Cinderalla Move Over, Here Come the Spiders!
 The story of Cinderella would be the theme of the 1959 S.F. Spiders. The team's glorious season of worst to first. A true story of courage and determination. With a David vs. Goliath matchup awaiting them in the World Series at seasons end. Like I said a storybook season for sure. 
   Going into the season Manager Mike Wagonlander was expecting another year in the building process of the young franchise. Little did he know the acquisition of SP Bob Porterfield in the Reentry draft would make such a big impact to the team.  Bob Porterfield would go 21-16 and prove to be the catalyst that was needed to turn the members of this ballclub into a true TEAM. At the time S.F. picked up Porterfield in the draft they were in dire need of Veteran leadership with some big game experience. When he was still available deep in the re-entry draft, they thought they would take a gamble on old Bob. A gamble the thought was at the time due to the rumors floating around Bob's best days were behind him. A superstar pitcher with a great career, who had only the year before led division rival Louisville to the World Series and the crown. For some reason after that Bob was suddenly considered too old for being an ace starter. S.F. took a chance the rest is history. 
   Bob used these rumors as motivation and wanted to prove to all of baseball he still had IT. He immediately came in and anchored the whole pitching staff. His play inspired the whole team. The pitching staff finished the season  3rd in ERA:3.88, 3RD in OPPENENTS AVG: .248, 5TH in HR ALLOWED: 136, and 3RD in RUNS ALLOWED: 671. Their worst mark being a high WALKS ALLOWED: 540. The starting rotation turned the best performance in team history. Besides Bob, SP Ewell Backwell went 21-8, Rookie Ron Kline went 14-15, Sam Jones 9-7 and part time starter Juan Pizarro was 6-5. The bullpen played well and played inspired ball coming through in the clutch, at many a key moment. 
   The offense also had a record best year as well . The team was 2nd in batting AVG: .273, 3RD in HRS: 152, 3rd in Stolen bases: 149 and 4th in runs scored with 738. Once again the worst mark was in walks with 390, only 9th. The team brought in vets again to help the young team -- CF Jim Busby and 1B Ted Kluszewski were picked up in the Reentry draft. Having the first overall pick in the Ammy draft, S.F. elected to bring in some more power, selecting 1B Harmon Killebrew 1st overall. "Killer" came into S.F. and started right away, splitting time with Klew at 1B. He would lead the team in HRS with 26.
   The young stars of the outfield would lead the team in offense. RF Rocky Colavito (24 HR, 80 RBI), and LF Wes Covington (24 HR, 81 RBI) would lead the team in offense, both having career years. Journeyman OF Jim Lemon filled in everywhere and hit .337-16-69 with 13 SB.  Also a career year for him. He would go on to become the Game 7 hero of the World Series hitting a game winning home run in the 14th inning.
   The bench players also played a key role in the season and provided some big plays and late inning heroics in the World Series. The rest of the offensive starters provided support and solid play. They were led by original Spider, 3B Ken Boyer who led the team with 50 SBs. The team will look forward to the coming season and hope to be in the Fall Classic again to defend their Crown as champs of the United League. The team would also like to tip its cap to Brooklyn for a great World Series and for being a tough opponent. Thanks. Now, on to 1960!
  

A Year in the Life of Frank
Blockbuster trades. Debilitating injuries. A closer who'd rather not. Mind-bending lineup cards. Getting grief for acquiring a 26-year-old HoFer. Doubling down on the Cy and MVP. A record number of wins. All in a season's work at The Frank.
   For as long as anybody would listen, I've said '59 would be our last, best shot at a title. So it was an attempt to keep that window open a little longer that long-time 'Bas Richie Ashburn and Tom Gorman, as well as 1957 World Series MVP Don Mossi, were shown the door in favor of younger versions Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, and Johnny Kucks. The mid-season trade smacked of coitus interuptus, like that time Brandon walked in on Kelly and Dylan. Their relationship was never the same after that (old reference lost on younger readers?):  Pre-trade, the boys who ball on the East River were 63-22 and riding a ten-game win streak; after the deal, 42-27.
   At least one pundit pointed out that it was no coincidence Mick rhymed with limp stick, and laid blame at the feet of the one-time MVP. However, there's a case to be made that Brooklyn's second-half slowdown can be attributed to the state of the pitching staff. The trade of Gorman and Mossi removed 50% of the starting rotation, while a season-ending injury to set-up man Tom Acker necessitated the call-up of some underperforming potzers name of Crone and Maas. Complicating matters, Whitey was only average, meaning a lot more innings out of the (now much weaker) 'pen than was desirable.
   To top it off, the incomparable Hoyt Wilhelm--the league's all-time saves leader who was brought back against all contract odds at the age of 36 to shut the door for at least one more season--suddenly and inexplicably grew trough shy. No fewer than five Superba relievers not named Hoyt tallied saves in 1959, closing an amazing 19 games to Wilhelm's 23. Certainly, bizarre end-of-game decisions cost Wilhelm a shot at 30 or more saves for a sixth time in his UL career. This insane reliance on (in some cases) one- and two-star pitchers at the end of games helps explain how a team with 105 wins can have a .250 winning percentage in extra-inning games and a losing record in one-run games. And while there's no official stat, it's a virtual certainty the Screaming Bats led the league in blown saves as well. But while the 'pen was busy stinkin' up the joint, Conley and Burdette enjoyed their finest seasons, and Bob Miller emerged as another legitimate starting option along with the newly acquired Whitey.
 

If It's St. Louis, It Must be Second Place
Different year, same story--1959 marks the sixth time in the UL's nine seasons that the Maroon-and-Gold have landed second in the league table. It's the eighth winning season out of nine, a mark equaled only by the dynastic Washington Monuments. But it has to be considered a transitional season as well, as sure-fire Hall of Famer Stan Musial saw his skills diminished by age and injury, losing his place in the starting lineup. What's more, it's the first season in league history in which no St. Louis player earned an MVP, Cy Young, All-Star, or Gold Glove award.
   The Maroons' story is mirrored by their great ace, Billy Pierce, who was narrowly denied his second UL All-Star selection after finishing top ten in ERA, wins, WHIP, and strikeouts. Number two man Jack Sanford has only just turned 30, and had his finest full season to date, while youngsters Bill Monbouquette and Bob Anderson gave decent showings in a half season of work. But the bullpen is a work in progress: there's no clear closer, as five different guys tallied a save in '59. Brosnan and Moore took turns opening the door for the opposition in the ninth inning, each blowing a quarter or more of their 29 save opportunities, and posting ERAs around 5.00. This helps explain the team's Pythagorean underperfomance on the year; nevertheless, the side managed winning records in both one-run and extra-inning games.
   The Maroon offense finished third in the league in runs scored, though they were bottom half in both home runs and stolen bases; instead they did it with walks and timely hitting. Indeed, they were second in the league in OBP and third in OPS. Gene Woodling, Dick Kokos, and Puddin' Head Jones all did their share as usual. But it was the emergence of the two Bills--White and Virdon--that give the most hope for the post-Musial Maroons. These twentysomethings both are above average defensively, have blazing speed, and managed an OPS better than .800 versus righties. At the other end of the spectrum, Willard Marshall retired at the age of 38 after his finest season, and Woodling, who's 36, showed signs of age by dropping a hundred points in OPS to .840.
   

We Still Suck, But We’re in the Black….
What a year the Griffins had, going from the whipping boys of the League and proceeding to stun most ULers by achieving what hasn’t been seen in Detroit in years:  abject mediocrity.  After repeated seasons that set UL records for ineptitude and futility, the Griffins managed to stumble across the finish line at 80-74, the first time since 1953 that the team has had a winning record.  Manager Sean Holloway was not exactly thrilled at finishing 105 games behind Glennie “My minor leaguers will kick your ass” Reed, but considering the lock the Superbas have had on first place in the East, it was a position he’ll take.
   Unfortunately for Holloway, his extracurricular activities in Williamsburg, VA, kept him away from the team much of the year, and this fact became apparent after angry fans forced him to make some minor tweaks to a poor performing starting line-up that resulted in Davey Williams going .314-15-61, Leon “Daddy Wags” Wagner wagging his way to .271-19-56, Jim “I won’t suck this year” King posting .261-15-52, and a gritty performance by Johnny Podres who gamely kept the Griffins close but never got the run support he needed.  When asked why these players didn’t make DET’s starting line-up, all the manager could say was “I’m so drunk.”  Despite Holloway’s mismanagement, there were other excellent performances to note, including Pedro Ramos (21-10, 3.28), newcomer Don Gross (6-2, 1.71, 18 SV), and Joe Cunningham turning into DET’s Mr. Consistency with a .291-4-69.
   Fans knew there was trouble afoot when during the All-Star team mascot competition a reporter asked Holloway about the addition of journeyman starter Saul Rogovin to the roster and received a 10-minute rambling diatribe by the Griffins’ manager on how “no one on this team has ever, is, or will use appearance-enhancing drugs like Rogaine” before stumbling off to chase the Griffins’ mascot around the diamond screaming “Here, kitty, kitty!”.
   Additionally, for some strange reason, Holloway plugged Sandy Koufax into the starting rotation and then watched the young leftie not only under whelm but also achieve maximum suckage by bottoming out at 1-7-6.46 before being demoted to the minors.  When asked why he didn’t pull an obviously floundering Koufax sooner, Holloway mumbled “I’m so drunk”, which leads this reporter to believe that the recent steroid and drug hearings happening on Capitol Hill may need to be widened. 
   The Griffins’ most pressing need is for a big bat.  Since the departure of Ralph Kiner, no one has been able to step up and strike fear into opposing pitchers with the threat of a long ball.  The team is no longer made up of flat-footed fat Kevin Mitchell look-alikes, however, and Holloway has already openly discussed adding even more speed to the line-up.  With a starting rotation of Ramos, Podres, Jay, and Ceccarelli, and Koufax and Brewer waiting in the wings, at least the Griffins’ pitching appears relatively set. 
   Detroit’s efforts at picking up a big bat via free agency, the draft or a trade has certainly been helped by Holloway’s cheap-ass attitude towards the club’s fiscal health, which resulted in the Griffins having the League’s lowest payroll and what is technically known as “a shit load of money”.  Once Clem “Money Sucker” Labine is jettisoned, the club will likely go on a shopping spree in an effort to shore up and/or upgrade wherever possible, as Holloway has made repeated statements about feeling some kind of “void”.  When pressed as to what kind of “void”, he simply responded “an empty one” – a statement that has left Griffin fans quaking in their boots and hoping that no blunderful moves are in the making.  Only time will tell. 
   While it is unclear whether this tightfisted financial approach will work, the positive cash flow and rock-solid balance sheet show that at a minimum, Holloway’s wife didn’t waste her money on his MBA.  Now if he could only find a real job…….
 

The Lluisville Two-Step(s Back)
What do they say about championships, the only thing harder than winning one is defending it. Well, the Colonels certainly proved that true, trading in their World Series winning ways for a more familiar achievement, sub .500 ball. While there is no single goat at fault for their backslide, there are a few glaring problems that were a serious pain in the colon(els).

Whose Turn Is It?
The Colonels got solid pitching from Antonelli, Wehmeirer, and Brissie…problem is, three men do not a rotation make. The #4 spot got more visitors than Angelina Jolie’s bedroom…Perry, Buhl, Minner, and even “Gimpy” Pappas took turns. The top three starters delivered 57 wins, the others a meager 12…next please!!

Nowhere, I Mean, No One to Run
Louisville was 2nd to last in runs scored (647, only two more than Washington ) despite having the likes of Aaron, Skowron, Kaline, Bailey, and Post in their lineup. A key reason, a league worst .309 OBP, as well as the league’s fewest walks and stolen bases. And let’s not forget their inability to come through when it counted most: the Colonels were 23-29 in one run games and an abysmal 4-12 in extra frames.  Who’s on first?  Oh, look, no one.

Hang Down Your Head, Ed Bailey
Like I said, there isn’t one single goat, but it’s always fun to point the finger at someone. Bailey, one of the UL’s most feared offensive catchers, plain let his team down. Ed posted OPSs of .865 and .875 the past two seasons, only to drop to a dismal .712, with just 17 dingers and 66 ribs…here Bailey goat, Bailey goat, Bailey goat!

The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Rose-Colored Glasses
If the Spiders run to the Series showed us anything it’s that the West division is wide open. There are four legit contenders for the crown (sorry Outlaws) and the Colonels can count themselves as one of them. Add a fourth starter, get a little bullpen help, upgrade a couple infield positions, have Ed Bailey turn things around and as quick as you can say “I got me a chigger in my drawers” the Colonels will be back in business. Like the pacifist racist said at the Klan meeting, “Don’t count me in…but don’t count me out.”
 

Unarmed And Decidedly Non-Dangerous
Were we foolish enough to think we could overtake the Super Mightybas?  Of course not.  But we did expect a continuation of last year’s (albeit unfamiliar) winning ways.  Of course it’s easy to blame the fact that most of our pitchers spent mucho tiempo on El DL, so that’s what we’ll do.  Luis “El Pollo” Arroyo got slapped mere minutes into the season, and we had to rely on Leo “Psycho” Kiely’s unmet potential as the sole lefty in the pen.  Daley, O’Dell, Willey… also victims of the injury insect.  Not to say that all performed to their peak while healthy on the mound. “Sticky” Bud Daley crumbled a bit under the pressure of being named staff Ace.  Carl “Groundskeeper” Willey got off to a surprising start in his rookie campaign, but faltered following his return from the DL. Thank the stars for Harvey “Migraine” Haddix, anchoring the staff all year and keeping us in most of his games. Billy “Dude, You’re Getting” O’ Dell computed the rotation’s lowest ERA (3.06) and showed that he may be Ace material next season.  The bullpen was an overall disappointment, despite Russ “Point And Shoot” Kemmerer’s emergence as the present and future closer. The offense suffered a few key injuries as well, but they were sucking wind anyway.  Eddie “At The Ready” Mathews is strutting his impressive power stuff, garnering his first home run title, but his RBI total suffered due to the lack of all-around OBP.  Not sure what happened to last season’s well balanced O, but Solly “So Solly” Hemus’ sudden talent faceplant could be part of the problem, as he was nigh-impossible to replace.  With the move to Cleveland, attendance and fan interest got off to a booming start as expected, but tapered off when fans began to notice the substandard product.  So Solly!
 

Money Talks & BullXXXX Walks
For Chicago, ’59 was the year of The Move…and we’re talking the move from Wrigley to Comiskey, we’re talking Whitey and Mickey packing their bags for the Big Apple. I’m sure there were plenty of folks saying, “What the fu-uh???” but when it comes down to it, it was all about that mean, mean green. Landing Ashburn meant having an additional 9.4M to cut to insure I’d have plenty of ducats to battle the other nine teams in the inaugural Reentry Auction. Plus, I’ve got so many rookie picks in 1960 I could draft an entire starting lineup…and there’s an extra couple of early round draftees coming my way in 1961 as well. So, the results in the “W” and “L” columns may have been very much the same ol’ song, but, as it turned out, ’59 wasn’t about ’59 at all, it was about singing a new tune…something about going south(side) all you soon-to-be Chicago Colt young men. Ain’t no reason to talk about the past, it’s already behind us, these Horsies are all about the future. New decade, new ballpark, new Colts…let’s roll!
[Editor's note: the new decade doesn't officially start until 1961, and horsies don't roll, they gallop.]
 

Works, Purks & Jerks
The New York Gothams experienced yet another season in futility in 1959, tied with Cleveland for third in the East Division with a stellar 69-85 record. Although a few younger players showed improvement during the season, their triumphs were overshadowed by the veterans' poor-to-average showings.  Some gambles worked, some didn't.  As is the life of a UL GM.  The Gothams showed a marked improvement in generating runs (2nd in the UL), but just could not maintain consistency in the rotation nor the bullpen.

WORKS:
2B Hector Lopez - .312/.369/.469, 18 HR, 70 RBI
A repeat UL All-Star at second base, he matched his 1958 numbers almost to a tee, bumping up his EBH numbers in the process.
1B Orlando Cepeda - .286/.332/.467, 19 HR, 70 RBI
The Gold Glove winner at first, O-Cep had a good sophomore season, striking out fewer times while hitting more HR.
SP Billy Loes - 17-11, 3.74 ERA, 202 K, 1.37 WHIP
After being a bullpen hound for the last couple of years, Loes went back to the rotation successfully in 1959.

PERKS (PURKS):
CF Larry Doby - .250/.403/.482, 24 HR, 85 RBI
What a turnaround for Doby, after a horrible 1958 where he hit just .195 in 123 AB.  Led the team in HR.
SP Bob Purkey - 13-14 4.25 ERA, 193 K, 1.32 WHIP
Basically a throwaway pitcher for his first two seasons, Purk has had two solid seasons in a row, cementing his place as the G-Men's #3 starter.  Gave up an astounding 51 HR though.

JERKS:
CF Bob Allison - .171/.244/.260, 1 HR in 123 AB
The #3 overall pick was handed the CF job in spring training, but did nothing to prove that he deserved it.  Hopefully he can turn it around.
MR Bob Hooper - 4.64 ERA in 85.1 IP, 42 K 1.51 WHIP
The former closer continued his fall from grace, giving up career-highs in hits and runs allowed.
RF Wally Moon - .258/.322/.429, 16 HR
Not a horrible season for Wally, but he was relied on to match his above average 1958 numbers.  He came close, but saw his EBH / SB numbers take a noticeable hit.
 

City of Acute Angles
If you had told the Outlaws that they were going to be better than the Washington Monuments this season, there might have been much rejoicing in LA….

Out!  Out!  Damned Spec!
Lets’s start with the bad news:  It seemed pitching AND hitting were Outlawed in LA, as the team finished 9th in ERA and AVG.  The infield was the league’s least productive, only newcomer Cass Michaels seemed to hold up his end of the stick.  Roy Campanella, turned in a solid year, though it was his least productive to date - and at 36, his glory days may have set up camp.  The “swoop” of Ted Abernathy in last year’s draft turned into a hard swallow as Teddy Turnstile turned in a stinky 6.53 ERA.  Ray Herbert’s demotion to bullpen jockey and spot-starter was probably the only thing that kept him from losing 20+ games for the third season in a row. Ray “Gun” Narleski followed most of the team’s lead and tumbled from grace as well. The once mighty Spec “Ya Don’t” Shea found his 37-year-old body riddled with downgrades all year, and may have pitched his last in the league – but you never know – he’s seems to have forgotten to retire. 

Sons and Pioneers
The good news:  Vada Pinson showed he’s the real deal by bringing home ROY honors.  Frank Robinson clawed his way back into the league’s elite pile.  The Prodigal “son” Albie Pearson seemed to have lost his way, but it was most likely a fluke – this is still the outfield to watch in the future.  On the mound: Starters Bob Rush, Bubba Church and Hank Aguirre all performed admirably, keeping their ERA’s under 4, but run support was in very short supply.

 

A New Era
Since the inaugural season of 1951, the Washington Monuments have never won less than 93 games.  In 1959, the Monuments couldn’t win more than 65, as they tumbled to their first ever losing season.
   This was not the only tumult in the nation’s capital: the departure of GM Steve Giovanelli late in the year ushered in a new era of management to go with that new era of rebuilding for this storied franchise.  Even as late as the start of the season, the Monuments seemed primed for another run at the big prize, but events did not go in their favor.
   What happened?  First, the stars did not perform – Stu Miller, who had never put up an ERA of over 3.49 in his career, stumbled to a 4.09 mark, losing twenty games. Billy Goodman, who looked like a bona fide star last year, reverted to his average performance, and probably won’t be back next year.  Hank Thompson and Gil McDougald struggled with injury, and real concern has been raised that Hank has lost a pace or two – his batting average dropped 28 points, and he got caught stealing 17 times (compared with just seven successes on the basepaths).  The Duke returned, but only hit well enough to prove that he can’t hit lefthanders and he’s only worth a fraction of the $10 million per year he’s earning.  Even the "Say Hey Kid" didn’t hit as well as he can, although a .271/.355/.537 line is still far in advance of what mere mortal ballplayers put up.  The Monuments find themselves going into the offseason facing a cull of those that made the franchise great – can they continue to justify paying Joe Adcock over 4 million for 300 ABs?
   However, it was not all bad news, and some young talent saw time in the latter months of the year.  Felipe Alou didn’t look ready for the bigs, but he’s got time on his side.  26-year-old catcher Sammy Taylor took the role full-time and showed some power.  Preston Ward, having spent six years in the minors, popped up in the bigs and hit five homeruns in just 85 ABs, giving him a good chance at claiming some full-time role next year.  Closer Bob Chakales was astonishingly successful, blowing just one save all season.  Hey, and while the Duke didn’t look great as a platoon player, he sure looked better than he had since the early half of the decade!
   The Monuments face more problems next year than they have this.  They are going to lose at least half their infield, and potentially half their outfield.  They are also going to need younger in a hurry, and very few of their stars can help them with that. It promises to be an interesting summer in Washington .