TCABT-XVI Team Selection

#16, Whitey Ford

TCABT-XVI Tournament date is:  Saturday, October 2nd, 2021.

TCABT-XVI Tournament location is (note last minute site change!!!):

City of Shakopee Community Center

1255 Fuller Street South

Shakopee, MN 55379

TCABT-XVI: Selected Teams (click on team name for Baseball Reference link) –

1. 1928 YANKEES (DAVE NORLANDER – GRAND RAPIDS, MN)
2. 1988 METS (ERIC BERG – BEMIDJI, MN)
3. 1974 ATHLETICS (DAVID JONES – MINNEAPOLIS, MN)
4. 1917 WHITE SOX (JIM HALL – OTSEGO, MN)
5. 1948 INDIANS (BRUCE TYLER – ELK RIVER, MN)
6. 1953 DODGERS (PHIL GERAFFO – SHOREWOOD, MN)
7. 1920 INDIANS (FRED JOHNSON – COTTAGE GROVE, MN)
8. 2019 TWINS (MARTY LEE – LENEXA, KS)
9. 1901 PIRATES (JIM FRAASCH – MINNETONKA, MN)
10. 2016 RED SOX (DAVE DRUK – BLAINE, MN)
11. 2016 NATIONALS (BEN LOFGREN – HAWLEY, MN)
12. 2004 CARDINALS (KEVIN CLUFF – APPLE VALLEY, MN)
13. 1927 ATHLETICS (JERRY JACOBS – FORT MYERS, FL)
14. 2018 DODGERS (ROBERT ELLEY – LONGVIEW, TX)
15. 2015 BLUE JAYS (GARTH ANDERSEN – RAMSEY, MN)
16. 1957 BRAVES (CRAIG CHRISTIAN – EAU CLAIRE, WI)
17. 2017 INDIANS (GORDON RODELL – FORT MYERS, FL)
18. 1962 GIANTS (LEROY ARNOLDI – PRIOR LAKE, MN)
19. 2017 DIAMONDBACKS (BARRY BOEVERS – CHAMPLIN, MN)
20. 1984 TIGERS (ROB SKOGEN – FOREST LAKE, MN)
21. 1905 GIANTS (JEFF BOEDING – PLATTE CITY, MO)
22. 1946 RED SOX (GEORGE ADAMS – LIBERTY, MO)
23. 1969 ORIOLES (CHRIS KAUFMAN – MANKATO, MN)
24. 1930 GIANTS (BEAU LOFGREN – HAWLEY, MN)

Any MLB team, 1901-2019 (no teams from the 2020 MLB season are allowed), minus the following previous 15 TCABT Champions:

1927 Yankees, 1954 Giants, 1902 Pirates, 1937 Yankees, 2011 Rangers, 1930 Cardinals, 1930 Yankees, 1929 Athletics, 2017 Nationals, 1998 Yankees, 1972 Pirates, 1938 Yankees, 2019 Astros, 1906 Naps/Indians, 1998 Braves.

• Cut-off for entering tournament is Friday, September 10th, 2021.

• $20 entry fee covers the $200 site rental with all funds collected above $200 going towards APBA Gift Certificates for 1st and 2nd place finishers.

Twin Cities APBA Baseball Tournament Results (TCABT-XV)

Saturday, April 10th, 2021

The gang assembles for TCABT_XV: Back Row from L to R – Darrell Skogen, Jim Hall, Fred Johnson, Garth Andersen, Phil Geraffo, Kevin Cluff, Dave Norlander. Middle Row from L to R – Barry Boevers, Rob Skogen, Dave Dawn, Bruce Tyler. Front Row from L to R – David Jones, Jeff Boeding, Leroy Arnoldi, Jerry Jacobs, Beau Lofgren, Ben Lofgren, Craig Christian, Jim F., Gary Borthwick. (special thanks to Terry Borthwick who took the photograph)

Another beautiful day for APBA Baseball in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. 20 APBA fanatics were in the running for the 15th TCABT Championship. The Neil Ess Memorial Twin Cities APBA Baseball Tournament has been held semi-annually since April of 2014. Over the years, 22 participants have been from out-of-state. From Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and from all 4 corners of the state of Minnesota.

Due to Covid, and Covid restrictions, our numbers have been down over the last 3 tournaments, including XV. Although with 20, we have our highest number since the Pandemic began. We have our sites set on 30+ for next October.

After the usual pre-tournament announcements, Q&A, and group photo, the dice began rolling non-stop (109 games) from about 8:45am to 6:00pm when we crowned our TCABT-XV Champion.

Early TCABT-XV action, April 10th, 2021, Shakopee, MN.

DIVISION PLAY:

DICK ALLEN DIVISION	W	L	R	OR	RDIFF
1998 BRAVES (BARRY BOEVERS)	6	3	33	24	9
1911 ATHLETICS (DAVE NORLANDER)	5	4	39	41	-2
1916 ROBINS (GARTH ANDERSEN)	4	5	34	37	-3
1980 EXPOS (CRAIG CHRISTIAN)	3	6	29	33	-4
TOTALS	18	18	135	135	0

Barry Boevers and his 1998 Braves won the Dick Allen division outright with a 6-3 record and a +9 run diff. This was good enough for a #5 seed entry into the best-of-three 8-team bracket play round. Dave Norlander with his 1911 Athletics finished a close 2nd in the division, with a 5-4 record and a -2 run diff which landed him as the #8 seed (wild card) in the bracket play round. Dave had started the day 4-0, but dropped to 4-4 before winning his final division game, a 5-2 win over Craig Christian and his 1980 Expos. The 1916 Robins managed by Garth Andersen, finished 4-5 and in 3rd place. Garth had a tough time winning enough games after dropping his first 3 games of the day to Dave’s 1911 A’s. Craig’s 1980 Expos finished 3-6, after a 1-1 start followed by losing 4 straight, before winning 2 out of his final 3.

Craig Christian vs Barry Boevers

Garth Andersen vs Dave Norlander

CECIL COOPER DIVISION	W	L	R	OR	RDIFF
1928 ATHLETICS (BRUCE TYLER)	6	3	47	26	21
2019 DODGERS (BEN LOFGREN)	5	4	33	43	-10
2019 TWINS (FRED JOHNSON)	4	5	32	37	-5
1969 ORIOLES (PHIL GERAFFO)	3	6	26	32	-6
TOTALS	18	18	138	138	0

Record wise, the Cecil Cooper Division was close. 1 game separated each place in the division. However, the run differential tells a different story where Bruce Tyler and his 1928 Athletics amassed a +21 run diff. Meanwhile, the 3 teams missing the cut each had a negative run diff, and most surprising would be the 2019 Dodgers with their -10 run diff, while their record was above .500. The 1928 A’s, wins were by modest margins, the biggest being a 9-2 win over the 2019 Dodgers. In 9 games, the 1928 A’s gave up only 26 runs in attaining their division crown with a 6-3 record. Meanwhile, Ben Lofgren with the division favorite, 2019 Dodgers, after starting the day 2-0 with 2 close wins over Bruce’s ’28 A’s, the wheels came off, and the Dodgers lost 3 straight, before managing to win 3 of their last 4 games, finishing with a 5-4 record, and failing to make the 8-team bracket play due to the their negative run diff. Fred Johnson and his 2019 Twins, 4-5, finished in 3rd place, as the 2019 Twins were unable to generate enough runs with that potent offense. Their high score on the day was 7 runs, twice. The 2019 Twins were on the brink of a playoff birth with a win in their 7th game to get to 4-3, but then dropped their final 2 games to Bruce’s 1928 A’s. Phil Geraffo and his 1969 Orioles, after getting shutout in their first game vs the 2019 Twins managed to win their next 2, with a shutout of their own in game 3. But 3 straight losses to Bruce’s ’28 A’s, was a hole too deep to climb out of.

Phil Geraffo vs Fred Johnson

The one photo where Ben Lofgren (on the left) shows his face, with Barry Boevers and Jerry Jacobs looking on

Bruce Tyler (on left) in playoff action (I was missing a shot of Bruce in Division play)

DAVEY LOPES DIVISION	W	L	R	OR	RDIFF
1936 YANKEES (LEROY ARNOLDI)	6	3	58	47	11
1922 GIANTS (JERRY JACOBS)	4	5	44	46	-2
1951 DODGERS (DAVID JONES)	4	5	46	48	-2
1982 BREWERS (KEVIN CLUFF)	4	5	36	43	-7
TOTALS	18	18	184	184	0

It was a slow start for Leroy Arnoldi and his 1936 Yankees, going 1-2 in their first series of the day vs Jerry Jacobs and his 1922 Giants. But scoring runs at a consistent pace was the name of the game for Leroy. His 3 runs in the first game of the day would be the low, while never scoring fewer than 5 runs in his remaining 8 division games. 58 runs total in 9 games was good enough for a 6-3 record and a +11 run diff. Meanwhile, Jerry’s 1922 Giants, David Jones and his 1951 Dodgers and Kevin Cluff with the 1982 Brewers, slugged it out for a 3-way tie at 4-5. Jerry’s Giants after getting off to a 3-1 start, then melted away winning just 1 of their final 5 games. David Jones and the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers, won their first game but then lost 4 straight before winning 3 of their final 4 to finish 4-5. Kevin Cluff and the 1982 Brew Crew were looking strong at 4-2 after their first 2 series, only to get swept in 3 by Leroy’s 1936 Yankees in the final series of the day for Kevin.

Jerry Jacobs vs Leroy Arnoldi

David Jones vs Kevin Cluff

THURMAN MUNSON DIVISION	W	L	R	OR	RDIFF
2014 DODGERS (DAVE DAWN)	6	3	56	39	17
1901 PIRATES (JIM FRAASCH)	5	4	44	34	10
1995 INDIANS (BEAU LOFGREN)	4	5	32	51	-19
1906 CUBS (JEFF BOEDING)	3	6	31	39	-8
TOTALS	18	18	163	163	0

TCABT first-timer Dave Dawn and his 2014 Dodgers claimed the Thurman Munson division title by taking the final 2 games of the 3 game series vs division challenger, Jim Fraasch and his 1901 Pirates. Jim won the first game of the 3-game series 6-4, only to lose the final 2 games, 13-3 and 4-3. Dave finishes with a 6-3 record in division play and a +17 run diff. Jim’s 1901 Pirates climbed to 5-2 with that opening win vs the 2014 Dodgers, but quickly found themselves in survival mode after losing the final 2. The +10 run diff was strong enough for the 1901 Pirates to claim a wild card slot and the #6 seed in the 8-team bracket play. Beau Lofgren saw his 1995 Indians start slow even after starting the day 1-0 with a 6-5 win over the eventual division champs. Beau was 1-3 before winning 3 of 4 to climb back to .500, before dropping their final game, 7-6 to the 1906 Cubs. After winning the TCABT-XIV championship with another 1906 club, the 1906 Cleveland Naps, Jeff Boeding found out the hard way that a repeat was not in the making with his 1906 Cubs. Jeff’s 1906 Cubs went 1-2 in each of their 3 series.

Beau Lofgren vs Jim F

Jeff Boeding vs Dave Dawn

DUSTIN PEDROIA DIVISION	W	L	R	OR	RDIFF
1961 YANKEES (GARY BORTHWICK)	7	2	53	29	24
2001 MARINERS (ROB SKOGEN)	5	4	41	35	6
2004 CARDINALS (DARRELL SKOGEN)	3	6	41	50	-9
2010 PHILLIES (JIM HALL)	3	6	32	53	-21
TOTALS	18	18	167	167	0

Gary Borthwick’s return to TCABT action was with the proverbial “Bang”! His 1961 Yankees lathered themselves with wins early and often, winning each of his first 2 series 2 games to 1, before sweeping the 2010 Phillies to close out the day with 4 straight wins. a 7-2 record and +24 run diff was good enough for the #1 seed in the 8-team bracket play. Meanwhile, Rob Skogen and his 2001 Mariners took 2nd place in the Dustin Pedroia Division and advanced to bracket play as a wild card with their 5-4 record and +6 run diff. Darrell Skogen’s return to TCABT action was a downer on the dice side of things, but you would never know with Darrell since he has the smile that won’t quit at each of our TCABT events, always just happy to be there enjoying the comradery. His 2004 Cardinals, once a championship finalist, finished 3-6 on this April afternoon. Jim Hall and his 2010 Phillies started the day with a 6-5 win over the 2001 Mariners, but then lost 3 straight before winning 2 more to claw back to .500. Alas, the 2010 Phillies were swept in the final series vs the division winning ’61 Yankees. It was a tough day for the Phils, but Hall will be back for action in October.

Gary Borthwick (back turned) vs Darrell Skogen

Rob Skogen vs Jim Hall

BRACKET PLAY:

The 5 division winners plus 3 wild cards based on record and run differential to break ties, were entered in our best-of-three bracket play phase of TCABT play.

Seed	QUARTER-FINALS	G1	G2	G3	SERIES
1	1961 YANKEES (GARY BORTHWICK)	2	4		0
	vs
8	1911 ATHLETICS (DAVE NORLANDER)	10	11		2
2	1928 ATHLETICS (BRUCE TYLER)	6	3	4	1
	vs
7	2001 MARINERS (ROB SKOGEN)	1	4	5	2
3	2014 DODGERS (DAVE DAWN)	9	2	3	1
	vs
6	1901 PIRATES (JIM FRAASCH)	3	3	7	2
4	1936 YANKEES (LEROY ARNOLDI)	2	8	5	1
	vs
5	1998 BRAVES (BARRY BOEVERS)	6	4	6	2
Seed	SEMI-FINALS	G1	G2	G3	SERIES
5	1998 BRAVES (BARRY BOEVERS)	7	4		2
	vs
8	1911 ATHLETICS (DAVE NORLANDER)	5	2		0
6	1901 PIRATES (JIM FRAASCH)	3	2	2	2
	vs
7	2001 MARINERS (ROB SKOGEN)	1	3	1	1
Seed	CHAMPIONSHIP	G1	G2	G3	SERIES
5	1998 BRAVES (BARRY BOEVERS)	6	1	4	2
	vs
6	1901 PIRATES (JIM FRAASCH)	4	4	3	1

This was one of the closest fought bracket play rounds I recall in TCABT play. 3 out of the 4 quarter-final series went 3 games. One of the semi-final series went 3 games and the championship series went the full 3 games. In all, 19 of the maximum 21 bracket play games were rolled. We still managed to complete the tournament by 6pm. In the 5 series that went the full 3 games, 4 of the 5 deciding games were decided by 1 run. Ironically, Gary Borthwick’s #1 seeded 1961 NY Yankees found a quick exit after getting swept by Dave Norlander’s 1911 Athletics. All 4 “worse” seeds won their Quarter-final series.

Quarterfinal action between Gary Borthwick (1961 Yankees) and Dave Norlander (1911 A’s)

Quarterfinal action between Bruce Tyler (1928 A’s) and Rob Skogen (2001 Mariners)

Quarterfinal action between Jim F (1901 Pirates) and Dave Dawn (2014 Dodgers)

Quarterfinal action between Barry Boevers (1998 Braves) and Leroy Arnoldi (1936 Yankees)

The only other sweep in the 7 bracket series was eventual TCABT-XV champ, Barry Boevers and his 1998 Braves taking down Dave Norlander and his 1911 A’s in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, in the other Semi-final, Jim Fraasch and his 1901 Pirates won 2 of 3 very close games vs Rob Skogen and his 2001 Mariners. 12 total runs between the 2 teams were scored in that series. Game 2 went 11 innings.

Since I was missing a photo of the semifinal series between Barry Boevers and Dave Norlander, what the heck, I decided nobody better to give a bonus shot to, the eliminated #1 seed, Gary Borthwick

Semifinal action between Jim F (1901 Pirates) and Rob Skogen (2001 Mariners) while Rob’s uncle Darrell Skogen mans the boards

The championship series came down to Barry Boevers and his #5 seed 1998 Braves vs Jim Fraasch and his #6 seed 1901 Pirates. Game 1, Barry’s Braves won on a 9th inning walk-off, 2 out, 2 run homer by Keith Lockhart. 6-4 was the final. Game 2, with the 1901 Pirates trailing 1-0 after 3 (a solo HR by Lockhart in the 3rd), the Pirates put together a nice 3-run rally in the bottom of the 4th and added another run in the bottom of the 6th and held on for a 4-1 win, tying the series at a game apiece. Game 3, for all the marbles, another hard fought game. Both teams traded 2 runs in the 4th and 1 run in the 6th. 3-3 game entering the 10th. 3-3 game entering the 11th. 1901 Pirates go scoreless in the top of the 11th. In the bottom of the 11th, after Andruw Jones hit into a 6-4-3 DP, Ryan Klesko clobbered a 2-out, solo-HR to win the championship in walk-off fashion for Barry Boevers! Congratulations for a well played tournament by Barry, who was participating in his 2nd championship series, and came away with his 1st TCABT championship. The 1998 Braves are one of our most entered teams (8 times) in TCABT history. They are now eliminated from future TCABT events. Only the 1995 Indians have been entered more often (10 times – no championship). Barry also becomes the 2nd TCABT manager to win a championship on a walk-off homerun, and it also happened to be in the 11th inning. Kevin Cluff’s 2017 Nationals won TCABT-IX in the bottom of the 11th on a Ryan Zimmerman homer.

TCABT-XV Finals: Barry and his 1998 Braves vs Jim and his 1901 Pirates

Jim hands off the April TCABT trophy to Barry Boevers

Our TCABT-XV Champion, Barry Boevers, 1998 Atlanta Braves!!!

Tournament Oddities:

• (Submitted by Jim F) Ben Lofgren’s ability to avoid the camera … note, I had in my possession, from 3 different photo takers, a total of 56 pictures from the tourney day action. While Ben’s random body parts may appear in about 8 different photos, there ended up being only 1 photo where you can actually prove Ben was in attendance, using facial recognition, with his 2019 Dodgers on April 10th, 2021 (other than the group photo).

An example of the elusiveness of Ben Lofgren avoiding photographs … that is Ben walking by wearing the powerblue Twins jersey, Rob Skogen in foreground.

• (Submitted by Bruce Tyler) My 28 A’s lost the third game of the playoff with Rob Skogen by a score of 5 to 4.  I balked twice with a man on 3^rd to give Rob the winning runs.  That was cruel.

Jeff Boeding runs the boards during one of the biggest oddities of the day … BALK!!!

• (Submitted by Barry Boevers) The crazy first stat that popped up for me was that the Braves scored 21 of their of their 71 runs in the 9th or extra innings.  This included 8 multi run innings in the 9th or later.  Crazy.

Barry Boevers undoubtedly building towards another 9th inning rally vs Leroy Arnoldi

• (Submitted by Dave Norlander) Now the 1911 A’s have been eliminated by both World Series teams from 1998.  I lost to Gary Borthwick’s 1998 New York Yankees in the finals of TCABT-X. (Dave lost to Barry’s ’98 Braves in the semifinals of TCABT-XV)

Dave Norlander enacting revenge for the TCABT-X loss to Gary Borthwick’s 1998 Yankees, this time sweeping Gary’s 1961 Bronx Bombers in the Quarterfinals.

• (Submitted by Jerry Jacobs) The first time tourney entrant, 1922 Giants, brought their .305 team BA to TCABT-XV and proceeded to show their worth. They pounded out 102 hits compared to their opponents 75 and had a tourney BA of .302 but fell to a 4-5 record. They started the tourney fast with a 3-1 record but finished 1-4 where they lost two games in extra frames. Upon further review, if they had won one of those extra inning games, they would have been the 8th team to qualify for bracket play via a run differential tie breaker. Amazingly, their #3, #4 and #5 hitters never hit a double as the team connected for 81 singles, 14 doubles, 4 triples and 3 homers. In their final game, facing spoiler Dave Jones and the only “A” starter in the Davey Lopes Division with the score tied 4-4 in the bottom of the 9th, with one out the Giants had a fast runner on 3rd via a single and back to back stolen bases with their most feared hitter at the plate, Casey Stengel, who had 24 chances to win the game even though the Dodgers had 9 points in their air tight outfield. Casey rolled 12-25 and the DP forced extra frames where the ’51 Dodgers prevailed 6-4 in 12 innings. The nemesis Dodgers also turned DP’s in the 4th, 7th, & 10th innings to neutralize the 16 hits the Giants produced. The game ended in the 12th facing a “D” with the tieing runners on 2nd & 3rd with Cunningham at the plate who has a “9” on 42 and 62. “One roll away” is probably the battle cry of more than just one team as 20 teams scratched for 8 bracket spots.

Jerry Jacobs banging out hits with his 1922 Giants vs Leroy Arnoldi’s ’36 Damn Yankees.

Thank you to our 20 entrants in TCABT-XV. We go at it again, this coming fall … Saturday, October 2nd, 2021 at the Youth Center in Shakopee, MN. 30+ will be in attendance.

—————————————————————————————————-

A word about Beau Lofgren: Beau was at our April TCABT-XV tournament, back for the first time since TCABT-X. I found out a few weeks ago, about the heroic efforts of Beau risking his own life to rescue one of Ben Lofgren’s students, on a 2-day school field trip to the North Shore of Minnesota, Gooseberry Falls. This is an annual trip, but the first time a student ended up in danger. The event occured on Wednesday, May 26th. Ben was at the other end of the park with other students, away from the falls when one of his students ended up in the chilling waters. Beau was nearby and made the risky dive into the water. Beau and the student ended up plunging down the 20+ foot drop at the bottom of the falls where they were both pulled to the shore by passerbys who were in the area. Both sustained broken bones. Beau was in worse condition compared to the younger student. Beau is expected to make a full recovery this summer, and word has it, he will probably end up with plenty of time to play APBA, among other things. I cannot say enough about the Lofgren brothers … they are always a welcome site at our tournaments and here is to years to come with both Beau and Ben in attendance!

Beau on the right wearing the Brewers jersey vs TCABT newcomer, Dave Dawn.

See you in Shakopee this coming October 2nd, 2021!!!

Official Website of APBA Games

TCABT-XV (April 10th, 2021): Team Selection …

South-sider, Dick Allen, #15

TCABT-XV Tournament date is:  Saturday, April 10th, 2021.

TCABT-XV Tournament location is:

The Shakopee Community Youth Building at Lyons Park

1099 Adams St S

Shakopee, MN 55379

TCABT-XV: Selected Teams (click on team name for Baseball Reference link) –

1.  2019 DODGERS (BEN LOFGREN – HAWLEY, MN)
2.  1911 ATHLETICS (DAVE NORLANDER – GRAND RAPIDS, MN)
3.  1928 ATHLETICS (BRUCE TYLER – ELK RIVER, MN)
4.  2019 TWINS (FRED JOHNSON – COTTAGE GROVE, MN)
5.  1916 ROBINS/DODGERS (GARTH ANDERSEN – ANDOVER, MN)
6.  1951 DODGERS (DAVID JONES – MINNEAPOLIS, MN)
7.  1936 YANKEES (LEROY ARNOLDI – PRIOR LAKE, MN)
8.  2010 PHILLIES (JIM HALL – OTSEGO, MN)
9.  1998 BRAVES (BARRY BOEVERS – CHAMPLIN, MN)
10.  1922 GIANTS (JERRY JACOBS – FORT MYERS, FL)
11.  1901 PIRATES (JIM FRAASCH – SAVAGE, MN)
12.  1969 ORIOLES (PHIL GERAFFO – SHOREWOOD, MN)
13.  1982 BREWERS (KEVIN CLUFF – APPLE VALLEY, MN)
14.  2001 MARINERS (ROB SKOGEN – FOREST LAKE, MN)
15.  1980 EXPOS (CRAIG CHRISTIAN – EAU CLAIRE, WI)
16.  1906 CUBS (JEFF BOEDING – PLATTE CITY, MO)
17.  2014 DODGERS (DAVE DAWN – MONROE, MI)
18.  1995 INDIANS (BEAU LOFGREN – HAWLEY, MN)
19.  1961 YANKEES (GARY BORTHWICK – CRYSTAL, MN)
20.  2004 CARDINALS (DARRELL SKOGEN – MAPLE GROVE, MN)

Any MLB team, 1901-2019 (no teams from the 2020 MLB season are allowed), minus the following previous 14 TCABT Champions:

1927 Yankees, 1954 Giants, 1902 Pirates, 1937 Yankees, 2011 Rangers, 1930 Cardinals, 1930 Yankees, 1929 Athletics, 2017 Nationals, 1998 Yankees, 1972 Pirates, 1938 Yankees, 2019 Astros, 1906 Naps/Indians.

Team selection for TCABT-XV will be open thru Friday, March 26th.

Thurman Munson, #15, breaking up the double-play.

TCABT-XV Tournament date is: Saturday, April 10th, 2021.

Twin Cities APBA Baseball Tournament – XIV Results

Saturday, Oct 17th, 2020, Shakopee, MN – TCABT-XIV attendees: From left to right – Leroy Arnoldi, Craig Christian, Bruce Tyler, Jim Hall, Kevin Cluff, Jerry Jacobs, George Adams, David Jones, Garth Andersen, Paul Van Beek, Dave Druk, Jeff Boeding, Phil Geraffo, Dave Norlander, Ben Lofgren, Rob Skogen, Jim F.

The 14th edition of the Neil Ess Memorial Twin Cities APBA Baseball Tournament was hosted for the 2nd time in Shakopee, MN at the “friendly confines” of the Shakopee Youth Center. Saturday, October 17th, 2020 with 17 in attendance. While keeping Covid precautions in place, staying under 20 attendees has been a good approach for reducing risk at the Twin Cities tournament. This has been our 2nd tournament while practicing social distance measures at our tourney site. We hosted our “April” tournament in August, with 13 in attendance.

With 17 teams, it meant 2 divisions with 6 teams each and 1 division with 5 teams. The 6-team divisions played 10 division games each and the 5-team division played 8 division games each. Each division was competitive, with the best 8 teams making our best-of-three 8-team bracket round. The top 2 teams from each of the 3 divisions, plus 2 more wild-card teams.

Division play is under way, early on Saturday.

Division play began by around 8:45am after opening announcements and the “obligatory” group photo was taken.

The Lou Brock division featured: Leroy Arnoldi (1962 Giants), Craig Christian (2019 Brewers), Dave Druk (2019 Yankees), Jim Fraasch (1973 Reds), Phil Geraffo (1998 Braves) and Rob Skogen (2004 Cardinals).

• Leroy Arnoldi’s 1962 Giants (8-2) jumped out to a 7-0 record before losing 2 of their final 3 games. Leroy won the division with an 8-2 record and finished with a +22 run differential.
• Phil Geraffo’s 1998 Braves (6-4), after dropping their first contest of the morning, recovered to win their next 4 games, before splitting their last 4 games. Phil finished with a 6-4 record, and a +9 run differential, good for a 2nd place finish in the Lou Brock division and an automatic birth into the 8-team bracket play round.
• Jim Fraasch’s 1973 Reds (6-4), started out with a loss, then won 3 straight. The 3-1 record was short lived as Leroy’s ’62 Giants won 2, 1-run late inning comebacks over Jim’s Reds. Jim then won 3 of his last 4 contests, to finish with a 6-4 record and a +6 run differential. The final game was an 11-0 win over Craig’s 2019 Brewers, and a no-hitter for starter John Billingham (BYZ). With 46 runs scored and 40 runs allowed, this meant the ’73 Reds had a chance at the final Wild Card spot, tied with George Adams, who had the same record in the Al Kaline division, with the exact same 46 runs scored and 40 runs allowed, +6 run differential, which meant a 1-game playoff to enter the 8-team bracket play round.
• Dave Druk’s 2019 Yankees (5-5) with a slow 1-3 start, managed to recover to .500, finishing 5-5 with a -1 run differential, good for 4th place in the 6 team division.
• Rob Skogen’s 2004 Cardinals (4-6) after winning their tourney opener, would not find another win until their 6th game of the day. The 1-4 start was followed by a 3-2 finish and a 4-6 record with a -5 run differential, good for 5th place in the 6 team division.
• Craig Christian’s 2019 Brewers (1-9) after a string of several 1-run losses finally got their first win of the day in game 8, over the 2004 Cardinals, 7-5. This would be their only win on the day, as Craig’s dice remained cold all day long. The dice were extremely frigid in the final game of the afternoon, which saw Craig’s Brew Crew no-hit by John Billingham and the ’73 Reds, 11-0. The Brewers finish 1-9 with a -31 run differential. Better days are ahead for Craig and his dice!

LOU BROCK DIVISION	W	L	R	OR	RDIFF
1962 GIANTS (LEROY ARNOLDI)*	8	2	56	34	22
1998 BRAVES (PHIL GERAFFO)*	6	4	47	38	9
1973 REDS (JIM FRAASCH)*	6	4	46	40	6
2019 YANKEES (DAVE DRUK)	5	5	44	45	-1
2004 CARDINALS (ROB SKOGEN)	4	6	47	52	-5
2019 BREWERS (CRAIG CHRISTIAN)	1	9	35	66	-31
TOTALS	30	30	275	275	0

Craig Christian found his first win of the day vs Rob Skogen’s 2004 Cardinals.

Phil Geraffo and his 1998 Braves pursuing a bracket play birth vs Dave Druk and his 2019 Yankees.

Leroy Arnoldi and his division winning ’62 Giants face-off vs Rob Skogen’s 2004 Cardinals.

Jim F. and his ’73 Reds battling Rob Skogen’s 2004 Cardinals.

The Al Kaline division featured: George Adams (1946 Tigers), Jim Hall (1949 Red Sox), Ben Lofgren (1911 Giants), Dave Norlander (1922 Browns), Bruce Tyler (1930 Athletics) and Paul Van Beek (2018 Dodgers).

• Ben Lofgren’s 1911 Giants started a little slow, 2-2 after their first 2 series, but won their next 4 games, over the 1930 A’s and the 1949 Red Sox. In the 2nd game vs the 1930 A’s, Doc Crandall (AYZ) pitched a no-hitter, allowing just 1 walk. After a split vs the 2018 Dodgers, Ben closes out with a 7-3 record and a +9 run differential and the Al Kaline division crown. Good for the #3 seed in bracket play.
• Dave Norlander’s 1922 Browns through 7 games were 1 game under .500 at 3-4. But after pulling out 3 straight wins to finish division play, including 14-4 and 10-4 wins over the ’30 A’s, Dave had his Browns in 2nd place in the Al Kaline division with a 6-4 record and a +20 run differential.
• George Adams 1946 Tigers through their first 8 games looked to be headed for a division crown at 6-2. However, after dropping 2 straight to Jim Hall’s 1949 Red Sox, George found his ’46 Tigers in 3rd place with a 6-4 record and a +6 run differential. His 46 runs scored and 40 runs allowed had his Tigers exactly tied for the final wild card slot with Jim Fraasch’s ’73 Reds from the Lou Brock division. There is a summary of the 1-game play-off between the ’46 Tigers and the ’73 Reds leading into the bracket results below.
• Paul Van Beek’s 2018 Dodgers, had the 2nd best run differential in the tournament, with a +21, 2nd only to Leroy’s ’62 Giants who had a +22 run differential. However, Paul’s Dodgers managed only a 5-5 division record, finishing in 4th place. The 2018 Dodgers started the day, 0-3, losing all 3 games by a combined total of 4 runs, before winning their first game by a 17-1 score over the 1930 Athletics. Paul’s Dodgers went on a 4-game winning streak, now sitting at 4-3 before losing 2 of his final 3 games in division play. A 2-0 loss in the final game vs Ben’s 1911 Giants was the difference in Paul not making the bracket play round.
• Jim Hall’s 1949 Red Sox were sitting with a 1-7 record through the first 8 games, before finding some magic in a 2-game sweep of the 1946 Tigers. A 2-0 win, and a 10-9 win over the ’46 Tigers, meant George’s Tigers would not automatically advance to the bracket play round. Jim Hall’s Red Sox finish 3-7 with a -13 run differential, good for 5th place in the Al Kaline division.
• Bruce Tyler’s 1930 Athletics, through the first 3 division games stood at 3-0, with three 1-run wins. However, the bottom fell out in game 4, with Paul’s 17-1 2018 Dodgers win over Bruce’s A’s. The A’s would not win another game all day, finishing 3-7 with a -43 run differential. Besides the 17-1 drubbing in game #4, Bruce’s A’s managed to give up 34 runs in their final 3 games.

AL KALINE DIVISION	W	L	R	OR	RDIFF
1911 GIANTS (BEN LOFGREN)*	7	3	38	29	9
1922 BROWNS (DAVE NORLANDER)*	6	4	61	41	20
1946 TIGERS (GEORGE ADAMS)	6	4	46	40	6
2018 DODGERS (PAUL VAN BEEK)	5	5	52	31	21
1949 RED SOX (JIM HALL)	3	7	33	46	-13
1930 ATHLETICS (BRUCE TYLER)	3	7	28	71	-43
TOTALS	30	30	258	258	0

Paul Van Beek’s 2018 Dodgers battling George Adams’ 1946 Tigers.

Bruce Tyler’s 1930 Athletics take on Jim Hall’s 1949 Red Sox.

Paul’s 2018 Dodgers vs Ben Lofgren’s 1911 Giants.

Dave Norlander’s 1922 Browns battles Bruce and Bruce’s dice pile …

Ben and George having fun with Dave Norlander either watching play or napping … note, Dave Norlander left his home at 4am in Grand Rapids, MN, to arrive in the Twin Cities by 8am. He arrived before at least half of the other 17 arrived.

The Tom Seaver division featured: Garth Anderson (1986 Angels), Jeff Boeding (1906 Naps), Kevin Cluff (2019 Dodgers), Jerry Jacobs (1928 Athletics), and David Jones (1977 Royals).

• Kevin Cluff’s 2019 Dodgers lived up to their billing as the pre-tourney “favorites”, going 7-1 in division play. They were 7-0 until their final division game when they lost 6-4 to the 1977 Royals. Little did anyone know, the first series of the day for Kevin’s 2019 Dodgers would be vs the eventual TCABT-XIV champion, 1906 Naps. The Naps were swept in the opening series of the day, 5-4 and 7-5. Kevin’s Dodgers were very consistent in division play, scoring anywhere from 3 runs to 7 runs in each game. The 7-1 record was backed up with a +13 run differential.
• Jeff Boeding’s 1906 Naps (Indians) had to dig out from an opening 0-2 hole after getting swept by the 2019 Dodgers to start the day. An ominous start for Jeff’s eventual tourney champion Naps. They would go on a 5-game win-streak with sweeps over the 1928 A’s and 1986 Angels before splitting with the 1977 Royals. Jeff’s Naps go 5-3 with a +12 run differential in division play.
• David Jones’ 1977 Royals make David’s first trip to bracket play with a 5-3 record and a +4 run differential, as they qualify with a wild-card and the #7 seed. The highlight of division play for David was the 6-4 win over the 2019 Dodgers, the only loss in division play for the 2019 Dodgers, and the win gave David 1 of the 2 wild-card entries into bracket play.
• Jerry Jacobs’ 1928 Athletics finish with a 2-6 record and a +1 run differential, good for 4th place in the 5-team division. Jerry’s undoing was the performance (or lack there of) of 2 of its Hall-of-Fame sluggers, Al Simmons and Jimmie Foxx. I received the following stats for both players, after Jerry combined their performances from his last 2 TCABT tournaments: Foxx through 16 games: 7-62, BA of .113 with six singles and one double. Simmons through 17 games: 9-72, BA of .125 with eight singles and one double.
• Garth Andersen’s 1986 Angels found themselves in a tough division. Garth’s Angels finished 1-7 with a -30 run differential, the only team in the division who finished with a “minus” run diff. The Angels actually had 2 very close games vs the 2019 Dodgers. Losses of 4-1 and 5-4. The only win was game 1 of the day, a 7-6 win over the 1977 Royals.

TOM SEAVER DIVISION	W	L	R	OR	RDIFF
2019 DODGERS (KEVIN CLUFF)*	7	1	37	24	13
1906 NAPS “INDIANS” (JEFF BOEDING)*	5	3	46	34	12
1977 ROYALS (DAVID JONES)*	5	3	52	48	4
1928 ATHLETICS (JERRY JACOBS)	2	6	36	35	1
1986 ANGELS (GARTH ANDERSEN)	1	7	26	56	-30
TOTALS	20	20	197	197	0

Jerry Jacobs (1928 As’) vs Jeff Boeding (1906 Naps).

Jerry vs David Jones (1977 Royals).

Jerry vs Kevin Cluff (2019 Dodgers).

Jeff vs Garth Andersen (1986 Angels).

Heading into bracket play was a 1-game play-off between George Adams’ 1946 Tigers and Jim Fraasch’s 1973 Reds. After the first 7 seeds were determined for bracket play, we realized we had an unbroken tie using each of our tie-breakers … #1 – winning pct., #2 – run differential, #3 – fewest runs allowed.

Rather than flipping a coin to break an unbreakable tie, we resort to a 1-game playoff, where each team must use the next starter available (after division play was completed) in the 4-man rotations for each team. It would be Hal Newhouser (AXY) for Detroit vs Ross Grimsley (BZ) for Cincinnati.

The 8th and final bracket-play seed to be decided in a 1-game playoff between Jim F’s 1973 Reds and George Adams’ 1946 Tigers.

In the 1-game playoff for the #8 seed in bracket play, George’s Tigers took a 3-0 lead in the top of the 1st. This would be the only runs the Tigers managed to score in the 1-game playoff, losing the game in the bottom of the 9th when Dennis Menke singled home Ken Griffey from 2nd for Menke’s only RBI of the tournament. The ’73 Reds win the 1-game playoff, 4-3 over the ’46 Tigers.

The Bracket-Play results, Quarter-Finals:

Bracket-play began shortly after 4pm. 3 of the 4 quarter-final series went the full 3 games. Only David Jones was able to find a sweep with his #7 seed ’77 Royals surprising the #2 seed ’62 Giants of Leroy Arnoldi.

Leroy Arnoldi’s ’62 Giants succumb to David Jones and his ’77 Royals, 2 games to none.

Kevin Cluff’s #1 seed 2019 Dodgers, needed a Game 3 comeback, trailing 4-2, to win the series 2 games to 1 over Jim Fraasch’s #8 seed ’73 Reds.

Jim F. (’73 Reds) looks on as Kevin Cluff (2019 Dodgers) attempts to ring another “66” from his tiny dice.

In another quarter-final upset, Phil Geraffo and his #6 seed ’98 Braves find a Game 3 victory over defending April champion, Ben Lofgren and his #3 seed 1911 Giants.

Ben Lofgren (1911 Giants) running out of hit & run mojo, losing in 3 games to Phil Geraffo (’98 Braves).

After Jeff Boeding and his #4 seed 1906 Naps dropped game 1 to Dave Norlander and his 1922 Browns, Jeff rallied to win 2-straight to advance to the semi-finals.

Jeff Boeding (1906 Naps) vs Dave Norlander (1922 Browns).

The Bracket-Play results, Semi-Finals:

The semi-finals began after the #2, #3, #5 and #8 seeds were eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Kevin’s #1 seed 2019 Dodgers made it look easy, vs David Jones and his #7 seed 1977 Royals. Kevin wins 2 straight, outscoring the Royals, 23-2 in the 2 games.

David Jones and his ’77 Royals are flushed by Kevin’s 2019 Dodgers in 2 games.

Meanwhile, Jeff Boeding and his upstart 1906 Cleveland Naps sweep Phil Geraffo and his power laden 1998 Braves, 2 games to none. (Missing photos of this semi-final matchup – but we make up for it with the photos from the championship series)

The Bracket-Play results, Championship:

The TCABT-XIV Championship match-up features Kevin Cluff’s #1 seed 2019 Dodgers vs Jeff Boeding’s #4 seed 1906 Naps. Game 1, is won handily by Kevin’s Dodgers, 11-4. Down but not out, Jeff’s Naps rally in game 2 to stay alive, with a thrilling bottom of the 10th, 3-run homer by Nig Clarke (he hit 1 homer in real-life). Game 3, for all the marbles, Jeff’s Naps win another nail-biter, 6-5, with Kevin’s final dice roll a “65” with a runner on base. Game over, Jeff Boeding is our TCABT-XIV Champion. Jeff becomes our first with “legend” status, as his name will now be on both our April and October trophies. Meanwhile, Kevin Cluff still owns the most TCABT championships, with 3, all earned in the April tournament. Congratulations to Jeff for a thrilling tourney win! Congrats to Kevin Cluff on his 2nd place finish!

Kevin Cluff (2019 Dodgers), George Adams (reading play results), Jeff Boeding (1906 Naps).

Jeff vs Kevin with David Jones looking on during championship play.

The final dice roll of TCABT-XIV.

Seed	TCABT-XIV   QUARTER-FINALS	G1	G2	G3	SERIES
1	2019 DODGERS (KEVIN CLUFF)	7	4	7	2
8	1973 REDS (JIM FRAASCH)	2	8	4	1
2	1962 GIANTS (LEROY ARNOLDI)	0	3		0
7	1977 ROYALS (DAVID JONES)	6	4		2
3	1911 GIANTS (BEN LOFGREN)	7	1	3	1
6	1998 BRAVES (PHIL GERAFFO)	2	4	4	2
4	1906 NAPS “INDIANS” (JEFF BOEDING)	2	5	3	2
5	1922 BROWNS (DAVE NORLANDER)	5	3	1	1
Seed	TCABT-XIV   SEMI-FINALS	G1	G2	G3	SERIES
1	2019 DODGERS (KEVIN CLUFF)	7	16		2
7	1977 ROYALS (DAVID JONES)	2	0		0
4	1906 NAPS “INDIANS” (JEFF BOEDING)	3	6		2
6	1998 BRAVES (PHIL GERAFFO)	2	2		0
Seed	TCABT-XIV   CHAMPIONSHIP	G1	G2	G3	SERIES
1	2019 DODGERS (KEVIN CLUFF)	11	6	5	1
4	1906 NAPS “INDIANS” (JEFF BOEDING)	4	7	6	2

All smiles as Jeff Boeding is crowned TCABT-XIV Champion.

Congratulations Jeff!

Our next Twin Cities tournament (TCABT-XV) will be held Saturday, April 10th, 2021 as we play for the 8th April Championship in TCABT history. Same location, The Shakopee Youth Center in Shakopee, MN. The team selection process for TCABT-XV will begin in January. Stay tuned!

Nap Lajoie, 1906 Cleveland Naps

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TCABT-XIV (October 17, 2020): Team Selection …

“Let’s play 2” … Ernie Banks

TCABT-XIV Tournament date is:  Saturday, October 17th, 2020.

TCABT-XIV Tournament site is:

The Shakopee Community Youth Building at Lyons Park

1099 Adams St S

Shakopee, MN 55379

TCABT-XIV: Selected Teams (click on team name for Baseball Reference link) –

1.  1922 BROWNS (DAVE NORLANDER – GRAND RAPIDS, MN)
2.  1977 ROYALS (DAVE JONES – MINNEAPOLIS, MN)
3.  2019 BREWERS (CRAIG CHRISTIAN – EAU CLAIRE, WI)
4.  2004 CARDINALS (ROB SKOGEN – FOREST LAKE, MN)
5.  1949 RED SOX (JIM HALL – OTSEGO, MN)
6.  1906 NAPS – “INDIANS” (JEFF BOEDING – PLATTE CITY, MO)
7.  1973 REDS (JIM FRAASCH – SAVAGE, MN)
8.  1928 ATHLETICS (JERRY JACOBS – FORT MYERS, FL)
9.  2019 DODGERS (KEVIN CLUFF – APPLE VALLEY, MN)
10.  1998 BRAVES (PHIL GERAFFO – SHOREWOOD, MN)
11.  1911 GIANTS (BEN LOFGREN – HAWLEY, MN)
12.  1986 ANGELS (GARTH ANDERSEN – ANDOVER, MN)
13.  2018 DODGERS (PAUL VAN BEEK – WINONA, MN)
14.  1930 ATHLETICS (BRUCE TYLER – ELK RIVER, MN)
15.  2019 YANKEES (DAVE DRUK – BLAINE, MN)
16.  1946 TIGERS (GEORGE ADAMS – LIBERTY, MO)
17.  1962 GIANTS (LEROY ARNOLDI – PRIOR LAKE, MN)

Any MLB team, 1901-2019, minus the following previous 13 TCABT Champions:

1927 Yankees, 1954 Giants, 1902 Pirates, 1937 Yankees, 2011 Rangers, 1930 Cardinals, 1930 Yankees, 1929 Athletics, 2017 Nationals, 1998 Yankees, 1972 Pirates, 1938 Yankees, 2019 Astros.

Team selection for TCABT-XIV will be open thru Friday, September 25th.

Kent Hrbek, rookie year, 1981

TCABT-XIV Tournament date is: Saturday, October 17th, 2020.

TCABT-XIII Results …

TCABT-XIII: 13 entrants (12 pictured) – L to R: Barry Boevers, Ben Lofgren, Leroy Arnoldi, Phil Geraffo (standing directly behind Leroy), Dave Jones, Garth Andersen, Rob Skogen, Jerry Jacobs, Robert Elley (standing directly behind Jerry), Kevin Cluff, Jim Hall, Jim F. – Not pictured is Dave Norlander. The group photo was taken the morning of, before the games started, outside of the Shakopee Community Youth Center.

The Twin Cities APBA Baseball Tournament finally resumed action by holding its belated “April Trophy” tourney on Saturday, August 8th.

Our new tourney site, the Shakopee Community Youth Center, was put to the test. The overwhelming response to the new location, was that this can work for future TCABT events, even with 30+ attendees on hand.

The Shakopee Community Youth Center

A special thanks to Terry and Gary Borthwick, for offering to drive to the new site and take photos as the entrants arrive on site, including taking the group photo. The Borthwick’s are regular tournament entrants, but decided to sit this one out.

Gary Borthwick sneaks in a photo of his wife Terry. Even though both were not playing in this tourney, they took the time to show up early and take a few photos, including the group photo. You can blame her NYC roots for the wearing of the Yankees jersey.

Robert Elley from Longview, TX, takes the “long distance” award for his trek to the Twin Cities. Robert’s wife has a son who works for the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, so the trip allows them a chance to visit. Robert managed the 2017 Astros today.

You could tell by the walk, Ben Lofgren meant business today … 13 wins and 2 losses was the record for his champion 2019 Astros.

Ben, Kevin Cluff (2019 Twins) and Jim F. (1931 Athletics)

Fearless Rob Skogen, and his 1995 Indians, had plans to “reverse the curse” …

Terry, Barry Boevers (1977 Phillies), Garth Andersen (1967 Cardinals) and Ben.

Phil Geraffo (1969 Twins) ready to play “Billy-ball” …

Leroy Arnoldi (1936 Yankees) arrives for his shot at April immortality.

The man behind the mask, TCABT first-timer, Jim Hall (1985 Expos).

Gag prop of the day … Robert Elley came prepared, for both his 2017 Astros and Ben Lofgren’s 2019 Astros. The garbage can fitted with the Houston Astros logo, a miniature baseball bat and 2 dice, with only “6’s” on each side.

DIVISION PLAY RESULTS:

	TCABT-XIII
	Saturday, August 8th, 2020
	LEFT FIELD DIVISION	W	L	R	OR	RDIFF
1	1910 ATHLETICS (DAVE NORLANDER)	7	1	46	29	17
5	2019 TWINS (KEVIN CLUFF)	6	2	54	45	9
7	1928 ATHLETICS (JERRY JACOBS)	4	4	36	30	6
	1969 TWINS (PHIL GERAFFO)	3	5	24	39	-15
	1995 INDIANS (ROB SKOGEN)	0	8	35	52	-17
	TOTALS	20	20	195	195	0
	CENTER FIELD DIVISION	W	L	R	OR	RDIFF
3	1977 PHILLIES (BARRY BOEVERS)	6	3	48	34	14
6	2017 ASTROS (ROBERT ELLEY)	6	3	59	49	10
	1976 REDS (DAVE JONES)	4	5	36	51	-15
	1931 ATHLETICS (JIM FRAASCH)	2	7	40	49	-9
	TOTALS	18	18	183	183	0
	RIGHT FIELD DIVISION	W	L	R	OR	RDIFF
2	2019 ASTROS (BEN LOFGREN)	7	2	42	30	12
4	1936 YANKEES (LEROY ARNOLDI)	7	2	50	18	32
8	1967 CARDINALS (GARTH ANDERSEN)	4	5	29	35	-6
	1985 EXPOS (JIM HALL)	0	9	19	57	-38
	TOTALS	18	18	140	140	0

Jim F. accepting a “bribe” payment from Leroy Arnoldi before play begins, as Phil Geraffo and Jerry Jacobs look on …

The division races were tight, especially between the top 2 teams in each division.

In the Left Field Division, Dave Norlander’s 1 loss was to Kevin Cluff’s 2019 Twins. Kevin Cluff finished 6-2 with the potent 2019 Twins lineup, and entered bracket play with their 2nd place finish as the #5 seed. Finishing 3rd, and qualifying for bracket play, was Jerry Jacob’s 1928 Athletics. He went 4-4 in division play, winning his first 2, losing his middle 4 then winning his final 2 to qualify. In what seemed to be a theme for those powerful late 20’s/early 30’s A’s teams today, Jerry saw his ’28 Jimmie Foxx and Al Simmons go a combined 9 for 80 with 1 double and 1 triple. Phil Geraffo’s 1969 Twins started out the day with a 3-1 record. But losses in the final 4 games spelled doom for Phil and his Twins, finishing with a 3-5 record.

Meanwhile, Rob Skogen’s ’95 Indians lost 4 games by 1 run each, in going 0-8. For the record, this is the 2nd time Rob has brought the ’95 Indians to a TCABT tourney. Each time, they have gone 0-8 for Rob. In all, the ’95 Indians have been entered in our tournament, 9 times. They have gone 0-16 when Rob manages them, and 36-34 when other skippers have been at the helm. They have made bracket play 3 of the 9 times they have been entered. Rob Skogen’s overall TCABT W-L record when he does not bring the ’95 Indians, is 51-49. Will Rob try a 3rd time with these ’95 Indians? We all hope so …

Say-hey, it is tourney day!! Pictured are Leroy, Jerry Jacobs and Garth Anderson.

In the Center Field Division, it was a day of sweeping, or getting swept, with only 2 of the series in the division not seeing sweeps. In an opening series, the battle of Philly, went to my ’31 A’s, 2 games to 1, over Barry Boevers’ 1977 Phillies, the eventual Center Field Division champs. It would be Fraasch’s ’31 A’s last wins of the day. Jim’s A’s dropped the next 6 games, getting swept by Dave Jones’ 1976 Reds and the Robert Elley’s 2017 Astros. ’31 Lefty Grove (A&C-YZ) finished the day 1-2 with a team worst 6.48 ERA. Meanwhile, the sure-fire slugger tandem of ’31 Jimmie Foxx and Al Simmons, went a combined 11 for 62, with 1 homer, 2 triples and 3 doubles and 7 RBI combined. Barry and his ’77 Phils, after starting the day 1-2, then swept the 3-0 ’17 Astros to move into first place with a 4-2 record. They would then take 2 of 3 from Dave Jones’ 1976 Reds, to finish 6-3. The 2017 Astros, led by Robert Elley, started out with a 3-0 sweep of the ’76 Reds, then getting swept by the ’77 Phils, before finishing the day with a 3-0 sweep of the ’31 A’s. The ’77 Phillies and 2017 Astros tied with 6-3 records, but Barry and his ’77 Phils won the head-to-head tie-breaker with their sweep of the Astros. Dave Jones ’76 Reds, after starting 0-3, looked to get back into contention with their 3-0 sweep of the ’31 A’s, only to lose 2 of 3 in the last series to the ’77 Phils.

Barry Boevers (’77 Phils) before the full gang arrives …

In the Right Field Division, it was a battle of the haves, and the have-nots. The front-running 2019 Astros managed by Ben Lofgren and the powerful 1936 Yankees led by Leroy Arnoldi, opened up division play with their 3 game series. Ben’s Astros set the tone early, with a 5-1 win in game 1, and after falling 4-0 in game 2, the Astros won division game 3, 7-5. This 2nd loss by the ’36 Yanks would be Leroy’s final loss in division play, as he won his final 6 games to finish 7-2. Somehow, Leroy’s “C-grade” laden rotation, pitched 4 shut-outs. The staff gave up just 18 runs in 9 games. Not to be outdone, Ben’s 2019 Astros took another 2 of 3 series, from Garth Andersen’s 1967 Cardinals, losing only game 3 by a 2-1 score. The Astros were only able to outscore the “light-hitting” ’67 Cardinals, 10-8 in their 3 game series. Needing to gain 3 wins in his final series of the day, Ben wasted no time in taking down Jim Hall and his darkhorse, 1985 Expos, in 3 games. Scores of 12-8, 5-3 and 3-1, show that the last 2 games were very close for Jim Hall, looking for his first win in tourney play. It was not to be, as the 1985 Expos finished 0-9 on the day. This is the first time in TCABT history, where we had 2 teams finish win-less in the same tourney. Garth Andersen and his ’67 Cardinals, hung tough all day, finishing 1-game under .500 in a tough division. With a 4-5 record, they were good enough to take the #8 seed as a wild-card, entering bracket-play. Andersen’s ’67 Cards swept Hall’s ’85 Expos in the opening series, and thru their first 6 games, were standing at 4-2. But 2 shutouts hurled by Leroy’s ’36 Yankee staff, were part of the 3-game sweep of the ’67 Cards in the final series of the day. Thanks to Ben’s 2019 Astros winning the opening 3-game series over Leroy’s 1936 Yankees, the 2019 Astros took 1st in the RF Division. Leroy became the #4 seed in bracket play, finishing 2nd in the RF Division.

Dave Jones (’76 Reds) and Jim Hall (’85 Expos) checking out the view, before play begins …

BRACKET PLAY RESULTS:

Seed	QUARTER-FINALS	G1	G2	G3	SERIES
1	1910 ATHLETICS (DAVE NORLANDER)	4	6		2
	vs
8	1967 CARDINALS (GARTH ANDERSEN)	0	1		0
2	2019 ASTROS (BEN LOFGREN)	8	5		2
	vs
7	1928 ATHLETICS (JERRY JACOBS)	5	3		0
3	1977 PHILLIES (BARRY BOEVERS)	13	8		2
	vs
6	2017 ASTROS (ROBERT ELLEY)	3	6		0
4	1936 YANKEES (LEROY ARNOLDI)	5	13		2
	vs
5	2019 TWINS (KEVIN CLUFF)	4	6		0
Seed	SEMI-FINALS	G1	G2	G3	SERIES
1	1910 ATHLETICS (DAVE NORLANDER)	7	15	11	2
	vs
4	1936 YANKEES (LEROY ARNOLDI)	8	3	3	1
2	2019 ASTROS (BEN LOFGREN)	6	6		2
	vs
3	1977 PHILLIES (BARRY BOEVERS)	1	3		0
Seed	CHAMPIONSHIP	G1	G2	G3	SERIES
1	1910 ATHLETICS (DAVE NORLANDER)	5	4		0
	vs
2	2019 ASTROS (BEN LOFGREN)	10	6		2

With only 1 bracket series going the full 3-games, we were finished in record time, 6pm.

With only 1 of the bracket-play series going the full 3 games, it was a quick finish to TCABT-XIII. We were finished by 6:00pm Saturday. Ben Lofgren and his 2019 Astros breezed through bracket play with a perfect 6-0 record, to gain the April Trophy, Ben’s first championship in TCABT play. Ben’s road to the championship started with a 2-game sweep of Jerry Jacob’s ’28 A’s in the Quarter-finals. Then another 2-game sweep of Barry Boever’s ’77 Phillies in the Semi-finals.

Barry Boevers (’77 Phillies) battle Ben Lofgren (2019 Astros) in one Semi-final …

Meanwhile, last October’s tourney champion, Dave Norlander and his 1910 A’s took care of Garth Andersen and his 1967 Cardinals in the Quarter-finals, 2 games to none, giving up just 1 run in those 2 games. Dave then advanced to the championship series with a 2-1 series win over Leroy’s battling ’36 Yanks, scoring 26 runs in the series final 2 games. This was the only series to go the full 3 games in bracket play.

Dave Norlander (1910 A’s) vs Leroy Arnoldi (1936 Yankees) in the other Semi-final, the only bracket series to go the full 3 games … note, you need to look closely to see Leroy’s clear full-face shield … this seemed to help muffle Leroy’s “BANG! goes the DYNAMITE!” call …

Kevin with front row seats as Leroy (with an icy glare off his face shield) battles Dave …

The TCABT-XIII Championship was between Ben’s 2019 Astros and Dave’s 1910 Athletics. A nice match-up of “new” vs “old”. Power won out, as Ben’s 2019 Astros proved to be no match for the pesky 1910 A’s. The poor fielding of the 1910 A’s, was one culprit, but the relentless hitting of the 2019 Astros never slowed down. The 2019 Astros 6 wins with no defeats through bracket play, they outscored their opponents, 41-21. The 2019 Astros hit 37 homers in their 15 games rolled for the day.

Dave Norlander (1910 A’s) and Ben Lofgren (2019 Astros) battle for the championship as Jim F. observes …

A BIG congratulations to Ben Lofgren on his first TCABT Championship!!! Ben is looking forward to his younger brother, Beau Lofgren, to return to TCABT action in the coming tournaments. Due to scheduling conflicts, Beau has had to unfortunately miss the last few tourneys. The rivalry is just heating up, as Beau will be looking to match championships with brother Ben …

Dave still thinking about a potential TCABT “1st”, to become the 1st with “Legend” status in TCABT, which is getting your name on both the April and October trophies. Dave won last October’s trophy with the ’38 Yankees. Ben feeling content, if not confident, he might end up with his first TCABT Championship …

By 6pm, we had our TCABT-XIII Champion crowned … CONGRATS!!! to Ben Lofgren on left, with runner-up, Dave Norlander on right. Note the “TIN” garbage can in front of Ben … ironically, this was a pre-tournament “gag” gift to Ben from none other than Dave Norlander …

High point of my day, win or lose (more losses than wins) is posing with the tournament champion, Ben Lofgren. Incredible day for Ben going 13-2 on the day. Here’s to the next championship …

The upcoming TCABT-XIV (October Trophy) will be held Saturday, October 17th. The location will be the same, the Shakopee Youth Center in Shakopee, MN. Meanwhile, for TCABT-XV, Spring of 2021, date is TBD.

TCABT-XIV: Saturday, October 17th

TCABT-XV: Saturday, March 27th

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A follow-up to the new Tink Larson Community Field, Waseca, MN

Current day view of the rebuilt Tink Larson Community Field

The new Tink Larson Community Field opened for the first time back in 2018, after the original Waseca Community Field, built in 1939 as part of the WPA effort, burned down in 2016.

The photo below, depicts the original Waseca Community Field (later named after Tink Larson, who still manages and manicures the ballpark).

Early sky view of Waseca Community Field, during the 1940’s.

From the following photo, you can see the same house still standing, which puts it across the street on the west side, the 1st base side.

From 3rd base side, see same white home, and smaller home to the left of the white home across the street from the ballpark.

My goal was to catch the townball team (Waseca Braves) game being played here during the summer of 2020, but with the pandemic putting a stop to public gatherings for the time being, I will have to make another stop in Waseca during the summer of 2021.

My uncle, Jack Thornby (my mom’s oldest brother) played for the Waseca Braves in the late 1940’s and into the 1950’s. He played baseball for the Minnesota Gopher baseball team, with Dick Siebert as his manager. When home for the summer, he played for the Waseca Braves.

1947 Waseca Braves baseball team Team of Southern Minny League; shown are 11 men, Front row left to right: Harold “Hal” Younghans; Bob Wichello; Dick Rediske; Pete Kramer; Ronald Kelly. Standing left to right: Bill Foster; Jack Thornby; Arleigh Kraupa; Chick Gray; Harry Anderson; Bill Severin.

My mother would have seen several of Jack’s games, however, I had not asked her much about the games before she passed away in 2014. My dad indicated that when he would watch the team play during the 1950’s after he met my mom, the player who stood out was Arleigh Kraupa, the star pitcher on the team. He is standing, 3rd from left with glasses on, next to my uncle Jack (who is standing, 2nd from left).

Arleigh Kraupa is pictured below in a photo taken approx. circa 1948, with another player, Gene Farrell.

Gene Farrell (L) and Arleigh Kraupa (R), circa approx 1948.

The new rendition of Tink Larson Community Field was built with many thanks to the hundreds of donors who are listed on the donor wall on the new grandstand. The Minnesota Twins donated $100,000. Tink Larson, who lives nearby, continues to manage and manicure the field.

Donor Wall

View from CF with the light standard shadow

View of LF from 1st base side of grandstand

CF Scoreboard, noting state championships for the 1957 Waseca Braves townball team and the 1990 Waseca Bluejays high school team.

Grandstand view of CF

Game in play at the original Waseca Community Field

The same view today

Tink Larson talks Waseca Baseball and what the ballpark has meant to him over the years

SBMBL thru 10 games …

Newark Eagles’ dugout, circa 1940’s

100 of the 380 total regular season games have been rolled in my 20-team Negro League Baseball project, the Sherwood Brewer Memorial Baseball League.  Each team has played 10 games.

SBMBL Standings thru 10 games:

Upcoming Schedule (Round 6, Series #51-60):

GAMES 11-12
1910 CHICAGO (6-4) VS 1931 HOMESTEAD (10-0)
1913 NEW YORK (8-2) VS 1948 BIRMINGHAM (6-4)
1916 INDIANAPOLIS (5-5) VS 1927 CHICAGO (6-4)
1917 CHICAGO (4-6) VS 1938 HOMESTEAD (1-9)
1921 CHICAGO (3-7) VS 1946 NEWARK (6-4)
1924 KANSAS CITY (5-5) VS 1933 CHICAGO (5-5)
1925 HILLDALE (7-3) VS 1930 ST. LOUIS (7-3)
1926 ATLANTIC CITY (4-6) VS 1945 CLEVELAND (5-5)
1929 BALTIMORE (2-8) VS 1942 KANSAS CITY (4-6)
1935 PITTSBURGH (4-6) VS 1943 BIRMINGHAM (2-8)

The 1931 Homestead Grays have made a mark for themselves, 10 games into my Negro League Baseball project, by going a perfect 10-0.

The ’31 Grays are batting .301 as a team, good for 3rd in the league, behind the ’30 Stars (.315) and the ’13 Lincoln Giants (.308).  The ’31 Grays Jud Wilson leads the league with a .531 batting average.  The ’31 Grays Oscar Charleston leads the league in runs scored with 15.  ’31 Grays, Josh Gibson, leads the league with 16 RBI.  On the pitching side, the ’31 Grays team ERA of 3.16 is 4th best in the league.  ’31 Grays, Lefty Williams, is 4-0 with a 1.66 ERA.

While the ’31 Grays are king of the hill, the ’38 Grays are at the bottom of the heap, with a 1-9 record.  Their 1 win, coming in a 9-0 thumping of the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons in game 5 of the season, after starting out 0-4.  The ’38 Grays have lost 5, 1-run games, including 3 of their last 4.  The last game they lost in extra innings after leading the entire game thru 8-1/2 innings.  While Josh Gibson has torn up the league for the ’31 Grays, he has slumped big time for the ’38 Grays, batting just .212 with 3 homers and 5 RBI.  2 of his 3 homers came in the 10th game, the 4-3 extra inning loss.

Bingo DeMoss, 1917 Chicago American Giants, leads the league with 11 stolen bases.

SBMBL Batting Leaders thru 10 games:

Lefty Williams, 1931 Homestead Grays, leads the league with a 1.66 ERA in 4 starts.

SBMBL Pitching Leaders thru 10 games:

Oscar “Heavy” Johnson, 1924 Kansas City Monarchs

Highlight Games and Performances last 20 games rolled (team record in parenthesis are after result of game played):

• Games #82:  1942 KC Monarchs (4-6) vs 1910 CHI Leland Giants (6-4).  Ted Strong, ’42 Monarchs, hits his first 2 homers of the season, in a losing cause to the ’10 Leland Giants. Strong finished the game 3 for 4, with 4 RBI. Frank Wickware, ’10 Leland Giants goes to 4-0 on the season with a 2.77 ERA.
• Games #83 and #84: 1913 NY Lincoln Giants (8-2) vs 1930 STL Stars (7-3). The ’13 Lincoln Giants sneak a sweep from the ’30 Stars with a 2-1 win in game 1, and a 7-5 win in game 2. The ’30 Stars have now lost 3 straight after starting the season, 7-0. They are in a tie for 3rd place. Meanwhile the ’13 Lincoln Giants move all alone into 2nd place, with an 8-2 record, and a 6-game winning streak.
• Game #85: 1933 CHI American Giants (4-5) vs 1916 IND ABC’s (5-4). In an all-out slug-fest, the ’33 CAG jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the top of the 1st inning. The ’16 ABC’s battled back, scoring in every inning except the 4th and the 6th, leading to a 13-10 win over ’33 CAG. Bingo DeMoss goes 4 for 4 for the ’16 ABC’s.
• Games #87 and #88: 1917 CHI American Giants (4-6) vs 1946 NEW Eagles (6-4). First game of this series, the ’46 Eagles scored more runs in 1 game than any other team through the first 100 games. Newark scored 7 runs in back-to-back 7th and 8th innings, winning the first game of the series, 20-3. Larry Doby hit for the cycle, going 4 for 6 with 4 runs scored and 4 RBI. Jimmy Wilkes went 5 for 6 and Pat Patterson went 4 for 6. In game 2 of the series, Dick Redding got the ’17 CAG back on track giving up just 4 hits and 1 run, in a 7-1 win.
• Game #89: 1921 CHI American Giants (3-6) vs 1945 CLE Buckeyes (4-5). John Brown for the ’45 Buckeyes twirls a 3-hit shutout of the ’21 CAG. Cleveland wins 4-0.
• Games #95 and #96: 1931 HOM Grays (10-0) vs 1926 AC Bacharach Giants (4-6). The undefeated ’31 Grays needed extra innings in both games to maintain their perfect 10-0 record. Game 1, the ’26 Bacharach Giants scored 3 in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game at 5-5. The ’31 Grays pushed across a run in the top of the 10th, winning game 1, 6-5. Game 2, the ’31 Grays score 2 in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game 3-3, and score 1 in the bottom of the 11th to win game 2, 4-3.
• Games #97 and #98: 1927 CHI American Giants (6-4) vs 1938 HOM Grays (1-9). In game 2 of this series, the ’38 Grays looked to be headed for their 2nd victory of the season, with a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 8th. The ’27 CAG scored single runs in each the 8th, 9th and 10th innings to eek out a 4-3, 10 inning win in game 2. Josh Gibson, who has been struggling for the ’38 Grays, finally has a stand-out game, going 2 for 4 with 2 homers and all 3 of the Grays RBI in the loss. As you can tell by the ’38 Grays record, it has been that kind of a season. While their ’31 counterparts are in 1st place with a 10-0 record, the ’38 Grays are now alone in last place with a 1-9 record. They are too good of a hitting team to be in dead last. My guess is they are going to rebound for some big wins as the season plays on.
• Game #99: 1943 BIR Black Barons (2-7) vs 1929 BAL Black Sox (1-8). In an epic battle, as the ’29 Black Sox attempt to win their first game of the season, 9 games in, by the 4th inning, the score was already 7-6 in favor of the ’43 Black Barons. Script Lee had already been knocked out of the game through 2 IP for Baltimore. Bun Hayes came in relief of Lee for Baltimore in the 3rd inning and pitched 12 shut-out innings for the Black Sox, in earning a well deserved, 14 inning, 8-7 win over the ’43 Black Barons. Bun Hayes also went 5 for 6 with 5 singles including the game winning single in the bottom of the 14th. John Huber for the ’43 Black Barons pitched 7.1 innings of shut-out relief before giving up the losing run in the 14th. The ’29 Black Sox would make it a sweep in game 2 of the series, getting to 2-8 on the season, and out of last place.

Appendix of games rolled:

Last 20 games (Game #81 thru #100)

Series #41-50 (Games 9 and 10 for each team):

Series #41

1942 KC MONARCHS 9, 1910 CHI LELAND GIANTS 6

1910 CHI LELAND GIANTS 8, 1942 KC MONARCHS 5

Series #42

1913 NY LINCOLN GIANTS 2, 1930 STL STARS 1

1913 NY LINCOLN GIANTS 7, 1930 STL STARS 5

Series #43

1916 IND ABC’s 13, 1933 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 10

1933 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 7, 1916 IND ABC’s 2

Series #44

1946 NEW EAGLES 20, 1917 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 3

1917 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 7, 1946 NEW EAGLES 1

Series #45

1945 CLE BUCKEYES 4, 1921 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 0

1945 CLE BUCKEYES 6, 1921 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 2

Series #46

1948 BIR BLACK BARONS 4, 1924 KC MONARCHS 3

1924 KC MONARCHS 5, 1948 BIR BLACK BARONS 4

Series #47

1925 HIL DAISIES 5, 1935 PIT CRAWFORDS 1

1925 HIL DAISIES 6, 1935 PIT CRAWFORDS 4

Series #48

1931 HOM GRAYS 6, 1926 AC BACHARACH GIANTS 5

1931 HOM GRAYS 4, 1926 AC BACHARACH GIANTS 3

Series #49

1927 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 10, 1938 HOM GRAYS 5

1927 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 4, 1938 HOM GRAYS 3

Series #50

1929 BAL BLACK SOX 8, 1943 BIR BLACK BARONS 7

1929 BAL BLACK SOX 4, 1943 BIR BLACK BARONS 3

Previous posts on this project:

• SBMBL Introduction
• SBMBL thru 8 games

Visit the Negro League Museum in Kansas City

SBMBL thru 8 games …

Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Alabama – Home of the Birmingham Black Barons

The first 80 of 380 total regular season games have been rolled in my 20-team Negro League Baseball project, the Sherwood Brewer Memorial Baseball League.  Each team has played 8 games.

SBMBL Standings thru 8 games:

Upcoming Schedule (Round 5, Series #41-50):

GAMES 9-10
1910 CHICAGO VS 1942 KANSAS CITY
1913 NEW YORK VS 1930 ST. LOUIS
1916 INDIANAPOLIS VS 1933 CHICAGO
1917 CHICAGO VS 1946 NEWARK
1921 CHICAGO VS 1945 CLEVELAND
1924 KANSAS CITY VS 1948 BIRMINGHAM
1925 HILLDALE VS 1935 PITTSBURGH
1926 ATLANTIC CITY VS 1931 HOMESTEAD
1927 CHICAGO VS 1938 HOMESTEAD
1929 BALTIMORE VS 1943 BIRMINGHAM

A few things stand out thus far.  Stolen Bases are aplenty.  292 SB have been piled up in the first 80 games.  The 1916 Indianapolis ABC’s have 30 SB in their first 8 games.  There have been an abundance of triples hit as well, 92.  Meanwhile, the overall stats of the league are relatively “normal”.  The league batting average stands at .258.  The league ERA is 4.30.  There have been 100 homers hit, in 80 games, along with 239 doubles.  2 teams have yet to hit a single homer (the 1917 Chicago American Giants and the 1926 Atlantic City Bacharach Giants).  Meanwhile, the 1930 St. Louis Stars have 19 home-run clouts in their 8 games played.

Mule Suttles, 1930 St. Louis Stars and 1933 Chicago American Giants

A note on Mule Suttles, as he plays for 2 teams in this project.  For the 1930 STL Stars, Mule Suttles is batting .429 with 7 homers and 12 RBI, having played in 7 of the 8 games for STL.  For the 1933 CAG, Mule is batting .286 with 6 homers and 10 RBI in 8 games played.  While his numbers will surely calm down, it has been an amazing start of the project for Mule on 2 different teams.

Josh Gibson is playing for 3 teams:  the 1931 HOM Grays, the 1935 PIT Crawfords and the 1938 HOM Grays.  For the ’31 Grays, Gibson is batting .469 with 3 homers and 16 RBI in 8 games.  For the ’35 Crawfords, Josh is batting .385 with 3 homers and 12 RBI in 8 games.  However, for the struggling ’38 Grays, Gibson is batting just .160 with 1 homer and 2 RBI.

It is early, and while Mule’s numbers will fall off a bit, I would not be surprised to see Josh begin to pick up the slack for the struggling ’38 Grays as they look to get into the playoff chase.

8 of the 20 teams will advance to the playoffs.

SBMBL Batting Leaders thru 8 games:

 

Satchel Paige, 1942 Kansas City Monarchs

SBMBL Pitching Leaders thru 8 games:

 

Josh Gibson, 1931 and 1938 Homestead Grays, 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords

Highlight Games and Performances thru first 80 games rolled (records in parens are after result of game played):

• Game #21:  1913 NY Lincoln Giants (2-1) at 1910 CHI Leland Giants (2-1).  The ’10 Lelands score 6 in the bottom of the 8th to pull out a 10-7 win over NY.  Doc Wiley for NY went 3 for 3 with a double and 2 homers and 6 RBI.
• Game #25:  1948 BIR Black Barons (1-2) at 1917 CHI American Giants (0-3).  Willie Mays homers in an 8-1 win for Birmingham over Chicago.
• Game #26:  1917 CHI American Giants (0-4) at 1948 BIR Black Barons (2-2).  Willie Mays’ sac-fly in bottom of the 8th enables Barons to pull out a 2-1 win in 2-game sweep of the ’17 CAG.
• Game #27:  1921 CHI American Giants (1-2) at 1943 BIR Black Barons (0-3).  Jim Brown, catcher for the ’21 CAG, goes 4 for 4 and is batting .727 thru the first 3 games of the season.  ’21 CAG wins the game, 5-2 with Brown having 4 of the 5 RBI.
• Game #28:  1943 BIR Black Barons (0-4) at 1921 CHI American Giants (2-2).  ’21 CAG scores a run in the bottom of the 10th to steal game 2 and a sweep of the series, 1-0.  Dave Brown pitches the 10-inning shut-out masterpiece.
• Game #29:  1929 BAL Black Sox (0-3) at 1924 KC Monarchs (2-1).  Baltimore’s Rap Dixon crosses the plate for 4 runs in a losing cause, as the ’24 Monarchs defeat the ’29 Black Sox, 9-8.
• Game #31:  1925 HIL Daisies (2-1) at 1926 AC Bacharach Giants (1-2).  ’26 AC scores 4 in the bottom of the 9th to upset the 2-0 ’25 Daisies, 8-7.  Rats Henderson pitches the 11-inning shut-out for AC.
• Game #32:  1926 AC Bacharach Giants (2-2) at 1925 HIL Daisies (2-2).  ’26 AC breaks a scoreless tie in the top of the 11th to pull out a 1-0 win and a 2-game sweep of the favored ’25 Daisies.
• Game #39:  1942 KC Monarchs (0-3) at 1945 CLE Buckeyes (3-0).  The ’45 Buckeyes score 2 in the bottom of the 9th, winning 6-5, to remain undefeated thru 3 games, meanwhile, the ’42 Monarchs drop to 0-3.
• Game $40:  1945 CLE Buckeyes (1-3) at 1942 KC Monarchs.  In the longest game of the project thus far, the ’42 Monarchs score the winning run in the bottom of the 14th, to win the game 2-1 in getting their first victory.  Cleveland loses for the first time.  Both pitchers go the distance, as Satchel Paige gets his first win.
• Game #43:  1913 NY Lincoln Giants (3-2) at 1929 BAL Black Sox (0-5).  NY wins 15-4.  NY had 27 hits, including 4 players who had 5 hits each.  15 hits from the first 3 hitters in the batting order (Poles/G Johnson/J Lloyd).
• Game #46:  1916 IND ABC’s (4-2) at 1930 STL Stars (6-0).  STL wins 16-1.  The ’30 Stars had 23 hits, including 4 players who had 4 hits each.  John Russell for STL hit for the cycle, going 4 for 5.
• Game #48:  1933 CHI American Giants (2-4) at 1917 CHI American Giants (1-5).  ’17 CAG wins 8-7 for their first win of the season.  They score 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th to take the 8-7 lead and hold on for the win.
• Game #56:  1946 NEW Eagles (3-3) at 1927 CHI American Giants (4-2).  ’27 CAG scores 12 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning, winning the game 13-5.
• Game #70:  1921 CHI American Giants (3-5) at 1931 HOM Grays (8-0).  ’31 Homestead wins easily as Josh Gibson hits for the cycle.  Thru his first 8 games of the season, ’31 Gibson has 16 RBI.  The ’31 Grays are the only remaining unbeaten team thru 8 games.
• Game #72:  1930 STL Stars (7-1) at 1924 KC Monarchs (4-4).  After starting the season 7-0, the ’30 Stars lose their first game, 7-2 to KC.
• Game #74:  1929 BAL Black Sox (0-8) at 1925 HIL Daisies (5-3).  ’29 Black Sox lose their 8th straight to open the season, 0-8, with a 5-1 loss to ’25 Hilldale.
• Games #77 and #78:  1933 CHI American Giants (4-4) vs 1938 HOM Grays (1-7).  The ’38 Grays and their powerful lineup continues to struggle, dropping to 1-7 and sitting in 19th in the standings.  These last 2 losses sums up their season thus far.  Game 1 was a 3-2 loss to ’33 CAG after giving up 2 runs in the top of the 9th.  In Game 2, The Grays lose in the bottom of the 10th, after tying the game with 2 runs in the top of the 9th.  ’38 Josh Gibson is batting just .160 on the season, hitting his first homer in game #8, as well as his first 2 RBI also in game #8.  If the ’38 Grays expect to get back in the race for the 8 playoff spots, they will need Josh Gibson to get hot.

Stars Park (Hyde Park) in St. Louis at the northeast corner of Compton and Market streets.

The ballpark hosted Negro League Baseball until the Stars disbanded following the 1931 season.  The field (minus the stands) still stands today as part of Harris-Stowe’s University in St. Louis, shown here in the lower-right quadrant.

Appendix of games rolled:

Below, you can click on the score of each game, to see the box score.  80 games have been rolled, there are 80 box scores below.  For upcoming posts on this project, I expect to do them every 20 games rolled (2 per team).  The following updates will contain 20 new box scores each post.

Series #1-10 (Games 1 and 2):

Series #1

1910 CHI LELAND GIANTS 6, 1924 KC MONARCHS 2

1924 KC MONARCHS 7, 1910 CHI LELAND GIANTS 4

Series #2

1913 NY LINCOLN GIANTS 4, 1926 AC BACHARACH GIANTS 0

1913 NY LINCOLN GIANTS 8, 1926 AC BACHARACH GIANTS 3

Series #3

1916 IND ABC’s 2, 1929 BAL BLACK SOX 0

1916 IND ABC’s 6, 1929 BAL BLACK SOX 4

Series #4

1930 STL STARS 12, 1917 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 1

1930 STL STARS 4, 1917 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 3

Series #5

1925 HIL DAISIES 7, 1921 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 2

1925 HIL DAISIES 7, 1921 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 4

Series #6

1927 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 4, 1948 BIR BLACK BARONS 2

1927 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 6, 1948 BIR BLACK BARONS 4

Series #7

1931 HOM GRAYS 6, 1942 KC MONARCHS 2

1931 HOM GRAYS 9, 1942 KC MONARCHS 8

Series #8

1946 NEW EAGLES 5, 1933 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 3

1946 NEW EAGLES 7, 1933 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 5

Series #9

1935 PIT CRAWFORDS 4, 1938 HOM GRAYS 2

1935 PIT CRAWFORDS 8, 1938 HOM GRAYS 7

Series #10

1945 CLE BUCKEYES 6, 1943 BIR BLACK BARONS 2

1945 CLE BUCKEYES 10, 1943 BIR BLACK BARONS 5

 

Series #11-20 (Games 3 and 4):

Series #11

1910 CHI LELAND GIANTS 10, 1913 NY LINCOLN GIANTS 7

1910 CHI LELAND GIANTS 3, 1913 NY LINCOLN GIANTS 2

Series #12

1916 IND ABC’s 11, 1935 PIT CRAWFORDS 6

1916 IND ABC’s 8, 1935 PIT CRAWFORDS 7

Series #13

1948 BIR BLACK BARONS 8, 1917 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 1

1948 BIR BLACK BARONS 2, 1917 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 1

Series #14

1921 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 5, 1943 BIR BLACK BARONS 2

1921 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 1, 1943 BIR BLACK BARONS 0

Series #15

1924 KC MONARCHS 9, 1929 BAL BLACK SOX 8

1924 KC MONARCHS 12, 1929 BAL BLACK SOX 2

Series #16

1926 AC BACHARACH GIANTS 8, 1925 HIL DAISIES 7

1926 AC BACHARACH GIANTS 1, 1925 HIL DAISIES 0

Series #17

1933 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 4, 1927 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 2

1927 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 4, 1933 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 1

Series #18

1930 STL STARS 10, 1938 HOM GRAYS 5

1930 STL STARS 5, 1938 HOM GRAYS 4

Series #19

1931 HOM GRAYS 6, 1946 NEW EAGLES 4

1931 HOM GRAYS 8, 1946 NEW EAGLES 1

Series #20

1945 CLE BUCKEYES 6, 1942 KC MONARCHS 5

1942 KC MONARCHS 2, 1945 CLE BUCKEYES 1

 

Series #21-30 (Games 5 and 6):

Series #21

1925 HIL DAISIES 5, 1910 CHI LELAND GIANTS 2

1910 CHI LELAND GIANTS 6, 1925 HIL DAISIES 2

Series #22

1913 NY LINCOLN GIANTS 15, 1929 BAL BLACK SOX 4

1913 NY LINCOLN GIANTS 8, 1935 PIT CRAWFORDS 3

Series #23

1930 STL STARS 11, 1916 IND ABC’s 5

1930 STL STARS 16, 1916 IND ABC’s 1

Series #24

1933 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 5, 1917 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 4

1917 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 8, 1933 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 7

Series #25

1942 KC MONARCHS 5, 1921 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 3

1921 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 4, 1942 KC MONARCHS 3

Series #26

1935 PIT CRAWFORDS 9, 1924 KC MONARCHS 6

1935 PIT CRAWFORDS 9, 1924 KC MONARCHS 5

Series #27

1943 BIR BLACK BARONS 3, 1926 AC BACHARACH GIANTS 1

1926 AC BACHARACH GIANTS 4, 1943 BIR BLACK BARONS 3

Series #28

1946 NEW EAGLES 3, 1927 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 1

1927 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 13, 1946 NEW EAGLES 5

Series #29

1931 HOM GRAYS 7, 1945 CLE BUCKEYES 4

1931 HOM GRAYS 9, 1945 CLE BUCKEYES 4

Series #30

1938 HOM GRAYS 9, 1948 BIR BLACK BARONS 0

1948 BIR BLACK BARONS 13, 1938 HOM GRAYS 7

 

Series #31-40 (Games 7 and 8):

Series #31

1910 CHI LELAND GIANTS 8, 1943 BIR BLACK BARONS 3

1943 BIR BLACK BARONS 2, 1910 CHI LELAND GIANTS 1

Series #32

1913 NY LINCOLN GIANTS 3, 1935 PIT CRAWFORDS 2

1913 NY LINCOLN GIANTS 8, 1935 PIT CRAWFORDS 3

Series #33

1948 BIR BLACK BARONS 2, 1916 IND ABC’s 1

1948 BIR BLACK BARONS 7, 1916 IND ABC’s 5

Series #34

1917 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 3, 1927 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 2

1917 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 4, 1927 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 1

Series #35

1931 HOM GRAYS 5, 1921 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 2

1931 HOM GRAYS 11, 1921 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 4

Series #36

1930 STL STARS 2, 1924 KC MONARCHS 1

1924 KC MONARCHS 7, 1930 STL STARS 2

Series #37

1925 HIL DAISIES 3, 1929 BAL BLACK SOX 2

1925 HIL DAISIES 5, 1929 BAL BLACK SOX 1

Series #38

1926 AC BACHARACH GIANTS 2, 1942 KC MONARCHS 0

1942 KC MONARCHS 1, 1926 AC BACHARACH GIANTS 0

Series #39

1933 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 3, 1938 HOM GRAYS 2

1933 CHI AMERICAN GIANTS 5, 1938 HOM GRAYS 4

Series #40

1946 NEW EAGLES 4, 1945 CLE BUCKEYES 2

1946 NEW EAGLES 4, 1945 CLE BUCKEYES 3

Previous posts on this project:

• SBMBL Introduction

 

 

Visit the Negro League Museum in Kansas City

 

 

 

 

Sherwood Brewer Memorial Baseball League …

My fascination with Negro League Baseball began somewhere around the mid to late 1990’s, as my continued passion for baseball began to spread to more avenues of the grand game.  While I had always appreciated what the Negro Leagues meant to so many African-american players, I did not do much in the way of discovery until I reached my 30’s.  Initially, I purchased a couple Negro League jerseys from Ebbets Field Flannels.  What really got me going were a few APBA Journal articles, covering the release in 1994, of the 20-team, Negro League card set, issued by APBA Game Co.  The articles were written by regular APBA Journal contributor, David Lawrence.

During the summer of 2000, there was a Negro League “exhibit” setup at the Mall of America in Bloomington.  Sort of a traveling show.  When it hit the Mall, I made sure I made it over.  The mall is less than a mile west of my office space.  The day I was there, Sherwood “Woody” Brewer, was one of the handful of Negro League’rs in attendance.  The man could not have been nicer.  I stopped at his table and began a conversation with him.  We shook hands.  And he was willing to allow a “helper” take a photo of us together, with my camera.  This photo is below:

Sherwood then signed my Negro League Baseball Encyclopedia (the book I am holding in my hand in the photo), on the page where his bio was listed.  I will say, while I do not make a point of obtaining many autographs, this one is most special to me.

He also signed a Negro League “Stars” baseball card of himself, for my daughter, who was just 4 at the time.

Sherwood would die 3 years later, on April 23rd, 2003, which happened to be my wife’s 38th birthday.  Sherwood was a few months shy of his 80th birthday.  While Sherwood does not appear in the 20 team Negro League set issued by APBA Game Co., I felt I had to name my current Negro League project in honor of the one former Negro League’r I was able to meet in person.

Since 1994, APBA Game Co. has “reprinted” the cards twice, with no changes to the original “ratings”.  Using the version which was reprinted in 2012, I decided I needed to play a comprehensive project using this 20-team set.  The cards were formulated in 1994, prior to the advent of better statistical, more complete data on the Negro League players and the seasons they had.  If a new set was formulated today, many of the cards would do a better job of accurately depicting the abilities of the players.

There are also a few roster “anomalies” which I have corrected, as far as removing a player from a roster if he did not actually play for the team he was carded on.  For example, one of the teams which Satchel Paige is carded for, is the 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords.  However, Satchel actually pitched for Pittsburgh from 1932 to 1934, and did not pitch for Pittsburgh in 1935.  My guess is, in 1994, APBA Game Co, decided to include Satchel with the 1935 Pittsburgh club, due to having big seasons for the Crawfords in 1932, 1933 and 1934.  In my project, Satchel Paige will not be included on the 1935 Crawfords roster.  This will have a big impact on the 1935 Crawfords in my project, as they lose a top notch pitcher.

(1932-35 era) Pittsburgh Crawfords

Seamheads, has the Negro Leagues Baseball Database, where you can see accurate, comprehensive statistics for each team in my 20-team Negro League project.  The links to each team is listed below (note, if I were to “re-card” any of the Negro League players in this APBA set, I would use the statistics included in the Negro Leagues Baseball Database to re-formulate the card set):

1926 ATLANTIC CITY BACHARACH GIANTS

1929 BALTIMORE BLACK SOX

1943 BIRMINGHAM BLACK BARONS

1948 BIRMINGHAM BLACK BARONS

1917 CHICAGO AMERICAN GIANTS

1921 CHICAGO AMERICAN GIANTS

1927 CHICAGO AMERICAN GIANTS

1933 CHICAGO AMERICAN GIANTS

1910 CHICAGO LELAND GIANTS

1945 CLEVELAND BUCKEYES

1925 HILLDALE DAISIES

1931 HOMESTEAD GRAYS

1938 HOMESTEAD GRAYS

1916 INDIANAPOLIS ABC’s

1924 KANSAS CITY MONARCHS

1942 KANSAS CITY MONARCHS

1946 NEWARK EAGLES

1913 NEW YORK LINCOLN GIANTS

1935 PITTSBURGH CRAWFORDS

1930 ST. LOUIS STARS

SABR historian, and avid APBA fan, Ted Knorr produced a “ranking” of the 20 Negro League teams issued in the 20-team APBA set found here.

My project entails playing a 38-game season using all 20 teams, using the APBA basic game, cards and dice, all advanced rules, along with the APBA Journal Error Re-roll chart and Unusual Play Re-roll chart.  I also incorporate the Master Game Rare Play boards for certain outcomes.

No leagues, no divisions.  Each team will play the other 19 teams in the league, twice (1 home, 1 away).  I created the schedule using 2-game series (round-robin format), again, with 1 game at home and 1 game away in each 2-game series.  At the end of the 38-game season, the top 8 teams in the standings will advance to a “post-season”, starting with the Quarter-final series with the teams seeded 1 thru 8.  The winners will advance to a Semi-final round and finally the Championship series.  All play-off series will be best-of-seven format.

Due to the small pitching staffs each team has, I have decided to use just a 3-man rotation for each team, for both the 38-game season, and the post-season.

Each team has now played 8 games in my project (I have rolled 80 of the 380 games total towards completion of the 38 game regular season).  My next SBMBL post will be an update on the standings, game results and highlights.

Cool Papa Bell, 1930 St. Louis Stars

A few Negro League Baseball websites:

Negro League Baseball Museum

Negro League Baseball Players Association

Negro Leagues Database (Seamheads.com)

 

To purchase the APBA Baseball Negro League 20-team card set, order here

 

1925 Hilldale Daisies