|
|
|
TRADES |
|
LOUISVILLE gets:
SP Jim O'Toole
MAN '64 3rd-7th Rd picks
MAN '65 3rd-7th Rd picks (future trade)
MANHATTAN gets:
SP
Herm Wehmeier (5128)
SP Mickey Lolich (1000)
|
|
EXTENSIONS |
|
BOSTON
3B Gene Freese, 3 year, $4.8M
BROOKLYN
CL Dave Sisler, 4 years, $7.8M
MR Frank Smith, 1 year, $1.9M
CHICAGO
SP
Billy Pierce, 3 years, $18.36M
2B Don Buddin, 3 years,
$2.14M
DETROIT
MR Don Gross, 3 years, $3.9M
SP
Bob Gibson, 2 years, $3.86M
MANHATTAN
SP Stan Williams, 5 years, $9.5M
C John Orsino, 6 years, $5.4M
MR Jim "Bear" Owens, 2 yrs, $1.8M
ST. LOUIS
SP Herb Score, 4 years, $15.2M
CF Albie Pearson, 4 years, $12.0M
SAN
FRANCISCO
RF Billy Williams, 4
years, $6.4M
|
|
ARBITRATION HEARINGS |
|
BOSTON
SS Eddie Bressoud (2657)
RF Bob Skinner (465)
MR Tom Morgan (382)
DALLAS
MR Gordon Jones
(1554)
SP Art Ceccarelli (1522)
1B Marv Throneberry (950)
1B Dick Cole (546)
DETROIT
3B Frank Malzone (487)
LF Charlie Maxwell (0)
LOS ANGELES
3B Ted Lepcio (3864)
LF Frank Robinson (3684)
LOUISVILLE
1B Frank Torre (975)
MR Tom Acker (608)
C Don Mueller (588)
SS Rocky Bridges (567)
WASHINGTON
SP Don Larsen (1279)
|
|
FREE AGENCY COMPENSATION PICKS |
|
TYPE A (1st rd sandwich pick)
1. Detroit (Mickey McDermott)
2. Manhattan (Bubba Church)
3. St. Louis (Del Crandell)
4. Washington (Bob Chakales)
5. Boston (Johnny Antonelli)
6. Brooklyn (Willie Jones)
7. Brooklyn (Hobie Landrith)
TYPE B (2nd rd sandwich
pick)
1. Louisville (Cloyd Boyer)
2. St. Louis (Chet Nichols)
3. Boston (Bobby Brown)
4. Brooklyn (Irv Noren)
TYPE C (3rd rd sandwich
pick)
1. Cleveland (Yogi Berra)
2. Boston (Toothpick Sam Jones)
3. Brooklyn (Roy Campanella)
|
|
|
 Brooklyn
Sets New Standards
Reed Grabs
Seventh East Title with 115 Wins
BROOKLYN (Oct. 1) -- The Brooklyn Superbas broke their own
three-year old records for wins and winning percentage this
season. The Bas finished 115-47, for a .710
percentage, eclipsing their .706 percentage in 1960, when the
Brooks were 108-46. The new win record benefits from the longer
season after expansion last year, but no one can argue with the
validity of the winning percentage record. Brooklyn again
led the league in both most runs and fewest runs allowed,
winning their division by 29 games, the biggest margin in UL
history, thanks to the best team ERA in league history, 2.64, a
full 30 points better than their 1960 ERA. Gene Conley
(24-6, 2.02) and Whitey Ford (21-5, 2.05) had two of the three
lowest ERAs in league history, and were joined by Lew Burdette
(22-7, 2.62) in the 20-win club. Newcomer Jim Perry (12-9,
2.84), who sliced his ERA more than one point this year, rounded
out the rotation. Dave Sisler (1.44, 16 saves) was one of
the league's top relievers, and 37-year-ol Barney Schultz
allowed just one earned run in 23 innings (0.39 ERA).
Offensively, it was all Mantle (.277-36-110) and Hamner
(.329-16-105) again. Mantle's power numbers dipped a bit,
but the "Commerce Comet" still managed his fourth 30-HR season
in a row, and stole his 400th stolen base in the last week of
the campaign. Hamner, 35, had his worst batting average in
seven years, but still hit .329, 5th best in the UL, and had his
seventh straight 100-RBI season to become the 6th ULer to reach
the 1,000 RBI plateau. As for the rest of the lineup, no
fewer than eight players had double-digit home runs (the club
ranked 4th with 164), led by Jim Gentile (.297-17-68), Felix
Mantilla (.284-15-83), and Al Kaline (.282-15-74).
Gentile's power number were down from last year (27 HR, 81 RBI)
but he hit career highs in batting and OPS (.902).
Mantilla, a 29-year-old Cuban infielder, had career bests in
RBI, average, and OPS (.794), and Kaline, in his first year with
Brooklyn, had his best year since 1960 with Louisville.
 Norm
Cashes In Colts Clincher
LOUISVILLE (Sept. 20) -- The Chicago Colts sealed their third
straight West title and another October date with the Brooklyn
Superbas today with an 8-2 win over the Louisville Colonels.
Norm Cash was the man of the hour, homereing and driving in four
runs, and Spanky Spangler was 3-for-5 with 3 runs, as Billy
Pierce notched his 17th win.
The Colts lost 7 of 9 games going into their season finale, which
they won 5-2 in San Francisco to finish the year with exactly
100 wins. Chicago was 101-61 last year, edging the
expansion Dallas Texans by four games. This year, the
Horsies took the flowers by a comfortable 11 lengths ahead of
Los Angeles, the same margin as their 1961 spread over
Louisville. Chicago the only team besides Brooklyn to win
100 games in back to back seasons, although they had the benefit
of a 162-game schedule. (Washington likely would have won
100 in 1953 if they had played eight more games.)
|
Allen
Turns Down Morehead
Louisville owner Mark Allen stunned the league today by
giving relief specialist Seth Morehead (2-4, 6.73 in 57
games) a premature release. The 29-year old earned
$2.1 million this year, or $36k a pop, "well above the
going rate" for someone with his marginal skills.
"He wasn't the best I've ever had," Louisville's pitching coach
Spunky Cummings told reporters under the bleachers at
Parkway Field. "In fact he wasn't very good at it,
but he did it 57 times, finished 26 times, and did it
with joy on his face, and I think that speaks for
itself," apparently referring to Morehead's
appearances and games finished. "I would have
liked him to finish more than he did, but you take what
you can get."
Other UL owners were surprised by the news. "No Morehead?
Frankly, I can't get enough," an incredulous Charlie
Qualls quipped. Several GMs expressed interest in
getting Morehead next year. "Our pitching staff
could definitely use Morehead, and our batters would
enjoy Morehead in the clubhouse and on those long
flights to the West Coast, especially the guys who play
more than one position," one GM said on condition of
anonymity.
|
 Louisville
Draft Preview
by Mark
Allen
With 4 picks (as of RIGHT now) in the first round and
the #1 overall, the Colonels staff has been travelling
around the country looking at a number of pitchers. The
"unofficial" word is that Gaylord Perry and Luis Tiant
are drawing the most favorable reviews so far, but close
behind are the likes of Sam McDowell, Denny McLain and
Mel Stottlemyre.
The Colonels are also looking at Alou's, Tonys (Conigliaro and
Oliva) and another Allen to go with Bernie.....but they
will probably be behind at least 3 pitchers as the
"feeling" is that the #1, 8 and 10 will be pitchers.
Mark Allen has been quoted as saying though "We aren't done dealing
yet, it could be a last minute trade or a pick and trade
as we are intent on getting another pick yet in the
first 6 in the first round, we've got some feelers out
and we'll just see what happens, it's gonna be a few
years till we recover from my "piss poor" decision year
before last to make 1 more run at it with some big $
free agents, but the fans in this town are supportive
and we WILL be champions again, hopefully at least twice
before the decade is done." |
 Mountain
Man Finally Climbs Down
Slugger
Gus Zernial Retires
In September, 1963, the United League
bid adios to one of its most prolific power men. At age 39, Gus
“Ozark Ike” Zernial hung up his cleats for good. The strapping
6'3", 245 pound Beaumont, Texas native was
drafted by the Boston Beacons as the 32nd overall pick in the
UL’s initial draft in 1951. While the league was getting its
feet wet, Gus was making a big splash, entering the league in
his prime, and establishing himself as one of baseball’s most
dependable go-to power guys. He first made history by slapping
the UL’s first hit ever, and that was just the beginning.
In his first season he put up career numbers in hits, runs,
Avg., K%, OBP and OPS. But it wasn’t all downhill for this
mountain man. Over twelve full seasons he averaged 30 home
runs, 93 RBI and 31 doubles per year.
Zernial prospered in Boston
for five seasons, despite being part of some fairly mediocre
teams. In 1956, he
was traded to the Chicago Colts. In his first season n the
Windy City, he fell one homer short of Ralph Kiner’s single
season mark of 40 HR’s, but rectified that in his second Colt
year, setting the One Year Dong Bar (OYDB) at 46, a record that
still stands.
This relatively quiet slugger
only seemed to display flair for the dramatic when history was
on the line. In September of 1957, he hit three Home Runs
in the game that broke Ralph Kiner’s single season record.
Then, on one night in July,
1961, he pulled another trick out of his hat, knocking a trio of
long balls to take over as the UL’s all time Home Run King,
again howing up the mighty Ralph Kiner.
Zernial enjoyed four monster years as a Colt, and was compensated
handsomely, becoming one of the league’s highest paid players. In his fifth season in Chicago, however, it
looked like he might finally be slowing
down, so he was sent to face Free Agency before the 1961 season.
His old team (now re-located to Cleveland) came knocking,
offering him a chance to contribute again. During the ’61
campaign, he rewarded his new old team with 32 Dingers and 105
Ribs, easily making him one of the league’s best bargains at
850K. Gus suffered a
serious power drop-off in ’62, but it was enough to earn another
year in Cleveland. He landed on the Barons 1963 opening day
roster, but age had finally caught up with him, and he
eventually stepped down to make
way for a youth movement in Cleveland.
Possibly due to his lack of flash, “Ozark Ike” only made one
All-Star list appearance. But over his career, he was voted
Player of the Week five times and Batter of the Month thrice.
A broadcaster pinned the nickname “Ozark Ike” on Gus, due to his
resemblance to the famous cartoon strip
character. But there was nothing funny about Zernial’s career
as he finished with 356 homers, 1126 ribbies and a lifetime .501
slugging percentage. And although his place atop the all-time
Home Run list was fleeting (Willie Mays is at 396 and counting),
there’s no telling what “Ozark Ike” would have accomplished had
he entered the league at a younger age. The only thing missing
now is the creation of a United League Hall Of Fame, where Gus
Zernial would most certainly be welcome.
  
|
MINOR LEAGUE AWARDS |
|
|
SWISH NICHOLSON AWARD |
BOB MUNCRIEF AWARD |
ISOTONER TOP GLOVE AWARD |
|
 |
 |
|
C |
Bob Uecker, DEN |
|
1B |
Rusty Staub, PIT |
|
2B |
Bob Lillis, BAL |
|
3B |
Bob Bailey, HOU |
|
SS |
Bobby Wine, BUF |
|
LF |
Carl Yastrzemski, BAL |
|
CF |
Jimmy Piersall, HOU |
|
RF |
Willie Kirkland, HAV |
|
P |
Claude Osteen, BAL |
|
|
Earl Averill, PHA (BOS)
.351, 25 HR, 75 RBI, 1.022 OPS |
Ralph Terry, PHA (BOS)
19-4, 1.95 ERA, 0.92 WHIP |
|
|
| W
E S T D I V I S I O N |
E A S T D I V I S I O N |
|
Déjà vu, all over
again…and again
One and
done for the third season in a row…one World Series
win that is. Three Series appearances, three
identical results, man that sucks! O.K., I got my
venting out of the way. The fact of the matter is,
the Colts don’t have a whole lot to complain about.
We’ve been to the Series more than any other West
team, we’ve won the division three years running…but
MAN does that shit SUCK! Seriously, I’m done now, on
with the positive stuff.
I could break down all the statistical mumbo jumbo that proves this
was the best year in Colts’ history, but that crap
gets tedious so I’ll stick with the highlights. 1963
saw two breakout performances on the Colts squad,
one you could see coming and one from so far out of
leftfield you’d think it’d dropped down from
Neptune. This was the year Don Demeter proved he was
a force to be reckoned with, jacking 35 dingers and
driving in 98, while batting at a .314 clip and
jumping his OPS 141 points over last season. And
then there’s Ray Herbert, of the Detroit “Rock City”
Herberts. Ray turned a questionable multi-year,
multi-million dollar deal into the biggest breakout
in UL history by notching 23 wins (24 if you count
his sparkling complete game shutout in the World
Series) after having won only three games in his
three previous seasons on the Superbas roster. So,
hurrah for Ray!
1963 also saw a Chicago team
with three twenty game winners for the first time in
team history. Herbert, Don Mossi, and Tom Sturdivant
were neck-and-neck for team and league lead in wins,
with Don Mossi pulling out both by going 10-4 over
the last two months of the season. Oh, here’s one
trivial fact for the UL “record books”, the Colts
went wire-to-wire to win the West in 1963, which
happened to be the second in a row the team has
accomplished that feat…which I’m almost certain is
“some kind of record.” And speaking of records,
Ernie Banks finally captured his first MVP award
while racking up his eighth season in a row with
100+ RBIs. So, sorry King Glen but your Granny’s got
some catching up to do. As for 1964, well, we’ll see
how the off-season goes, and I’m sure I’ll have some
thoughts for the Colts’ '64 season preview.
|
It's Good to be the King
Who can forget the Mel
Brooks classic "History of the World, Part I" that gave us such
lines as, "the jig is up . . . and gone!", "wait for the shake,"
"count d'money", and "now, he's a eunich . . . he's dead," among
others. In the movie, a wanky king runs around fucking over the
peasnatry and peeps at court, declaring "it's good to be the king!"
And what's worse, when the revolution arrives at his doorstep, he
sets up the lowly piss boy to take the fall.
And so it was in 1963--the Black and Blue sat atop the UL throne,
knocking about the baseball peasantry through a lineup dotted with
one-time Colonels. Now, I'm not calling LOU the piss boy of the
league, but in the bluegrass state, it is true that they are left
waiting for the shake, er, draft.
First, a look at the pitching staff, where a dominant '63 season
was rewarded with Gene Conley's unprecedented fourth Cy Young award.
To his CV he also added the second-best single-season ERA in league
history, became the career ERA leader, and fastest to 200 wins.
Long-time sidekick "sweet" Lew Burdette, like Conley, clocked his
seventh twenty-win season, making them the only two pitchers in
league history to reside in that rare zip code.
At the plate, Granny Hamner continued to make his claim for being
the best player in UL history, tallying his seventh straight 100+
RBI season, which has to be some kind of record. It was also a
season in which Granny took over the top spot on the career batting
average table.
But change is in the offing--the team bid adieu to long-time
backstops Hobie Landrith and Del Crandall, which formed the side's
catching platoon almost since the advent of divisional play. What's
more, 1964 marks the expiration of contracts for such UL luminaries
as Hamner, Mantle, Amoros, Conley, and Burdette. As a result, 1965
could well mark the changing of the UL guard. But until then, it's
good to be the king.
|
|
The 1963 Federal Awards
1963 was a bit of an
improvement for the Boston Federals. Their 86-76 record was
their best posted in some time (good for second place), but it
meant little since the Yankees, er Superbas, won the East
division for the 708 th straight season by 420
games. The Feds ended up winning the 1963 Founders Cup and
GM/owner Shawn Martin took it home as an implement to aid in the
consumption of tasty hops-and-malt-based alcoholic beverages.
A mid-season trade for reigning Cy Young winner Johnny Antonelli
was productive for the price, though he refused to re-sign with
the club after the season ended.
Pounder: Orlando Cepeda -
.271/.352/.467 with 32 HR and 81 RBI
Flounder: Davey Williams - .256/.320/.363 for
$9.something million per year
Rebounder: Ed Bressoud - .351/.394/.528 after a
lackluster 1962
Young Gun: Bill Freehan - Rookie posted a .290/.362/.441
line in 442 AB
He's Done: Bob Skinner - The guy sucks compared to his
ratings
Pitcher: John Antonelli - 10-7 2.09 ERA in 23 Federal
starts
Bitcher: Sam Jones - 5.43 ERA in 21 games
Belly-Itcher: Billy Loes - 5-12 4.11 ERA
While there's hope for the
Federals to contend for a title, most pundits feel that by the
time their chance comes around, the other teams in the East will
be at equal footing or better. Top-tier prospect Jimmy Wynn
continues to improve, and the Feds' AAA team produced both the
minor league hitter (Averill) and pitcher (Terry) of the year.
Most of Boston's core (including Cepeda, Allison, Gonzalez,
Short and Friend) will be back next year to continue the
never-ending quest for a playoff berth in 1964.
|
|
 Maroons
Optimistic After Strong Finish
St. Louis won 11 of their last 13 games to finish 85-77, their best
record in six years. The club finished fourth in offense, but GM
Timothy J. Smith's optimism lies with the pitching staff, which seems to
be brimming with a bushel of blossoming buds. The Dark Reds ranked
9th in ERA, but 1963 saw the emergence of several fresh faces that could
form the core of the Maroons' rotation of the future. Three of St.
Louis' five main starters were rookies or sophomores, and they combined
for a 34-30 record and 4.13 ERA in 84 starts. The star of the
bunch, and leading candidate to fill a slot in the top of the rotation
next year is Bob Bruce (9-5, 3.69), 30, a fourth round pick in 1960 who
had the best ERA among regular starters. The others--Ray Culp, 22,
(13-12, 4.29) and John Buzhardt, 27, (12-15, 4.23)--were among the top
rookies in the league. The bullpen was strong (4th in ERA, 2nd in
saves), led by closer Billy Hoeft (2.02, 18 SV), Ryne Duren (2.21 in 33
G), and Dick Radatz (6-3, 2.86, 15 SV), who posted a 2.16 record in
seven starts in August and September.
The offense was led by Roger Maris (.287-27-105), who had his
second straight 100-RBI year, Joe Torre (.308-24-96), who had a
breakout year at age 23, and Moose Skowron (.289-25-87), who joined the
club in a May 1 trade with Louisville. The trio figures to anchor
the middle of the St. Louis lineup for years to come, and is surrounded
by a solid supporting cast.
CF Albie Pearson hit .336 (3rd) with a .447 OBP (2nd), and 96 runs
(8th-t), while fielding 336 total chances (2nd only to Willie Mays)
without an error. 2B Don Blasingame posted career highs in batting
(.327), OBP (.381), and OPS (.808), and LF Floyd Robinson (.302-7-46)
became the first ULer to hit .300 in each of his first three major
league seasons, despite battling injuries that sidelined him for seven
weeks.
St. Louis achieved its goal of overtaking Dallas to finish third
and now sets about the task of turning itself into a true contender in
1964.
|
 Howser
'Bout That?
As a troubled era came to an end, it was the ex-rookie of the year that
stole all the plaudits. Dick Howser's wonderful campaign, hitting .393
with 4 homers and 88 walks, stealing 63 bases at 2B, in what could have
(should have) been an MVP campaign. Having hit only .226 last time out,
Howser led the league in hits, OBP, RC/9, TAVG a PAs, having flirted
with .400 for most of the season.
There were other bright spots on the offence. The real Johnny
Romano finally showed up, with his first 100 RBI campaign and 35
homers. Willie Mays, after a sensational '62, simply had another very
good year, with 28 homers and 100 walks. Ron Santo had his first
major-league season, and although it was a disappointment he still hit
20 homers; Ron Hansen won the Gold Glove and and had a .350 OBP. Johnny
Callison and Don Mincher, two rookies, provided more hope for the
future.
Pitching wise, Don Larsen was again the best left-hander in the
league, collecting a 2.89 ERA winning 21 games. Art Houtteman was the
workhorse, leading the league in Ks and Innings, Bob Shaw and Robin
Roberts pitched well and Bob Chakales, as always, was lights out.
In the last year of the old regime, signs of decay had set in, and
in some way the Washington Monuments looked like crumbling under the
weight of mismanagement (Larsen had to take the ball 50 times this
year). But the players exceeded expectations, and finally delivered a
winning season, ending 84-78. 31 games back of Brooklyn felt like a
hollow third place, but under new management, the Monuments can return
to their once storied past.
So here's to the new breed of Romano and Howser, cheers to the old
timers Stu Miller, Gil McDougald and the relics of the golden period,
commiserations to Larry Doby and Duke Snider who fumbled through the
lean years, and thanks to Willie Mays, who stayed through it all - the
greatest player in UL history? |
Boog Moon
1963 was a pretty mediocre year for the Texans as the team fell well
below their expected 90 wins and finished fourth in their division.
The Texans ranked in the top five in both runs and runs allowed, but
the bullpen was the downfall of the team. The team hopes that
recent drafts will be able to contribute to a stronger bullpen going
forward, but it may be too little, too late. The Texans
starters may shortly be more interested in collecting social
security than trying to win games. The addition of Gaylord Perry is
promising, but a full-blown youth movement may be necessary.
The offense is loaded with average to above average bats, and only
one bona fide star in the making - Boog. The team will have a hard
time finding at-bats for everyone as several young guys look to
break into the lineup and several veterans try to hold them off.
The team will be in for some very tough decisions.
|
The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow
After back-to-back 77-85
seasons, the Gray Sox have exceed the expectations of many with a
rag-tag team of players designed to set the foundation for something
in the future. We’re just not sure what the something is.
Nevertheless, 1964 will mark the year that youth will be served in
the Big Apple and expectations will increase from being respectable
to battling for second in the East.
Staff stalwart Johnny Podres (16-11/2.87) and the emerging Bob
Anderson (15-9/3.16) will be joined by the recently acquired Herm
Wehmeier (14-27/4.64) and rookies Dean Chance (16-5/2.09) and Ray
Sadecki (16-5/1.78). Gone from the staff are Billy O’Dell (free
agent), Jim O’Toole (traded) and Big Daddy Williams (Havana), all of
whom had double digit losses.
The bullpen will remain in the hands of Ted Abernathy (4-4/2.55/17
saves), Billy Muffett (4-3/3.06/7 saves) and Bobby Tiefenauer
(5-2/3.70/11 saves) – all coming off sound years.
Rookies Jimmie Hall (.301/37/108), the Gray Sox’s minor league
player of the year, and Pete Ward (.313/24/87), after stellar years
in Havana, will be asked to anchor a lineup to include Felipe Alou
(.283/21/97), Tito Francona (.299/21/81) and Ed Bouchee (.278/20/71)
– providing a little punch to the team’s stable of slap happy
hitters.
Down on the farm, the Havana Sugar Kings won the inaugural
Governor’s Cup. And, despite the call-ups of four key players, the
Cubans should remain a formidable team. The team’s number one
pitching prospect, Dave McNally, will return from 8 months on the
injured reserve list hoping to regain the form he displayed in his
rookie year. He will be joined by three other highly regarded
prospects – Dick Ellsworth, Mickey Lolich and Jim Bouton – and the
aforementioned Big Daddy Williams, who seeks somehow to gain better
control over his pitches. Lastly, sleeper prospect Tony Cloninger
will round-out Havana’s six man rotation.
In the field, the biggest question for the Cubans and, ultimately
the Gray Sox, is whether Ken Harrelson will continue his late season
development and justify his selection with the 7th pick in the 1963
rookie draft. After a difficult transition from OTTP 6.5 to 2006,
Harrelson began to display some of the qualities that led the Gray
Sox to select him in the first place.
Finally, the Gray Sox are looking forward to the arrival of three
of the top twenty-five rookies, including the fifth pick overall –
all of whom will spend their first year in the Caribbean.
After staying near .500 for much of their first two seasons, the
Gray Sox slid under near the end of each season. With fresh faces and the continued development of core players,
the Sox hope to reverse that trend and challenge for the Glen Reed
Memorial Cup (second place in the East) come 1964.
|
|
Barking Spiders
The first year of the Jeff Tonole era in San Francisco
looked a lot like the last year of the John Nellis era
-- an identical 61-101 record. Though the Spiders
avoided the West Division cellar for the first time
since 1960 (thanks to Louisville's freefall and a 9-3
finish for the Spiders), the team's struggling offense
and non-existent pitching
looked all too familiar to fans of the orange and black.
San Francisco was outscored by a total of 195 runs, by far the
worst differential in the league. The Spiders finished
10th or worse in every major pitching category, and 9th
or worse in most of the offensive categories. The injury
bug also reared its ugly head -- top players 1B Harmon
Killebrew and OF Billy Williams, as well as rookie IF
Pete Rose, spent several weeks on the injured list
during the season, and the Spiders lost the potent bat
of OF Rocky Colavito, who was having a career year
(.254-23-66 in 97 games) until he blew out a posterior
cruciate ligament in July.
Despite another disastrous season by the Bay, there were
some promising signs of progress that may provide a ray
of hope for long-suffering Spiders fans. San Francisco
was 5th in the league in home runs, led by team MVP
Killebrew (.278-39-107, .396 OBP), who posted career
highs in homers (3rd in the league), runs, RBIs
(5th), on-base percentage (6th), and slugging
percentage (2nd). It's worth noting that the Killer
achieved these mammoth numbers despite missing 20 games
due to injury; getting those 70-80 at-bats back would
likely have given him the home run title.
The Spiders also led the league in stolen bases, largely because of
second-year OF Lou Brock (.256-17-56), who destroyed the
league's single-season stolen base record. Brock swiped
104 bases, shattering the previous record of 72, and
finished 4th in the league with 107 runs scored. Brock
also showed some pop, smacking 17 HRs and 7 triples.
Versatile IF Pete Rose (.263-3-36, 40 SB) -- who started at 2B and
3B, but also spent time at 1B and in the outfield -- had
a noteworthy rookie campaign, and promising youngsters C
Don Pavletich (.237-23-42) and OF Don Lock (.317-11-35)
enjoyed fine seasons down on the farm.
On the mound, Juan Pizarro (14-14, 3.63) recovered from a rough 2-8
start, going 12-6 with a 3.10 ERA in the last four
months of the season. "Fat" Jack Fisher (8-14, 3.81) and
Jim Maloney (10-21, 3.24 in AAA), young arms acquired
from Cleveland in a pre-season trade, continued to
develop and should be valuable additions to the rotation
down the road.
|
 “O”
No!
We Barons spent so much time and effort establishing a young pitching
core at the expense of (na na na na na na na na) Bat Men! But this year
saw the addition and/or emergence of such future run producing hopefuls
as Curt Flood, Rusty Staub and Jim Fregosi and an unexpected high draft
position should bring more youthful lumber help, though the temptation
always exists to reel in one of the big name arms up for grabs.
Trading the pick for a big tagging ragu is also in the realm of pasta-bilities.
Speaking on Eddie Spaghetti, our best power source is facing a contract
year in ’64, so he may take a dip in trade waters, but it’ll take a
mighty fish to replace the league’s
swimmin’-est three bee power stroke.
Looking at the tossers, a five-man rotation was in play all year
to give some guys major league experience and to hopefully cut down on
injuries. That plan almost worked until solid number two guy Earl
Francis went down at the end of the year with a ripped flipper. Ace
John Tsitouris has yet to put up a disappointing season. Lefties Steve
Barber and Gary Peters shared time in the rotation and performed
adequately. Donny D. is still looking to live up to his name and
potential. 27 year-old rookie Glen “Holly” Hobbie dolled up a decent
first year effort in the bonus spot of the rotation. But it was the
bullpen that was the glue of the staff, even with the trading of super
stopper Russ Kemmerer. Everyone else stepped up and somehow
instinctively adopted a sabermetrics mentality, with six guys splitting
save duty (seven, if you count Russ K’s early contribution).
Yogi Berra may have packed his last pic-a-nic basket in Cleveland, he
put up solid numbers for a codger, and hopefully playing him in Right
Field most of the year will help keep him around the league a while
longer. But not for 5 million sandwiches.
In the “Rhymes With Stud” department, new addition Curt Flood led the
team in 13 offensive categories, including a second place league wide
finish in batting average (.349).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL ATTENDANCE |
TOTAL REVENUE |
PLAYER EXPENSES |
NET PROFIT |
CASH |
|
1963 (k) |
Change |
|
Chicago |
3221 |
(76) |
|
Brooklyn |
2926 |
112 |
|
Dallas |
1867 |
(711) |
|
Boston |
1583 |
(837) |
|
St.
Louis |
1288 |
(370) |
|
Manhattan |
1229 |
(1584) |
|
Los Angeles |
1102 |
62 |
|
Louisville |
1064 |
(303) |
|
Cleveland |
819 |
(240) |
|
Detroit |
670 |
(676) |
|
San
Francisco |
643 |
(801) |
|
Washington |
538 |
(575) |
|
Total |
16,965 |
(6001) |
|
Average |
1413 |
-26.1% |
|
|
1963 ($M) |
Change |
|
Chicago |
76.12 |
(7.51) |
|
Brooklyn |
71.40 |
3.73 |
|
Dallas |
58.08 |
(6.90) |
|
Louisville |
55.40 |
(5.71) |
|
Boston |
52.80 |
(4.08) |
|
Manhattan |
52.56 |
(17.00) |
|
St.
Louis |
50.33 |
(4.16) |
|
Cleveland |
46.73 |
(3.90) |
|
Los Angeles |
45.86 |
(0.82) |
|
San
Francisco |
44.22 |
(15.22) |
|
Washington |
42.39 |
(6.95) |
|
Detroit |
41.91 |
(9.36) |
|
Total |
637.90 |
(77.68) |
|
Average |
53.16 |
-10.9% |
|
|
|
|
|
1963 ($M) |
Change |
|
Brooklyn |
69.66 |
5.45 |
|
Chicago |
66.17 |
9.53 |
|
Boston |
59.99 |
17.77 |
|
Detroit |
54.98 |
12.44 |
|
St. Louis |
54.89 |
7.37 |
|
Louisville |
52.90 |
(15.70) |
|
Dallas |
52.77 |
3.01 |
|
Manhattan |
51.11 |
4.39 |
|
Los Angeles |
51.10 |
14.59 |
|
San Francisco |
50.34 |
(6.09) |
|
Washington |
47.25 |
2.95 |
|
Cleveland |
46.78
|
(8.39) |
|
Total |
657.94 |
44.42 |
|
Average |
54.83 |
7.2% |
|
|
1963 ($M) |
Change |
|
Chicago |
9.95 |
(17.04) |
|
Dallas |
5.31 |
(9.91) |
|
Louisville |
2.50 |
9.99 |
|
Brooklyn |
1.74 |
(1.72) |
|
Manhattan |
1.45 |
(21.39) |
|
Cleveland |
(0.05) |
4.49 |
|
St. Louis |
(4.56) |
(11.53) |
|
Washington |
(4.86) |
(9.90) |
|
Los Angeles |
(5.14) |
(15.51) |
|
San Francisco |
(6.12) |
(9.13) |
|
Boston |
(7.19) |
(21.85) |
|
Detroit |
(13.07) |
(21.80) |
|
Total |
(20.04) |
(122.10)
|
|
Average |
(1.67) |
-119% |
|
|
1963 ($M) |
Change |
|
Chicago |
40.76 |
0.95 |
|
Boston |
31.16 |
(5.69) |
|
Manhattan |
29.29 |
6.45 |
|
Dallas |
25.53 |
10.31 |
|
Brooklyn |
14.57 |
1.74 |
|
Washington |
12.14 |
(4.86) |
|
Detroit |
10.97 |
(13.07) |
|
Los Angeles |
10.07 |
(35.14) |
|
Cleveland |
8.28 |
8.95 |
|
Louisville |
5.58 |
4.00 |
|
San Francisco |
3.28 |
(6.12) |
|
St. Louis |
1.54 |
(4.56) |
|
Total |
182.67 |
62.12 |
|
Average |
15.22 |
26.3% |
|
|
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER |
CY YOUNG AWARD |
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR |
GOLD GLOVE AWARD |
ALL-UL TEAM |
 |
|
Ernie Banks,
CHI
.329, 41 HR, 117 RBI |
|
|
|
|
Gene Conley,
BRO
24-6, 2.02, 222 K |
|
 |
|
Boog Powell,
DAL
.301, 21 HR, 68 RBI |
|
|
C |
Bill Freehan, BOS |
|
1B |
Don Mincher, WAS |
|
2B |
Chuck Schilling, CLE |
|
3B |
Ted Lepcio, LA |
|
SS |
Ron Hansen, WAS |
|
LF |
Felipe Alou, MAN |
|
CF |
Albie Pearson, STL |
|
RF |
Roger Maris, STL |
|
P |
Don Larsen, WAS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
C |
Johnny Romano, WAS |
|
1B |
Harmon Killebrew, SF |
|
2B |
Dick Howser, WAS |
|
3B |
Eddie Mathews, CLE |
|
SS |
Ernie Banks, CHI |
|
OF |
Frank Robinson, LA |
|
OF |
Mickey Mantle, BRO |
|
OF |
Frank Thomas, DAL |
|
SP |
Gene Conley, BRO |
|
SP |
Whitey Ford, BRO |
|
SP |
Pedro Ramos, DET |
|
RP |
Don Gross, DET |
|
|
BATTING
AVERAGE |
HOME RUNS |
RBI |
OPS |
RUNS
PER GAME |
|
Dick
Howser, WAS |
.393
|
|
Curt
Flood, CLE |
.349
|
|
Albie
Pearson, STL |
.336
|
|
Ernie
Banks, CHI |
.329
|
|
Granny
Hamner, BRO |
.329
|
|
Don
Blasingame, STL |
.327
|
|
Don
Demeter, CHI |
.314
|
|
*Bobby
Clemente, DAL |
.309
|
|
Joe
Torre, STL |
.308
|
|
*Boog
Powell, DAL |
.301
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Frank
Robinson, LA |
43
|
|
Ernie
Banks, CHI |
41
|
|
Harmon
Killewbrew, SF |
39
|
|
Mickey
Mantle, BRO |
36
|
|
Don
Demeter, CHI |
35
|
|
Eddie
Mathews, CLE |
35
|
|
Johnny
Romano, WAS |
35 |
|
Orlando Cepeda, BOS |
32
|
|
Hank
Aaron, LA |
32
|
|
Frank
Thomas, DAL |
32
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Frank
Thomas, DAL |
144
|
|
Ernie
Banks, CHI |
115
|
|
Mickey
Mantle, BRO |
110
|
|
Harmon
Killewbrew, SF |
107
|
|
Granny
Hamner, BRO |
105
|
|
Roger
Maris, STL |
105 |
|
Frank
Robinson, LA |
105
|
|
*Johnny
Romano, WAS |
100
|
|
*Don
Demeter, CHI |
98
|
|
*Eddie
Mathews, CLE |
98
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ernie
Banks, CHI |
1.015
|
|
Harmon
Killebrew, SF |
.973
|
|
Mickey
Mantle, BRO |
.943
|
|
Frank
Robinson, LA |
.933
|
|
Don
Demeter, CHI |
.926
|
|
Dick
Howser, WAS |
.924
|
|
Albie
Pearson, STL |
.899
|
|
*Hank
Aaron, LA |
.890 |
|
*Boog
Powell, DAL |
.883 |
|
*Granny
Hamner, BRO |
.882
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BROOKLYN
|
5.2
|
|
DALLAS
|
4.7 |
|
BOSTON
|
4.5
|
|
ST. LOUIS
|
4.4
|
|
CHICAGO
|
4.3
|
|
LOUISVILLE
|
4.3
|
|
WASHINGTON
|
4.3
|
|
LOS ANGELES
|
4.1
|
|
SAN FRANCISCO
|
3.9
|
|
CLEVELAND
|
3.8
|
|
DETROIT
|
3.8
|
|
MANHATTAN |
3.8 |
|
|
EARNED
RUN AVERAGE |
WINS |
STRIKEOUTS |
BASERUNNERS PER 9 |
RUNS
ALLOWED PER GAME |
|
Gene Conley, BRO |
2.02
|
|
Whitey
Ford, BRO |
2.05
|
|
Lew Burdette,
BRO |
2.62
|
|
Johnny
Antonelli, BOS |
2.70
|
|
Pedro
Ramos, DET |
2.84
|
|
Jim
Perry, BRO |
2.84
|
|
Johnny
Podres, MAN |
2.87
|
|
*Don
Larsen, WAS |
2.89
|
|
Ray
Herbert, CHI |
2.91 |
|
Tom
Sturdivant, CHI |
2.97
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Don
Mossi, CHI |
25
|
|
Gene
Conley, BRO |
24
|
|
Bob
Friend, BOS |
24
|
|
Ray
Herbert, CHI |
23
|
|
Tom
Sturdivant, CHI |
23
|
|
Lew Burdette,
BRO |
22
|
|
Art
Mahaffey, LA |
22
|
|
Pedro
Ramos, DET |
22
|
|
Whitey
Ford, BRO |
21
|
|
Art
Houtteman, WAS |
21
|
|
*Don
Larsen, WAS |
21
|
|
|
|
|
|
Herb Score, STL |
311
|
|
Bob
Friend, BOS
|
286 |
|
Johnny
Antonelli, BOS
|
282
|
|
Art
Houtteman, WAS |
277
|
|
Bob
Purkey, DAL |
250 |
|
Billy
Pierce, CHI |
244
|
|
Herm
Wehmeier, LOU |
240
|
|
Don
Mossi, CHI |
237
|
|
*Whitey
Ford, BRO |
229 |
|
Johnny
Podres, MAN |
224
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Johnny Podres,
MAN
|
8.98
|
|
Lew Burdette, BRO |
9.23 |
|
Gene
Conley, BRO |
9.34
|
|
Whitey
Ford, BRO |
9.50
|
|
Bob
Anderson, MAN |
10.02
|
|
Don
Mossi, CHI |
10.18
|
|
Ray
Herbert, CHI |
10.25 |
|
Dick
Donovan, DAL |
10.26
|
|
Billy Pierce, CHI |
10.53
|
|
Bob J.
Miller, DAL |
10.60
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BROOKLYN
|
2.8
|
|
CHICAGO
|
3.4
|
|
WASHINGTON
|
4.0
|
|
LOS ANGELES
|
4.1
|
|
DALLAS
|
4.2
|
|
BOSTON
|
4.2
|
|
CLEVELAND
|
4.2
|
|
MANHATTAN |
4.5
|
|
ST. LOUIS
|
4.6
|
|
DETROIT
|
4.8
|
|
SAN FRANCISCO
|
5.1
|
|
LOUISVILLE
|
5.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dick Howser, WAS
238 hits, .393 average, .466 OBP, 209
singles
Orlando Cepeda, BOS
159 games, tied with Gus Zernial,
1962
Frank Thomas, DAL
--
144 RBI
Lou Brock, SF
-- 104 stolen bases
Mickey Mantle, BRO --
131 bases on balls
Herm Wehmeier, LOU
27 losses, 53 games started, 370 hits
allowed
Bob Friend, BOS --
58 home runs allowed
Art Houtteman, WAS --
220 bases on balls |
|
|
|
Gene Conley, BRO
2.02 ERA (#2 all-time), Conley 1.79 (1959)
Whitey Ford, BRO
2.05 ERA (#3 all-time)
Johnny Podres, MAN
0.95 WHIP (#3 all-time), Conley 0.90 (1959) |
|
MILESTONES |
|
Dick Kokos, WAS
250th home run (Sept. 24), #10-T
all-time
Yogi Berra, CLE
250th home run (Sept. 24),
#10-T all-time
Mickey Mantle,
BRO
400th stolen base (Sept. 26),
#3 all-time
Billy Pierce,
CHI
250th win (Sept. 24), #1
all-time
Herm Wehmeier,
LOU
3,000th inning pitched (Sept.
12), #3 all-time |
|
|
|
BATTER OF THE MONTH |
PITCHER OF THE MONTH |
ROOKIE OF THE MONTH |
|
APR
|
Roger Maris, STL |
APR
|
Lew Burdette, BRO |
APR
|
Bernie Allen, LOU |
|
MAY
|
Harmon Killebrew, SF |
MAY
|
Art Mahaffey, LA |
MAY
|
Boog Powell, DAL |
|
JUN
|
Frank
Robinson, LA |
JUN
|
Juan Pizarro, SF |
JUN
|
Boog Powell, DAL |
|
JUL
|
Ernie
Banks, CHI |
JUL
|
Don
Larsen, WAS |
JUL
|
Bernie
Allen, LOU |
|
AUG
|
Frank
Robinson, LA |
AUG
|
Pedro
Ramos, DET |
AUG
|
Boog Powell, DAL |
|
SEP |
Frank
Thomas, DAL |
SEP |
Don
Larsen, WAS |
SEP
|
Ray Culp, STL |
|
|
|
4/8
|
Norm Cash, CHI |
6/10
|
Ernie Banks, CHI |
8/12
|
Steve
Bilko, DAL (2) |
|
4/15
|
Frank Thomas, DAL |
6/17
|
Dick Williams, BRO |
8/19
|
Frank
Robinson, LA |
|
4/22
|
Eddie
Bressoud, BOS |
6/24
|
Dick
Howser, WAS |
8/26
|
Frank
Howard, DET |
|
4/29
|
Bill Skowron, LOU |
7/1
|
Dick
Howser, WAS (2) |
9/2
|
Johnny
Romano, WAS |
|
5/6
|
Harmon
Killebrew, SF |
7/8
|
Johnny
Romano, WAS |
9/9
|
Gil McDougald, DET |
|
5/13
|
Hank Aaron, LOU |
7/15
|
Ernie Banks, CHI (2) |
9/16
|
Curt Flood, CLE |
|
5/20
|
Tom Tresh, LA |
7/22
|
Steve
Bilko, DAL |
9/23
|
Max Alvis, STL |
|
5/27
|
Orlando Cepeda, BOS |
7/29
|
Ernie Banks, CHI (3) |
9/30
|
|
|
6/3
|
Bill Mazeroski, LA |
8/5
|
Frank Torre, LA |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
UNITED LEAGUE CHAMPIONS |
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
|
CY YOUNG AWARD
|
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
|
|
1951 |
ST. LOUIS MAROONS
|
Ralph Kiner, DET |
Sam Zoldak, STL |
Jackie Jensen, LOU |
|
1952
|
WASHINGTON MONUMENTS
|
Jackie Robinson, NYG |
Larry Jansen, WAS |
Stu Miller, WAS |
|
1953
|
WASHINGTON MONUMENTS
|
Mickey Mantle, BOS |
Stu Miller, WAS |
Smoky Burgess, BRO |
|
1954
|
WASHINGTON MONUMENTS
|
Stan Musial, STL |
Billy Pierce, STL |
Ed Bailey, LOU |
|
1955
|
BROOKLYN SUPERBAS
|
Roy Campanella, LA |
Tom Gorman, BRO |
Gene Conley, BRO |
|
1956
|
WASHINGTON
MONUMENTS
|
Ralph Kiner, DET |
Johnny Antonelli, LOU |
Frank Robinson, LA |
|
1957
|
BROOKLYN SUPERBAS
|
Granny Hamner, BRO |
Gene Conley, BRO |
Roger Maris, BOS |
|
1958
|
LOUISVILLE COLONELS
|
Willie Mays, WAS |
Carl Erskine, WAS |
Orlando Cepeda, NYG |
|
1959
|
SAN FRANCISCO SPIDERS
|
Granny Hamner, BRO |
Gene Conley, BRO |
Vada Pinson, LA |
|
1960
|
BROOKLYN SUPERBAS |
Hank Aaron, LOU |
Gene Conley, BRO |
Joe Gibbon, NYG |
|
1961 |
BROOKLYN SUPERBAS |
Granny Hamner, BRO |
Johnny Antonelli, LOU |
Dick Howser, WAS |
|
1962 |
BROOKLYN SUPERBAS |
Granny Hamner, BRO |
Johnny Antonelli, LOU |
Tom Tresh, LA |
|
1963 |
BROOKLYN SUPERBAS |
Ernie Banks, CHI |
Gene Conley, BRO |
Boog Powell, DAL |
|
|
|
|
