The Sweep
 

Le Diamant finishes off the Waves in 4 games. Steve Green killed the ball the entire series. Julien Henri had a big triple early in the game that plated a run.

Finals, Baby
 

The two best regular season teams will square off to determine the 1966 champions.

By this time you have the feeling he must at least be 30 years old :eek:

Still a great story :thumbup1:

The Championship Match Up
 

Here we go. Will Le Diamant, dominant all year long, claim its first every championship?

Game 1
 

Playoff Baseball, vintage style. Hats off to the Expedition, they kept fighting inning after inning. Had not Laurant Mercier (back from injury putting Henri on the bench) not thrown out a runner at 3B on a H&R single the outcome may have been very different.

Game 2 Line ups
 

Julien on the bench (Bench Coach decision)

Game 2 Result
 

It is clear the Expedition are not intimidated by the Diamonds 99 record win season. Two things cost them the game:

1. Runners at the corners early on and 1 out, Legendre C picks off the runner at first.
2. With 2 out in the 9th, the load the bases. But, couldn't get the timely hit.

Game 3 Result
 

Julien Henri had a no hitter into the 5th and Le Diamant batters used the long ball to put them one win away from the French Baseball League championship.

Game 4 Result
 

In the final analysis they were just too much for the rest of the pack. Game 4 showed a team, down by one run early, that knew how to methodically come back. Vautier got better as the game wore on. Mercier, MVP of the series, had clutch hits as did many of the Diamand batters, and the defense was near flawless.

The Team and their MVP
 

The 1966 World Champs of the French Baseball League did it in style. 99 wins and back to back post-season sweeps make for a season that Le Diamant fans will remember, and cherish, forever.

Pick up the 1967 action in XX as the new thread will continue to focus on the career of Julien Henri.

Merci!

99 wins plus a sweep in the finals ... not too shabby :rolleyes:

Spring Stars
 

Vic Cosman wasn't the only pitcher who was dealing in the Coconut League, as Stephane Meyer of the Quebec Snake Eyes won 5 ball games without a loss, and even added an impressive two saves to his spring resume. With just 2 pitches Meyer is ideally suited to the back end of the bull pen.
In the batters box, Luca Maudit the 33 year old LF of the runner up Expedition, just crushed the daylights out of the ball. His .429/.489/.714 gives the appearance that he's got plenty of gas left in the tank. Just 3 seasons back he totaled 100 rbi's, then 91 the following year, but he fought the injury bug in 66 and was limited to 307 PA's. The Scouting Report seems to indicate that his power component is as lethal as ever, maybe a bit moreso. But, Spring Training is not the regular season, when the hits and pitches have meaning.