Jim’s Corner
April 21, 2004
What
a mind-blowing experience this was!
Here
are some of the highlights:
The
following TML records were set (smashed) this year:
Batting
Average: George Watkins (Albany) .455
Runs
– Lou Gehrig (Albany) 234
RBIs
– Lou Gehrig (Albany) 220
Triples
– Woody English (North Adams) 32
Total
Bases – Lou Gehrig (Albany) 529
Slugging
Percentage – Lou Gehrig (Albany) .864
Walks
– Babe Ruth (Richmond) 197
Runs
Created – Lou Gehrig (Albany) 293
On
Base Percentage – Lou Gehrig .559
Just
as a further note – Lou Gehrig was edged out for the batting championship by
Watkins’ .455 with his .451 BA. What a
season Lou Gehrig had. I have serious
doubts that we will ever see another one like it.
To
sum up the end of the season action – Both Albany and New York posted 16 wins
in 21 games to match each other down the stretch. Wild put 4 more games between themselves and The Dawgs by posting
14 games to lead the Northern Division.
Lou
Gehrig was the clear player of the period by posting the following numbers -
.523 BA, .619 OB, 1.116 slugging, 1.639 OPS, 44 runs, 43 RBIs, 13 homers, 25
walks, 60 runs created. Babe Herman of
Wild worked out the second spot with a 37 RC .432, 7 homer – 28 RBI period.
Lefty
Grove of McGraw was the pitcher of the period.
Grove was 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA to pace the pitchers. Freddie Fitzsimmons of Disney was the
runner-up with a 4-0 period.
Period
6 saw the Beach City Dukes put up 27 wins for the best record in the TML. The big news was the Dawgs posting 25 wins
and making up 6 games on Wild only to fall one game short as the Weasels
defended their division title and will open defense of their World championship
against….
New
York. The Woodchoppers won 25 times to
hold off the Albany Avalanche by 7 games and post the TML best 106 wins.
Guess
who won player of the period? Henry
Louis Gehrig of Albany. Gehrig just
edged out Hack Wilson of Rainier.
Gehrig had 65 runs created and a 1.431 OPS to nudge out Wilson’s 64 RCs
and 1.289. George Watkins his .450 to
lower his batting average to a TML record .455.
Larry
French of Beach City won 8 times (1.94 ERA) won win the best pitcher
honors. Dazzy Vance of McGraw was
runner-up by posting 7 wins in 8 tries en route to a 1.84 ERA.
The
TML World Series will be played face to face in Pittsburgh. The two teams split their 10 games this in
1930!
The World Series combatants should look familiar, as they are the 1930 World Series combatants. This time though, New York is the defending champion but Wild will have the home field advantage.
New York won 47 of their last 56 games to win the East by 16 games and move into the World Series against Wild, who won 41 times to stretch their final lead to 24 games. Should be an interesting finale!!
Wild, BTW, won the season series 9-1.
Period 5 player honors went to Ted Williams of New York. Williams created 34 runs on a 1.222 OPS (.441 BA) to set the pace. Runner up was Elbie Fletcher of Wild with a 1.264 OPS and 32 RCs. Pitching honors in period 5 went to Bob Feller of St. Louis who was 5-0 while striking out 41 batters in his 5 starts. Runner up was Lee Grissom of St. Louis who posted a leading 1.27 ERA.
Period 6 honors for the batters went to Arky Vaughan of Albany. Vaughan edged out Joe DiMaggio by posting 60 runs created (.426 BA, 9 homers, 1.296 OPS) to DiMaggio’s 55 RCs (.440, 1.315 OPS 9 homers) in a close call. Pitcher honors were earned by Ted Lyons of New York who won 7 times with a 2.63 ERA to edge out his teammate Red Ruffing who also won 7 games in 7 tries.
No records were set in 1940 as the huge offensive numbers set in 1930 dwarfed what would have been a very strong 1940.
Wild won 111 times to post the best record in the league.
TML 1954 will kick off on April 26th. It will be the 50th TML campaign as we start our Golden Anniversary tour! Please check the web site for the schedule, which is also included in the database.
Draft order for the first round (with trades implemented) is:
NY (from DY), TG, DW, HM, CS, MV, NH, SV, RR, NY, BC, MG, AV, BC (from NA), WW, FC
Anyone wishing a 1970 database (with the official rosters and rookie list enclosed) let me know.
No reports in on the World Series. Mike? Bryan? This has to be done shortly guys!
TML2003 will kick off on April 26th. It will be our 25th consecutive current season.
God willing, still with us to start the Silver Anniversary are the following managers who rolled the dice using Replay back in 1980 and have been there all 25 years:
Art Albanese, Larry Alber, Rich Goldberg, Rocky Hall, Mike Mayko, Dave Pittner, Jim Schembari, Doug Zuchowski and Jim Pertierra. It is absolutely incredible to think that 9 of the original 20 are still going a quarter of a century later.
Additionally, charter member Dave Yamin returns as manager of the Boston Daschunds.
I love you guys!
Then….
Pittsburgh – May 28-30, 2004.
Although I write this every Jim’s Corner, they still come in all different forms. Here is the official form:
The standard TML series naming convention is HHRRYY (Home team initial, Road
team initial, TML Year) when reporting a series. (NYTG69)
Jim Pertierra 4/21/04