Amazin's take 3 of 4 from '68 Cards

Game 1: The Great Bob Gibson went the distance and struck out 7 and allowed only 2 to outduel Al Leiter. The Cards jumped out to a 3-0 lead and after yielding 2 in he 7th and 9th innings respectively held on to the victory. Tim McCarver had 2 doubles and an RBI. The game winning run was scored by Lou Brock who doubled and moved to third on a ground out and scored on a Curt Flood single. Derek Bell homered for the Mets.

Game 2: Mike Hampton had a shutout going into the 9th, but tired and yielded 2 runs as the Mets won 7-2. Nelson Briles was horrible as he yielded 6 runs (5 earned) in 6 innings of work. Edgardo Alfonzo homered and knocked in 3 runs. Hampton's ERA is 0.59.

Game 3: It took 11 innings for the Mets to overcome the Cardinals. Mike Bordick (3-5 lead off the inning with a clean single and reached 2nd on a wild pitch and scored 2 pitches later on a Todd Zeile single. Armando Benitez notched the win with 2 solid innings of relief.

Game 4: New York scored 2 in each of the first 2 innings and Glendon Rusch went 7 2/3 innings with 1 run ball. Washburn gave up 4 in 5 innings for the Cards and was chased from the box. Met sub "Super" Joe McEwing went 3 for 4 with a big run scored. Alfonzo knocked in 2.

Battle of the Sox goes to the Red version 3 games to 1

Game 1: Johnny Pesky went 3 for 5 and Joe Dobson tossed a 4 hitter to blank the Go-Go Sox 3-0. Boston went up 1-0 in the top of the 1st as Pesky led off with a single, went to second on a wild pitch by Chicago starter Early Wynn. On the following pitch Sherm Lollar was handcuffed and charged with a past ball. Dom DiMaggio grounded to short and was credited with an RBI as Pesky scored. Boston scored twice more in the top of the 4th. Rudy York and Bobby Doerr led off with consecutive walks, then Rip Russell and Hal Wagner followed with consecutive RBI singles to round out the scoring as Boston went on to win 3-0.


Game 2: The South Siders struck back and won a close one 5-4 despite Pesky getting 3 more hits and Ted Williams hitting his 3rd HR of the season. Chicago jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead, but Boston narrowed the lead to 1 in the top of the second as they plated 2. Boston scored 1 more in the 6th and 7th to take a 1 run lead, but 2 in the bottom of the 7th by Chicago gave them a lead that they would never relinquish. With Aparicio on 3rd and two out Jim Landis received an intentional pass to get the lefty/lefty matchup vs young Norm Cash who singled to right to tie it. The next batter, Jungle Jim Rivera hit a sharp grounder that ate Pesky up and allowed Landis to score. Staley came on to pitch the last 1 1/3 innings to notch the save, his first of the season.

Game 3: The Pale Hose manufactured a run in the second and hoped it would hold up. Unfortunately for them the Bosox put 6 runs on the board in the bottom of the 4th and 1 in the bottom of the 7th to break it open. Tex Hughson was cruising until the top of the 9th when he lost interest and gave up 3 before finally closing the door. Williams hit hit a 3 run homer, his fourth on the year, but Red Sox fans are beginning to worry as his average is at .185. Rudy York is hitting a woeful .077 and Bobby Doerr is at .120.

Game 4: For 7 1/2 innings Dick Donovan and Mickey Harris dominated hitters and posted goose eggs on the board. Then in the bottom of the 8th Boston scored 2 runs as Harris helped his own cause with a lead off double. Pesky singled him over to third and Dom DiMaggion doubled them both home. Chicago scored one in the top of the 9th as the game ended with Al Smith getting nailed at the plate by Ted Williams after Phillips singled home Landis. Williams raised his avg to .233 as he went 2 for 3 with 2 doubles and a IBB + the spectacular throw from left.

'96 Braves split with '70 Reds

Game 1 saw the Big Red Machine tag Greg Maddux for 4 runs in the opening inning. Gary Nolan gave up only 4 hits and two earned runs as the Reds won 6-2. Bernie Carbo and Lee May both went 2-3.

Game 2 was a blowout. John Smoltz gave up 9 runs in a little over 5 innings worth of work. Jim Merritt scattered 5 hits enroute to a complete game shutout. Catalyst Bobby Tolan had 4 hits for the Reds. Chipper jones had 3 of Atlanta's 5 hits. Johnny Bench and Lee May both homered.

Game 3 pitted Jim McGlothlin against future HOF'er Tommy Glavine. Cincy jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the second and looked poised to take the first 3 games of the series. Light hitting Woody Woodward singled home Lee May who had walked. The second run was accounted for by a Chipper Jones fielding error at third. The Crime Dog, Fred McGriff lead off the bottom of the 4th with a 425 foot tape measure shot to center to cut the deficit to one. Glavine was flirting with trouble until the 6th when he finally ran out of gass and was replaced by mike Bielecki. Before he could leave Glavine was the beneficiary of a 3 run 6th that gave the Braves a 2 run lead that they would not relinquish. 4 consecutive singles by Klesko, Dye, Blauser and Perez help account for the runs. Glavine squeezed home one run himself with a perfectly executed bunt down the 3rd base line. Wohlers notched his 3rd save as he came on to pitch a scoreless 9th.

Game 4 was the most exciting game of the series. Flame throwing Wayne Simpson faced rookie Terrell Wade. Both starters threw 109 pitches before leaving. Simpson managed to spread his out over 8 innings, while Wade only lasted until there was 1 out in the 5th. The Braves struck first when Javy Lopez homered to lead off the 3rd. That lead lasted half an inning as Cincy scored 2 in the top of the 4th when Bench and May hit back to back solo shots. The Reds added 1 more in the 8th when catlyst Bobby Tolan lead off with a triple. Atlanta pulled in the infield and both Pete Rose and Tony Perez hit sharp grounders right at people as Tolan looked to be stranded. With Bench stepping to the plate lefty Pedro Borbon Jr. was replaced with right Greg McMichael who promptly served up an RBI double to Bench. The bottom of the frame saw the Braves get the run back when Mark Lemke hit a sac fly to plate Javy Lopez. Still that left the Braves down 3-2 with only 3 outs left. Wayne Simpson looked about out of gas, so Don Gullett came on in relief to start the 9th. Chipper Jones was forced to hit from the right side of the plate and promptly lined out back to the originator for the first out. Scheduled up next was the hot Ryan Klesko, who traditionally has issues with lefties. The Braves went to the bench and brought in 19 year old Andruw Jones to pinch hit. Jones laced a triple down the right field line and scored 1 batter later when Jermaine Dye singled him home to tie tie game at 3. Gullett looked rattled and when Javy Lopez single and took second on an error by Tolan the Braves had runners on 2nd and 3rd with only 1 out and Jeff Blauser stepping to the plate. Normally the 8th place hitter would not get anything to hit, but since there was already a pinch hitter on deck the Reds decided to pitch to him. Blauser worked the count to 2-1 before hitting a hanging slider from Gullett deep into the left field pavilion for a walk off 3 run homer as the Braves earned a split with the Reds.

'71 O's split with '06 Tigers

Another split (for Baltimore), 2-2. Dave McNally & Bonderman both were sharp. Frank Robby finally homered for the Birds. Chris Shelton was a big stick for the Tigers (8 for15, 3 HR, 6 RBI). I kept looking for the HBP button. -submitted by Jesse Elicker-

'96-Braves sweep '68-Redbirds

GAME 1: The series opener featured a HOF matchup between Bob Gibson and future HOF'er Greg Maddux. Atlanta scored firsto on a single by Mark Lemke was followed by Gibson beaning the crime dog Fred McGriff. Chipper, don't call me Larry, Jones knocked in Lemke with an RBI single. Gibby then proceeded to strike out the next to batters to end the inning. Atlanta added 1 more in the 5th and 6th innings (Ryan Klesko HR). The Cards began to scrape back with 1 in the 6th and 8th, but fell short thanks to leaving 12 men on base. Maddux allowed 2 runs in 8 innings of work and Wohlers came on to save it. Gibson took the loss, as he gave up 3 and did not get any run support due to Maddux's clutch performance.
GAME 2: John Smoltz faced Nelson Briles in this matchup. The big story was the 4 errors made by the Cards to undo Briles, who was outdueling Smoltz. Klesko homered again for Atlanta and Wohlers notched his 2nd save in 2 days.
GAME 3: Lefty Steve Carlton got rocked by the Brave offense allowing 7 runs (6 earned) in only 6 1/3 innings pitched. Atlanta's lefty, Tom Glavine, was almost flawless in a 3 hit CG Shutout. The big blow occurred in the first inning as Klesko hit a grand slam to spot Glaving 4 runs.
GAME 4: Steve Avery went 7 innings and gave up only 2 runs (1 earned). Brad Clontz pitched the final 2 scoreless innings to notch the save. The big story was Ryan Klesko hitting his 4th homer in 4 consecutive games, which is a KOD record. Klesko went 7-14, 4HR and 7 RBI in the series. Cards made 3 huge errors to open the floodgates in this one.
Offensive stars: Orlando Cepeda is hitting .375 and Chipper Jones is hitting at a .563 clip.

'03 Bombers take 3 of 4 from '90 A's

This post came from Ed Mikhli of the 2003 NY Yankees:

What two teams played and who were the coaches ? A`s- Yanks. Eddie/ Marc/ Greg
What was the final score(s) ? Yanks took 3 out of 4
Provide a brief summary of your game or series. 1st 3 games were very tight ending in 2 run or less differences in score
List the turning point. Greg showed up to play the 4th game and assure his team no chance of victory in game 4 after 3 close nail biters against Marc. Thnaks Greg(Run my team into the ground Marcucci)
Who would you consider the MVP and why ? Greg. For burning out his bullpen

Final score(s) ? 5-2 sf, 8-1 sf, 1-0 cin, 4-1 sf
Giants won game 1 behind O'Dell. Cepeda and Haller knocked in 2 apiece. SF's offense clicked in game 2 and Sanford shut down the Cincy attack with a 3 hitter.
In Cincinnati, the Reds captured game 3 1-0 in 10 innings via a bases loaded walk to Tolan by Marichal. McGlothlin and Wilcox combined on the shutout for Cincy.
Game 4 went 15 innings before SF pulled it out 4-1. Mays 2 run 2b was the key hit to break the tie in the 15th.
Both offenses struggled in Cincinnati. The Reds didn't perform up to standard on offense. The Giants pitchers are good but not THAT good.
Orlando Cepeda went 8 for 18 and drove in 3 to lead all hitters.

'27 Bucs sweep '2000 Amazin's

Game 1 - Pirates 9 Mets 2 - Meadows v Leiter - The Pirates jumped out to an early 1 run lead in the first inning and then broke the game open with a 5 run 4th inning. Todd Zeile put the Mets on the board in the bottom of the 5th with a solo shot. The Mets would tack on one more in the fifth but that would be it. Meadows went the distance giving up 6 hits and 2 earned runs. The Pirate 4th decided this game. Leiter gave up 3 walks and 3 singles that opened the flood gates on a 5 run inning. Player of the game was Lee Meadows who scattered 6 hits and 5 walks en-route to the complete game.

Game 2 - Pirates 8 Mets 1 - 14 innings - Aldridge v Hampton - This game turned out the be an old fashioned pitchers duel. During the 8th inning rain delay the Pirates manager finally sent the bat-boy, Little Billy Baroo, out to find the equipment truck that was lost somewhere in Queens. The game remained deadlocked at 1 run apiece until his return just before the 14 inning. The Pirates proceeded to plate 7 runs on 8 singles, 1 walk and 1 error. Turning point: The return of the Pirates bat-boy Billy Baroo just before the 14th inning. Lloyd Waner gets the nod as game MVP by getting himself out of an 0-6 slump and going 2 for 2 in a big 14th inning.

Game 3 - Mets 2 Pirates 14 - Reed v Kremer - The Pirates scored early and often in game 3. Benny Agbayani (3-3)accounted for the 2 Mets runs on a 2 run homer in the 4th inning. The Pirates scored 7 runs in the 3rd on 4 singles and 3 extra base hits including Paul Waners first of two homeruns in the game. Joe Harris was the pick that clicked today going 3 for 5 with 2 doubles 1 triple and 5 RBI's.

Game 4 - Mets 5 Pirates 6 - 10 innings - Rusch v Hill - Game 4 would prove be the closest game of the series. The Mets scored in the first and second inning to get out front early. The Pirates evened things up in their half of the second and added 3 more in the 5th. Derek Bell would tie the game on a 3 run homer in the 8th. With 2 outs in the 10th, Pie Traynor singled in the winning run.The Mets committed 6 errors on the day 2 coming with 2 outs in the 10th inning. Melvin Mora committed 3. The 2 teams also combined to leave 28 runners on base. Harold "Pie" Traynor goes 3 for 6 with 2 RBI including the game winner in the 10th.
-contributed by Scott Dyer-

'71 O's split with '46 Bosox

Game 1 (Memorial Stadium): A matchup with 2 twenty game winners: Tex Hughson and Mike Cuellar. Boston scored 2 in the 3rd and 1 in the 4th. The O's narrowed it to 4-2. Rip Russell's 2 run homer in the top of the 9th broke it open for the Bosox. Hughson went the distance and allowed only 3 hits an 1 earned run (2 runs total).


Game 2 (Memorial Stadium): Baltimore chased 25 game winner Boo Ferriss from the hill after only 4 2/3 IP and 8 ER's allowed. Boog Powell and Brooks Robinson both went 3 for 4. Powell had 4 RBI's. Jim Palmer scattered 9 hits and 2 earned runs for a complete game victory.

Game 3 (Fenway Park): Dave McNally dominated the boys from Beantown by toossing a 2 hit complete game shutout. Ted Williams' level of frustration increased as his BA dropped to .091. Paul Blair went 3 for 5 and had 2 ribbies. McNally helped his own cause with a 2 run double.

Game 4 (Fenway Park): Boston scored early and often enroute to a 7-1 victory. Suprise starter Bill Zuber went 7 1/3 and gave up only 1 run on 3 hits. Teddy Ballgame broke out with 2 hits, which included a big homer, to move his average back to the Mendoza line (.200). Pat Dobson took the loss for Baltimore and was victimize by some poor fielding. Dick Hall finished out the final 2 frames and gave up 2 insurance runs.

'59 Pale Hose take 3 from '82 Wallbangers

Game 1 at Milw: Wynn vs Caldwell
Sox blow late lead. Brewers get 2 in 8th to win 4-3. Oglivie homer and a Yount double scored the runs. Sherm Lollar's 3-run homer in 1st only pale hose runs

Game 2 at Milw: Shaw vs Vuckovich
Luis Aparicio's lead off 10th inning triple and Torgesons sac fly give Sox 2-1 win and even series. Bob Shaw goes 10 innings for CG win. Pete Vuchovich pitches well in loss

Game 3 at Chic: McClure vs Pierce
Battle of lefty's results in 10-4 WSox win. Billy Pierce overcame a rocky start to finish the game. 7 WSox batters had at least 2 hits as a 4 run 4th and a 3 run 6th buried the Wallbangers. 7 WSox players had at least 1 run and of course the Sox had no homers.

Game 4 at Chic: Haas vs Donovan
Dick Donovan shuts down powerful Brewer bats as Sox take series with 5-1 win. Donovan with a nifty CG 3-hitter.

NOTE: A mistake was made as no DH was used for last 2 games which were at 59 sox anyway who used no DH. If the DH was used in those games the Brewers would have had to answer to big Ted Klusewski anyway....

List the turning point. Aparicios triple in game 2 to lead off the 10th
Who would you consider the MVP and why ? Sherm Lollar for hitting .373 and his handling the starting staff. -submitted by Dan Holm-

93-Phils split with 05-'Stros

What was the final score(s) ? Phi 3-2, Hou 4-1, Hou 4-3, Phi 9-2.
The Astros and Phils squared off in a 4 game series that provided some very good pitching and some very poor fielding. The series ended in a 2-2 split.

Game 1 turning point was Lenny Dykstra's 2run homer to give the Phils a 3-1 lead. Game 2 turning point was Jason Lane's walk-off 3 run last in the bottom of the 12th.Game 3 was the 6 inning no run performance by Roger Clemens. Game 4 was the Phils scoring 6 runs in the 1st never to look back with help from a complete game by Terry Mulholland. Phils MVP was Danny Jackson 7 IP 1 run. Astros MVP was Roger Clemens 6 IP 0 runs -submitted by Gary B-

Grapefruit League Update

Want to get a "head's up" on your opponent ? May I suggest playing some Grapefruit League games h2h vs someone from your opposite league (NL play AL...vice versa). I've had the good fortune to play against Ross (Indians) and Steve (Brewers) and you really learn a lot about your team and your opponent's teams. Even more important you see someone else's managerial style. I make no false pretenses to knowing it all. I'm constantly looking to learn something new about the game or about how others manage it. I also need to know if my style has to change to adapt to the dynamics of the team I chose. I'm going to go out on a limb and think that if I manage the 1946 Red Sox like the 2002 offering I'll be lucky enough to win 10 games. By knowing your personnel you can put them in the right situation to succeed. I came to the realization early on that I won't have Mr. Urbina and his 40 saves protecting the 9th inning, so I'd better find a different way to do it.

Bottom line is practice makes perfect !!! Setup a quick 2-4 game series online vs someone else and you'll get a feel for it. Setup 3 or 4 series and you'll really have a firm grasp on your team. I have seen too many guys spend the first 12 games of the season feeling out their team and starting slow. In a 36 game sprint of a season you need to make every game count ! Steve learned that his pitchers seem to have trouble in the early innings. Being an astute baseball man he'll figure out a way to mimimize that damage. He learned that over 7-10 exhibition games. It would have cost him dearly to have learned that in the first 2-3 series of our season.

Good luck to all !

The Theme

No 20 seconds after KOD2 was complete did I find myself contemplating how KOD3 could be more successful. I knew we couldn't double the league's size like we did after KOD1 (we went from 10 to 20 teams), but I figured we could still improve. The first improvement that I noticed was the fact that again we added some top tier managerial talent from the Action Board. The goal is now to get 1-2 great posters and replayers to join us in each ensuing league.

I like the theme ! Every team in this loop won their respective pennant, but lost in the fall classic. For far too long we categorized these teams as LOSERS. This irks me. A loser is a team that loses over 100 games and finished 35-40 games out of 1st. A loser is not a team that drops a final game 7 to a hot hand or gets sweeped by a team of destiny. Just getting to the fall classic is a feat on to itself.

My predictions: It's tough managing vs all these great teams and great managers. The guys are just plain sharp. If you put my back up against the wall and asked me to predict who is going to win I would have to seriously deliberate. My heart is telling me that my 46 Sawx will make the fall classic, but my brain is saying that we just don't have enough arms. The team that does, however, is the 1971 Baltimore Orioles. Show me a team with 4 twenty game winners and I'll show you a team that has a chance to win every game. Add to that is the fact that Jesse Elicker is at the helm and you've got one tough team. Now Jesse might not have had huge success in KOD action before, but he did not have a top tier team before. His managerial skills in other leagues are legendary and now he has a team to match. The NL is going to be very close as well, and my prediction is going to put a watchful eye on Scott Dyer's 1927 Pittsburgh Pirates. This team can flat out hit any team into submission. After a serving of Pie one gets to contemplate whether to chug down some big poison or little poison. A host of big time hitters will drive this team deep into October. I'd have to go with Baltimore in a short 7 game series, because I just can't bet against pitching.

I'd love to hear your comments and predictions.