Out of the Shadows: The Eclipse League

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The Wolves' title defence continues, while the Red Caps just get past the Eagles to make their first appearance in the final showdown.

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Neither are going past the reg season again this year, but that doesn't stop the Giants and CSW giving the EL one of its more entertaining games of the year.

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Another unbelievable TL World Series sees the Red Caps go out to a 3-1 lead but then unable to close it out with Game 7 being just ridiculous, as the Wolves earn B2B Championships in the most dramatic fashion. Game 4 - a 4-1 J-ville win - is the Series' "blowout".

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Yet another frantic finish in store for the EL with the LGs the only side to have clinched and the other three totally up for grabs.

That BYs-Dodgers series, should the race still be alive by then, promises to be a ripper. Can the Red Sox revivify themselves and get past the fast-finishing Monarchs?

September awards as follows:

• FC BATTER OF THE MONTH: George Hendrick (Red Sox) 287 / 10 HR / 22 RBI.
• FC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Roberto Vargas (Bacharach Giants) 5-1 / 1.74 / 28 K / 51.2 IP.
• FC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Manny Alexander (Royal Giants) 306 / 2 HR / 10 RBI.
• WC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Hurley McNair (Elite Giants) 363 / 5 HR / 25 RBI.
• WC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Lefty Williams (American Giants) 5-0 / 1.65 / 19 K / 43.2 IP.
• WC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Deacon Meyers (Elite Giants) 4-2 / 3.06 / 38 K / 50 IP.

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That September RoY Award prompts the spotlight being shone for a minute on Deacon Meyers.

Not, I'm afraid, that there's much light to be shone in this instance. Born in Columbia, Tennessee just before the turn of the century, George Allen Meyers - if Jim Riley is to be believed - was the starting pitcher for the very first game ever played by the St. Louis Stars, in 1922, after a switch in ownership saw the name changed from the Giants.

Seamheads gives him a career 26-20 record with roughly league average ERA (4.61 / 102 adj.) over his six NeL seasons, ending in 1926 with the Dayton Marcos - the same city in which he died in 1978. He does not make the cut for EC's MLEs, although the game gives him 9 pWAR all up.

Deacon has come into the EL fairly hot, entering as a highly-touted FA last year and signing a juicy 6-year / $3.5m contract with the Elite Giants. After a brief cameo in the TL with the Black Sox, Deacon got the call up and has delivered on his promise - going 13-10 / 116 ERA+ to this point and helping keep the EGs in that ferocious FC American race that is currently playing out.

He still seems to have a sliver of upside, so things look pretty good for Mr Meyers.

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Well, unbelievably, those three races are still alive in one form or another, with three teams still in the hunt for both FC divs.

Three games to play - four for the American Giants - and the standings look thus:

October 4, 1974

October 5, 1974

ABCs are home.

October 6, 1974

A walkoff win for the Red Sox gives them the FC National by a game, while the Royal Giants come up a run short of making the Black Yankees face them in a tiebreaker.

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OK, so here are the final expanded standings for the 1974 EL season.

Batting titles to Pittsburgh's Donn Clendenon (334, 1st) and Al Bumbry of Homestead (313, 1st - he also sets a new single-season mark with 48 doubles), while Jose Abreu's 28 HR beat Giant Willie Kirkland by one and George Bell leads the EL with 114 RBI.

Shohei Ohtani's 24 wins are the most, as are Gene Collins' 269 strikeouts. Sensation Clark and Will Harris tie for the league lead with 41 saves. The lowest ERA for the year is Joe Black's 2.11.


Final Top 20s:

Hitters - Overall

Hitters - NeLers

Pitchers - Overall

Pitchers - NeLers

News and final leaders:

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MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

PITCHER OF THE YEAR

RELIEVER OF THE YEAR

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Fleet Conference

Memphis Red Sox (86-76) v New York Black Yankees (85-77)

Best of seven, Red Sox with home-field advantage.

• Memphis always looks in control against an unusually out-of-sorts Black Yankees outfit.
• Rod Carew goes 11-for-20 to take the MVP award.

Weldy Conference

Indianapolis ABCs (100-62) v New York Lincoln Giants (85-77)

Best of seven, ABCs with home-field advantage.

• It seems like I say this every year, but these playoff series just keep getting more extraordinary, with this one setting another new bar.
• After a relatively subdued first three contests, games 4 thru 7 are just unbelievable.
• Game 4 sets the tone for the late drama, with the lead changing time and again over the latter innings.
• With the ABCs looking home at 3 games to 2 ahead and 2 games in Indy to play, the two sides play a monumental Game 6 that stays scoreless thru 13, then sees each team score 2 in the 14th, before the LGs add another in the 16th and close it out to make a Game 7 necessary.
• In the decider, the ABCs bats post 3 in the 1st but stop dead in their tracks as the LGs first catch them and then overtake them with 2 in the top 9th to make it to their first World Series and guarantee us a first-time EL Champion this year.

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Memphis Red Sox v New York Lincoln Giants

Best of seven, Red Sox with home-field advantage.

Almost a carbon copy of last year, with one team getting through in relatively easy fashion and the other anything but, leaving us with two clubs looking for their first EL Championship after long and often fraught journeys dating back to 1968.

No real form line to go by with these two incredibly streaky teams, and in the end I am convinced the winner will simply be the one that catches fire the most over the games to come.

Should be a ripper - MeSox in six is my pick, made with very little confidence. No doubt they have the edge, talentwise. I just don't know if they want it bad enough just yet.

In the end, the talent wins out as the Red Sox do it fairly comfortably in six. Any questions as to their resolve are swept away in Game 5 with a stirring comeback from 0-7 thanks to an 8-run 7th.

Memphis shortstop Jurickson Profar goes 11-for-24 with a home run and 6 RBI to claim MVP honours.

Game 1





Game 2





Game 3





Game 4





Game 5





Game 6

[luckymann]

GRANT MEDAL (MOST VALUABLE PLAYER)

STOVEY MEDAL (PITCHER OF THE YEAR)

WHITE PLATE (RELIEVER OF THE YEAR)




FOWLER MEDAL (ROOKIE OF THE YEAR)




GARRETT BUTTON (MANAGER OF THE YEAR)

FC: Danny Carpenter, Black Barons
WC: Brian DiGiacomo, ABCs


KINDLING AWARD (SILVER SLUGGER)
FC / WC




SLICK AWARD (GOLD GLOVE)
FC / WC

[luckymann]

Time for another influx of players via the Draft and Free-Agency.

NeL Category A players this time around are Roy Campanella and Quincy Trouppe via the Draft, with John Beckwith a new FA. The big MLB names include Miguel Cabrera, Johnny Damon and Reggie Smith in the Draft with Albert Belle, the Davises Willy and Chilly, and Lee Smith entering the league as FAs.

The Bacharach Giants have the first overall pick and use it on Reggie Smith, with Miggy going next to Homestead.

Here's the full recap of Round 1 selections:

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Atlantic City Bacharach Giants

Brooklyn Royal Giants

Newark Dodgers

New York Black Yankees

Pittsburgh Crawfords

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Birmingham Black Barons

Cuban Stars West

Kansas City Monarchs

Memphis Red Sox

St. Louis Giants

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Baltimore Elite Giants

Hilldale Athletic Club

Homestead Grays

New York Lincoln Giants

Philadelphia Liberty Stars

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Chicago American Giants

Cleveland Buckeyes

Cuban Stars East

Detroit Motown Stars

Indianapolis ABCs

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We are off and running for the EL's eighth season and what a beauty it promises to be.

Net WAR movements over the break.

A slightly different POV between yours truly and the BNN boffins, who are keeping faith with the BYs and Buckeyes.

Fernando Tatis jr has leapfrogged Barry Bonds into the #1 rating for position players, while rookie Nate Moreland has assumed that position among the pitching fraternity.

Not quite sure why Moreland and Hideo Nomo aren't appearing on the PP - suffice to say they should be, and should be near the top. As it is, John Beckwith is afforded that honour on OD.

All looking solid enough financially, with a couple clubs in a position to get real aggressive if they see fit to.

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A simply unbelievable Opening Day, 1975 for the EL.

First and foremost, Newark's Connie Rector no-hits the defending champs to spoil their flag unveiling in a game that is also memorable for Albert Belle's fine debut.

Meanwhile, another fine first EL game by Homestead's Miguel Cabrera is all but eclipsed (pun intended) by Baltimore's Hurley McNair, who hits for the cycle in a 12-3 win for the EGs.

Let's hope this is a dual omen for what the season to come has in store.

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Another wobbly old start for the Mons. One way to take care of that is to simply not allow many baserunners. Two, for example, as Robert Person does here in a no-hit gem against the previously red-hot BYs.