves. While the Braves will have the home field advantage, Alexander, who has been the only reliable starter among an otherwise rattled staff, probably won't appear in the series. The already short left field porch is likely to seem even shorter to the Braves pitchers when Schmidt brings his league leading 62 home runs to town. The Phils have already taken 15 of 21 meetings between the teams this year. The Phils go on the Road for the last 3 series of the season, while the Braves get to stay home for the remainder of their schedule.

In the central, the Indians are 78 - 75 and hold a slim one game lead over the Red Sox and the Cubs. Unlike the Braves and Phillies, the central teams have two playoff spots available to them, but none of the teams has played well enough of late to be overly confident. Injuries have hurt both the Indians' and the Cubs' hopes. The Indians are currently without catcher Dave Duncan and first baseman Andre Thornton who have hit 53 home runs between them. The Cubs have second baseman Johnny Evers unavailable as well as the oft injured Sammy Sosa. Evers has been the spark plug for a Cubs offense that's scored 888 runs thus far. He's third in the league in OBP at .439, and in the top ten in runs scored with 118 and stolen bases with 46. In addition, he plays a gold glove caliber second base behind a Cubs pitching staff that desperately needs the help. When healthy, Sosa has been key to the Cubs' offensive success, hitting 43 HR in 478 AB's.

The Cubs and Red Sox have been offensive juggernauts this season. They are one and two in the league in runs scored. (The Sox are 48 runs behind the Cubs at 840.) The Cubs lead the league in HR's with 251 and the Red Sox 280 double are tops in baseball, but both teams have been plagued by pitching woes, especially in the bull pen. The Cubs have blown 18 saves and the Red Sox have blown 28. Suprisingly, the Indians have blown 29 saves, but the strength of their starting pitching has kept them third in the league in ERA at 4.15. Their top three starters, Stan Coveleski, Tommy John and Ray Caldwell each boast a winning percentage of .600 or better and an ERA under 4.00.

The Red Sox and Indians face each other six times over the last nine games. Those contests could go a long way toward deciding the playoff picture. To this point, the Red Sox lead the season series 12 - 6.

All four teams in the West remain in the playoff hunt. The Giants and Dodgers wouldn't mind a repeat of last season when they matched up in the Championship Series, but they have their work cut out for them if they plan to make that happen. Both teams trail the division leading White Sox, who for the second season in a row are setting the standard for ERA at 4.03. While this year's staff is well off the pace set last year when the team finished with a 3.72 ERA, they're more than 0.10 better than the next best mark in baseball this year (Philadephia is at 4.14). Johnny Rigney has been the biggest reason for the team's league leading ERA as he's posted a 2.92 mark over 277.2 innings. But Rigney has suffered more than his share of bad luck and stands to be a 20 game loser this season. He's currently 13 - 19.

The Dodgers remain in second place at 76 - 77, two games back of the White Sox and one up on the Giants despite losing 2 games to the G-Men over the last three days.

The Giants have played lack luster ball of late, going 5 and 5 over their last 10. But Steve Barber provided a bright spot for the team when he no-hit the Tigers, facing two batters over the minimum five days ago. It was a shot in the arm for the defending champs whose starting staff has not been able to live up to the expectations of last year's rotation that boasted three 20 game winners. This year's Giants have relied heavily on a relief core anchored by Randy Moffit and Greg Minton with Scott Garrelts racking up 28 saves.

While they are still alive, the Tigers have the most difficult path to the playoffs of the nine teams in the hunt. Rocky Colavito (.306, 54, 143) has put this Tiger team on his back and carried them, but even if the Tigers win out, Colavito's herculean effort might go to waste. The smart money says the White Sox will hold on to win the West, and with the red hot Phillies and the faltering Braves as the favorites in the wild card race, it figures to be a long winter in Detroit.

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[b:1e1ba26e8b]Crunch time[/b:1e1ba26e8b]

The Pirates wraped up the East long ago and the White Sox clinched the West last night, but going into the final weekend of the regular season five teams are vying for the final two playoff spots.

The central is still up for grabs with the Indians and the Red Sox tied for first at 81 - 78 and the Cubs just a game back in third. The two front runners face off this weekend at Cleveland Stadium. The winner of that series will likely take the division crown. The only scenario that would allow the Cubs to take the division is two Red Sox victories and a Cub sweep of the Reds. This would leave the Cubs and Red Sox tied for first at 83 - 79 and the Cubs would get the tie breaker since they won their season series with the Red Sox 14 - 10. The Indians win a tie breaker with the Cubs.

The Braves control their own destiny for the wild card. If they win at least two of three against the Phillies this weekend, they go to the playoffs. Although the Cubs could still catch the Braves if they win only two, the Braves win the tie breaker with the Cubs. If the Braves win only one game and the Red Sox - Indians series does not result in a sweep, then they will finish tied with the second place team in the central. The Braves win a tie breaker with the Red Sox and lose the tie breaker with the Indians.

In a three way tie for the wild card the Red Sox would win a tie breaker (based on record within your division) with the Braves and the Cubs. The Cubs would win a tie breaker with the Indians and the Braves.

If the Phillies sweep the Braves, the Red Sox - Indians series results in a sweep, and the Reds take at least two of three from the Cubs, then the Phils are in as they win all tie breakers. Although both the Dodgers and the Giants could get to 81 wins, they both lose the three way tie breaker with the Phils.

Finally, if the Phils sweep the Braves, the Red Sox - Indians series is a sweep, and the Cubs take at least two of three from the Reds the Cubs go.

The final weekend holds a lot of possibilities. The Indians, Red Sox and Braves control their own destinies. The Cubs and Phillies need help.

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Division Winners :
Pirates (96-66)
Red Sox (83-79)
White Sox (82-80)

Wild Card:
Braves (83-79)

MVP - Mike Schmidt (Phils) hitting .290 with 63 HR and 156 RBI, leading the league in HR, second in RBI

Cy Young - Pud Galvin (Pirates) 24-9 with a 3.71 ERA and 107 K, leading the league in wins and IP (296.1)

Batting champ - Harry Heilmann (Reds) .385

RBI leader - Dick Allen (White Sox) 161

ERA leader - Johnny Rigney (White Sox) 3.02

Strikout leader - Billy Pierce (White Sox) 192

There were 2 twenty game winners (down from 16), Galvin and Stan Coveleski (Indians) 20-8

Sam Rice (Indians) stole 61 bases.

Tippy Martinez (Orioles) saved 38 games.

The Cubs became the first 16EFL team to score over 900 runs (944), hitting 264 HR along the way.

The Reds became the first team to hit over .300 (.301).

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We'll use the same scoring system as Barnstormers for the rankings here. One point for each regular season win, five points for making the playoffs, five points for making the finals, and ten points for a championship.

[b:849866c843]Managers Rankings [/b:849866c843](Total points)

1. 2cityfan - 198 (2 playoffs)
2. Cubs48 - 196 (2 playoffs, 1 final, 1 championship)
3. Pjatscfy - 187 (1 playoff, 1 final, 1 championship)
4. andycummings - 172 (1 playoff, 1 final)
5. jpgavin - 169
6. buster j ratt - 167 (1 playoff, 1 final)
7. AeroDave - 164
8. FAaron - 162
9. novie - 159 (1 playoff)
9. Idanred - 159
11. majicmg - 146
12. rosenthm - 145


[b:849866c843]Franchise Rankings [/b:849866c843](Average points)

1. Pirates - 101 (1 season, 1 playoff)
2. Giants - 97.5 (2 seasons, 1 playoff, 1 final, 1 championship)
3. White Sox - 97 (2 seasons, 2 playoffs, 1 final, 1 championship)
4. Braves - 91 (2 seasons, 2 playoffs)
5. Red Sox - 86.5 (2 seasons, 1 playoff, 1 final)
6. Dodgers - 86 (2 seasons, 1 playoff, 1 final)
7. Indians - 82.5 (2 seasons)
8. Reds - 80.5 (2 seasons)
9. Phillies - 79.5 (2 seasons)
10. Cubs - 76 (2 seasons)
11. Tigers - 75.5 (2 seasons)
12. A's - 74 (1 season)
13. Orioles - 70 (2 seasons)
14. Twins - 0
15. Cardinals - 0
16. Yankees - 0

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[b:ef9a3130c5]Nothin' but Sox[/b:ef9a3130c5]

The White Sox and Red Sox each cruised to three games to one victories in their division series. With the two teams a combined 6 games over .500 during the regular season, neither was a heavy favorite going into the playoffs.

In fact, the White Sox were a huge underdog against the mighty Pirates, winners of 96 games this season. The Pirates clinced their division with over a week remaining in the season, and there was some speculation that the lack of pressure down the stretch might leave them flat when the post season started. That seemed to be the case as the White Sox took the series' first two games in Pittsburgh and then got a split at home to advance to the final. As was the case all season, the White Sox stood on the strength of their pitching, holding the Pirates to a .205 batting average during the series. During the regular season, the Pirates hit .298 as a team, second only to the Reds .301. In the Division Series, Dick Allen and Tommy Agee led the White Sox offensively. Allen hit .313 with a homer and two RBI and Agee drove in three runs while hitting a series best .417. Despite Agee's more impressive statistics, Allen was voted series MVP. His 9th inning home run off of Al McBean in game two gave the White Sox an emotional win after Billy Pierce had coughed up a three run lead in the seventh.

While the Red Sox drew the wild card Braves in the first round, some considered them the underdogs. Both teams finished the season with 83 wins, but the Braves had to contend with the Pirates in their own division. As it turned out, dealing with the Red Sox vaunted offense proved to be a more difficult task than facing the Pirates 24 times this season. The Red Sox scored 38 runs over the four games, hitting 13 home runs with a team OPS of 1.108. (No, that is not a misprint.) Short stop Rico Petrocelli was voted MVP. He went 8 for 16 in the series with four home runs and eight RBI. His eighth inning homer in game four gave the Red Sox the lead for good on their way to an 8 - 6 victory in the clincher.

With the Red Sox red hot bats and the White Sox dominant pitching, this year's championship looks to be a classic irresistable force / immovable object matchup. The series starts tomorrow at Fenway Park.