GYBL

BDWL

Monthly Recaps

1974

Monthly Recap for 1973

Monthly Recap for 1972

Monthly Recap for 1971

September

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Our top 5 stories through September are as follows:

(1) Our top story has to be the Division winners and wildcard teams:

Alston Division: Dallas Hilltoppers – as highlighted last month, Charles continues his dominance winning the division by 25 games to take his 4^th straight division crown.

Anderson Division: Sleepytown Dukes – they win their 1^st division crown and make their 1^st playoff appearance as they hold off St. Louis and win the division by 4 games.

Weaver Division: Cincinnati Chilis – make it 2 division crowns in a row and 3^rd overall as they out last Wellington to win the division by 8 games.

Martin Division: Burbank Barnstormers – win their 3^rd division crown as their strong finish over last 2 months beats out San Diego by 5 games.

WJL wildcard #1: St. Louis Shrikes – enter the playoffs for the 3^rd time in franchise history (twice as Great Lake) as they were never really threatened for this spot.

WJL wildcard #2: Oregon Pioneers – enter playoffs for 3^rd time (1^st time in WJL) as their 30 wins over final 2 months puts them over .500 and gains them this spot.

BRL wildcard #1: San Diego Conquistadors – 2^nd time in the playoffs in franchise history (1^st time as Milwaukee) battled for division crown but settles for this spot.

BRL wildcard #2: Fremont Indians – 4^th straight visit to playoffs (1^st time in BRL & as wildcard) looking to win back-to-back championships.

(2) Further to our top story, Fremont is looking to become the 1^st club to win back-to-back championships while Dallas is looking to tie Fremont by winning their 2^nd championship. If Fremont can win their 3^rd championship it will be the 1^st time for a BRL team. No other playoff teams have won a championship, but both Oregon and Cincinnati have made it to a Championship Series. Interestingly, both Fremont and Oregon switched leagues this season but both continued their playoff runs. Also, Sleepytown and Fremont were involved in the highest profile trade of the season as Simmons and Carew changed teams and the deal seemed to be win-win as both teams did!

(3) It is ironic that the Texas Fire Ants and Northern Great Whites finished 1974 with the same records (73-81) since they both have had a 3 year playoff run snapped this season. This is the 1^st time in franchise history that Northern has finished under .500 and the 1^st time since 1970 for Texas. Going into 1974, Northern and Texas were 2^nd and 3^rd, respectively, in all-time wins with just 3 wins separating them (363 to 360). They each won a division crown over the last 3 years and Texas has gone to 2 Championship Series. It has been a great run for David and Alan and now the question is what happens from here? Will we see a rebuilding period for both teams or was this just a 1 year anomaly? A big part of the answer may come in this years draft lottery as Texas has an 18% shot at the top pick and Northern has a 15% shot. Both these teams have drafted at the back of the pack for so long, their ability to land top notch keepers has been difficult. However, a top 3 pick could jump start them very quickly. Northern still has Niekro and Bench while Texas still has Murcer, Stargell and Blyleven so both teams still have cornerstones going forward. Unfortunately, they are stuck in a division with always dangerous Cincinnati and the emerging power, Wellington, so it will be an uphill battle for both to regain a playoff spot. The good news is that both David and Alan are great managers so if I was a betting man I would not count them out for an extended period of time.

(4) How about those pesky 1972 expansion teams as they continue to claw their way towards respectability? For the new owners and to remind the others, the BDWL expanded in 1972 and unfortunately really only gave the 4 new teams dregs to choose from. It has been a long hard road for these teams but in 1974 they all showed signs of life and gave hope that the worst was behind them. Joe Clark took over Savannah in 1973 and despite being offered existing franchises along the way has stuck with his Shoeless Joes. As a franchise, Savannah reached 185 wins after their 66 win 1974 season which is the most wins for an expansion team in a season and all-time. Joe had his club fighting for a playoff spot as they were 39-38 through June but hit the wall and finished 27-50. It was a nice season but lack of depth hurt them in the 2^nd half. Dave Heller took over the Wisconsin Snow Goblins this season and thanks to an amazing 15-9 September was able to lead his squad to a franchise best 63 wins. John Lippincott was also in his 1^st season atop the Cooperstown Double Days and also willed his team to a franchise best 61 wins. The Double Days were hurt by the late innings as they lost 12 games that they were leading after 7 innings. A stronger or luckier bullpen might have gotten them to 70 wins this season. Last but not least, we have the Toronto Crown Royals. Unfortunately for Tony Guerin, he got to take over the worst of the bunch when he took over in 1973. After only 49 wins in 1972 and 42 wins last year, this years total of 57 wins is quite a jump forward. The Crown Royals also ran out of steam mid-season as after winning 34 games in 1^st 3 months, only managed to win 23 in the final 3 months. But it was still a great season for Tony, especially since his 57 wins came in the toughest division in the BDWL. The Martin division ended up with a .534 winning %. We think all 4 of these teams should be looking forward to 1975 and the rest of the league should start to worry that the BDWL will get even more competitive next season.

(5) In closing, we wanted to talk about our Batting and Pitching leaders a bit. First up, Savannah’s Gary Maddox taking the batting crown after finishing the season with a .365 batting average beating out Fremont’s Rob Carew who finished the season at .348. Maddox’s .365 average is the 3^rd highest average in BDWL history behind Rico Carty who hit .374 in 1970 and Joe Rudi who hit .367 in 1972. San Diego’s Jimmy Wynn takes the homerun crown by 1 over Burbank’s Mike Schmidt. Schmidt actually took the lead with a homer on 9/24 but Wynn belted one on the 25^th and another on the 27^th to take the crown. Wynn’s 38 homeruns is the lowest winning total in BDWL history and 1^st time a player failed to reach 40. Schmidt did get the RBI crown as his 147 RBI out-distanced his team Steve Garvey who finished with 131. This was the 4^th time a player reached 140 RBI and Schmidt ended up 1 RBI behind the all-time record of 148 held by Willie McCovey since 1970. Also of note, Dallas’s Joe Morgan won his 2^nd stolen base crown as he returns to the top after losing the crown last year to Billy North.

We had a tie for the most wins as Sleepytown’s rookie Frank Tanana and Burbank’s Gaylord Perry both finished with 24. For Perry this makes it 5 straight seasons with 20+ wins making him the only pitcher in BDWL history to do so. Interestingly, this is the first time he has had the most wins in a season. Wellington’s Nolan Ryan takes his 3^rd straight Strikeout crown and it was even close as the runner-up, Texas’s Bert Blyleven had only 224. The 326 did fall short of the record of 365 set by Ryan last season but does make it 3 straight seasons of at least 300 K’s for Ryan. Chicago’s Tommy John and San Diego’s Al Fitzmorris tied for the ERA crown at 2.26. Burbank’s Sparky Lyle becomes the 1^st closer to reach 40 saves as he just nips Dallas’s Mike Marshall who finished at 39 for the 2^nd year in a row.

Batting Leaders: Current BDWL Record

BA Maddox, SSJ .365 - Carty (1970) .374

HR Wynn, SDC 38 - Evans (1973) 51

RBI Schmidt, BKB 147 - McCovey (1970) 148

Runs Carew, FMI 138 - Morgan (1972) 161

Hits Garr, ALC 232 - Rudi (1972) 238

OB% Maddox, SSJ .437 - Morgan (1972) .464

SLG Allen, DLH .547 - McCovey (1970) .663

SB Morgan, DLH 82 - North (1973) 87

click here for Org batting leaders top 25

click here for Org batting leaders bottom 25

Pitching Leaders: Current BDWL Record

Wins Tanana, SLD 24 - Carlton (1972) 35

Perry, BKB

K’s Ryan, WLB 326 - Ryan (1973) 365

ERA John, CWS 2.26 - Carlton (1972) 1.46

Fitzmorris, SDC

BA Ryan, WLB .191 - Wilson (1971) .166

CG Carlton, BKB 17 - Niekro (1972) 25

Shutouts Wood, DLH 6 - Carlton (1972) 12

Saves Lyle, BKB 40* - Marshall (1973) 39

Holds Lindblad, DLH 21 - Parker (1973) 22

click here for Org pitching leaders top 25

click here for Org pitching leaders bottom 25

* Sets new BDWL record.

August

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Our top 5 stories through August are as follows:

(1) We still have a month to play but we are officially going to declare the Hilltoppers a dynasty! Dallas holds a 19 ½ game lead with a magic number of 7 to clinch their 4^th straight Alston Division Crown. They will also reach at least 90+ wins for the 4^th straight season and have a great shot at winning their 3^rd straight WGL Championship. The team’s successful run can be traced back to the original 1970 draft where Charles did a masterful job. The 1974 version of the Hilltoppers have 9 players (Allen, Morgan, White, Jackson, Reed, Wilson, Wood, Lindblad & Marshall) who were drafted by Charles in that original draft. Congratulations to Charles and his Hilltoppers and best of luck the rest of the way.

(2) Who is the MVP? This might be one of the tougher decisions this season as a strong case can be made for several players at this point. In the WJL, Dallas has their usual suspects in Allen (28 hrs 104 RBI) and Morgan (OB% .429 106 runs) while Sleepytown has Perez (28 hrs 97 RBI), Henderson (24 hrs 91 runs) and Tanana (21 wins). In the BRL, Burbank has Schmidt (30 hrs 118 RBI), Grich (20 hrs 108 runs), Garvey (111 RBI) and Perry (20 wins). Cincinnati has Burroughs (24 hrs 96 RBI), Yaz (88 runs 86 RBI) and Tenace (24 hrs). Fremont has Cedeno (29 hrs 107 RBI) and Carew (123 runs). These are all strong candidates so it may just come down to who finishes the season strongest … but the one player who we think has had the greatest positive impact for their team so far is San Diego’s Jim Wynn. Wynn has 31 hrs, 111 runs and 87 RBI for the 11^th ranked offense in the league. San Diego’s pitching is top shelf (ranked #2) but their offense is being carried by Wynn.

(3) The Anderson Division currently has the most exciting divisional race as St. Louis has cut Sleepytown’s lead to only 2 ½ games the smallest margin of all the division leaders. St. Louis sat on top of the division for the 1^st two months of the season but then hit a pot hole in June as they won only 10 of 26 games and Sleeptown took over, but the race has remained close as Sleepytown went 32-22 in July and August while St. Louis went 30-22. The teams will face each other 6 times in September and so far St. Louis has the upper hand in face to face play as they have won 6 of the 10 games played.

(4) The Chiles thanks to a 16-8 August have put some distance between them and 2^nd place Wellington. Their division lead is now 5 games and they seem to have the momentum which will carry them to 3^rd division crown. However, Wellington still has a great shot at their 1^st playoff appearance in franchise history as they are only ½ game behind Fremont for the 2^nd wildcard spot. Fremont and Wellington are fighting over the 2^nd wildcard spot, but our sources tell us that based on their conversations with the other playoff teams in the BRL … NO one is very excited about having to face either of those teams. It is a matter of picking your poison … as you can either face the best pitching staff in the BDWL or the most successful playoff manager in BDWL history!

(5) A playoff team with a sub .500 record? Oregon currently holds the 2^nd wildcard spot in the WJL but they are currently 1 game under .500. The Pioneers looking to make their 3 playoff appearance in 5 seasons (1^st as a wildcard team) got off to a terrible start of the season as they were 20-29 through May. But as the temperature heated up so did Oregon as since that point they are 45-37 to catch and pass Savannah for the 2^nd wildcard spot. However, even if Oregon doesn’t get to .500 they will not be the 1^st playoff team with a sub .500 record. The 1972 Asbury Park Rockers took the 2^nd wildcard spot despite being 8 games under .500, just beating out the Pioneers that season by 3 games. What happened to Rockers in the playoffs you ask? Well … they faced a 120 win Burbank team (arguably the best BDWL team ever) and of course best them in 6 games. The Rockers then faced a 107 win Texas team and had them down 3 games to none before the clock struck midnite and the Fire Ants won the next 4 games to end the fairy tale.

Batting Leaders: Current BDWL Record

BA Maddox, SSJ .365 - Carty (1970) .374

HR Wynn, SDC 31 - Evans (1973) 51

RBI Schmidt, BKB 118 - McCovey (1970) 148

Runs Carew, FMI 123 - Morgan (1972) 161

Hits Carew, FMI 199 - Rudi (1972) 238

OB% Carew, FMI .437 - Morgan (1972) .464

SLG Perez, SLD .545 - McCovey (1970) .663

SB Morgan, DLH 67 - North (1973) 87

click here for Org batting leaders top 25

click here for Org batting leaders bottom 25

Pitching Leaders: Current BDWL Record

Wins Tanana, SLD 21 - Carlton (1972) 35

K’s Ryan, WLB 271 - Ryan (1973) 365

ERA John, CWS 2.23 - Carlton (1972) 1.46

BA Hassler, WLB .174 - Wilson (1971) .166

CG Carlton, BKB 15 - Niekro (1972) 25

Shutouts Wood/Sutton 5 - Carlton (1972) 12

Saves Marshall/Lyle 32 - Marshall (1973) 39

Holds Lindblad, DLH 18 - Parker (1973) 22

click here for Org pitching leaders top 25

click here for Org pitching leaders bottom 25

July

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Our top 5 stories through July are as follows:

(1) Since our top story was the Cincinnati Chilis defying our preseason prediction and running away with the Anderson Division, the top story after July has to be the fact that the Wellington Boots have the Chilis’ lead from 9 games to only 2 games! The Chilis stellar pitching deserted them in July as they only won 10 of 26 games while Wellington with the top pitching staff in the BDWL won 18 of 28 games. The teams met in July and the Boots kicked the Chilis winning 5 of 6 games including a no-hitter. The teams do not meet again until September when they play 6 more times which may ultimately determine who takes the Division. With the 3 teams (San Diego, Burbank & Fremont) in the Martin Division playing so well, it maybe win the division or not make the playoffs for the Chilis and Boots!

(2) After winning only 17 of 34 games in the 1^st two months of the season, the Cooperstown Double Days have caught-fire winning 29 of 51 games in June and July for a .569 winning %. Only 6 teams (San Diego, Fremont, Burbank, Wellington, Dallas & Cincinnati) have higher winning %’s over that period of time. This from a franchise that had never won more than 58 games in a season prior to 1974. The Double Days have been doing it with hitting as they are currently tied for 1^st with Savannah with the best batting average in the BDWL at .281.

(3) Sleepytown looks to make 1^st playoff appearance in franchise history this season as they have opened up a 4 game lead in the Anderson Division over St. Louis. At .600 they are battling with Dallas for the best record in the WJL currently 1 ½ behind Dallas who sits at .615. The closes the franchise has come to a playoff spot was 1971 while the franchise was located in Rhode Island. They finished at .519 only 1 game behind Florida for the wildcard spot.

(4) The playoff situation in the BRL continues to be an interesting story as there maybe a 90 win team that gets left out of the dance. Cincinnati and San Diego currently hold slim division leads and Burbank and Fremont hold the wild card spots … for now. However, as mentioned earlier the Wellington Boots had a big July to pull within 2 games of the Chilis for the division and are only 1 ½ games back of Fremont for the 2^nd wildcard spot. All 5 teams have a shot at winning 90 games, though with the resurgence of Northern, Cooperstown and Asbury Park it will be a lot more difficult for all 5 teams to reach the 90 win mark.

(5) The Dallas Hilltoppers currently hold the best record in the WJL at 64-40 and the San Diego Conquistadors hold the best record in the BRL at 65-38, but these two teams have had a very different history in the BDWL. The Hilltoppers with a 14 game lead are a lock to win their 3^rd straight division crown and could end up with the best record in the WJL for the 2^nd time. While the Conquistadors since moving to San Diego in 1971 have not only not won the division or had the best record in the BDWL, they haven’t yet made it to the playoffs. The only season that Dallas did not win the division was 1970 and that was the only year the San Diego franchise made the playoffs while playing in Milwaukee.

Batting Leaders:

BA Maddox, SSJ .366

HR Wynn, SDC 25

RBI Schmidt, BKB 90

Runs Carew, FMI 96

Hits Carew, FMI 161

OB% Carew, FMI .438

SLG Perez, SLD .549

SB Morgan, DLH 57

click here for Org batting leaders top 25

click here for Org batting leaders bottom 25

Pitching Leaders:

Wins Tanana, SLD 17

K’s Ryan, WLB 206

ERA John, CWS 1.98

BA Ryan, WLB .195

CG Carlton, BKB 12

Shutouts Wood, DLH 5

Saves Marshall, DLH 30

Holds Lindblad, DLH 16

click here for Org pitching leaders top 25

click here for Org pitching leaders bottom 25

June

click here for Complete Standings

We apologize for the lack of recaps … but here we are finally with our first recap and hopefully we can catch everyone up on what’s been happening! Here are our top 5 stories of the season so far:

(1) The Cincinnati Chilis, who were predicted to be a .500 club this year, are doing their best to embarrass us as they currently are tied with Burbank for the best record in the BDWL with a .667 winning % (52-26). They are running away with the Weaver Division and have now convinced us that they are one of the elite teams in 1974.

(2) The Savannah Shoeless Joes are at 39-38 and threatening to become the first expansion team to earn a playoff spot. They stumbled a bit in June at 13-15 but so did most of the WJL. They currently are 6 games behind Dallas in the Alston Division, but do hold the 2^nd wild card spot by 4 games over Oregon. This would be an amazing accomplishment for a franchise that was 119-189 heading into this season.

(3) The Martin Division is rolling along at a .554 winning percentage and is on pace to establish 2 historical marks (1) breaking the division winning % mark of .552 set by the Martin Division in 1970 and (2) having 3 teams win over 90 games. Currently Burbank leads the division at .667 with San Diego 2 ½ games back at .635 and Fremont at .597 5 games back. Burbank and San Diego are a slam dunk to get to 90 wins and might even get to 100 wins. In 1972, the Weaver Division had 2 teams top 100 wins (Northern 109 & Texas 107), but we have never had a division with 3 teams topping 90 wins.

(4) The Northern Great Whites are in jeopardy of finishing under .500 for the 1^st time ever. A 7-16 May, put them in a big hole but thanks to a 14-12 June they have improved their situation a bit but still sit 7 games under .500 at 34-41. Going into 1974 only Northern and Burbank had not had a losing record.

(5) Heading into 1974, 4 teams had a 3-year playoff streak going (Northern, Texas, Dallas & Fremont), but it looks like the end of the road for both Texas and Northern. Texas is 15 ½ games back in the Weaver division and 10 games back in the wildcard race, while Northern is 16 ½ games back in the Weaver division and 11 games back in the wildcard race. It was a great run for these two powerhouses, but we certainly expect to see them back in the playoff hunt very soon. Dallas looks to be a sure thing to extend their streak to 4 years while Fremont holds a 3 ½ game lead over Wellington for the 2^nd wildcard spot.