The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League

[BirdWatcher]

In Tuesday's win against Portland, Brooklyn starting pitcher Joel Travino struck out 9 men to get to 263 on the season, breaking the previous single season record of 261 set by Jaime Schardein in 1968.

[BirdWatcher]

The past several years the Brewers organization has shown an ability to produce some pretty fine pitchers and in this year's second round pick Austin Bond they may have another youngster developing towards a big league role. The 20-year old left-hander was certainly impressive in his first taste of professional ball and earned the Pitcher of the Year award for his performance with the Rookie League Greensboro Bisons.




Another southpaw, Carlos Perez, who was selected in the 21st round, came in third in the voting, although it is thought unlikely that Perez will ever become a big league hurler.

EDIT: I should note that Bond also has a sixth pitch- a Circle Change- that currently rates as a 2 with potential to reach a 7.

[BirdWatcher]

Brewers record: 4-2 (week), 99-53, 1st place, MGL (season)

September 18, at Los Angeles: 7-4.

September 20-22, versus San Francisco: 5-0, 9-3, 5-4.

September 23-24, at Oklahoma City: 1-3, 5-12.

The Brewers started the week with a huge win, taking the third game of their last series against L.A. in 1977 to win the series between the two remaining MGL contenders.
In a rare rainy day at L.A.'s Avalon Park, John Weaver (8-5, 3.86) gave the Brewers another solid performance, lasting 6 1/3rd innings while allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits. Tim Shore pitched the final inning for his 26th save. Bobby Erbakan led the offense with a 3 for 5 day while also stealing his 16th base of the season. Val Guzman got the big hit, a 3-run homer in the first inning off the ageless Jaime Schardein to get things started right. It was Guzman's 16th home run and he also picked up his 28th stolen base in the game. It was the first of five homers in the game for Denver, including Brett Taranto's 18th, Zacarias Martell's 9th, Rich White's 9th, and Casey Bromwell's 5th.

After a well-deserved day off, the Brewers resumed play back at home in Denver against the San Francisco Velocity.
And they get a wonderful start from staff ace Sadahige Kawasaki (16-7, 2.64) in game 1. Kawasaki works 7 scoreless innings, giving up just 5 hits, striking out 5 and walking 2. Ben Flynn pitched the final 2 innings, also scoreless and nearly flawless (no hits allowed, 2 walks, 3 K). Bobby Erbakan, MVP candidate, had another big game, going 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI while hitting his 36th double and 27th home run. Josh Schaeffer also homered, his 12th, while having a 3 for 4 game and stealing his 16th base.
Captain Matty Helm (5-2, 4.02), back from two IL stints, was able to give the team a gutsy 5 innings, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits and got a win in game 2. The bullpen was spectacular (Walter Hackler and Tim Reinecke) the rest of the way. Great game for Brett Taranto who was 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI, and hit his 19th homer. And another surprising game for Nick Ward, who went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI and hit his 3rd double.
It took a 3-run bottom of the 9th with a dramatic 3-run walk-off homer by rookie outfielder Jon Williams to do it, but the Brewers got the series sweep. The pinch-hit homer by Williams was his 6th of the season. Joe McPhillips hit his 17th homer and went 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored and his 15th stolen base. Val Guzman was 2 for 3 and stole his team-leading 29th base. Sekien Hamasaki got the start but not a decision in this one. Hamasaki allowed 3 runs on 8 hits over 7 innings pitched. Brandon Veach got the win in relief, his first big league win!

The Brewers then travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Diamond Kings who are battling with Brooklyn for third place.
And the Diamond Kings shut down the Brewers batters in game 1 for a low-scoring victory. Tough loss for Steve Green (12-7, 4.70) who gave up 3 runs (2 earned) on just 3 hits over 7 innings. The Brewers got 3 hits in the game- none for extra bases- and 2 of them were off the bat of Rodrigo "RodRod" Rodriguez.
The Denver Brewers scored 3 runs in the 1st inning in game 2, but then were dominated the rest of the way. Tough start for John Weaver (8-6, 4.29), who gave up 7 runs on 6 hits, while walking 6 batters (control is his biggest challenge) in just 4 innings pitched. Not surprisingly, both Brett Taranto (.353/.403/.561) and Bobby Erbakan (.351/.388/.586) had great games. Taranto went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI while hitting his 20th homer and stealing his 12th base of the season and Erbakan was 3 for 5.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



It should probably not surprise us that the mighty Columbus Whalers, winners of the past 2 Kinsella Classic Series, have now started to stretch out a bit of a lead in the up to now very tight Shoeless Joe League. Jacksonville and Pittsburgh can't be written off yet and even Boston could stage a miracle but everyone else is pretty much out of it and time is running out to catch those Whalers.

MGL:



And, similarly, I guess not a great surprise to see the Denver Brewers, also pretty mighty, start to pull away a bit from their only competition, the L.A. Spinners. Everyone else is mathematically eliminated in the Moonlight Graham League. Only real drama other than Denver and L.A. would be whether Brooklyn or Oklahoma City finish 3rd and just how many games Phoenix will lose.

[BirdWatcher]

Records already set:

Home runs allowed, pitcher: 48 and counting, Marty O'Brien, Phoenix Speed Devils. (Previous record was 40, set by Willie Morales in 1966.)

Strikeouts, pitcher: 272 and counting, Joel Travino, Brooklyn Aces. (Previous record was 261, set by Jaime Schardein in 1968.)

Home runs, batter: 51 and counting, Devin Schwisow, Phoenix Speed Devils. (Previous record was 50, set by Jamison Bash in 1966 and Erik Brakeall in 1969.)

Doubles, batter: 56 and counting, Bill Winchester, Pittsburgh Roadrunners. (Previous record was 54, set by Fred Reinhardt in 1976.)


Records in real danger still:

Walks allowed, pitcher: Current record: 154 (Omar Melero, 1975.) Contender: Brad Evans, Portland Wild Things (appropriately), with a current total of 150, on pace for 159.

Runs batted in, batter: Current record: 152 (Jesus Casiano, 1970.)
Contender: Nate Bennett, Los Angeles Spinners, who has 147 RBI and is on pace for 157.

Runs scored, batter: Current record: 138 (Josh Jenkins, 1970.)
Contender: Chris Tobin, Baltimore Lords, who has 132 and is on pace for 140 and Nate Bennett, L.A. Spinners, who has 130 and is on pace for 139.

Hits, batter: Current record: 238 (Travis Johnson, 1966.)
Contender: Lazaro Lowndes, Houston Cavaliers, who has 231 hits and is on pace for 245.

Records that might still be in danger:

Saves, pitcher: Current record: 37 (Ben Bakeman, 1976.)
Contender: Jordan Stephens, Jacksonville Wolf Pack, who has 33 saves and is on pace for 35.

Bases on balls, batter: Current record: 132 (Joo-il Kim, 1970).
Contender: Josh Schaeffer, Denver Brewers, who currently has walked 118 times and is on pace for 125.

[BirdWatcher]

August 25, 1977:




The Brewers avoid getting swept by Oklahoma City with a come-from-behind win in the final game of the series.
Jim Atwell, the top Brewer prospect and the #1 prospect in all of the WPK for the past 2 years, finally gets his first big league win.
Not that he was that impressive. Atwell (1-1, 8.27) allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits with 2 walks and 1 strikeout over 6 innings pitched. Not a great start, not a bad start, but good enough to get the win when the offense provided him with 3 runs in the top of the 7th inning. The big hit was a 2-run single off the bat of the red-hot Brett Taranto. The bullpen continues to be strong and Tim Shore, as the last of 5 Brewers relievers in the game, got his 27th save.

With the win the Brewers reach 100 for the season and this marks the third straight season with at least 100 wins for the club.

[BirdWatcher]

The Brewers last home series of the 1977 regular season sees them matched up with the Brooklyn Aces and their talented starting rotation.

Game 1:



Sadahige Kawasaki (16-8, 2.72) suffered a bit of late season set-back in his quest to win the MGL Pitcher of the Year award as he was blasted for 6 runs (4 earned) on 12 hits over 6 2/3rds inning pitched. Meanwhile, Brooklyn's Mike Hiatt, he of the two WPK no-hitters, improved to 16-6 with a 3.74 ERA with a strong complete game victory. Bobby Erbakan went 2 for 3 with a walk in the loss and Brett Taranto drove in 3 runs to get to 115 RBI on the year (passing up Erbakan for the most on the team) with his 36th double of the season.


Game 2:



Likely the biggest competitor for Kawasaki when it comes to MGL Pitcher of the Year honors is 2-time Pitcher of the Year Aaron McNally. So naturally, in game 2 of the series, McNally, as Kawasaki had done the day before, pretty much stunk up the joint as the Rookies got a blow-out win. McNally (14-7, 2.42) allowed 7 runs on 11 hits over 7 innings pitched. On the other hand, Sekien Hamasaki (17-5, 3.53) may have given himself a fighting chance of getting in on the competition for that honor as he pitched a complete game, 108 pitch gem in which he allowed his only run on a 3rd inning solo homer, struck out 7 batters while giving up 8 hits and walking not one batter! Hamasaki, the best hitting member of the rotation, also went 2 for 3 with a run scored and another driven in and even drew a walk.Brett Taranto has taken over the top spot in the MGL in terms of batting average from teammate Bobby Erbakan and went 4 for 5 with 4 runs scored and 2 doubles to get to 38 on the season. Joe McPhillips is also getting very hot, and he went 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored, 2 RBI, and hit his 18 double and 18th homer of the season while stealing his 16th bag. And Val Guzman continues to impress with his power/speed combination in this his rookie season. Val went 3 for 4 in this one with 5 RBI and swiped his 30th base.

Game 3:



So in case game 2 wasn't enough of a statement, the Brewers just completely dismantled the Aces in the final home game of the regular season. Where to start? Well, how about with the starting pitcher, Steve Green. Green (13-7, 4.56) worked 8 innings (throwing just 87 pitches), giving up 2 runs (only 1 earned) on 4 hits, striking out 4 and walking 1. The offensive star? Well, the entire offense, really. But it was impressive that slugging prospect Mike Lovett, having just returned from being on the IL most of the season, showed no signs of rust by belting his 1st ever big league home run in his second at bat of the game and adding another later. Joe McPhillips (.328/.407/.549) stays hot, going 3 for 5 with 3 runs and 3 RBI, hitting his 19th double and 6th triple of the season. Rookie catcher Erik Bettencourt (.364/.382/.455) went 4 for 6 with 4 runs scored, 2 RBI, and hit his 3rd double. Val Guzman (.268/.376/.450) hit his 17th homer of 1977, scoring twice, driving in 2 runs, and walking for the 64th time. Late in the game most of the starters had been pulled, and John Flores (.306/.385/.566), who had taken Guzman's spot in left field, also homered, his 9th of the season and 4th as a Brewer this year. Oh, and Josh Schaeffer (.325/.483/.488) just went 3 for 4 with 4 runs scored, 2 RBI, and hit his 22nd double while walking twice. As the primary lead-off hitter for the club, Schaeffer has now scored 110 runs and drawn 122 bases on balls. Impressive stuff from the often maligned and under-rated right fielder.

On the day that the Brewers were pummeling the Aces for a second straight game, the L.A. Spinners were the victims of a walk-off win by the Sting in Charlotte. The Brewers now have a 4 game lead with just 6 games remaining for each team and their magic number is down to 3. But they know it isn't over yet and will strive to remain on task not only until they can claim the MGL pennant, but until they have won 4 games in the Kinsella Classic Series.



Over in the SJL, it certainly looks like Columbus will be returning to the KCS for a 3rd straight year. The Boston Berserkers have won 4 straight and have moved into second place but the SJL pennant is certainly the Whalers to win or lose.

[BirdWatcher]

Game 1:



After having scored 36 runs in the final two home games of the '77 regular season, the Brewers head to Detroit to face the lowly Falcons and the bats go cold. Journeyman starting pitcher Ted Watson, who has had a few cups of coffee in the WPK in the past few years, improves to 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA (and 1.13 WHIP) in his 4 starts since being brought up to the Falcons as part of the September roster expansion. (He had been acquired last January in a trade with the Houston Cavaliers.) Tough loss for John Weaver (8-7, 4.23) who gave up 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits over 6 innings. Bobby Erbakan went 2 for 4 in the loss and Brett Taranto hit his 39th double.
But while the Brewers were losing so were the reeling Spinners. So no damage in the standings.

Game 2:



More of the same in game 2, but even fewer runs for both teams. Great start for Matt Helm, who gave up just 1 run on 3 hits in his 6 innings pitched. RodRod's 12th homer of the season gave the Brewers a 1-1 tie in the 5th inning and the score remained there through the regulation 9 innings. But in the bottom of the 10th, former Brewer Garrett Farrar came in to pinch-hit with 2 outs and a runner on third base and he stroked a line drive single to left field to end the game and give the Falcons another win. Walter Hackler (4-2, 2.84) took the loss (though the Farrar hit was against lefty reliever Victor Colon). Bobby Erbakan was again 2 for 4 and hit his 37th double.
But again, L.A. lost and the Brewers magic number is down to 1.

Game 3:



And with the team needing just one win (or an L.A. loss) to clinch another MGL pennant, staff ace Sadahige Kawasaki was sent to the hill for his final regular season start of 1977. And Kawasaki (17-8, 2.62) did exactly what he needed to, lasting 8 scoreless innings, giving up 4 hits while striking out 7 and walking 1. Tim Shore pitched the 9th for his 28th save. Joe McPhillips (.323/.401/.540) went 2 for 4 and hit his 20th double, driving in all 3 of the runs in the game. He also stole his 17th base.
And with the victory the Brewers are once again heading to the Kinsella Classic Series. As it turns out they wouldn't have needed the win as the L.A. Spinners continue to limp to the finish line, having lost 4 straight games.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



Boston right fielder Justin Vargas is a 2-time league MVP and with his strong month of September he is a legitimate contender for the SJL MVP award again this season.

MGL:



While Bobby Erbakan is perhaps the front-runner in the MGL for the 1977 MVP award, down the stretch for the pennant-winning Brewers it was probably first baseman Brett Taranto who has been the team MVP. He well deserved the honor of Batter of the Month for September.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



Veteran Boston starting pitcher Adrian McLeod is having the best season of his career thus far and has been a big part of why the Berserkers are still clinging to (admittedly slim) hopes of winning the SJL heading into their final series of the year.


MGL:



Similarly, 31-year old Craig Luther, of the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings, who has one of the better curve-balls in the game, has 9 straight wins, with 1 no decision, in his last 10 starts and his 16 wins is 2 better than his previous single season high.

[BirdWatcher]

SJL:



Joe Harmon has never been considered a top prospect. Having been drafted by San Antonio in the 6th round of the 1968 draft it has been a long road through their minor league system and he spent most of the past 3 seasons pitching for their AAA affiliate, the Lansing Seafarers. But this season, in spite of a mid-year demotion back to Lansing from mid-July until the September roster expansion, Harmon has provided some stability to the Keys injury plagued rotation. And while he doesn't profile as more than an adequate starter, he has now won the SJL Rookie of the Month honors twice this season.

MGL:



Justin Ficklin, of the Portland Wild Things, on the other hand bears the burden of expectation due to having been the first overall pick in the 1973 draft. Ficklin has had a good, not great, rookie campaign but he has shown growth here late in the season and that earned him Rookie of the Month honors for September. Ficklin has great speed, is a gifted defensive shortstop, and possesses an above average hit tool with an advanced eye at the plate. He is also, unfortunately, gaining a reputation as a disruptive influence in the clubhouse.

[BirdWatcher]

And as it should be, the Shoeless Joe League sees the season come down to a final four-game head-to-head match-up between the league's two most storied franchises, the Columbus Whalers and the Jacksonville Wolf Pack. Columbus just needs to win one game at home to win the pennant but the Wolf Pack still have it within their power to spoil things for the Whalers. If they can sweep the Whalers they will finish 93-69 and even if Boston and Pittsburgh manage to win the rest of their games, the Wolf Pack will be going to the Kinsella Classic Series to face Denver.



But most likely we will be seeing a re-match of the 1976 Kinsella Classic Series, though the Brewers hope this time with different results.

[BirdWatcher]

Records already set:

Home runs allowed, pitcher: 48 and counting, Marty O'Brien, Phoenix Speed Devils. (Previous record was 40, set by Willie Morales in 1966.)

Strikeouts, pitcher: 280 and counting, Joel Travino, Brooklyn Aces. (Previous record was 261, set by Jaime Schardein in 1968.)

Home runs, batter: 54 and counting, Devin Schwisow, Phoenix Speed Devils. (Previous record was 50, set by Jamison Bash in 1966 and Erik Brakeall in 1969.)

Doubles, batter: 56 and counting, Bill Winchester, Pittsburgh Roadrunners. (Previous record was 54, set by Fred Reinhardt in 1976.)

Runs batted in, batter: 155 and counting, Nate Bennett, L.A. Spinners. (Previous record was 152 set by Jesus Casiano, 1970.)


Records tied:

Walks allowed, pitcher: Current record: 154 (Omar Melero, 1975.) Brad Evans, Portland Wild Things (appropriately), has tied the previous record of 154. It is expected he will get one more start against L.A. so he will almost surely set a new record.

Records in real danger still:

Runs scored, batter: Current record: 138 (Josh Jenkins, 1970.)
Contender: Nate Bennett, L.A. Spinners, who has 137 and is on pace for 140.

Hits, batter: Current record: 238 (Travis Johnson, 1966.)
Contender: Lazaro Lowndes, Houston Cavaliers, who has 236 hits and is on pace for 244.

Records that might still be in danger:

Saves, pitcher: Current record: 37 (Ben Bakeman, 1976.)
Contender: Jordan Stephens, Jacksonville Wolf Pack, who has 34 saves but would need saves in 3 of the remaining 4 games to tie this record, so almost surely this one is safe.

Bases on balls, batter: Current record: 132 (Joo-il Kim, 1970).
Contender: Josh Schaeffer, Denver Brewers, who currently has walked 122 times and is on pace for 124 and with the pennant clinched he will probably get a rest in at least one or two of the remaining games. So, no, this one won't be broken. Almost surely not.

[BirdWatcher]

And the potentially dramatic 4-game series between Columbus and Jacksonville ends up being anti-climatic as the Whalers ace Jim Norris, a strong contender for his second straight SJL Pitcher of the Year award, hurls a shutout in game 1 to clinch the pennant for Columbus.

[BirdWatcher]

Kyle Bidwell, the 30-year old number 1 starter for the Portland Wild Things, might not have the most impressive record this year, but his 2.60 ERA is 2nd in the MGL, just ahead of Sadahige Kawasaki (2.62) and below Aaron McNally (2.42). It has been one of the best seasons in the career of the veteran sinker-ball pitcher and he capped it off by no-hitting the Los Angeles Spinners in his last start of the season. It is the first no-no in Bidwell's career and the second of the 1977 season in the WPK.

[BirdWatcher]

Ramon Garduno, who was a Rule 5 draft pick for the San Antonio Keys this past off-season, has shocked the WPK world this year by finishing the season with a 20-8 record and a fine 3.37 ERA. Nothing in Garduno's WPK career up to now would have indicated this sort of season was possible for him and as one of only two players in the SJL to get to 20 wins (the other being Jacksonville's fine Juan Maldonado) Garduno has certainly earned some Pitcher of the Year consideration.



Yesterday he picked up win number 20 with a 3-hit shutout of the Houston Cavaliers.

[BirdWatcher]

On the next to last day of the 1977 regular season, Houston superstar center fielder Lazaro Lowndes has established a new single season high for hits with 239.



Many WPK insiders consider Lowndes the most likely player in the league to reach the 3,000 career hit mark first (unless the 34-year old Felix Lopez, who is looking injury prone at this stage of his career, can manage to scratch out the 355 hits he still needs to get there before then.)

[BirdWatcher]

Game 1:



Sekien Hamasaki has a strong finish to the 1977 season and the team hope that this carries over in into the upcoming KCS. Hamasaki did not get the decision in this one, but allowed just 1 run on 3 hits over his 6 innings pitched. Ben Flynn (10-3, 3.17) gets the win with 2 strong innings and veteran left-handed reliever Ivan Cruz gets his lone save of the season. John Flores (.311/.387/.582) was the hitting star, as he went 2 for 4, with his 5th home run as a Brewer this season (10th of 1977) producing the 2 runs in the 9th that won it. He also drove in the only other Brewer run earlier in the game.

Game 2:



And with the team needing no more wins and wanting to mostly rest the starters- particularly not using any more of the members of the rotation who will be counted on so heavily in the KCS- Cheol-han Lee got his final start of the season, and some suspect of his Brewers career. It did not go well. Lee (6-8, 7.33) only lasted 4 innings, giving up 6 runs on 9 hits, walking 3 and not striking out any batters. The great Cheol-han seems to have reached the end of the line, even though his WPK-richest contract has certainly not. While many starting players rested the manager did send out Bobby Erbakan and Brett Taranto to play this game as they were in a tight but friendly battle for the MGL batting title. Coming into the game Erbakan was hitting .356 and Taranto .355. But in the end it was the red-hot Taranto who would prevail as he went 2 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI in this one while Bobby was 0 for 4. Taranto was now leading .357 to Bobby's .353. Taranto also stole 2 bases to get to 14 on the season. Speaking of stolen bases, Val Guzman, who collected 1 hit and 1 walk, stole his 31st base of the year but was also caught trying for the 15th time.

Game 3:


And in the final game of the 1977 regular season we may have gotten our first optimistic glimpse at the future of the Brewers starting rotation, as Jim Atwell had his finest start since being brought up from AAA at the beginning of September. Atwell (2-1, 6.18) lasted 7 innings, giving up just 1 unearned run on 2 hits while striking out 4 batters and walking 1. He also went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI at the plate and hit his first big league double. Josh Schaeffer (.322/.477/.484) one of the few Brewers starters in the game, went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and hit a 1st inning lead off homer, to give him 13 home runs on the season. Mike Lovett also was 2 for 4 in the win.


And that, my friends, is the end of the Denver Brewers regular season for 1977. They finish the season with an impressive 105 wins, the second best total in team history. (They won 108 games in 1971 and 104 last season.)

[BirdWatcher]

Although the WPK regular season isn't quite over yet (although the Brewers are done, some teams do have makeup games to play still) , and many players won't be announcing their retirements from the game until it does, a number of players who were still trying to get back to the WPK by playing in the minors this season have now revealed they are calling it quits.

Among them are the tremendously popular and admired starting pitcher Jose Santos. Santos, a man among men, spent his entire big league career in the MGL, much of it as the ace and team captain of the Los Angeles Spinners. He spent the entire 1977 season in the Brewers organization, pitching for the AAA Chester Big Stick and most importantly serving as a mentor for potential future Brewers ace Jim Atwell. Santos twice won the MGL Pitcher of the Year award (1965 and 1973) and although he never had a 20-win season he finished his career with a fine 162-110 record and an impressive 2.66 ERA. He was also an accomplished fielder, winning 4 Gold Gloves. Most WPK experts consider Santos a borderline candidate for the WPK Hall of Fame, but his status as a beloved and universally respected figure in the early days of the league may help boost his case for enshrinement.



On the other hand, Jamison Bash, who also announced his retirement after playing very little in AAA for the Newtown Classics (the team where former Brewer Antonio Puente plays) in the Charlotte Sting system, will not be helped in his Hall of Fame bid by his reputation. While Bash was one of the most feared power hitters of the WPK for many years, he was also known for his brash personality and largely criticized for his questionable work habits and intelligence. He had one full season playing for the Denver Brewers in 1971 and he won his lone MGL MVP award that season. He could get some Hall of Fame support for his impact bat but on the whole he is thought to be a player who may hang on for a few ballots but will ultimately fall short.



Relief pitcher Benni Heregger, also among the recently retired, is an interesting case. The Austrian right-hander had the misfortune of his entire career overlapping with that of the gold standard of relivers, Jamel McNeil. But Benni Heregger was no slouch. He finishes his career as the WPK pitcher with the best career ERA at 1.98. (McNeil is third at 2.12.) He is 6th in saves at 173. He is also tied for 6th in WHIP (with greats like Jake Harris and Pat Brooks) at 1.10. Heregger won 3 Reliever of the Year awards in his career (twice in the SJL and once in the MGL) and was a 6-time All-Star. He was very well-liked and had a reputation as a hard worker. But it is awfully hard for a relief pitcher to earn Hall of Fame induction and likely only McNeil, of this generation of players, will make it. Still, Heregger should be honored for his long and successful career. Hats off to you, Benni!



Brewers fans were saddened to hear that one of their former favorites, Pat Rondeau, has called it quits at age 34. Rondeau was an original Brewer (though he didn't join the big league club until 1966) and was well liked for his sterling work habits, his intelligence, but also his great loyalty to his team. He mostly served as a speedy, defensively gifted 4th outfielder for the club but did have a few seasons as a starter, including his final season with Denver in 1973 when he unexpectedly rocked the WPK world with a league-leading .364 batting average. He had one solid season with El Paso after leaving Denver but after that his career quickly deteriorated and he last played in the big leagues in 1976 when he only appeared in 21 games. The Brewers organization and fans wish him the best in his future and wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't end up coming back to the WPK in the future in a non-playing role.

[BirdWatcher]

Harry Lyerly, who won the MGL Pitcher of the Year as a member of the Denver Brewers in 1970, this season was dominating AAA hitters as a member of the Louisville Mud Hens in the Jacksonville Wolf Pack minor league system.



Lyerly, who is still more than a month shy of his 30th birthday, of course hopes that his exploits will earn him a return to the WPK in 1978.