The TCABT-XI Champion, and regular host, Darrell Skogen (1972 Pirates), is congratulated by runner-up, not too mention, first time entrant, Barry Boevers (1977 Red Sox).
With 2 1970’s teams in the championship, one might assume we held a ’70’s only “theme” tournament … not the case. TCABT has always been an “open” tourney, welcoming any MLB team issued by APBA Game Co, from the 1901 season thru the present, meaning for TCABT-XI, any team was eligible for our tourney from 1901 to 2018 (sans the previous 10 TCABT Champion teams).
Thanks to some wet weather outside, we were forced to take the group photo indoors again, and apparently, I had my iPhone on the wrong setting, as the quality of the group photo shows. Thanks to Paul Van Beek’s 9 year old son, all 29 entrants are in the picture with Preston taking the photo.
Later on, with Paul Van Beek’s 1969 Orioles treading their way through division play, Preston pinch-rolls for dad, hoping for that elusive “66”!
The Final Standings (** – won division, * – wild card):
| TCABT-XI | |||||
| Saturday, April 6th, 2019 | |||||
| LUIS APARICIO DIVISION | W | L | R | OR | RDIFF |
| 1977 RED SOX (BARRY BOEVERS)** | 7 | 3 | 54 | 41 | 13 |
| 1972 PIRATES (DARRELL SKOGEN)* | 6 | 4 | 54 | 44 | 10 |
| 2018 DODGERS (GARY BORTHWICK)* | 6 | 4 | 55 | 45 | 10 |
| 1978 BREWERS (CRAIG CHRISTIAN) | 5 | 5 | 50 | 48 | 2 |
| 2008 RAYS (GARTH ANDERSEN) | 3 | 7 | 44 | 56 | -12 |
| 1974 DODGERS (ROB SKOGEN) | 3 | 7 | 28 | 51 | -23 |
| TOTALS | 30 | 30 | 285 | 285 | 0 |
| CARL HUBBELL DIVISION | W | L | R | OR | RDIFF |
| 1995 INDIANS (CHUCK PENTTILLA)** | 8 | 2 | 43 | 25 | 18 |
| 2016 RED SOX (FRED JOHNSON) | 6 | 4 | 32 | 23 | 9 |
| 1995 REDS (ALEC OTTO) | 5 | 5 | 38 | 33 | 5 |
| 2018 ASTROS (JOHN KALOUS) | 5 | 5 | 26 | 30 | -4 |
| 1977 DODGERS (DAVID JONES) | 4 | 6 | 21 | 42 | -21 |
| 2006 TWINS (SCOTT ELLINGWORTH) | 2 | 8 | 41 | 48 | -7 |
| TOTALS | 30 | 30 | 201 | 201 | 0 |
| BARRY LARKIN DIVISION | W | L | R | OR | RDIFF |
| 1961 YANKEES (KEVIN CLUFF)** | 8 | 2 | 46 | 29 | 17 |
| 2001 MARINERS (LEROY ARNOLDI) | 5 | 5 | 55 | 47 | 8 |
| 2018 YANKEES (TERRY BORTHWICK) | 5 | 5 | 50 | 50 | 0 |
| 1934 TIGERS (GEORGE ADAMS) | 5 | 5 | 44 | 58 | -14 |
| 1939 YANKEES (ROBERT ELLEY) | 4 | 6 | 68 | 62 | 6 |
| 1964 TWINS (DEVIN HILL) | 3 | 7 | 43 | 60 | -17 |
| TOTALS | 30 | 30 | 306 | 306 | 0 |
| EDGAR MARTINEZ DIVISION | W | L | R | OR | RDIFF |
| 1912 GIANTS (DARRELL SHREVE)** | 5 | 3 | 43 | 30 | 13 |
| 1946 RED SOX (PHIL GERAFFO)* | 5 | 3 | 32 | 32 | 0 |
| 1948 INDIANS (JIM FRAASCH) | 4 | 4 | 31 | 25 | 6 |
| 1957 BRAVES (DAVE NORLANDER) | 3 | 5 | 33 | 37 | -4 |
| 1932 YANKEES (STEVE SOLMONSON) | 3 | 5 | 30 | 45 | -15 |
| TOTALS | 20 | 20 | 169 | 169 | 0 |
| PAUL WANER DIVISION | W | L | R | OR | RDIFF |
| 1999 BRAVES (BEN LOFGREN)** | 9 | 1 | 60 | 34 | 26 |
| 1969 ORIOLES (PAUL VAN BEEK) | 5 | 5 | 36 | 33 | 3 |
| 1988 ATHLETICS (SCOTT EGGE) | 5 | 5 | 36 | 41 | -5 |
| 1935 CUBS (BRUCE TYLER) | 4 | 6 | 35 | 38 | -3 |
| 1977 ROYALS (GREGG NELSON) | 4 | 6 | 27 | 40 | -13 |
| 1908 GIANTS (JEFF BOEDING) | 3 | 7 | 37 | 45 | -8 |
| TOTALS | 30 | 30 | 231 | 231 | 0 |
Master Skogen (Darrell on right, 1972 Pirates) to the nephew (Rob Skogen on left, 1974 Dodgers): “Patience young Grasshopper …”
Dave Norlander realizing a 3rd straight trip to the TCABT Finals was not in the cards, or the ’57 Braves … Aaron and Mathews finish with 0 homers between them.
Fred Johnson on left, and his 2016 Bosox battling John “The Cooler” Kalous and his 2018 Astros.
Newcomer, Devin Hill, and his up-start 1964 Twins, facing off vs long-time APBA veteran, Leroy Arnoldi (back, with pile of dice) and his 2001 Mariners.
TCABT foursome at the turn, clockwise from left, George Adams (1934 Tigers), Terry Borthwick (2018 Yankees), Robert Elley (1939 Yankees) and Kevin Cluff (1961 Yankees).
Clockwise starting with Brewer attired, Alec Otto (1995 Reds), Scott Ellingworth (2006 Twins), Chuck Penttila (1995 Indians) and Fred Johnson (2016 Red Sox).
David Jones (1977 Dodgers, on left) “monkeys” with his lineup vs The Cooler (John Kalous, 2018 Astros).
Can Darrell Shreve and his 1912 Giants solve the TCABT enigma?
Jim in his ’48 Indians flannel (1948 Indians) battles division foe, Steve Solmonson (1932 Yankees in gray hoodie), as Phil Geraffo (1946 Red Sox) looks on.
In the “Pennant Porch”, division foes, Gregg Nelson (1977 Royals, on left) vs Ben Lofgren (1999 Braves, on right). Ben’s ’99 Braves would finish TCABT-XI with the best division record, 9-1, not losing until his final division game, 6-2 to the 1969 Orioles.
Bruce Tyler contemplating his next roll with the 1935 Cubbies.
Garth Anderson (2008 Rays) on left and Craig Christian (1978 Brew Crew) on right.
Jeff Boeding (1908 Giants) on left vs Scott Egge (1988 A’s) on right.
Devin Hill (1964 Twins) on left vs Kevin Cluff (1961 Yankees) on right.
The Bracket Results:
| Seed | TCABT-XI QUARTER-FINALS | G1 | G2 | G3 | SERIES |
| 1 | 1999 BRAVES (BEN LOFGREN) | 7 | 7 | 2 | |
| vs | |||||
| 8 | 2018 DODGERS (GARY BORTHWICK) | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2 | 1995 INDIANS (CHUCK PENTTILLA) | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| vs | |||||
| 7 | 1972 PIRATES (DARRELL SKOGEN) | 7 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
| 3 | 1961 YANKEES (KEVIN CLUFF) | 6 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| vs | |||||
| 6 | 1946 RED SOX (PHIL GERAFFO) | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 4 | 1977 RED SOX (BARRY BOEVERS) | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| vs | |||||
| 5 | 1912 GIANTS (DARRELL SHREVE) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Seed | TCABT-XI SEMI-FINALS | G1 | G2 | G3 | SERIES |
| 1 | 1999 BRAVES (BEN LOFGREN) | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| vs | |||||
| 7 | 1972 PIRATES (DARRELL SKOGEN) | 3 | 5 | 13 | 2 |
| 3 | 1961 YANKEES (KEVIN CLUFF) | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| vs | |||||
| 4 | 1977 RED SOX (BARRY BOEVERS) | 6 | 5 | 2 | |
| Seed | TCABT-XI CHAMPIONSHIP | G1 | G2 | G3 | SERIES |
| 4 | 1977 RED SOX (BARRY BOEVERS) | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
| vs | |||||
| 7 | 1972 PIRATES (DARRELL SKOGEN) | 10 | 6 | 2 |
QUARTER-FINALS:
Quarter-finals action, Chuck Penttila (on left) and his #2 seed, 1995 Indians, are eliminated by Darrell Skogen’s #7 seed, 1972 Pirates, 2 games to 1.
Quarter-finals action, Kevin Cluff (on left) and his #3 seed, 1961 Bronx Bombers, eliminate Phil Geraffo’s #6 seed, 1946 Red Sox, 2 games to 1. The look on Phil’s face pretty much sums it up.
Quarter-finals action, Barry Boevers (on left) and his #4 seed, 1977 Red Sox, take 2 of 3 to up-end Darrell Shreve’s #5 seed, 1912 Giants. Barry’s victory included the 1-0, no-hitter tossed by C pitcher, Mike Paxton.
(Note – Picture missing for the Quarter-finals series with the #1 seed, Ben Lofgren and his 1999 Braves vs the #8 seed, Gary Borthwick and his 2018 Dodgers, ended with a 2-0 sweep by the 1999 Braves).
SEMI-FINALS:
With the honorable Jeff Boeding manning the results booklet, #7 seed, Darrell Skogen and his 1972 Pirates, up-set the #1 seed, Ben Lofgren and his 1999 Braves, 2 games to 1, after Ben opened the series with a win.
In the other semi-final, Kevin’s #3 seed, the heavy hitting 1961 Yankees would fall to Barry’s very surprising #4 seed, 1977 Red Sox, 2 games to none.
TCABT-XI CHAMPIONSHIP:
For ALL the marbles … it is ALL 1970’s, Darrell’s 1972 Pirates vs Barry and his 1977 Red Sox. Not as much suspense in this series as the ’72 Pirates hammer out 10-4 and 6-1 wins in the sweep of the ’77 Bosox, with Jeff Boeding looking on.
CONGRATULATIONS TO DARRELL SKOGEN AND HIS 1972 PIRATES!!!!
Darrell has hosted all 11 of our TCABT tournaments, ranging from a low of 8 entrants to a high of 30 entrants. He would not have it any other way, and his sincere generosity of opening his home to dozens of APBA fanatics near and far, is not lost on anyone. Looking forward to seeing the April trophy displayed in Darrell’s home for the upcoming October tourney!
Thanks to all who provided photographs, especially Gary and Terry Borthwick!
Coming in October, TCABT-XII, Saturday, October 5th, 2019. Contact “Jim” if interested. Team selection for TCABT-XII will begin July 6th at noon.
A few additional “stories” on TCABT-XI …
One “meeting” which occurred on the Friday night, April 5th, prior to tourney day, was 5 of us showing up at Badger Hill Brewing in Shakopee, MN. A little back story here … I had sent APBA CEO, John Herson an email, asking if he might want to “donate” an APBA Baseball Game which I would end up placing on the game shelf at Badger Hill Brewing, my favorite local Twin Cities brew house, with many fine freshly brewed beers on tap. John provided the game, and soon after it ended up on the game shelf at Badger Hill Brewing. Apparently it sat their for a few months, not seeing much action. By chance, Phil Geraffo, who had no idea this game had been placed at the brew house, nearby his place of work, Badger Hill Brewing, made a trip their with a few co-workers. Imagine the surprise on his face when he saw the APBA Baseball game on the shelf. He even sent a photo of it sitting unused to the TCABT email distribution. I let him know how the game ended up there, and we decided the game which appeared to be not played, needed to be played. Several weeks later, the 5 of us met up at the brew house and rolled a game. As the game went on, we did have 3 local female teachers who were enjoying a few libations, ask us what the game was about. They seemed fairly “impressed” with 5 guys enjoying rolling the dice and drinking their beers … oh, and the game rolled, the 2018 Yankees routed the 2018 Dodgers.
From left, George Adams, Jeff Boeding, Kevin Cluff, Phil Geraffo and Jim.
Note, the tradition has just begun … this October, we will send out an email to the group letting them know the Friday afternoon/evening prior to tourney day, there will be a gathering in Shakopee for dinner at the Muddy Cow followed up with a few beers and maybe some dice rolling at Badger Hill Brewing.
Finally, last and certainly not least, no TCABT tournament would be complete without the fabulous “postmortem” write-up by none other than Fred Johnson … the write-up is always very “introspective” and never full of self-pity or blame … as Fred’s 2016 Red Sox failed to make bracket-play, even with a solid 6-4 record and a +9 run differential. Note, the 2 teams just ahead of him who did qualify for bracket-play also finished 6-4, but with a +10 run differential. The math all checks out!
TCABT-XI: How One Manager Saw It (By Fred Johnson)
Making the most of home field advantage, Darrell Skogen steered his 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates to a convincing April 6 triumph during Twin Cities APBA tourney action at Maple Grove’s rainy Skogen Fields. Long-shot Skogen parlayed timely hitting and clutch pitching to secure a surprise TCABT-XI victory. But enough about Darrell!
In the big news, Fred Johnson’s 2016 Red Sox (FredSox) launched a title challenge that carried him to victory’s precipice. He opened by ambushing tough newcomer David (Don’t call me Davy) Jones in the opening two-game set: 1–0 (a one-hit beauty by Rick Porcello) and 8–1. In the second round, Handy Hanley Ramirez ricocheted a first inning line drive off Twin’s twirler Johan Santana’s pitching hand helpfully, for the Soxers, finishing the lefty’s day. Tear-stained Twins boss Scott Ellingsworth and his club collapsed. FredSox won 3-0. To his credit, Ellingsworth rallied for 7-4 win in game two.
John Kalous, the Don Quixote of national APBA circles—he ceaselessly roams the nation in futile search of victory for his vagabond Houston clubs—next faced the FredSox. Kalous seemed to err in game one when an over-eager Soxer batted out of turn. The Don discovered the miscue after three rolls and three Sox runs. FSox management instantly fired the bench coach and awaited Kalous’s wrath.
“No problem,” observed Kalous, a gracious sportsman. He said, “Let’s just recreate what would have happened.” Totally unfamiliar with such lofty altruism—the FredSox manager had once attended a weekend ethics workshop at a scammy North Korean call-center but was axed for being too unscrupulous—the confused Sox boss accepted. The re-creation gave FSox the three runs back! Generosity—who would have thought—paid off for Kalous whose club eventually won, 6-4. FredSox took game two, 4-1.
Alec Otto, soon to be known as “Double O” for two quick losses, then limped into Fenway with his 1995 Reds. FredSox’s Drew Pomeranz promptly pitched the team’s second tourney one-hitter, a 16-strikeout, 1-0 masterpiece. In game two, Double O went with C-twirler Jose Rijo, who shut down the Soxers for five innings. However, Otto dissolved in panic when Xander Bogaerts hit a solo HR in the sixth; he went to the bullpen. Relieved to see a reliever, the FredSox rapped four straight hits for three runs and produced a 4-3 win.
The Fighting Finn, Chuck Penttila, now appeared with his 1995 Indians and tallied two, one-run conquests over the Sox, 3-2 and 2-1. Punchless Big Papi Ortiz sabotaged his own team in Game Two with a suspiciously hideous performance. First inning, runner on third, one out=strikeout; third inning, runners on first and third=double play; sixth inning (game score 2-1 Reds)= walk and a kamikazi-like try at stealing second! ninth inning= K. Did somebody get to Big Papi???
Soxer fans soon learned their team qualified for the second round by virtue of their splendid 6-4 record and hefty plus-9 run differential. They became instant an odds-on favorite. Then, some supposed late “results” were mysteriously produced and carried to Commissioner Frick. These “documents” showed the FSox had been pushed off the podium. With admirable equanimity and praiseworthy graciousness, the FredSox manager accepted the news.
Suddenly a strident call rose from the crowd demanding, “Let’s give Fred a trophy anyway!” Pseudo-APBA umpire Gregg Nelson counseled— “Shut up, Fred.”
AT 
AT 
