[Westheim]

Raccoons (42-40) vs. Canadiens (49-33) – July 3-6, 2056

My queasy feeling wasn’t made any better by Nick Valdes paying his first visit in over a year to begin the week. He had gotten on in age a bit (didn’t we all?), and had gotten himself a walking cane with an eagle’s head for a handle – not because he necessarily needed it, I suspected, but because he could be that much more annoying by banging the metal tip on the bottom on whatever hard surface was near. The damn Elks meanwhile where first in runs scored and sixth in runs allowed with a +69 run differential. This had actually gone down quite a bit after a week in which they lost three games by nine runs or more to the Thunder and Crusaders. The Coons (+34) still better had no illusions… the season series was even at two.

Projected matchups:
Sean Sweeton (7-4, 2.91 ERA) vs. Martino Barbiusa (8-3, 3.72 ERA)
Craig Kniep (4-5, 3.63 ERA) vs. Marcus Wilkins (6-5, 4.83 ERA)
He Shui (8-6, 4.09 ERA) vs. Jesse Lausch (2-1, 2.35 ERA)
Julian Dunn (6-3, 3.18 ERA) vs. Anton Jesus (7-7, 4.46 ERA)

The Elks had their share of injuries, which included position players Jeff Wheeler, Jorge Uranga, and Dan Mullen, as well as staters Bill McDermott and, well, Barbiusa, who had left his last start with a bad back and was officially a big pink question mark on their matchup table on the way into this series. He was listed as starter on Monday morning, but then scratched for Wilkins to go on short rest an hour before the game. Those four above were all right-handed anyway.

The Coons’ long man Colby Bowen was also day-to-day on Monday, having come down with the sniffles.

Nick Valdes tocked on the wooden floor in the office and croned how young men were tougher in the olden days, which wasn’t even something I could disagree with.

Game 1
VAN: RF A. Walker – 3B Adame – C Waker – CF D. Moreno – 2B K. Hawkins – LF Magnussen – SS Price – 1B Leitch – P Wilkins
POR: CF Royer – SS Lavorano – LF Kirkwood – 1B Ramsay – 3B Brobeck – RF Puckeridge – 2B A. Chavez – C M. Chavez – P Sweeton

The Coons took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Steve Royer drove home Marcos Chavez, who had drawn a leadoff walk from Wilkins, who didn’t look particularly sharp and had so far lived off his defense. The crowd roared, and Nick Valdes tocked on the floor again and complained that the children were playing too loud. That didn’t get better in the bottom 4th when the Raccoons strung three straight 2-out singles together for another run. Pucks made the start with a single to right, and then the Chavezes both singled to center, with the first hit and RBI in Marcos Chavez’ career being logged here when Pucks circled home from second base, 2-0. Sweeton struck out, but at least seemed to have the Elks under control so far, whiffing four against one base hit in four innings. Aaron Walker hit a 2-out single in the sixth inning, but was stranded when Alex Adame slapped a 3-1 pitch over to Brobeck for the third out of the inning. Kyle Hawkins found another 2-out single the inning after, but Adam Magnussen popped out to Brobeck in foul territory to have that runner dealt with.

Sweeton, who had thrown 85 pitches through seven, then opened the home half of the seventh with a single to center, lifting his batting average all the way to a dizzying .086, a value that Lonzo was also working towards these days. Unfortunately, it took a 2-out single by Kirkwood to get Sweeton into scoring position, and Rams’ liner to center was caught by Moreno. Alan Leitch singled in the eighth, but was forced out on Jason Ashley’s comebacker and the Elks again didn’t score. Sweeton might have gotten the ninth inning, but when the Raccoons fumbled an unearned scoring opportunity together in the bottom 8th against Dan Lawrence, he was hit for with Anton Venegas, with two outs and Caballero and Marcos Chavez on second and first, respectively. Nick Valdes quipped that pitchers used to pitch the WHOLE game in his day, but then was distracted when Venegas dropped a floater behind Kyle Hawkins for an RBI single and a tack-on run. Royer grounded out, but Matt Walters didn’t fudge much with the Elks and the Raccoons shut them out in the opener. 3-0 Furballs! Royer 2-5, 2B, RBI; Kirkwood 2-4; Puckeridge 2-4; M. Chavez 2-3, BB, RBI; Venegas (PH) 1-1, RBI; Sweeton 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, W (8-4);

Yes, Nick, we should bunt and hit-and-run more to manufacture runs. That’s how the game is played today, yes, yes.

Game 2
VAN: 3B Adame – C Cass – CF D. Moreno – RF A. Walker – LF K. Hawkins – SS Leitch – 2B Price – 1B Aragon – P Sopena
POR: CF Royer – SS Lavorano – LF Kirkwood – 1B Ramsay – 3B Venegas – RF Solorzano – C Fiore – 2B Allred – P Kniep

Edwin Sopena (4-4, 5.06 ERA) made a spot start on Tuesday with Barbiusa still not available due to the balking back. Yes, yes, Nick, you saw guys come back from the war with only one arm and one leg and pitch a complete game the next day, I know.

Those double amputee hurlers couldn’t have been much worse than Kniep on Tuesday, with the rookie getting lit up for four runs (three earned) in the first inning. Alex Adame singled, Tyler Cass and Damian Moreno ripped RBI doubles up either line, and that’s when we had our first mound conference. A Solorzano error in rightfield on a fly ball didn’t help, but even without that he gave up five hits, most of them quite loud, in the inning. Lonzo singled and stole a base in the bottom 1st, which was almost worth putting it on the 11 o’clock news with how his June had gone, but was also stranded by the rest of the lineup, which was not all that newsworthy. Kniep went back out for the second, nailed Adame, threw a wild pitch, and after a K to Cass walked Moreno. The bullpen got up.

At the same time Kniep logged his first six outs with the strikeout, so while he was getting raked all over, the defense wasn’t helping one lick, either. Was it just one of those rotten days? He got a seventh strikeout in the third inning, and then got his deficit erased when the Raccoons took Sopena behind the shed in the bottom 3rd. Royer socked a leadoff jack, Lonzo singled, and Kirkwood launched another bomb to get to 4-3, while the fourth run was pieced together with Venegas and Fiore’s 2-out RBI single. Nick Valdes tocked his cane on the floor and demanded that the Critters finish him, and “no quarter!!”, but the inning ended, and then Kniep was taken deep by Cass in the fourth and surrender a sixth run in the fifth inning with hits by Hawkins and Leitch. He was then excused further participation, ten strikeouts be damned to hell.

Moreno’s homer off Tanizaki extended the Elks’ lead to 7-4 in the sixth inning, but Pucks offered a counter-homer when he pinch-hit for the right-hander in the bottom of the same inning, and also knocked out Sopena with the 410-footer, 7-5. The Coons then got two innings from Colby Bowen in the worst way (which was his trademark after all); he allowed four hits, a walk, and some hard liners for outs, but at least Rams got a 3-U double play on one of them and the Elks failed to score. Still… jeez. Nick Valdes recommended that he should go back to work in the sawmill, but I warned that he probably hadn’t done a day’s honest work in his life, to which Nick spat on the floor in disgust, and Maud went to get a bucket and mop, also in disgust. Slappy snickered and took another sip. There was no mopping up of the Elks in this game, as Hyuma Hitomi, Jameson Monk, and Bernardino Risso offered nearly blameless relief once Sopena was out of the game. 7-5 Canadiens. Lavorano 3-5; Fiore 2-4, RBI; Puckeridge (PH) 1-2, HR, RBI;

Nick Valdes had a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday morning, and I bribed the taxi driver with a hundo that he wouldn’t bring him back from the doctor, but drive him right to the airport to make him go away.

Somehow that worked out as planned.

Game 3
VAN: SS Price – 3B Adame – C Waker – CF D. Moreno – LF Magnussen – RF Taniguchi – 2B Mooney – 1B Leitch – P Barbiusa
POR: 3B Venegas – SS Lavorano – LF Kirkwood – 1B Ramsay – RF Caballero – CF Puckeridge – 2B A. Chavez – C M. Chavez – P Shui

Barbiusa finally appeared, pitched for five outs and no score, and then left with more back stiffness, leaving the rest of the game to Kellen Lanning and whoever else the Elks would find in that bullpen. Sounded like advantage Coons, but for the time being Shui fell 1-0 behind by nicking Rick Price with an 0-2 pitch in the top 3rd, then giving up hits to Tristan Waker and Damian Moreno. Magnussen walked, but Sadafumi Tanaguchi lined out to Venegas to keep the bags stacked.

Shui would have six busy innings with 105 pitches, having quite a few long counts especially in the middle innings. The Elks couldn’t put another run together, but the Raccoons so far had to put ANY run together against Barbiusa (briefly) and Lanning (longer). Lonzo found a 1-out triple in the bottom 6th that danced around the leftfield corner, but Dan Lawrence rung up Kirkwood and then had Ramsay ground out to strand the runner…

Top 7th, Eloy Sencion got two outs from Juan Aragon and Rick Price before Adame singled to center, Waker walked, and Moreno legged out an infield single. The bases loaded, Magnussen grounded firmly to first base, but Ramsay made the reaching grab and fed the ball to Sencion *just* in time to end the inning with three Elks stranded. The Critters then tied the game after all; Lawrence walked Caballero to begin the bottom 7th and after Pucks whiffed, the runner stole second base, just in time for Adriano Chavez’ single through the right side, scoring from second to get the teams level at one run apiece. Marcos Chavez then cracked a double to center, putting two Chavezes in scoring position for Steve Royer, pinch-hitting for Eloy Sencion. Him and Venegas made soggy outs, but the go-ahead run scored on a passed ball charged to Waker. (opens another bottle of Capt’n Coma) Whatever ******* works.

Line held the lane in the eighth, after which Lonzo lined out to Magnussen to begin the bottom 8th against Hitomi. Kirkwood singled over Jason Ashley at short, and Ramsay grounded out Ashley, who bungled the sure-as-heck double play for an error, but got a second chance from Caballero, and this time the Elks put the 6-4-3 together. Alex Adame hit a 1-out single off Walters in the ninth inning, but two strikeouts settled the issue. 2-1 Critters! A. Chavez 2-3, RBI;

CHOKE THEM HARDER!! (illustrates the strangling he wishes to see in the series finale on a very confused looking Honeypaws)

Game 4
VAN: RF A. Walker – 3B Adame – CF D. Moreno – 2B K. Hawkins – LF Magnussen – C Cass – SS Solano – 1B Leitch – P Lausch
POR: CF Royer – SS Lavorano – LF Caballero – 3B Brobeck – 1B Puckeridge – RF Solorzano – C Fiore – 2B A. Chavez – P Dunn

Dunn got socked three 2-out runs in the first inning after getting two outs to start the game, but then Moreno doubled to right, Hawkins walks, and Magnussen again doubled to right, driving home the pair. Tyler Cass’ single to left-center made it a 3-0 score. Kyle Brobeck put the teams even again with a huge 3-run blast in the bottom 1st, having found Lonzo and Caballero on base to do so. Dunn kept wobbling, but so did Lausch, and Lausch buckled first. Royer singled to get on base to begin the bottom 3rd, and Lonzo dished a line drive home run into the leftfield stands where the missile took out a guy carrying a tray with four big cups of beer, which in my honest opinion should be worth extra points, but it was “only” 5-3 after Lonzo’s fifth blast of the season, and it wasn’t that for long, thanks to Dunn’s own throwing error in the fourth inning that put Edwin Solano on second base, from where he scored on Leitch’s single.

Lausch was done after four innings, and Dunn after four and a third, plus a score-flipping homer to right off the stick of Kyle Hawkins. Tanizaki and Brian Grohoski restored order on both sides after this and the score remained 6-5 through six innings, when the ball went to Kyle Brobeck, who was replaced on the hot corner by Daniel Espinoza, pitched a scoreless seventh around a Moreno single, and then batted after Jameson Monk had issued 1-out walks to Lonzo and Caballero. He struck out in a full count, as did Pucks, fumbling the chance, but the scrubs at the bottom of the order put something together in the eighth inning against Kellen Lanning, who had done long relief less than 24 hours ago. Solorzano flew out to Aaron Walker to begin that inning, but then Fiore singled, Chavez singled, and Espinoza singled to left, the ball ticking gently off the edge of Solano’s glove as he dove, which had the added effect of sending Taniguchi the wrong way initially in leftfield and allowed Fiore time to score from second base. Taniguchi threw home late, allowing the trailing runners into scoring position – tied game, and guys on second and third with one out! Come on, boys! Finish them! (angrily shakes Honeypaws) Royer singled shyly past Mark Mooney indeed, but Walker was on the ball right away and Espinoza had to retreat to third base after making it 20 feet to home plate. Dan Lawrence replaced the ineffective Lanning, but surrendered another run on Lonzo’s sac fly to center. Caballero singled to center, moving Royer to second base, and at this point Ramsay batted for Brobeck – which was not a common move, but Brobeck was out of the game anyway with the lead having been taken and two innings on his ledger. Rams gave a ball a ride to center, but couldn’t beat Damian Moreno, who made the catch. Walters retired the damn Elks in order in the ninth to take the series…! 8-6 Furballs!! Royer 3-5, RBI; Lavorano 2-3, BB, HR, 3 RBI; Brobeck 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, W (5-3) and 2-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI; A. Chavez 2-4; Espinoza 1-1, RBI; Tanizaki 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K;

HAH!! (symbolically slams the door to Maud’s office after the Elks players, who were in a different part of the ballpark entirely)

(Maud cautiously opens the door from her room, looking concerned)

Raccoons (45-41) vs. Crusaders (42-42) – July 7-9, 2056

New York was playing .500 ball with the #1 offense in the CL and the #8 pitching, which added up for a +34 run differential, nearly identical to the Coons’ +38, but of course we did it with pitching, somehow. The season series was even at four currently, and this was the last series before the All Star Game.

Projected matchups:
Seisaku Taki (9-7, 3.00 ERA) vs. Alex Murillo (3-3, 4.53 ERA)
Sean Sweeton (8-4, 2.70 ERA) vs. Ben Seiter (10-4, 3.09 ERA)
Craig Kniep (4-6, 4.00 ERA) vs. Joel Luera (1-3, 4.03 ERA)

Only right-handed pitchers in this series as well; the CL North was starved for southpaws this year.

The Crusaders were also additionally starved for Prince Gates, who was out with a thumb contusion, but on the roster, and outfielders Jeff Buss and Mike Pfeifer, who were not.

Game 1
NYC: 2B O. Sanchez – SS Z. Suggs – 1B Sevilla – 3B Lemke – LF M. Villa – RF C. Williams – C Seidman – CF Mata – P A. Murillo
POR: CF Royer – SS Lavorano – LF Kirkwood – 1B Ramsay – 3B Venegas – RF Puckeridge – C Fiore – 2B Allred – P Taki

Offense was minimal to start Friday’s game, with Chad Williams and Ryan Allred exchanging singles the first time through, and that was all. Taki retired Zach Suggs and Raul Sevilla to begin the fourth inning, but then rookie Bruce Lemke singled. And Mario Villa homered to left. Sigh. Williams reached on a Ramsay error, then scored on Mike Seidman’s line drive single, adding a third, unearned, run for New York. Murillo, however, got in the face almost as badly in the bottom 4th. He nicked Lonzo to start the inning. Lonzo stole second, then scored on a Kirkwood double. Ramsay singled home another run, 3-2, while the Coons then made two outs before Fiore and Allred filled the bags with singles, but they remained filled with Taki’s groundout to Omar Sanchez; however, Rams singled home Royer in the fifth inning to get the teams even at three.

Mario Villa shrugged, and with Lemke on base again in the sixth inning, hit another go-ahead, 2-run jack, this time to right. The horror! Even more annoying was how Murillo hit Lonzo a second time in the bottom 7th, but the Raccoons couldn’t get him around this time and remained 5-3 behind. Colby Bowen pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings in relief of Taki, who had been shown around his own house thoroughly by Villa, which begged for a rally against Murillo, who was still going in the bottom 8th, but the right-hander retired the all-lefty 6-7-8 batters in order in the ninth inning. The Coons shrugged, left Bowen in to finish the game, but he did anything but, and got raked for three runs in the ninth, which pretty much decided the game for good. 8-3 Crusaders. Ramsay 2-4, RBI; Allred 3-4, 2B;

Colby Bowen (7.71 ERA) went, Ryan Harmer arrived.

Pffff.

Game 2
NYC: 2B O. Sanchez – C Seidman – 1B Sevilla – 3B Lemke – LF M. Villa – RF C. Williams – SS E. Stevens – CF Nork – P Seiter
POR: CF Royer – SS Lavorano – LF Kirkwood – 1B Ramsay – 3B Venegas – RF Puckeridge – 2B Allred – C M. Chavez – P Sweeton

Omar Sanchez, the CL stolen base leader (!?) with 42 bags taken, drew a leadoff walk on Saturday, but was caught stealing by Marcos Chavez. The Crusaders instead went up in the third inning, getting a single from Erik Stevens, a double by Dan Nork, and then a run-scoring groundout from Seiter (.200+ hitters listed so far: zero) and a Sanchez sac fly for a 2-0 lead. The Raccoons had yet to reach base, but only did so with Royer’s leadoff single in the bottom 4th. Lonzo popped out, Kirkwood singled to left, and Ramsay smacked into a double play…

An infield single by Venegas in the fifth was the only other attempt at offense prior to the stretch, which marked the end of Sweeton’s day after 106 pitches, not all of them great. At least he kept New York close, the score still being 2-0. Kirkwood hit a leadoff single off Seiter in the bottom 7th, but “Two-for-one” Ramsay found another double play to rumble into, this time 4-6-3 style. And then the Coons’ pen exploded anyway. The Crusaders stuffed four runs into Tanizaki, Sencion (who retired nobody) and Lane in the eighth inning, which just didn’t seem to ever end. Singles upon singles. And the Coons? Pucks hit a pointless home run in the bottom 8th to soil Seiter’s shutout, but when Allred walked, Chavez struck out and Solorzano pinch-hit for another ******* double play.

Seiter got with an out of a complete game before Caballero drew a full-count walk in Kirkwood’s spot. The next pitch was wild, and four pitches later Ramsay – poor boy not having a double play to **** into anymore – hit an RBI single, then scored on Venegas’ wallbanger double in right. Left-hander Ben Lussier replaced Seiter at that point, but allowed a soft single to Pucks. The tying run was up, but it would be Espinoza batting for Allred, and he struck out. 6-3 Crusaders. Venegas 2-4, 2B, RBI; Puckeridge 2-4, HR, RBI; Sweeton 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, L (8-5);

This sad-sack loss put us virtually even for second place with the Crusaders, now six games behind the Elks.

Can we please not get swept?

Oh **** it’s Kniep…

Game 3
NYC: CF O. Sanchez – C Seidman – 3B Gates – RF C. Williams – 2B E. Stevens – SS Lemke – LF Mata – 1B Nork – P Luera
POR: CF Royer – SS Lavorano – LF Kirkwood – RF Caballero – 1B Puckeridge – 3B Espinoza – 2B A. Chavez – C M. Chavez – P Kniep

Luera nailed Royer and allowed the Coons to score a run in the first inning on Kirkwood’s double and Caballero’s groundout before Pucks flew out to center to end the inning. Kniep was knee deep in another bucket of lard, however, and walked three batters the first time through, then conceded hits to Seidman and the recuperated Prince Gates in the third inning before offering another walk to Erik Stevens with two outs. Bruce Lemke fell to 0-2, but then still slapped a ball up the middle, where Lonzo made a wonderful lunge-and-toss-while-eating-dirt to Adriano Chavez to get the force on Stevens to end the inning.

Lonzo singled and stole second base in the bottom 3rd, then was thrown out trying to get third base, too, while Carlos Mata singled and was caught stealing second base already in the top of the fourth. Defense was the only thing that threatened to drag Kniep to a 1-0 win, and only a 1-0 win. After Daniel Espinoza reached with a leadoff single in the bottom 4th, Adriano Chavez first forced him out, then was picked off first base himself…

The Critters’ defense gave all they had and indeed dragged Kniep through six and two third shutout innings by their teeth before he bumped into both nearly 100 pitches and also Omar Sanchez atop the lineup. Sencion got that out to end the seventh inning. The Coons frittered away another leadoff single from Espinoza in their half of the inning, then sent Mike Lane into the eighth as rain began to fall. Gates hit a 1-out single, and PH Raul Sevilla hit a fly to the warning track, but also Kirkwood’s glove, after which we had a 25-minute rain delay on our paws. Lane returned afterwards to get Stevens to fly out to Caballero, completing eight.

Lonzo hit a leadoff single off Ryan Sullivan in the bottom 8th, but was forced out when Kirkwood grounded to short. Kirkwood stole second base, advanced on Caballero’s groundout, and Pucks walked. Matt Fiore then batted for Espinoza against the right-handed Sullivan, but grounded out most meekly. We had wanted to not use Matt Walters on Sunday, if possible, since he was going to the All Star Game and was almost guaranteed to pitch an inning there, too, but with a 1-0 lead and Mario Villa leading off the ninth as pinch-hitter, we had to. Walters struck out Villa with a spot on the corner, his 57th K of the season, and Villa didn’t like it at all and disputed it almost all the way to the dugout, somehow not getting ejected for that. Mata was out on a soft comebacker to Walters, and Jeff Standard was out on strike three called! 1-0 Blighters! Lavorano 2-4; Espinoza 2-3; Kniep 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 4 K, W (5-6);

In other news

July 3 – Los Angeles lose SP Felix Alvarez (4-5, 4.22 ERA) for the year with shoulder inflammation the culprit.
July 4 – LAP 2B/SS Jesse Sweeney (.307, 8 HR, 44 RBI) and SAC 2B/SS Chris Navarro (.314, 1 HR, 35 RBI) both have 5-hit days in the Pacifics’ 12-10 win over the Scorpions, four singles and a double each, but only Navarro gets a lone RBI. Sweeney scored four times, though.
July 5 – The Scorpions down the Pacifics, 17-3, with 4-hit, 4-RBI days chipped in by both Chris Navarro (.319, 1 HR, 39 RBI) and SAC OF/1B Omar Gonzalez (.270, 3 HR, 34 RBI).
July 9 – Season over for IND SP Enrique Ortiz (3-9, 5.29 ERA), who needs surgery for a torn labrum.
July 9 – Season over for RIC OF Mike Allen (.289, 8 HR, 43 RBI), who … also needs surgery for a torn labrum.

FL Player of the Week: SAC 2B/SS Chris Navarro (.325, 1 HR, 44 RBI), raking .583 (21-36) with 11 RBI
CL Player of the Week: BOS INF/LF Willie de Leon (.533, 0 HR, 4 RBI), spanking .556 (15-27) with 3 RBI

Complaints and stuff

The Raccoons had ONE All Star, and it was an obvious selection, as Matt Walters got his first invitation to the showcase. When you ring up 14 1/2 batters per nine innings, it usually draws somebody’s attention.

The Elks lost two of three to the Indians on the weekend, so they were really not trending upwards right now. Which also means that I have to figure out a way to have more than TWO batters with positive OPS+ values in the lineup at the same time. And only ONE of those was on the roster to begin the year…

Raffy started a rehab assignment in St. Pete early this week. I’m sure only good things will come of this. He walked six in his first outing and was beaten out of the fourth inning by the triple-A boys.

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Ramon Carreno was making noise. The Venezuelan righty had been promoted from Ham Lake to St. Pete in May and in 16 combined starts this year was posting a 4-3 record with 2.46 ERA. Walks appeared under control, and I wondered where the hook was, but if he continued to pitch like that we’d have to have a look at him at least in September, didn’t we?

As we’re on pitching prospects, supplemental rounder Elijah LaBat was moved to Ham Lake on Sunday after eviscerating single-A hitters, whiffing 16 of them in 12 innings.

Next: All Star Game, and then four more with the damn Elks in Permafrost Park. That road trip would then continue to Indy and Charlotte before we’d return home on the 25th.

Fun Fact: 12 years ago today, Gene Pellicano hit for the cycle in our 20-3 rout of the Loggers.

That was Pellicano’s rookie season, in which he’d appear in 46 games, hitting .286 with six homers. He never really progressed past that and became a regular backup outfielder for the team, playing enough to wear three rings now, but his career highs were 106 games, 293 at-bats, and 37 RBI spread between his busiest seasons, 2046 and 2047. He never reached six homers in a season again.

He appeared in only six games in an injury-riddled 2049 campaign before attaining free agency. The Aces and Titans stashed him in the minors in 2050, but he made five appearances as a Crusader in ’51 – those were the last major league games of his career. He was in the minors until last season, eventually being part of every CL North organization except the damn Elks, but retired this winter. In 311 games and across 823 at-bats, he batted .269 with 20 HR, 107 RBI, and 15 SB for his career.