Any Given Sunday - The Journey Continues

[NYY #23]

Patriots @ Ravens





Jim Britt pitched a complete game 6 hitter to earn his second win of the postseason and drove in 2 runs with a big single as the Ravens beat the Patriots 6-2 to advance to their fourth World Championship Game and will try to win their second Championship.

Dave Foutz doubled, tripled, and scored twice for the Ravens and Jack Farrell hit a solo home run.

[NYY #23]

Saints @ Panthers





Despite being the all-time win leader Aaron Jackson has not had much postseason success in his career. Before this year Jackson was 2-5 in his postseason career and has led the Saints to just one of their three World Championships. The 38 year old is trying to change that this year after improving to 3-0 this postseason with a 1.76 ERA after a complete game win over the Panthers. The Saints won the game 9-4 in their third meeting of the season.



Joe Hornung picked up 2 hits in 3 at-bats while driving in 2 runs and scoring a pair of runs. George Strief added 3 hits for the Saints.

[NYY #23]

Ravens @ Saints



With a 7-5 win over the Ravens the Saints captured their fourth World Championship and now have twice as many Championships as any other team in history.



Aaron Jackson picked up the complete game win with 6 strikeouts while walking none and allowing 6 hits.



Dave Orr was 3-4 on the night for the Saints with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Ed Kennedy, Joseph Knight, and Joe Kappel each added 2 hits for the Saints.

[StLee]

YES! They beat the odds by winning the most important game they played this season against the Panthers, and it was all easy peasy heading into the WCG.

[NYY #23]

13 years into the league and we've now reached 88 hitters who have hit .400 or greater in a season, proving that a .400 batting average isn't necessarily as special in this universe with the smaller sample size and number of games per year.



Dan Brouthers of the Titans led the way this season with a .429 batting average though, one of five players to join the .400 club.

Joining Brouthers in the .400 club are Ron Paty of the Ravens (.410), Ross Barnes of the Lions (.420), Larry Hagen of the Panthers (.419), and Dave Orr of the Saints (.400). That makes 3 of the 5 players real life players.

For whatever reason it does seem like real life players are dominating the hitters, and fictional players are dominating the pitchers. Looking at the career WAR leaders for hitters -

1) Ross Barnes - 18.94
2) Travis Losch - 13.41
3) Cap Anson - 13.24
4) George Wright - 13.02
5) Eric Johnson - 10.83
6) Cal McVey - 10.54
7) Jimmy Wood - 10.42
8) Ed Pinkham - 9.79
9) Ross Nighbor - 8.62
10) Everett Mills - 7.77

The only fictional players are Losch, Johnson, and Nighbor. Looking at the career WAR leaders for pitchers -

1) Aaron Jackson - 60.03
2) Mike McBurnett - 55.98
3) Cameron Cotter - 50.25
4) Scott Young - 47.11
5) Milt Foss - 45.34
6) Matt Kelley - 45.30
7) Dan Anderson - 44.01
8) Lee O'Neill - 42.24
9) Mike Courtney - 38.58
10) Chris Garbo - 38.51

All ten are fictional players, although George Zettlein and Jim Britt are numbers 11 and 12 on the list respectively. It also shows that comparing a pitcher's WAR and hitter's WAR is pretty pointless in this universe, since the pitcher's WAR will be much higher.

I haven't talked much about the NCAA, but Bert Dorr and the Orange captured the National Championship for Syracuse. Dorr was 10-3 this season with a 2.57 ERA, his third season with Syracuse, and third season with 10 or more wins.

There are two "leagues" at the college level, and Dorr finished third in the Outstanding Pitcher of the Year Award voting for the 'National' league, losing out to Mike South of the Hoosiers (10-2, 1.73) and Pete Meegan of the Gators (10-4, 2.42). In the 'American' League Charlie Geggus of the Auburn Tigers was named Outstanding Pitcher of the Year after going 9-5 with a 2.59 ERA.

Marty Sullivan of the Seminoles (.397, 14 RBI) and Erik Plumlee of the Kentucky Wildcats (.406, 14 RBI) captured the Outstanding Hitter Awards.

Then finally, the award winners:

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by StLee

YES! They beat the odds by winning the most important game they played this season against the Panthers, and it was all easy peasy heading into the WCG.

Once again the Saints impressed me in the postseason. It'll be interesting to see how long they can continue their run.

[NYY #23]

Pitching went early and often in the amateur draft with the first 8 players selected starting pitchers. With the first pick in the amateur draft the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected SP James Burke from the Florida State Seminoles. In three years with the Seminoles Burke went 28-15 with a 2.75 ERA in 49 starts. For a Bucs team that sent three separate starting pitchers to the mound last season the selection of Burke makes a lot of sense for Tampa Bay, and don't be surprised if he wins the starting pitcher job next season.

With the second pick in the draft the Tennessee Titans selected SP Charlie Geggus, who was 20-19 with a 2.48 ERA at the University of Auburn. The Titans were looking for an eventual replacement for 40 year old Milt Foss.

The Chicago Bears will be looking to make Bill Sweeney their new starting pitcher with the third overall pick. Sweeney was 32-23 with the Virginia Cavaliers.

Rounding out the top ten picks -

4) Eagles selected SP Hardie Henderson, Notre Dame
5) Chiefs selected SP Bert Dorr, Syracuse
6) Cowboys selected SP Bill Conway, Notre Dame
7) Falcons selected SP Hank O'Day, Alabama
8) Jets selected SP Joe Peterson, Georgia
9) 49'ers selected CF Dummy Hoy, LSU
10) Redskins selected LF Lefty Johnson, North Carolina

[NYY #23]

With week 1 in the books I thought it would be good to take a look at the starting pitcher's jobs around the league and focus on the teams that have made a change since last year -

Atlanta Falcons - Jumbo McGinnis was the starting pitcher for the Falcons from 1879 to 1881 going 18-22 during that time before pitching out of the pen last year. He's gotten a chance to reclaim the job this year switching roles with John Doyle, although 6 IP and a 7.50 ERA isn't the best way to start.

Chicago Bears - last year's third overall pick in the amateur draft will get thrown right into the fire in Chicago, and picked up his first professional loss in week 1. Bill Sweeney did pitch a complete game though in the 5-4 loss to the Cardinals, and allowed 4 runs on 7 hits while walking none and striking out 6

Cincinnati Bengals - 29 year old Ed Lowe spent five years in Miami starting for the Dolphins before moving to the bullpen where he pitched two years before being released last June. With a 33-45 record before this season he was a popular name being floated around in rumors, being linked to the Saints, Steelers, Falcons, Patriots, Browns, and Ravens before agreeing to a deal with the Bengals. After a complete game 12-4 win over the Seahawks that left the Bengals as the only undefeated team in the ABC North it looks like they may have gotten a steal.

Cleveland Browns - the Browns don't seem to know which direction they'd like to take with their starting pitcher after rotating between Jake Scott and Tim Belles last season, only to hand the job over to 27 year old Tim Keefe, the 1880 and 1882 starter. Despite allowing just 2 earned runs in a complete game loss, I wouldn't get too comfortable if I was Tim Keefe.

Denver Broncos - after going 11-17 with a 3.25 ERA the past two years the Broncos sent Bill Brosseau down to AAA and named Jonathan Lyons the starter this season. The 39 year old is 46-26 in his career and finished 2nd twice, and 3rd once in the Outstanding Pitcher of the Year race. Despite an impressive opening week start his age (39) and small workload (3 1/3 innings over past two years) make this a risky choice for a Denver team expecting to compete in the ABC West.

Houston Texans - 29 year old Bill McGunnigle pitched 10 innings while allowing just 2 earned runs in his debut as the starting pitcher for the Houston Texans during their loss to the Saints. Barring a trade he appears like the best option for the Texans to win

Jacksonville Jaguars - 26 year old Phil Ormsby improved to 2-0 in his career as the starting pitcher after a 7-6 win over the Steelers, although it's been 3 years since Ormsby made a start before this week

Kansas City Chiefts - Bert Dorr was the second overall pick in last year's draft and allowed 9 hits and 8 runs in the Chiefs 8-5 loss to the Chargers, although just 1 of those runs were earned

New England Patriots - with the reigning Outstanding Pitcher of the Year on the team you wouldn't expect to see the Patriots on this list, but 39 year old Jaime Biernat looks like he had a rough offseason and doesn't look like he has much left in his tank. The Patriots will go with the "youngster", 35 year old Devonte Durham, who hasn't made a start since 1881. After allowing 11 hits and 5 runs in their opening week loss to the Lions the Patriots may be in for a long year.

Philadelphia Eagles - incumbent starter Sean Lack has had some bad luck since last season. The 27 year old suffered an elbow injury, saw the Eagles draft Hardie Henderson, and was informed he had lost his job. The fourth overall pick in last year's draft, Hardie Henderson, just may be the best of the incoming class. Henderson was very impressive in his debut, pitching a complete game and picking up the win as the Eagles won 9-2. With a team ERA of 4.86 last season Henderson has given Eagles' fans reason for hope

San Francisco 49'ers - 39 year old Sean Thompson got the start this week, and lost after pitching 8 innings. He's the starter this year, but the 49'ers would be happy to replace him with a better option, but their options are limited

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - soon to turn 22 year old James Burke will try to make the adjustment from #1 overall pick last season to starting pitcher. His first outing wasn't bad, but little run support saw him lose his debut 3-2 to the Giants

Tennessee Titans - the Titans would like to not rush last year's second overall pick, Charlie Geggus, so they've named 41 year old Milt Foss starting pitcher, and mentor. Foss last was a starter in 1881 when he went 8-8 with a 2.71 ERA, but Foss won his 94th career game in week 1 with a 5-4 win over the Browns

[ZTO333]

Yes! Loving the Eagles pickup in the draft. We finally have a good SP it seems

[NYY #23]

Originally Posted by ZTO333

Yes! Loving the Eagles pickup in the draft. We finally have a good SP it seems

I really like that pick too. I spent a lot of time reviewing teams last night, and he seems like the missing piece for the Eagles. I don't like to make predictions, because they always seem to turn out wrong, but given the state of their division it's hard to see how this doesn't turn them into a contender.

[ZTO333]

Originally Posted by NYY #23

I really like that pick too. I spent a lot of time reviewing teams last night, and he seems like the missing piece for the Eagles. I don't like to make predictions, because they always seem to turn out wrong, but given the state of their division it's hard to see how this doesn't turn them into a contender.

Yes! Thats great to hear. Fly Eagles Fly!

[NYY #23]

Hardie Henderson improved to 2-0 in his short career for the Philadelphia Eagles as the Eagles knocked off the Giants 5-4 in a battle of NBC East teams. Henderson pitched the complete game while allowing 6 hits and 3 earned runs while striking out 5 and walking 2. John Reilly was 2-4 at the plate for the Eagles, and the 25 year old first baseman is now hitting .444 on the season.



Henderson's alma mater hasn't felt his loss yet, as his replacement Tommy Jennings was named NCAA Player of the Week after his second straight shutout. Jennings hasn't allowed an earned run this season, and the 18 year old lefty is now 2-0, and hopes to follow Henderson's path to the majors.



Back to the pros, Bill Sweeney won his first professional game this week for the Bears, and his first award after being named NBC Player of the Week. Sweeney pitched a complete game while striking out 6 and yielding 1 earned run in the Bears 6-3 win over the Rams.



38 year old Aaron Jackson improved to 2-0 on the season with a 1.00 ERA as the defending champion Saints beat the Bucs 9-3 to remain unbeaten. Mike Mansell picked up a pair of hits for the Saints while scoring 3 runs in the win.

In the ABC East the Jets improved to 2-0 with a 6-5 win over the Dolphins. Rodney Hiseler had a big game for the Jets going 3-5 with a pair of home runs, 3 RBI, and 3 runs scored.

[NYY #23]

After three weeks we're down to just 5 undefeated teams. Let's take a closer look at those teams this week -

The Cincinnati Bengals were off this week, but have relied on their offense so far with 22 runs scored their first two games. 26 year old CF Pop Corkhill is hitting .556 with 5 RBI so far this season. Ernie Burch and Sean Hopkins have each driven in 4 runs this year. The Bengals will need to rely on their offense though, as they've already sent two different starters to the mound, Harry Jenks and Ed Lowe.



41 year old Milt Foss is proving he's still got plenty of gas left in the tank as he won his second game and the Tennessee Titans improved to 3-0 this week and are leading the ABC South. Foss has an ERA of 0.71 so far this year in 25 1/3 innings, striking out 9 and not walking a batter. 34 year old Cletus Boyar is having a big season for the Titans, hitting .385 with a homer and 3 RBI

In the NBC East the Eagles knocked off another division rival this week, beating the Cowboys 4-1. Hardie Henderson improved to 3-0 on the year with a 5 hitter, walking none and striking out 4 and won his first career Player of the Week Award. Henderson also picked up an RBI triple at the plate. 25 year old Joe Muller is hitting .308 for the season and picked up 2 key hits in the Eagles win over the Cowboys.

The Vikings finished last year with a 7-9 record, but improved to 3-0 on the year with an 11-4 win over the Rams. CF Rusty Messer had 4 hits in the win, and scored 4 times to lead the Vikings, but every starter had a least 1 hit in the win.

Last but not least, the defending World Champion New Orleans Saints improved to 3-0 on the season with a 5-2 win over the Redskins.



Aaron Jackson improved to 3-0 on the season and lowered his ERA to 1.33, and more importantly became the first pitcher in the history of the league to win 100 career games. Joe Kappel picked up a pair of hits in this weeks win and drove in 2 runs.

[NYY #23]

The return to the starting pitcher role for Sean Thompson hasn't been pleasant for the 39 year old. Thompson fell to 0-4 on the season with a 6.28 ERA, walking 31 batters and allowing 32 hits in 28 2/3 innings, good for a 2.20 WHIP. That leaves the 49ers as the only winless team in the NBC.

On the other end of the spectrum the Eagles, Vikings, and Saints improved to 4-0 this week. The Eagles got a 9-5 win over the Broncos with rookie Hardie Henderson winning again while going 2-4 at the plate with an RBI and run scored. John Reilly added 3 hits for the Eagles and drove in 3 runs.

The Vikings travelled to Buffalo this week and beat the Bills 4-1. Nick Pierce had three hits for the Vikings and Rich Martini drove in two runs. Nick Hornburg pitched a complete game six hitter to get his third win of the season.

It took the Saints 10 innings but they beat the Packers 2-1 in extras. Aaron Jackson lowered his ERA to 0.97 after pitching 10 innings without allowing an earned run. George Strief led the Saints with a pair of hits.

James Burke and the Bucs got bad news as last year's top pick in the amateur draft will miss the season after just three starts with an injury. The Bucs turned to Cody Moss this week and the 27 year old responded with a complete game win as the Bucs beat the Redskins 6-3.

Burke's replacement at Florida State also did very well as he won the NCAA Player of the Week as Tristan Wells improved to 3-1 with a 1.61 ERA this season.

[NYY #23]

The Eagles travelled to San Diego this week and pulled off a 12-8 win to improve to 5-0. Hardie Henderson allowed just 5 hits, but was plagued by 6 errors that led to 8 runs, although just 2 of those runs were earned. Henderson was a perfect 3-3 for the night with a double, stolen base, and three runs scored. Joe Muller was 3-5 on the night for the Eagles with 4 runs batted in.

The Vikings kept pace in the NBC with their 5th win of the season, beating up on the Bears 15-3. Rusty Messer was 3-4 at the plate with 4 RBI for the Vikings with Monk Cline and Tom Priest each adding 3 hits. Nick Hornburg got the win tonight and improved to 4-0 on the season.

Tim Keefe of the Browns won his first game of the season and was named the ABC Player of the Week after a complete game win to hand the Bengals their first loss of the season.

The 3-1 Lions got some bad news this week when they received work that Sam Johnson's bicep injury will keep him out of action for the next month. The Lions had their bye week this week but will be taking on the Packers next week.

[NYY #23]

We entered the week with three undefeated teams, and ended the week with just two, the idle Vikings and Eagles, who are both enjoying a bye week this week. The Saints were the third undefeated team entering this week, but lost 2-1 after being shut down by Larry Corcoran and the Panthers. It's a new year and a new season, but it seems like the Panthers still have the Saints number, at least in the regular season.

The Saints loss drop them from first place, as the red hot Falcons moved into first place with a 3-2 win over the Texans. Jumbo McGinnis's return to the starter's job has gone very well for the Falcons as he improved to 5-1 with a 2.08 ERA. The Falcons will be hosting the Saints next week, and their hot start has Falcons' fans thinking they could finally make the postseason for the first time in their history.



Victor Helmer struck out 7 in a complete game win over the Cardinals to win the NBC Player of the Week. Helmer allowed just 6 hits and 1 earned run in their 4-2 win. John Leighton was 3-3 at the plate with a pair of RBI for the Redskins.

It's also that time of the year for monthly awards. Let's take a look at the winners:

ABC Batter of the Month:
Abner Dalrymple, Patriots - .600, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 5 R

NBC Batter of the Month:
Rusty Messer, Vikings - .500, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 5 R

ABC Pitcher of the Month:
Kevin Phelan, Steelers - 3-1, 2.83 ERA, 35 IP, 23 K

NBC Pitcher of the Month:
Jumbo McGinnis, Falcons - 4-0, 1.46 ERA, 37 IP, 18 K

[NYY #23]

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently about this league and am going to plan to begin making some changes after this season. Initially I planned on doing yearly updates, but started with the weekly updates. They've worked well, but I've been doing this for about seven months now, and gotten through about 14 years, plus I know I'm not getting any faster doing this. We'll see how it goes, and whether it works out well or not. Sometimes half the fun is tweaking things and how they play out, and it definitely takes longer going week to week. I've got some ideas that I'd like to try out though, and see if I can turn this into more of a universe. I'll see if I can strike more of a balance between doing that, moving quicker, and keeping the playoff races close.

But for now, but to the 1884 season and checking in on the divisions -





NBC East



It's another week and another win for the Eagles, who improved to 6-0 with a 6-5 win over the 49'ers. Hardie Henderson continues to pitch well with a 7 hitter and allowing just 1 earned run. At the plate he was 1-2 on the night to raise his batting average to .474 for the year, which coincidentally leads the NBC. Bobby Hanson added a big grand slam for the Eagles to take the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh. While the Eagles aren't my team, they are the local team and it's nice to see them have success, and interesting to see how the right player (Henderson) seems to be making such a big difference.

I haven't talked much about them this year, but the Giants can't be rules out after a 6-1 win over the Bears. Al Atkinson improved to 5-1 on the year with a 3.08 ERA with a two hitter, striking out 4 and walking none. Given the choice to pick one of Atkinson or Henderson I'd pick Henderson, but the difference between the two isn't too significant. With Atkinson the veteran at 23 we could be in for a long Giants-Eagles rivalry in the NBC East. Mark August 3rd on your calendars, as the two teams will face off again in Week 15.

NBC North

With a 9-0 win over the Lions the Vikings improved to 6-0 and now hold a two game lead over the Packers, and three game lead over the Lions. Rusty Messer doesn't get much respect among scouts, but he went 2-2 with a pair of walks and a run score and is hitting .455 on the year. Tom Priest added a 3 run homer for the Vikings, who have now outscored opponents 63-21 in six games.

NBC West

Last year it seemed like I talked about the Cardinals every week, but after a 3-1 loss to the Rams the Cardinals are now sitting at .500, despite leading the suddenly weak NBC West. The 40 year old Scott Young is now 2-3 on the year with a 3.89 ERA, a full run and a half higher than last season.

The West also features a pair of 1-6 teams, the 49'ers and Rams. While three divisions are led by 3-3 teams from top to bottom the NBC West is currently the worst division in baseball.

NBC South

With a 10-6 win over the Falcons the Saints are sending a message that they aren't ready to relinquish their grasp on the NBC South. While Aaron Jackson struggled on the mound today (9 IP, 13 H, 6 ER), he led the Saints with 3 RBI at the plate.

ABC East

The ABC East is still any teams to win, or likely any team besides the 1-5 Dolphins. The second place Bills won their second straight game this week with an 8-3 win over the Patriots. Zach Graziano improved to 3-4 on the season and saw his ERA raise to 1.37 after giving up 3 earned runs. While the Bills have four losses, they had some close ones losing 4-3 to the Texans, 4-1 to the Vikings, 2-0 to the Colts, and 3-1 to the Packers.

37 year old Jimmy Young is off to a fast start (4-7, .571 AVG) after his promotion from AAA. The 37 year old rookie will get a chance to start in right field and help the Jets fend off the Bills.

ABC North



The first place Steelers had a bye week this week. Kevin Phelan is 4-2 for the Steelers this year and last week struck out 6 and allowed just 5 hits as the Steelers defeated the Ravens 7-1 for their third straight win to move ahead of both the 3-3 Ravens and Bengals.

Jim Britt of the Ravens won for the third time this season, despite 8 Raven errors. Britt allowed 9 hits and 2 earned runs, while Dave Foutz picked up 3 hits and drove in 3 runs while scoring two more.

ABC West

Things continue to remain very close in the ABC West. There is a three way tie for first with the Raiders, Broncos, and Chargers all at 3-3 on the year, and the Chiefs just one game back.

ABC South

The division leading Jaguars lost just their second game this season when they fell to the Texans 6-5. Sloppy defense played a big part in the loss as the Jags committed 8 errors which led to 6 unearned runs.

The Texans made a trade this week sending catcher Charlie Bennett to the Cowboys in exchange for minor league starting pitcher Bill Conway. With Josh Kerins entrenched at the catcher's position the Texans hope that Conway will be able to succeed 38 year old Vernon Zeber as the team's starting pitcher.

[StLee]

Great bounce back win for the Saints after last week's loss.

[NYY #23]

Another week and another win for the undefeated Vikings and Eagles. The high scoring Vikings had their lowest scoring game of the season as they snuck by the Packers 3-2. Tom Priest picked up the big 2 run single in the eighth as the Vikings completed their come from behind win to remain undefeated.

The Eagles needed a come from behind win of their own when 37 year old Bobby Hanson connected on a walk off 3 run home run in the bottom of the ninth as the Eagles beat the Redskins 8-6. The Eagles survived Hardie Henderson's worst start of his professional career as he gave up 10 hits and 6 runs but still Henderson improved to 7-0 on the season.

With the trade deadline approaching there was a flurry of activity with the Bills starting things off by sending SS Austin Sabo to the Redskins in exchange for 33 year old catcher Mike McGeary. McGeary is a career .306 hitter with 109 career RBI, while Sabo is a 28 year old rookie with just 4 professional at-bats to his name.

The Lions acquired 25 year old catcher George Bignell in exchange for 22 year old reliever Daniel Allaire and 38 year old reliever Lee O'Neill from the Bears. In a separate deal the Lions acquired 26 year old catcher Pat Deasley from the Chiefs in exchange for veteran first baseman Oscar Walker.

The Bucs completed a trade with the Colts to bring aboard 27 year old centerfielder Bobby Starkey in exchange for 22 year old pitcher Bill Reuther.

[NYY #23]

We entered this week with two unbeaten teams, who faced off against each other in Minnesota in a closely fought game that would go extra innings:





24 year old catcher Tug Wilson stepped to the plate in the bottom of the tenth inning with a .063 batting average, but delivered an RBI single to score Nick Hornburg, who doubled to lead off the inning. That walk off hit gave the Vikings the win and broke the 2-2 tie as the Vikings improved to 8-0, and the Eagles fell to 7-1. In addition to scoring the winning run Hornburg picked up the complete game win with 10 innings pitched, 7 hits allowed, and 1 earned run. He's now 7-0 on the season.

It was a pair of rookies winning the Player of the Week Awards this week.



First up in the ABC Conference was Bert Dorr of the Chiefs who picked up the win while striking out 7. Dorr improved to 4-4 on the year and lowered his ERA to 1.06.



In the NBC Conference Bill Sweeney of the Bears was selected Player of the Week after 11 strikeouts in 9 innings in the Bears 9-8 win over the Patriots. While Sweeney allowed 8 runs, just 1 of those runs were earned.

A look at the other action from this week: