Mantle Eyes 7th Ring
Surging Brooklyn Pulls Ahead of Gray Sox
BROOKLYN (Sept. 14) -- After eight straight East Division titles from 1957 to 1964, most observers viewed the 1966 Brooklyn championship as the storied franchise's last hurrah before submerging into a rebuilding phase.  And that view seemed validated by the club's 2nd place finish in 1967 and 4th place finish last year.  But credit GM Rick Magar for bringing in some fresh faces and leading his club back into pennant contention in 1969.  Old stars Mickey Mantle and Johnny Kucks, veterans of six championship teams, and Jim Gentile, veteran of three, have been augmented by established stars like Hank Aaron, Bob Friend, and emerging ones like Woodie Fryman and Ollie Brown.

Aaron is by far the most high-profile acquisition, joining the club in February on a $41 million free agent contract.  Hammerin' Hank had 443 career home runs in 14 seasons with Louisville and Los Angeles, and has adapted well to the East Coast and the Frank, hitting .283-22-93 with a .844 OPS.  His .372 OBP is his best in four seasons as he closes in on a career record walk total.  The unsung hero of the outfield is not Mantle or Aaron, but right fielder "Downtown" Ollie Brown (.312-8-69, .363 OBP).  The 49th overall pick in 1966, the #2 hitter Brown has set the plate for Mantle, Aaron, and Dick McAuliffe, who all rank in the top 10 RBIs.

Bob Friend was a 22-game winner for Cleveland in 1966, but slumped in the last two seasons (10-10, 4.81 and 8-8, 4.18) as he began to show his age.  But the 37-year-old righthander is 14-10 with a 3.53 ERA and 1.34 WHIP and league-leading 212 strikeouts.  He is joined in the rotation by Fryman (13-6, 2.91, 1.21 WHIP), a 1st-round pick in 1966 who has flipped his 6-13 record of a year ago, while slicing two points of his ERA.

But it is Mantle who has led the recent surge.  The 36-year-old all-time hit, run, at-bat, home run, RBI, and walk leader, is showing no signs of slowing down in his 19th season, and 10th with Brooklyn.  Mantle is hitting .330-26-102 with a .917 OPS, and his 7th inning triple off Cleveland's Marty Pattin on Sept. 11 gave Mantle his eighth straight 100-RBI season, and 11th overall, which must be some kind of record.  Mantle's averaged dipped to .302 July 26 after a 1-for-12 mini-slump, but since then, the switch-hitting slugger is hitting .386-10-33 in 43 games, and .420-7-11 with a 1.363 OPS in his last 12 games, of which the Bas won eight, including two of three against Manhattan. 

The Sox, meanwhile, fell into a 3-8 funk, including a five-game skid Sept. 3-7, before bouncing back with a three-game sweep against Detroit.  The clubs are separated by a single game going into the last 17 games of the season, of which Manhattan has only five at home.

St. Louis Maintains Lead
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 14) -- The St. Louis Maroons maintained a four-game lead over the Atlanta Hilltoppers after winning two of three games at Sportsman's Park in the final head-to-head series between the two clubs.  The Toppers took the first game 9-5 behind ex-Maroon Roger Maris' 4-for-4, 3 RBI performance, closing the gap to just two games.  But the Dark Reds took the second game 3-2 when 41-year-old Lew Burdette, making his first UL start after a two-month demotion to Triple-A Denver, allowed just four hits and one run in eight innings.  Burdette, who was 18-14 with a 3.69 ERA in 39 starts last year, was demoted after going 5-7 with a 5.73 ERA in 16 starts.  But the injury to Don Sutton and the continuing struggles of Nolan Ryan forced him back into the rotation.  St. Louis won the the rubber game 7-4.  Joe Morgan's two-run double highlighted a four-run third inning and rookie right fielder Steve Hovley, filling in for the injured Roberto Clemente, drove in a pair of insurance runs with his first major league hit.

Maroons Re-Up Likely HOFers
St. Louis renewed contracts for Lew Burdette, Granny Hamner, and Willie Mays.  GM Timothy J. Smith made the announcement at Sportsman's Park, saying that the decision was not a sentimental one to keep the likely Hall of Fame candidates around next year, but rather based on their ability to contribute.  "Lew has had a rough year, but he's still go some gas left in the tank, Hammie is still hitting close to .280, and we expect Willie to bounce back from his broken wrist," the St. Louis skipper said.  The Maroons are still engaged in talks with free agent-eligible center fielder Roberto Clemente.

Narleski, Demeter, Clemente Possible Free Agents
Boston closer Ray Narleski, L.A.'s slugging center fielder Don Demeter, and St. Louis' Roberto Clemente top the list of probable free agents this year, the first year under the new 9-year eligibility rule.  Narleski, 40, the league's all-time save leader with 318, has a 2.39 ERA and 18 saves in 41 appearances this year.  Demeter is hitting .317-21-96 with a .879 OPS, and Clemente is hitting .300-4-39 with a .761 OPS.  UL owners voted two years ago to reduce the minimum eligibility for free agency by one year, while the eligibility for arbitration remained unchanged at five years.  Other players likely to garner high bids in free agency are St. Louis catcher Johnny Romano (.270-11-56, .769), Washington second sacker Bill Mazeroski (.259-8-60, 9 at 2B), and Atlanta righthander Jim Perry (13-9, 3.89 in 27 starts).