FOOL-X 1971 Regular Season

[Alan T]

Time to sim the 1971 season. The 11th season for FOOL-X. getting exports now.

[Alan T]

One salary cap violation that I need to take care of real quick.

[Alan T]

Thursday, April 1st, 1971

Balzac Ticklers: Signed free agent MR J. Cameron to a 1-year contract worth a total of $753,000.

Spring Lions: Signed free agent SP I. Orosco to a 1-year contract worth a total of $495,000.

Virginia Beach Surf: Signed 3B F. Contreras to a minor league contract extension.

[Alan T]

Ok, here we go!

[CleBrownsfan]

I predict Naps worst season to date

[Alan T]

Sykes Crushes 3 Homers Against Indianapolis
Friday, April 16th, 1971: Bill Sykes of the Mexico City Aztecs had a lot to celebrate in today's 14-3 win over the Indianapolis Clowns. Three times he celebrated by pounding the ball out of Clown Car.

He kiddingly told reporters after the game, "Hopefully, I can continue to close my eyes and swing as hard as I can. It worked well today."

The powerful Mexico City catcher tagged 4 hits in 5 at-bats, drove in 5 runs and scored 4 times in his three-home-run outburst.

Sykes added, "Seriously, I just try to swing early and often to give myself a chance. I let the pitcher supply all the power, I just try to figure out how to get the bat on the ball."

"We talked about changing our strategy for the third one... and then he hit another homer," the Indianapolis manager said. "We just couldn't get him out."

B. Sykes hit a solo-shot off R. Pérez in the 2nd, struck out in the 4th, doubled in the 6th, hit a two-run home run off A. Julien in the 7th and hit a two-run home run off H. Braber in the 8th.

In 14 games this season Sykes has batted at a .390 pace with 23 hits and 8 home runs.

[Alan T]

Clark Goes Long 3 Times
Monday, April 19th, 1971: Going... Going... Gone!
Bob Clark did it three times in the Virginia Beach-New York game at Legends Ballpark. Three home runs in one game -- but his team lost -- the Legends outscored the Surf 9-6.

"Gosh, it's a shame we didn't win this game. I get my name in the record book, but we lose the game."

For the day the Virginia Beach right fielder went 3-4 against New York with 4 RBIs and 3 runs scored in a brilliant display of power hitting.

"I was in a groove," he said, "and every pitch they tossed up there looked like a basketball." Commenting after the game to the press, the semi-elated Clark explained, "I tell you what, I was surprised because I didn't think the last ball had enough to get out. I thought it was just going to be a long out."

B. Clark hit a two-run home run off R. Cox in the 2nd, grounded out in the 4th, hit a solo-shot off R. Cox in the 7th and hit a solo-shot off S. Callahan in the 8th.

So far this season Clark is hitting .292 with 11 home runs.

[Montreal_GM]

I predict a close fight but a 3rd place finish.

[Alan T]

Reyes becomes the 6th member of the 2000 hit club

Number 2000 for Reyes
Tuesday, April 20th, 1971: It was one of José Reyes's better days at the ballpark. The Balzac Ticklers toppled the Mexico City Aztecs 3-1 and the second baseman recorded his 2000th career hit.

In his 1639-game career Reyes is hitting .348 with 2000 hits, 473 doubles, 79 triples and 69 home runs. He has scored 1216 runs and driven in 740.

[TheMeat]

I predict my worst season to-date as well, my pitching was devastated this off season.

[TheMeat]

And hurray for Reyes! That's my boy!

[Alan T]

Great Day for Gracía, Hits for Cycle
Thursday, April 22nd, 1971: Lúcio Gracía of the Ann Arbor Wolverines had an amazing day at the plate today in a game against New York. Fans at Ann Arbor Grounds were treated to a hitting spectacle as he hit for the cycle. Yes -- the cycle -- one of baseball's rarest feats and spectator treats. The Ann Arbor center fielder hit them all! The single, double, triple, and home run came during his 4 at-bats as the Wolverines downed the Legends 7-6.

"I would like to say it was skill, but I would be more inclined to say it was some luck, too. Triples are hard to come by."
Gracía finished the day with 4 in 4 tries and raised his batting average a few points. He also had 3 RBI and 3 runs scored.

L. Gracía hit an RBI triple in the 3rd, doubled in the 5th, singled in the 7th and hit a two-run home run off M. Brown in the 8th.

This year Gracía has hit at a .215 pace and produced 7 RBIs, 1 home run and scored 8 runs.

[Alan T]

Franco hits 3 Home Runs in one game, including his 500th of his career, the first 500 Home Run hitter in FOOL-X history

Franco Gets #500
Sunday, April 25th, 1971: New York's 10-8 victory over Cleveland was highlighted by Esteban Franco's 500th career home run. His teammates congratulated him at home plate after he circled the bases.

"I didn't see all of them out there," Franco said with a chuckle, "until I rounded third base." He added sheepishly: "It was only a home run. It's not like I won us a World Series!"

In 4 at-bats the Legends right fielder collected 4 hits in his historic game, scored 3 runs, and had 3 runs batted in.

Lifetime Franco has played in 1649 games with a .316 batting average. Among his 2045 hits are 199 doubles, 35 triples and 502 home runs. He also has scored 1424 runs and driven in 1395 runs.

Franco Slams 3 Deep for New York
Sunday, April 25th, 1971: Fans seated in the bleacher section at Legends Ballpark were taking cover all day long as Esteban Franco took aim, rattling three long blasts off the seats in a display of Herculean power. Days like this are rare. After his amazing performance in New York's 10-8 triumph over the Cleveland Naps, the right fielder's name will soon be added into the record books.

He told reporters at the postgame press conference, "I told myself not to press on the last one. I knew I couldn't force it... that it has to be a nice easy swing."

For the game he collected 4 hits in 4 at-bats, batted in 3 and scored 3 runs.

E. Franco doubled in the 1st, walked in the 2nd, hit a solo-shot off D. Payne in the 4th, hit a solo-shot off D. Payne in the 6th and hit a solo-shot off Á. Álvarez in the 8th.

So far this season Franco has 13 home runs and a .277 batting average.

[Alan T]

Vázquez Scorches Grocers for 3 HR
Thursday, April 29th, 1971: Ricardo Vázquez, third baseman for the New York Legends, had a whale of a game, rocketing three balls out of Legends Ballpark against the Portland Grocers today in their 15-12 victory.

After the game he said, "I got some good pitches to hit and I creamed them. The first was a big, fat fastball and the last two were hanging curves... all three were mistakes."

For the game Vázquez was 3-5 with 8 RBIs and 3 runs scored.

Vázquez added, "There's a fine line between hitting home runs and line drives. Today I found the home run stroke."

R. Vázquez hit a three-run home run off Á. Reyes in the 2nd, struck out in the 3rd, grounded out in the 5th, hit a two-run home run off Á. Reyes in the 7th and hit a three-run home run off C. García in the 8th.

This year Vázquez is hitting .278 with 12 home runs.

[Alan T]

RL Selects Morales April's Top Starter
Saturday, May 1st, 1971: Mauro Morales's been around the league long enough to appreciate the honor he received today. After going 5-1 in April, the 29-year-old Spring hurler has been named Republic League Pitcher of the Month.

He fanned 41 in 51 innings, logged an ERA of 2.12 and allowed opponents to hit .222 against him.

[Alan T]

Rodríguez Is CL's Best Pitcher in April
Saturday, May 1st, 1971: Juan Rodríguez of the London Bishops strung a bunch of high quality starts together in April to earn the Continental League Pitcher of the Month trophy.

For the month he finished with a superlative 6 wins and no losses and a 3.35 ERA. The London star started 7 games, pitched 45.2 innings and struck out 35.

[Alan T]

Franco Wins RL's Best Bat Trophy
Saturday, May 1st, 1971: To survive in the bigs, you've got to be a scrapper like Esteban Franco. It never pays to take a day off from the batting cages or to shrug off the advice of the hitting coach. It all paid off today as New York's right fielder pinned down the Republic League Batter of the Month trophy today.

He hit .313 in April collecting 17 home runs, 24 RBIs and 32 runs scored.

[Alan T]

CL Announces Outstanding Batter Award
Saturday, May 1st, 1971: Washington's José Sosa had a productive April and topped it off by winning the Batter of the Month citation from the Continental League.

The 29-year-old left fielder stood out at the plate with a .371 batting average, 8 home runs, 23 RBIs and 21 runs scored.

[hyde4us11]

Franco hit 17 HR in the month impressive.

[Alan T]

Rookie Honored by Republic League
Saturday, May 1st, 1971: Júlio Béltre had a fine April against Republic League pitchers and was acclaimed the league's Rookie of the Month today.

The Portland third baseman walloped the opposition with 18 hits, 4 home runs, 7 RBIs and 11 runs scored. He compiled a .265 average and .383 on-base percentage.

CL Selects Rookie Star of the Month
Saturday, May 1st, 1971: Bob Webb was toddling around on his tricycle when some of the guys he's playing against were in their prime, but the 24-year-old second baseman definitely knows how to get to first, second or beyond. Today he was chosen April's Continental League Rookie of the Month for his remarkable month of hitting.

In 28 games Webb batted .325 for Mexico City, slapping 37 hits in 114 at-bats with 2 home runs, drove in 9 runs and scored 24 times.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by hyde4us11

Franco hit 17 HR in the month impressive.

Yes.. he is on pace for 98 home runs this year.

I'm thinking that pace won't continue. His teammate Vazquez is on pace for 75 right now.

It is mostly due to New York playing a large number of home games in April (18 to only 10 road games). New York's ballpark is a freakin wind tunnel to right field.

[Alan T]

May 1st, 1971 standings:

This just in.. London is pretty good...

Continental League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 London Bishops 23 5 .821 - 20-8 3 10-3 13-2 4-0 5-1 127 L1 9-1 Boston Resettlers 15 13 .536 8.0 15-13 0 8-7 7-6 2-2 5-1 L4 6-4 Balzac Ticklers 13 15 .464 10.0 12-16 1 8-10 5-5 3-1 4-1 W2 7-3 Washington Freedom 12 16 .429 11.0 15-13 -3 9-4 3-12 2-3 2-7 W5 5-5 Indianapolis Clowns 11 17 .393 12.0 11-17 0 4-8 7-9 0-2 3-4 W1 2-8 Mexico City Aztecs 10 18 .357 13.0 12-16 -2 3-10 7-8 0-3 1-6 L7 1-9

Republic League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Spring Lions 20 8 .714 - 19-9 1 11-2 9-6 1-0 4-1 131 W1 5-5 New York Legends 16 12 .571 4.0 14-14 2 10-8 6-4 1-0 3-2 L1 7-3 Portland Grocers 16 12 .571 4.0 14-14 2 9-4 7-8 3-0 2-2 W1 6-4 Virginia Beach Surf 14 14 .500 6.0 12-16 2 8-4 6-10 2-4 3-2 L1 4-6 Ann Arbor Wolverines 10 18 .357 10.0 12-16 -2 3-10 7-8 0-2 1-4 W2 4-6 Cleveland Naps 8 20 .286 12.0 13-15 -5 6-9 2-11 0-1 1-3 L3 4-6

[hyde4us11]

Originally Posted by Alan T

New York's ballpark is a freakin wind tunnel to right field.

Where have a heard that before lol.

[Alan T]

May 1st league leaders:

League Leaders AVG V. Barber - LON .427 2 M. Gómez SPG .389 3 R. Rivas LON .379 4 E. Martínez IND .373 5 J. Sosa WAS .371	League Leaders HR E. Franco - NY 17 2 B. Clark VIR 15 3 R. Vázquez NY 13 4 R. Demers POR 10 5 T. Tizzard ANN 9	League Leaders RBI R. Vázquez - NY 32 2 R. Demers POR 31 2 R. Flores BAL 31 4 B. Clark VIR 30 5 M. Zaragoza SPG 28
League Leaders W J. Rodríguez - LON 6 2 T. Estrada IND 5 2 M. Morales SPG 5 4 Y. Bujold LON 4 4 7 more tied with 4	League Leaders ERA Y. Bujold - LON 1.49 2 J. Pérez SPG 1.60 3 M. Morales SPG 2.12 4 J. Ríos ANN 2.39 5 F. Clement BOS 2.45	League Leaders K I. Ordóñez - NY 56 2 J. Ríos ANN 44 3 S. Watson MEX 43 4 M. Morales SPG 41 5 C. Bannatyne NY 40

[CleBrownsfan]

My God - 8-20!! I can't watch...

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Alan T

He hit .313 in April collecting 17 home runs, 24 RBIs and 32 runs scored.

The more impressive part I think is 17 home runs for only 24 RBIs? I don't think anyone is getting on base in front of him.

[Alan T]

Morales wins his 200th of his Career, the first FOOL-X pitcher to do so ever.

Morales Superb Against New York
Saturday, May 1st, 1971: In a very impressive mound performance, Mauro Morales stopped the New York Legends cold. The 29-year-old Lions hurler blanked them on 6 hits to post a 8-0 triumph.

Morales has made 8 starts this season, posting 6 wins and 1 loss. Opposing clubs are batting .218 against him and he has 48 strikeouts in 60 innings with a 1.80 ERA.

[Alan T]

Parlee Connects for 3 Homers for Surf
Saturday, May 29th, 1971: It wasn't your average day at the ballpark. The fans witnessed Paul Parlee power his way into the record book with three home runs and propel the Virginia Beach Surf to a 13-10 win over the Cleveland Naps.

He spoke with reporters after his historic day. "I've always loved hitting in Ballpark of Cleveland. You can see the ball so well."

For the day he collected 3 hits in 3 at-bats, scored 4 runs and had 5 RBIs.

P. Parlee walked in the 1st, walked in the 1st, hit a two-run home run off D. Payne in the 3rd, hit a solo-shot off M. O'Herlihy in the 5th, walked in the 7th and hit a two-run home run off J. Rodríguez in the 9th.

In 55 games this season Parlee has compiled a .302 batting average with 67 hits and 11 home runs. He has also scored 28 times and knocked in 36 runs.

[Alan T]

Spring Comes up Empty Against Madden
Sunday, May 30th, 1971: Rodney Madden was sneaky fast, on the mark and hard to hit today. He blanked the Spring Lions 1-0 on 4 hits and had 1 walk and 11 strikeouts.

"You know what he's going to throw. You know what to expect. And you still can't hit it," the Spring skipper told reporters after the shutout loss to the Ann Arbor Wolverines.

"He just had a real deceiving fastball today and he was throwing it for strikes."

His record this year is 2-5 in 10 starts and Madden has a 6.02 ERA.

[Alan T]

25 Games in a Row for Sánchez
Monday, May 31st, 1971: Héctor Sánchez collected 1 hit in today's game and extended his hitting streak to 25 games. His club, the Boston Resettlers, beat London 3-0.

After the ballgame, Sánchez quipped to a BNN reporter, "Right now, when they throw me the ball, it looks the size of a softball. I'm pretty excited how things are clicking."
H. Sánchez singled in the 1st, struck out in the 3rd, walked in the 4th and grounded out in the 7th.

Sánchez is batting at a .323 pace this season, picking up 71 hits in 220 at-bats with 2 home runs, 21 RBIs and 41 runs scored.

[Alan T]

Morales Named Top RL Hurler
Tuesday, June 1st, 1971: Veteran Mauro Morales put together quite a successful stretch in May for the Spring Lions, earning himself the Republic League Pitcher of the Month award.

Morales racked up a 5-2 record in 8 starts, posting a 1.77 ERA over 61 innings and striking out 42.

This year Morales has posted a record of 10 wins and 3 losses with a 1.93 ERA. He has appeared in 15 games and struck out 83 in 112 innings.

[Alan T]

Bishops Bujold May's Top Hurler
Tuesday, June 1st, 1971: In May London starter Yann Bujold mystified Continental League hitters and carried off the Pitcher of the Month honors by chalking up a 5-2 record in 8 starts.

The 26-year-old Bujold added 59 strikeouts in 56.2 innings and 11 walks to his season record and compiled a 2.22 ERA. Opposing batters hit .222 against him.

To this point in the season, Bujold shows a 9-3 record, 15 starts, 99 innings, 97 strikeouts and a 1.91 ERA.

[Alan T]

Ryan Cook Named Best RL Batter in May
Tuesday, June 1st, 1971: For the month of May, Ryan Cook of the Cleveland Naps has really worn out the sweet spot on his bat. He has assaulted, used and abused Republic League pitchers to the tune of a .341 batting average and was honored as the hottest hitter of the month today.

Cook went 42 for 123 last month with 10 walks. The second baseman tallied 9 home runs, 29 RBIs, 23 runs scored and compiled a .397 on-base percentage.

In this current campaign Cook is hitting at a .315 clip with 14 home runs and 47 RBIs.

[Alan T]

Flores Takes Home CL Top Batter Award
Tuesday, June 1st, 1971: Ricardo Flores was at the top of the hit parade in the Continental League throughout May. For the outstanding month, the talented Balzac right fielder was chosen the Batter of the Month.

He compiled a .342 average with 38 hits, 4 home runs, 20 RBIs and 19 runs scored.

A look at his season totals shows Flores with 10 home runs, .317 BA, .396 OBP, 51 RBIs and 39 runs scored.

[Alan T]

Rookie Second Baseman Honored by RL
Tuesday, June 1st, 1971: A veritable toddler to the Republic League, Lachlan Krajancic just sewed up the Rookie of the Month trophy for May.

Over the past month the 25-year-old second baseman for Ann Arbor hit .316 with 24 hits, 1 home run and 8 RBI. He also logged 5 walks and compiled a .366 on-base percentage.

Krajancic is currently batting .301 with 1 home run, 14 RBIs and 24 runs scored. He has 47 hits in 156 at-bats.

Continental League Names Rookie of Month
Tuesday, June 1st, 1971: Bob Webb is still a bit shy, but then, who could blame the newest Continental League Rookie of the Month honoree? He hasn't been around the league long enough to fully know the ropes yet, despite the fact that he's putting up veteran-like numbers.

In May the Mexico City hitter tagged opposing pitching for a .267 average with 28 hits, no home runs and 5 RBIs.

So far on the season Webb is hitting .297 with 2 home runs, 14 RBIs and 42 runs scored. He has 65 hits and played in 57 games.

[Alan T]

June 1st, 1971 Standings:

Continental League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 London Bishops 40 17 .702 - 40-17 0 19-8 21-9 4-3 7-5 99 L2 5-5 Boston Resettlers 33 24 .579 7.0 32-25 1 19-11 14-13 6-4 12-4 W2 6-4 Balzac Ticklers 31 26 .544 9.0 29-28 2 18-15 13-11 4-2 8-5 W5 8-2 Washington Freedom 24 33 .421 16.0 30-27 -6 16-11 8-22 3-5 5-14 W3 5-5 Indianapolis Clowns 23 34 .404 17.0 22-35 1 10-17 13-17 1-2 9-6 L4 3-7 Mexico City Aztecs 20 37 .351 20.0 21-36 -1 9-18 11-19 2-4 4-11 L5 3-7

Republic League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Spring Lions 37 20 .649 - 38-19 -1 19-8 18-12 1-3 7-8 101 W1 7-3 Virginia Beach Surf 32 25 .561 5.0 29-28 3 17-10 15-15 7-4 13-5 W4 5-5 New York Legends 30 27 .526 7.0 28-29 2 19-14 11-13 3-2 6-9 W1 6-4 Portland Grocers 30 27 .526 7.0 30-27 0 16-11 14-16 4-2 6-6 L1 5-5 Ann Arbor Wolverines 23 34 .404 14.0 24-33 -1 10-17 13-17 0-4 8-7 L1 6-4 Cleveland Naps 19 38 .333 18.0 24-33 -5 10-20 9-18 2-2 1-6 L9 1-9

[Alan T]

June 1st stats leaders:

League Leaders AVG V. Barber - LON .367 2 J. Reyes BAL .349 3 J. Anthony SPG .335 3 T. Aoshima WAS .335 5 R. LaVergne SPG .332	League Leaders HR E. Franco - NY 26 2 B. Clark VIR 25 3 R. Vázquez NY 23 4 R. Demers POR 18 5 T. Tizzard ANN 15	League Leaders RBI M. Zaragoza - SPG 63 2 R. Vázquez NY 62 3 R. Demers POR 60 4 B. Clark VIR 51 4 R. Flores BAL 51
League Leaders W M. Morales - SPG 10 2 Y. Bujold LON 9 2 J. Rodríguez LON 9 4 P. Contreras LON 8 5 5 tied with 7	League Leaders ERA Y. Bujold - LON 1.91 2 M. Morales SPG 1.93 3 J. Ríos ANN 2.67 4 M. Hicks BOS 2.72 5 T. White LON 2.74	League Leaders K I. Ordóñez - NY 128 2 Y. Bujold LON 97 3 M. Hicks BOS 83 3 M. Morales SPG 83 5 T. White LON 82

[Alan T]

Washington Snaps Sánchez's Streak at 27
Thursday, June 3rd, 1971: Héctor Sánchez saw his 27-game hitting streak wither and die today during the Resettlers 5-2 victory over Washington at Freedom Field. The 29-year-old shortstop was held hitless in 5 at-bats by Freedom, but his Boston teammates produced enough offense to garner the win.

Talking to reporters after the game, Sánchez was upbeat. "Am I disappointed about the hit streak? Maybe, just a little bit. How could you be unhappy after you have hit in 27 straight games? I'm just glad it lasted as long as it did. And I am really happy that we won another ballgame today. Life is good."

This season Sánchez is batting .316 with 22 RBIs, 41 runs scored and 2 home runs.

[Alan T]

Ortíz Holds New York Scoreless
Monday, June 7th, 1971: It was a dazzling performance by Alfredo Ortíz of the Virginia Beach Surf. He shut out the New York Legends 9-0 on a well-pitched 1-hitter, ringing up 5 strikeouts and issuing 4 walks.

This season Ortíz has 4 wins and 7 losses and a 5.12 ERA.

[Alan T]

The 7th member of the FOOL-X 2000 hits club

2000th Hit for Lamb
Saturday, June 19th, 1971: Resettlers left fielder Donald Lamb went 2-for-4 and reached the 2000-hit milestone yesterday, but Boston still lost the game 8-3 to the Washington Freedom.

For his 1504-game career Lamb has hit .325 with 2000 hits, 793 RBIs, and 106 home runs.

[Alan T]

FOOLX News: The All-Star Game Rosters Have Been Announced
Sunday, June 20th, 1971: Who's the best league? The Continental League or the Republic League? The answer will be found in the FOOL-X All-Star Game. All the votes have been counted and tabulated, all of the players have been selected and they themselves will decide the question on the baseball diamond.

Scheduled to play for the Continental League All-Stars are:


SP Y. Bujold (LON)
SP P. Contreras (LON)
SP F. Clement (BOS)
SP J. Gómez (IND)
SP M. Hicks (BOS)
SP E. Alonso (BOS)
MR J. Green (LON)
MR B. Tso (BAL)
MR C. Garza (BAL)
MR J. Sizemore (MEX)
SP J. Whitaker (IND)
MR A. Ticao (LON)
LF J. Sosa (WAS)
3B V. Barber (LON)
RF T. Aoshima (WAS)
2B J. Reyes (BAL)
SS J. Salas (LON)
C M. Gehringer (LON)
C B. Sykes (MEX)
1B O. Ruíz (LON)
CF J. Hill (BOS)
LF A. Alicata (IND)
RF R. Flores (BAL)
3B E. Martínez (IND)
3B P. Ontiveros (BOS)
LF G. Wiegel (MEX)
SS H. Sánchez (BOS)
RF K. Belcham (IND)


The Republic League All-Stars will feature these players:


SP M. Morales (SPG)
SP J. Pérez (SPG)
SP I. Ordóñez (NY)
SP T. O'Reilly (CLE)
SP A. Hansen (VIR)
SP S. Knowles (VIR)
CL S. Nichols (NY)
MR C. Carey (VIR)
MR J. Turner (POR)
MR D. Desjardins (VIR)
MR A. Villegas (ANN)
CL L. Sánchez (VIR)
CF R. Demers (POR)
RF M. Zaragoza (SPG)
2B R. Cook (CLE)
LF J. Forbes (POR)
SS B. Carney (VIR)
C M. Gómez (SPG)
3B R. Vázquez (NY)
1B Y. Ohayashi (NY)
C D. Barry (VIR)
RF E. Franco (NY)
RF B. Clark (VIR)
RF T. Tizzard (ANN)
CF B. Bray (SPG)
SS R. LaVergne (SPG)
3B P. Parlee (VIR)
2B K. Bailey (POR)

[Alan T]

Morales Twirls Shutout
Friday, June 25th, 1971: "I had everything working for me out there. I used every one of my pitches, hit both sides of the plate really well and felt like I could do whatever I wanted."

With stuff like that, it was easy for Mauro Morales of the Lions to handcuff the Grocers 5-0 and come away with a complete-game 2-hit shutout. He recorded 12 strikeouts and 1 walk in an impressive performance.

For the season Morales has logged 13 wins and 5 losses and struck out 124 batters in 146 innings while compiling a 1.97 ERA.

[Alan T]

Ramsey Gets 300th Home Run
Tuesday, June 29th, 1971: At Resettlers Ballpark Ken Ramsey smashed his 300th career home run in a game against Boston today. The 38-year-old first baseman had a hand in the Indianapolis Clowns 11-4 victory with 1 home run and 5 RBI. For the day he went 3 hits-5 at-bats.

At the press conference after the game, Ramsey downplayed his achievement.

"Obviously, I've hit 300 home runs so I belong in that 300 club. But when you talk about the other guys that have done it, I'm not as good as they were. Those guys were the greatest of all time. I've just been able to scrape together some good years and stayed healthy and gotten there."

Lifetime Ramsey has connected for 300 home runs, hit .300 and driven in 1215 runs.

[Alan T]

Hansen Is June's Best RL Hurler
Thursday, July 1st, 1971: Allen Hansen really strutted his stuff in June with 4 wins and 1 loss and walked off with the Pitcher of the Month Award in the Republic League. The Virginia Beach starter was good news for his club, but bad news for the opposition.

In 38.2 innings of work, Hansen limited opposing batters to 26 base hits and a .186 batting average. He totaled 26 strikeouts, issued 8 walks and had a 3.03 ERA.

Thus far this season Hansen has posted a 8-2 record, started 17 games, struck out 99 batters in 127.1 innings and compiled a 3.04 ERA.

[Alan T]

Rodríguez June's Best Hurler in CL
Thursday, July 1st, 1971: When Juan Rodríguez takes the hill, he usually takes command of the game -- at least that's the way it was in June. The outcome was usually a London victory. His fine 6-0 performance earned him the Continental League Pitcher of the Month trophy.

The talented Bishops hurler made 6 starts, worked 39.1 innings, permitted 33 base hits, and struck out 26 while putting up a 1.83 ERA.

In 20 starts this season Rodríguez has notched a 15-1 record and a 2.79 ERA.

[Alan T]

Tommy Tizzard Selected June's Best Batter
Thursday, July 1st, 1971: Tommy Tizzard got another reason to celebrate today as he followed up a great month of June at the plate by winning the Republic League Batter of the Month Award.

During the month, the Ann Arbor right fielder hit .277 with 11 home runs, 34 RBIs and 18 runs scored.

Thus far this year Tizzard is hitting .298 with 26 home runs, 77 RBIs and 56 runs scored.

[Alan T]

CL Choice for Batter of the Month is Salas
Thursday, July 1st, 1971: June was a good month for José Salas. The London shortstop had his way with opposing pitchers all month while posting a .414 batting average and was selected as the Continental League Batter of the Month.

Last month Salas put up some solid numbers: 6 home runs, 22 RBIs, 23 runs scored and a .490 on-base percentage.

This year Salas is hitting .294, produced 46 RBIs and 10 home runs, scored 53 times and gotten on base at a .393 rate.

[Alan T]

Juan Alfonso Triumphs in RL Rookie Vote
Thursday, July 1st, 1971: Cleveland hurler Juan Alfonso has a nice new trophy for his mantle. The 26-year-old won the Republic League Rookie of the Month Award for chalking up some quality stats last month.

In June he threw 33.2 innings in 5 starts with 26 strikeouts, picked up 4 wins and no losses and held opponents to a .293 batting average.

In 16 starts this season Alfonso has rung up a 6-7 record and a 7.14 ERA.

Rigney Voted June's Top CL Rookie
Thursday, July 1st, 1971: Youngster Dale Rigney emerged as the latest Continental League Rookie of the Month today. The young man from London deserved the honor, batting .359 with 3 home runs and 15 RBI. Is the month of June a harbinger of things to come or just a fluke? We'll find out someday, but for now, we'll just let Rigney enjoy the limelight.

For the year Rigney is batting .302 with 62 hits and 5 home runs. He has scored 25 times and driven in 41.

[Alan T]

July 1st, 1971 standings:

Continental League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 London Bishops 59 23 .720 - 55-27 4 30-12 29-11 6-3 12-5 69 L1 6-4 Boston Resettlers 47 35 .573 12.0 44-38 3 27-15 20-20 9-5 17-7 W1 7-3 Balzac Ticklers 40 42 .488 19.0 40-42 0 22-21 18-21 5-6 10-8 L5 2-8 Indianapolis Clowns 36 46 .439 23.0 35-47 1 18-22 18-24 2-2 13-11 W2 4-6 Washington Freedom 35 47 .427 24.0 42-40 -7 22-17 13-30 3-7 9-19 W1 6-4 Mexico City Aztecs 29 53 .354 30.0 33-49 -4 14-26 15-27 4-6 6-17 L1 5-5

Republic League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Spring Lions 53 29 .646 - 54-28 -1 27-12 26-17 1-5 8-11 77 W1 6-4 Virginia Beach Surf 49 33 .598 4.0 44-38 5 26-14 23-19 8-4 18-8 L1 7-3 Portland Grocers 40 42 .488 13.0 42-40 -2 22-18 18-24 4-3 9-9 W1 3-7 New York Legends 38 44 .463 15.0 36-46 2 24-19 14-25 5-3 11-14 W1 5-5 Cleveland Naps 34 48 .415 19.0 37-45 -3 17-25 17-23 3-2 5-10 L1 5-5 Ann Arbor Wolverines 32 50 .390 21.0 35-47 -3 15-27 17-23 0-4 11-10 L1 4-6

[Alan T]

July 1st stats leaders:

League Leaders AVG R. LaVergne - SPG .358 2 V. Barber LON .332 3 B. Carney VIR .328 4 M. Gómez SPG .324 5 3 tied with .322	League Leaders HR E. Franco - NY 31 2 B. Clark VIR 29 2 R. Vázquez NY 29 4 R. Demers POR 26 4 T. Tizzard ANN 26	League Leaders RBI M. Zaragoza - SPG 88 2 R. Demers POR 82 3 R. Vázquez NY 80 4 R. Flores BAL 77 4 T. Tizzard ANN 77
League Leaders W J. Rodríguez - LON 15 2 M. Morales SPG 13 3 Y. Bujold LON 12 4 P. Contreras LON 11 5 P. Kelly VIR 10	League Leaders ERA M. Morales - SPG 2.11 2 Y. Bujold LON 2.13 3 J. Ríos ANN 2.38 4 J. Rodríguez LON 2.79 5 T. O'Reilly CLE 2.82	League Leaders K I. Ordóñez - NY 188 2 Y. Bujold LON 138 3 M. Morales SPG 131 4 M. Hicks BOS 121 5 S. Hernández MEX 114