The Continental League comes to the MLB in 1961

[uruguru]

I didn't take it as criticism! Yes, I agree. Down with wildcards.

I like Branch Rickey thinking outside of the box.

[Brad K]

The Continental league concept of three leagues would be a nice alternative way to organize teams for the historical 1969 expansion. I might try that at some point.

[uruguru]

Originally Posted by Brad K

The Continental league concept of three leagues would be a nice alternative way to organize teams for the historical 1969 expansion. I might try that at some point.

The trickiest part is the 3-team World Series. It's a novel concept, but much more preferable imo than using wildcard teams.

[Pelican]

Meanwhile, plodding along with my version of uruguru's 1961 sim, playing them one game at a time, managing the Montreal Mounties.

Mounties Bridle Oaks, 3-2

Montreal Mounties starter Sandy Koufax turned in a top-notch performance against the Oakland Oaks at Parc Jarry, with 12 strikeouts to go with five walks. The result was a win for the Mounties, 3-2. The Mounties, now 2-0, have played some good baseball in the early going.

Jimmie McDaniel was 2 for 3 with 2 singles, while adding 2 RBI for Montreal. The 28-year old center fielder had a key at-bat in the bottom of the seventh. With no one out and the bases loaded, he broke a 2-2 tie with a run-scoring sacrifice fly off Dennis Aust. It was his 2nd RBI of the season.

Koufax, who threw 117 pitches in six and two-thirds innings, deserved the win. But Buddy Ready, who relieved, tossed a pickoff throw beyond Jim Gilliam, allowing Nelson Velasquez score. Ready then got the third out, stranding a runner on second base, and became the winning pitcher, thanks to McDaniels' heroics. "Throwing strikes was the main thing," Koufax said.

Gilliam had two bits, and Jose Pagan kept up his torrid hitting, going 3 for 4 with and another double. Hank Aguirre got the save for the Mounties.

Oakland Gets 6-0 Win

Oakland starter Chuck Stobbs, hitorically a relief pitcher, had a career day against the Montreal Mounties at Parc Jarry. The left-hander was a big part of his team's 6-0 win. Stobbs went 8.1 innings to notch the win. He scattered 8 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. His record improves to 1-0. He also banged out two hits, including a double. The loss drops the Mounties to 2-1.

Montreal starter Frank Lary, a late-Spring acquisition, was ineffective, allowing three runs in the first four innings, and a total of eight hits in six innings. The Mountie offense left twenty-one runners on base, loading the bases with none out in three innings, and never scoring. "No clutch hitting", said GM Jackson O'Lantern, who gambled on starting lefty hitter Tony Curry (three hits), Tony Oliva (his first major league hit), and Luke Easter (0 for 2 wth four left on base), as well as rookie catcher Dan Hagan (0 for 2). Mincher and CF replacment Luis Marquez made errors.

Metropolitans Win 9-6 Walk-Off

Good production from first baseman Jim Baumer [a minor league journeyman liberated by the CL] helped the New York Metropolitans topple the Montreal Mounties, 9-6 before 27,007 happy fans at the Polo Grounds. Baumer went 4-4 with a home run, 2 doubles, and a walk. He scored 4 times and drove in 2 for the Metropolitans. The win puts New York at 3-1.

Wally Post was the walk-off hero for New York. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Metropolitans left fielder hit a dramatic 3-run home run off Charles [not] Ready to send the teams home.

"This place went bonkers at the end," Baumer said.

Johnny Podres started for Montreal, and gave up six earned runs and ten hits in 6.1 innings. Jose Pagan and Tony Oliver had two hits each for the Mounties.

McDaniel Stars in 13-6 Mounties Win

Montreal took on New York in front of a lively crowd of 16,822 at the Polo Grounds on a windy and cool Spring day.

A 4-RBI performance from the 28-year old right fielder Jimmie McDaniel helped the Mounties beat the Metropolitans, 13-6. McDaniel had a two-run double and a solo home run, driving four runs total across. New York drops to 3-2, and the Mounties improve to the same record.

Montreal relied on the hitting of Marvin Williams to pick up the win. The left fielder clubbed a 3-run home run in the top of the fourth inning to put the Mounties on top, 3-0. The 41-year-old Williams is enjoying every minute of his major league debut. "I still think this team can play even better," McDaniel told the Montreal web site Mounties Mob.

Williams' HR travelled over one hundred feet farther than McDaniel's (486 to 375). Jim Gilliam, Jose Pagan, and Frank Thomas chipped in with two hits apiece. Starter Curt Raydon was wild, walking six and throwing 85 pitches through five innings. But he hung on to end the fifth inning and earn the win. Buddy Hicks pinch-hit in the eighth, and drove in two runs on his first major league hit, and ringing double to center field.

New York Gets 8-3 Win Against Mounties

The New York Metropolitans beat the Montreal Mounties, 8-3. New York pitcher, the wildly effective Jesse Hickman, led the way. Hickman, now 2-0, was the winner. In 7 innings, he gave up 5 hits, while striking out 4, walking 7, and allowing 2 runs. He threw 123 pitches and was constantly in trouble. The loss makes Montreal 3-3 in its inaugural season.

Jimmie Coker chipped in for New York with an improbnable inside-the-park 2-run home run in the bottom of the fourth, on a fly ball that eluded Mounties' CF Curtis Flood. Another fugitive from the Phillies, Ted Lepcio, was 3 for 4 for New York in the game. Lepcio went .230/.300/.329 for the Phillies in 1960 in 82 games. Coker, a reserve catcher, went .229/.296/.367 in 66 games in 1960. The Continental League has given them new life.

Montreal starter Don Newcombe threw three strong innings, and then could not get out of the fourth, as the Metropolitans batted around. Newk allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks.

[Pelican]

1961_continental_1961-04-23_09-28-56.jpg

[Pelican]

[IMG]1961_continental_1961-04-24_09-48-13.jpg[/IMG]1961_continental_1961-04-24_09-48-13.jpg

[Pelican]

The Oakland Oaks withstood an impressive performance by Montreal first baseman Frank Thomas to defeat the Mounties, 5-4, at Harborplace. Thomas went 3 for 5 with a home run and a double. He scored 2 runs and drove in 2. Morrie Martin picked up the save for Oakland, his 1st of the year. The loss has the Mounties at 4-4.

Nestor Velazquez had a clutch at-bat with two out in the bottom of the sixth for the Oaks. Coming up with the bases loaded and Oakland trailing 4-3, he hit a 2-run single off of Parker Eaton.

"One win at a time, one game at a time. We try not to get too far ahead of ourselves," Velazquez told the Oakland Today.


Hmmm the sim played this game without my knowledge. Possibly user error, as i was acting as temporary GM for the Phillies and other teams, and may have advanced a day without returning to the Mounties front office. Oh, well.

Morrie Martin is an example of guys given a second chance by the Continental League. He was wrapping up a ten-year major league career, starting with the Philly A's, in AAA in 1960. But an experienced and craft lefty could prove very useful to a young team.

Jimmie McDaniel is hitting .529. Jose Pagan is at .353. Tony Oliva checks in at .429. But Ruben Amaro is at .150, Jim Gilliam at .231, and Curt Flood is down to .167. It's early yet.

The injury to Frank Lary, legging out a double and sliding, is not serious. The estimate was two weeks, so he goes on the fifteen-day Injured list, and will miss a couple of turns. I will bring up one of my AAA starters to replace him in the rotation. With a DH coming up, I can't go to a four-man rotation.

Traded OF Harry "Suitcase" Simpson to the Red Sox for RP Mike Fornieles. Fornieles has 40/68/44 ratings and was a solid 5-3 with 9 saves and a 3.26 ERA last year. Also traded Jim Greengrass to free up a roster spot, and acquired minor league OF Ray Looney (21/58/71) from the Senators. The scouting report says possible fourth OF if he learns which pitches he can drive. He'll go to AA Cedar Rapids to start that process.