FOOL-X 1973 Regular Season

[Alan T]

Time to get this going. getting exports now.

[Alan T]

Sunday, April 1st, 1973

Cleveland Naps: Signed free agent CF A. Maamuni to a minor league contract.

London Bishops: Signed SP Y. Bujold to a 6-year contract extension worth a total of $61,533,000.

Mexico City Aztecs: Signed free agent MR F. Pelletier to a minor league contract.

Mexico City Aztecs: Signed free agent SP B. Lawton to a minor league contract.

Mexico City Aztecs: Signed free agent SP O. Cavallini to a minor league contract.

[Alan T]

Ok, no pre-season violations, so kicking things off. Good luck to everyone!

[Alan T]

Arai Hurls Masterpiece
Sunday, April 1st, 1973: Mexico City's Hirohisa Arai breezed through the Resettlers lineup today, collecting a 5-hit shutout and a 3-0 victory along the way. Arai fanned 11 as well.

"I didn't really feel like I had my game today," Arai confessed, "but some days are like that -- you just gotta go with what you have."

[Alan T]

Luis Rivería Gets Hit Number 2000
Tuesday, April 3rd, 1973: The day belonged to Luis Rivería of the Virginia Beach Surf as he became the latest player to reach the 2000-hit plateau. He did it in Virginia Beach's 5-0 win over Ann Arbor.

"It's a moment I'll never forget," said Rivería after the game, "2000 hits is a lot. It puts you in a very select group. I never expected to be around long enough to reach a milestone like this."

He finished the day with 2 hits in 4 at-bats.

Rivería is hitting .275 lifetime with 2001 hits, 368 doubles, 72 triples, 182 home runs and 809 RBIs to date. He has scored 1150 runs, walked 773 times and has a .352 OBP.

[Alan T]

Hitting streak carried over from last season:

Legends Chill Durán's Hot Streak
Friday, April 6th, 1973: It was the best of both worlds for the New York Legends today at Legends Ballpark as they defeated the Portland Grocers 5-1 and also ended Armando Durán's 21-game hitting streak. The 26-year-old Portland first baseman failed to get a hit in 3 at-bats.

"Nothing personal against Armando, we just wanted to win the game," said the victorious Legends skipper. "We did a great job keeping him off-balance and guessing."

When asked by reporters about his streak coming to an end, Durán frowned and said, "I won't lie and say that I'm not disappointed about my streak ending, but I would feel much better about things if we had won the game."

Durán is presently hitting at a .304 pace with no home runs, 0 RBIs and has scored 2 times.

[Alan T]

Meléndez Sharp, Whitewashes Aztecs
Tuesday, April 17th, 1973: It was a great game for Edgardo Meléndez of the Boston Resettlers. The 25-year-old hurler blanked the Mexico City Aztecs 7-0, stopping them on 2 hits.

[Alan T]

Nao Tosses Shutout
Friday, April 20th, 1973: Biao Nao effectively shut down the Lions today, blanking them 8-0 on 2 hits, ringing up 6 strikeouts and allowing 1 walk. The Surf pitcher appeared to get stronger as the game went on.

"I don't know if I was getting any stronger," Nao said after the game, "I feel like my mechanics were getting better. I was able to make some adjustments and get a little more comfortable out there."

The Lions skipper said, "We had some opportunities, but weren't able to execute. We just didn't swing the bats very well today."

[Alan T]

April's Best RL Hurler is Doyle
Tuesday, May 1st, 1973: Tom Doyle hasn't been around the big leagues long enough to know that youngsters shouldn't be winning Republic League Pitcher of the Month. But when you put up numbers like his, you're going to get some notice.

In April the Spring starter earned a 4-1 mark in 7 starts. He threw 54 innings, struck out 39 and compiled a solid 3.17 ERA.

[Alan T]

Best Pitcher Picked by Continental League
Tuesday, May 1st, 1973: Yann Bujold's been around the league long enough to appreciate the honor he received today. After going 4-1 in April, the 28-year-old London hurler has been named Continental League Pitcher of the Month.

He fanned 54 in 53.2 innings, logged an ERA of 1.17 and allowed opponents to hit .176 against him.

[Alan T]

The RL batter for April is a 38 year old who sat out the entire season last year!

RL's #1 Batter Announced
Tuesday, May 1st, 1973: Rick Campbell battered Republic League pitchers all April and wound up taking home the Batter of the Month Award.

"I've been around FOOL-X long enough to know you really have to work hard day in and day out to be able to put up this kind of consistency," the 38-year-old Campbell told reporters. "I put in a lot of work, even on the days I may not take the field and it's always nice when everything comes together for me like it did this last month."

In 28 games, Campbell hit .326 with 5 home runs, 16 RBIs and scored 26 runs.

[Alan T]

CL Best Hitter Trophy Goes to Wiegel
Tuesday, May 1st, 1973: Seasoned by several years of professional experience, 32-year-old Gilbert Wiegel put together a solid offensive month for Mexico City and was crowned April's top batter in the Continental League.

He batted .315 with 13 home runs, 28 RBIs and 24 runs scored.

[Alan T]

Republic League Names Rookie of Month
Tuesday, May 1st, 1973: Joachim Meilaart's eyes seem to light up whenever he sees the baseball. The young New York first baseman has been hitting everything in sight for the better part of a month.

In April he was voted the Rookie of the Month Award.

During the month he hit .293 with 2 doubles, no triples and 3 home runs. Meilaart also scored 12 times and drove in 15 runs.


Top Continental League Newcomer Named
Tuesday, May 1st, 1973: With April's Continental League Rookie of the Month title slung over his shoulder, Tokuma Gato has no reason to be modest about his statistical output. But he was, telling BNN reporters, "I just put the bat on the ball a lot and a lot of them fell in. It was just my month to shine."

The 26-year-old blistered the baseball last month as he posted a .375 batting average, 39 hits, 1 home run, 20 RBIs and 20 runs scored.

[Alan T]

May 1st, 1973:

Continental League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 London Bishops 21 7 .750 - 19-9 2 14-4 7-3 3-1 6-2 130 W5 7-3 Mexico City Aztecs 16 12 .571 5.0 15-13 1 9-6 7-6 1-2 4-1 L1 6-4 Washington Freedom 15 13 .536 6.0 17-11 -2 8-5 7-8 2-3 5-7 W1 6-4 Boston Resettlers 13 15 .464 8.0 13-15 0 6-7 7-8 3-1 6-5 W4 6-4 Balzac Ticklers 10 18 .357 11.0 11-17 -1 5-7 5-11 1-1 4-8 L4 3-7 Indianapolis Clowns 9 19 .321 12.0 10-18 -1 4-9 5-10 1-3 5-7 L6 2-8

Republic League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Portland Grocers 19 9 .679 - 17-11 2 10-3 9-6 3-0 7-2 133 W1 7-3 Virginia Beach Surf 17 11 .607 2.0 16-12 1 8-7 9-4 0-2 2-4 L1 6-4 Ann Arbor Wolverines 13 15 .464 6.0 14-14 -1 6-7 7-8 2-0 3-3 L1 3-7 Cleveland Naps 13 15 .464 6.0 13-15 0 10-8 3-7 3-2 4-3 L1 5-5 Spring Lions 13 15 .464 6.0 14-14 -1 6-7 7-8 1-2 2-5 W1 6-4 New York Legends 9 19 .321 10.0 11-17 -2 4-8 5-11 1-4 4-5 W1 3-7

[Alan T]

League Leaders AVG R. LaVergne - SPG .381 2 T. Gato WAS .375 3 B. Carney VIR .367 4 K. Bailey POR .352 4 B. Webb MEX .352	League Leaders HR G. Wiegel - MEX 13 2 J. Pegán ANN 10 2 R. Ramos VIR 10 4 R. Cook ANN 9 4 2 more tied with 9	League Leaders RBI C. Ríos - WAS 33 2 R. Flores BAL 31 3 R. Cook ANN 30 4 R. Demers POR 28 4 G. Wiegel MEX 28
League Leaders W A. Hansen - VIR 5 2 H. Arai MEX 4 2 Y. Bujold LON 4 2 P. Contreras LON 4 2 5 more tied with 4	League Leaders ERA Y. Bujold - LON 1.17 2 B. Nao VIR 1.38 3 E. Meléndez BOS 2.05 4 M. Morales SPG 2.52 4 Á. Reyes POR 2.52	League Leaders K J. Ríos - ANN 60 2 Y. Bujold LON 54 3 M. Morales SPG 49 4 F. Clement BOS 41 5 H. Arai MEX 40

[Alan T]

Red-Hot Alfonso Cools off Ann Arbor
Sunday, May 6th, 1973: Cleveland rode the magical arm of Juan Alfonso in a 6-0 shutout win over Ann Arbor. He shackled them on 2 hits and fanned 6. Almost to a man, the Ann Arbor Wolverines said he had them guessing wrong all game long.

In season stats Alfonso shows a 2-4 record in 7 games, 48.1 innings, 27 strikeouts and a 4.84 ERA.

[Alan T]

Second pitcher in FOOL-X history to reach 200 wins!

Cleveland Hurler Captures 200th Victory
Tuesday, May 8th, 1973: Naps ace Tom O'Reilly reeled in his 200th career victory by beating the Ann Arbor Wolverines 7-2 at Ballpark of Cleveland. In his historic win, he notched 5 strikeouts in 8.1 innings, yielded 2 runs and 6 hits, while surrendering 2 walks.

"I tried to focus on each batter," said O'Reilly after the game, "but as the game goes by, I couldn't help but think about the possibility. 200 is a big number. It's a pretty exclusive club and I'm honored to be a member."

Lifetime O'Reilly has 200 wins and 131 losses and a 3.22 ERA.

[Alan T]

5th player in FOOL-X history with 400 Home Runs:

400 Homers for Campbell
Monday, May 14th, 1973: Wolverines left fielder Rick Campbell reached a career milestone yesterday, blasting home run number 400.

He took the achievement in stride. "It's always good to get another home run and even better to get another win," Campbell told reporters in the postgame interview.

He went 1-3 during the Ann Arbor 3-1 triumph over the Spring Lions and scored 1 run with 1 run batted in.

Campbell has hit for a .310 career average and totaled 2054 hits, 400 home runs and 1231 RBIs.

[Montreal_GM]

Decent start.

[Alan T]

Ann Arbor Bats Silenced by Moiteiro
Tuesday, May 15th, 1973: Úrsula Moiteiro of the Spring Lions shut out the Ann Arbor Wolverines 13-0, stopped them on 1 hit and had 6 strikeouts and 4 walks in a strong outing.

After the game his manager said, "He just came out and was on the attack from the first pitch he threw. When Úrsula stays ahead in the count, he does well. That's the key."

Moiteiro has gone 3-4 this season with an ERA of 5.37 and 38 strikeouts in 60.1 innings pitched. Other clubs are hitting .264 against him.

[Alan T]

Pegán Cracks 3 HRs for Ann Arbor
Wednesday, May 16th, 1973: Bigger paychecks may be in the offing, if José Pegán continues to hit like he did today against the Legends. The Ann Arbor first baseman crushed three into the stands at Legends Ballpark in a remarkable performance, propelling the Wolverines to a 23-1 win over New York.

He tagged 4 hits in 6 at-bats, drove in 7 runs and scored 4 times.

Speaking to writers after the game, he said, "It was just one of those days when you got something to hit and did something with it." The New York skipper agreed with him. "We made three mistakes and he made us pay each time."

J. Pegán hit a solo-shot off C. Bannatyne in the 1st, hit a three-run home run off C. Bannatyne in the 2nd, hit a two-run home run off J. Cardenas in the 4th, singled in the 5th, grounded out in the 6th, grounded out in the 8th and walked in a run in the 9th.

In his season totals Pegán has 15 home runs and a .315 batting average.

[Alan T]

Wolverines Hurler Named RL's Best Starter
Friday, June 1st, 1973: Despite the number of years he's been in the league, José Ríos still gets excited when he puts together a quality stretch like he had in May. The 28-year-old starter for Ann Arbor was named Republic League Pitcher of the Month earlier today.

He collected 5 wins and no losses with 66 strikeouts in his 8 starts, putting up a fine 2.75 ERA in 59 innings of work.

This season Ríos has gone 9-3 with an ERA of 2.90, posting 126 strikeouts in 108.2 innings.

[Alan T]

CL Starter of the Month Goes to Bujold
Friday, June 1st, 1973: Veteran Yann Bujold put together quite a successful stretch in May for the London Bishops, earning himself the Continental League Pitcher of the Month award.

Bujold racked up a 6-1 record in 8 starts, posting a 1.84 ERA over 58.2 innings and striking out 52.

To date this year in 15 starts, Bujold has crafted a 10-2 mark with a 1.52 ERA.

[Alan T]

Great May Gets Pegán RL Best Hitter Award
Friday, June 1st, 1973: Today Ann Arbor's José Pegán was named Republic League Batter of the Month for May. He slammed opposing pitching hard all month long, bashing out 41 hits in 111 at-bats.

With a .369 batting average, 12 home runs, 39 RBIs and 31 runs scored, he was a solid choice.

This year Pegán is batting .336 with 22 home runs. He has scored 46 runs and driven in 61.

[Alan T]

Slaughter Takes Home CL Top Batter Award
Friday, June 1st, 1973: Not known for his offensive prowess, Jeff Slaughter set the league afire in May and took home the Continental League Batter of the Month award.

The Indianapolis left fielder posted a steady .327 batting average, 11 home runs, 28 RBIs and 22 runs.

This year Slaughter is batting .295 with 67 hits and 13 home runs. He has scored 33 times and has batted in 40 runs.

[Alan T]

RL Selects Rookie Star of the Month
Friday, June 1st, 1973: Youngster Joachim Meilaart emerged as the latest Republic League Rookie of the Month today. The young man from New York deserved the honor, batting .238 with 3 home runs and 14 runs batted in. Is the month of May a harbinger of things to come or just a fluke? We'll find out someday, but for now, we'll just let Meilaart enjoy the limelight.

This year Meilaart is batting .265 with 65 hits, 6 home runs, 29 RBIs, 2 walks, .271 OBP and has scored 25 runs.

Slaughter Gets May's Rookie Trophy
Friday, June 1st, 1973: Jeff Slaughter performed better than all of his first-year peers in May and today was presented the Continental League Rookie of the Month trophy.

Last month the 27-year-old Indianapolis left fielder played in 29 games and hit .327 with 1 double, 1 triple and 11 home runs. Slaughter also scored 22 times and drove in 28 runs.

Hitting .295 to date, Slaughter has 13 home runs and 40 RBIs. He has played in 57 games.

[Alan T]

June 1st, 1973:

Continental League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 London Bishops 39 18 .684 - 36-21 3 22-11 17-7 5-2 11-7 99 W1 7-3 Boston Resettlers 32 25 .561 7.0 29-28 3 13-14 19-11 4-3 13-6 W4 7-3 Washington Freedom 32 25 .561 7.0 33-24 -1 16-11 16-14 6-3 11-9 L1 5-5 Mexico City Aztecs 28 29 .491 11.0 29-28 -1 16-14 12-15 1-4 7-9 W1 5-5 Balzac Ticklers 22 35 .386 17.0 23-34 -1 12-15 10-20 1-2 7-15 L1 2-8 Indianapolis Clowns 18 39 .316 21.0 22-35 -4 7-20 11-19 2-5 7-10 L3 4-6

Republic League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Portland Grocers 38 19 .667 - 32-25 6 20-7 18-12 5-1 12-3 101 W2 7-3 Ann Arbor Wolverines 33 24 .579 5.0 34-23 -1 17-10 16-14 3-1 8-5 W3 8-2 Virginia Beach Surf 30 27 .526 8.0 29-28 1 16-14 14-13 0-2 7-12 L2 4-6 Spring Lions 26 31 .456 12.0 30-27 -4 12-15 14-16 1-4 5-10 L4 4-6 Cleveland Naps 23 34 .404 15.0 26-31 -3 17-16 6-18 4-3 5-9 L2 3-7 New York Legends 21 36 .368 17.0 19-38 2 10-17 11-19 2-4 8-6 W2 4-6

[Alan T]

League Leaders AVG B. Carney - VIR .380 2 T. Gato WAS .349 3 C. Estrada ANN .338 4 J. Pegán ANN .336 5 D. Lamb BOS .335	League Leaders HR C. Estrada - ANN 23 2 J. Pegán ANN 22 3 R. Cook ANN 17 3 G. Wiegel MEX 17 5 M. Boulanger NY 16	League Leaders RBI R. Cook - ANN 63 2 J. Pegán ANN 61 3 C. Ríos WAS 60 4 R. Flores BAL 56 5 M. Boulanger NY 54
League Leaders W Y. Bujold - LON 10 2 J. Ríos ANN 9 2 J. Rodríguez LON 9 4 M. Morales SPG 7 4 J. Turner POR 7	League Leaders ERA Y. Bujold - LON 1.52 2 Á. Reyes POR 2.54 3 M. Porter MEX 2.62 4 M. Hicks BOS 2.78 5 J. Ríos ANN 2.90	League Leaders K J. Ríos - ANN 126 2 Y. Bujold LON 106 3 M. Morales SPG 105 4 I. Ordóñez NY 88 5 H. Arai MEX 71

[Alan T]

Rosebotham Pops 3 Out of the Park Against Legends
Friday, June 8th, 1973: Patrick Rosebotham of Portland was on fire with three home runs in the 13-4 win over New York at Legends Ballpark.

"The first two I got all of them and it was no doubt they were gone. The last one I got lucky. It seemed like the wind helped it a little. Old Mother Nature helped me get into the record books."

For the game Rosebotham was 3 for 5 with 6 RBIs and 3 runs scored.

P. Rosebotham hit a three-run home run off J. Whitaker in the 2nd, struck out in the 4th, hit a two-run home run off T. Ramírez in the 5th, hit a solo-shot off F. Miranda in the 7th and grounded out in the 9th.

In the 1973 season Rosebotham is hitting .270 with 15 home runs.

[Alan T]

FOOLX News: The All-Star Game Rosters Have Been Announced
Wednesday, June 20th, 1973: Nothing is for certain about the 1973 FOOL-X All-Star Game. It may be dominated by top-notch pitching performances. Or it could turn into a home run derby. Who knows? Pitch by pitch, inning by inning, the game could feature a little of both -- six strikeouts in a row by a nasty southpaw -- or a 3-homer day for some superstar slugger -- plus great catches, thrills, chills and spills -- all the great and the unexpected things that can happen in a baseball game.

This year, the Continental League will be represented by these All-Star performers:
SP Y. Bujold (LON)
SP C. Butler (WAS)
SP H. Arai (MEX)
SP M. Hicks (BOS)
SP E. Meléndez (BOS)
SP M. Sánchez (WAS)
CL W. Hall (WAS)
MR B. Tso (BAL)
MR J. Green (LON)
MR F. Bermúdez (BOS)
MR C. Garza (BAL)
MR J. Sizemore (MEX)
1B C. Ríos (WAS)
SS H. Sánchez (BOS)
3B V. Barber (LON)
CF G. Wiegel (MEX)
LF J. Sosa (WAS)
RF R. Flores (BAL)
2B J. Reyes (BAL)
C M. Gehringer (LON)
C B. Sykes (MEX)
LF J. Slaughter (IND)
LF U. Missaoui (MEX)
2B N. Mboya (WAS)
1B O. Ruíz (LON)
SS B. Webb (MEX)
LF B. Alderdice (WAS)
LF D. Lamb (BOS)
.

While the Republic League best will be these stars:
SP J. Ríos (ANN)
SP Á. Reyes (POR)
SP I. Ordóñez (NY)
SP M. Morales (SPG)
CL B. Barber (ANN)
SP T. Doyle (SPG)
CL J. López (POR)
CL S. Nichols (NY)
MR J. Turner (POR)
CL L. Sánchez (VIR)
CL J. Webster (POR)
MR F. Miranda (NY)
1B J. Pegán (ANN)
LF C. Estrada (ANN)
SS B. Carney (VIR)
2B R. Cook (CLE)
C I. Pérez (NY)
RF B. Clark (VIR)
CF R. Demers (POR)
C D. Barry (VIR)
3B J. Béltre (POR)
LF R. Campbell (ANN)
1B M. Boulanger (NY)
2B K. Bailey (POR)
RF T. Aoshima (CLE)
RF M. Zaragoza (SPG)
RF J. Silver (SPG)
SS S. Davenport (ANN)
.

The only thing for certain is that, with this group of fine all-stars, the fans will really enjoy the show.

[Alan T]

Washington Snaps Flores's Streak at 24
Thursday, June 28th, 1973: The 24-game hitting streak of Ricardo Flores has come to an end. The Balzac right fielder went 0-for-4 today in the 5-3 loss to the Washington Freedom at Freedom Field.

Flores is hitting .304 for the season with 15 home runs, 84 RBIs and 51 runs scored. He has 99 hits in 326 at-bats and played in 80 games.

[Alan T]

Hitting Streak Stopped at 28 Games
Saturday, June 30th, 1973: Esteban Ibarria's hit streak ended at 28 games today as the Resettlers shortstop went 0-for-4 in a 3-0 loss to the Freedom.

"It's one of those things," Ibarria said. "It just didn't happen. I guess it was my day not to get a hit."

For the year Ibarria is batting .288 with 3 home runs.

[Alan T]

The funny note there is two different hit streaks for players on different teams both stopped within 2 days of each other by Washington.

[Alan T]

Jones Collects Hit Number 2500
Saturday, June 30th, 1973: Don Jones was bubbling over with joy, celebrating his 2500th hit in the Mexico City 2-1 victory over the Bishops at Bishops Ballpark.

"I learned what hard work, focus, dedication, and opportunity can do. This is how it pays off."

The 32-year-old second baseman achieved that milestone with 3 hits in 4 at-bats to join the exclusive 2500-hit club.

His manager said, "Don plays the same every day and every inning -- with all his heart. That's why he's such a special player."

His all-time numbers show Jones is carrying a .302 career batting average with 178 home runs and 1001 RBIs.

[hyde4us11]

Way to go pitchers

[Alan T]

Tizzard Has 31-Game Hitting Streak
Saturday, June 30th, 1973: The Wolverines 27-year-old right fielder Tommy Tizzard has been on a tear for several weeks and his hitting streak is getting longer. The streak is now at 31 games after he went 2-4 as Ann Arbor got the best of Portland 6-5 today at Grocers Park.
T. Tizzard tripled in the 1st, grounded out in the 3rd, hit an RBI single in the 5th, grounded out in the 8th and walked in the 9th.

This year Tizzard has socked 109 hits in 349 at-bats for a .312 average with 16 home runs. He is getting on base at a .361 pace and his totals also include 61 RBIs and 58 runs scored.

[Alan T]

Moiteiro Is RL's Best Pitcher in June
Sunday, July 1st, 1973: A 5-2 record with a 2.75 ERA is a pretty good month for most any pitcher. The Republic League thought it was worthy of an award and named Úrsula Moiteiro, starter for the Spring Lions, June's Pitcher of the Month.

He also held the opposition to a .231 average while posting 38 strikeouts in 52.1 innings.

So far this year Moiteiro has a 10-6 record with a 3.88 ERA.

[Alan T]

London Starter Named CL's Top Pitcher
Sunday, July 1st, 1973: Yann Bujold of the London Bishops outdistanced his peers on the mound this month. He fashioned a fine 5-0 won-lost mark and 1.70 ERA in 6 starts to get the Continental League Pitcher of the Month honors.

Bujold had a very impressive June, finishing with 52 strikeouts in 42.1 innings and holding opposing hitters to a .223 average.

To date this season Bujold is 15-2 with 21 starts and an ERA of 1.57 with 158 strikeouts in 154.2 innings.

[Alan T]

Super Month Nets Pegán #1 Batter Prize in RL
Sunday, July 1st, 1973: It was a successful month for José Pegán of Ann Arbor. He won the Republic League Best Batter Trophy for June.

Pegán batted .351 average, hit 9 home runs, drove in 33 runs, scored 20 times and compiled a .434 on-base percentage.

Pegán is currently batting .341 with 31 home runs and 94 RBIs.

[Alan T]

Flores Wins CL Prize, Named Best Hitter in June
Sunday, July 1st, 1973: Balzac's right fielder Ricardo Flores brought home the Continental League batting trophy for June by hitting .376 for the month.

He also hit 9 home runs, drove in 30 and scored 21 runs.

This season Flores is swinging the bat at a .301 pace. He has hit 15 home runs and scored 51 times, while driving in 86. His on-base percentage is .371 and he has played in 82 games.

[Alan T]

Ramírez Named Newcomer of the Month
Sunday, July 1st, 1973: New York's Miguel Ramírez picked up the Rookie of the Month honors for June in the Republic League.

Posting a .302 average last month, he collected 29 hits, 8 home runs, 18 RBIs and 15 runs scored.

So far this season Ramírez is batting .247 with 15 home runs, 50 RBIs and 35 runs scored. He has 79 hits in 320 at-bats, 7 walks and a .261 OBP. Ramírez has played in 82 games.

Rookie of the Month Won by Slaughter
Sunday, July 1st, 1973: Jeff Slaughter of the Indianapolis Clowns has been selected the top Rookie in the Continental League.

In June he had 27 hits, 8 home runs, 29 RBIs, and 15 runs scored. He hit .267 with a .306 OBP.

This season Slaughter is batting .287 with 21 home runs. His totals include 69 RBIs and 48 runs scored.

[Alan T]

July 1st, 1973:

Continental League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 London Bishops 50 32 .610 - 50-32 0 27-16 23-16 5-4 16-16 79 L1 4-6 Washington Freedom 48 34 .585 2.0 47-35 1 26-14 22-20 8-3 15-11 W3 7-3 Mexico City Aztecs 46 36 .561 4.0 46-36 0 25-17 21-19 3-5 10-11 W2 7-3 Boston Resettlers 42 40 .512 8.0 39-43 3 21-21 21-19 5-5 17-8 L2 4-6 Balzac Ticklers 33 49 .402 17.0 35-47 -2 18-22 15-27 2-3 10-17 L3 5-5 Indianapolis Clowns 27 55 .329 23.0 32-50 -5 10-29 17-26 2-5 10-15 W1 3-7

Republic League Standings

Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Portland Grocers 51 31 .622 - 48-34 3 27-13 24-18 5-2 16-8 78 L1 4-6 Ann Arbor Wolverines 48 34 .585 3.0 49-33 -1 26-16 22-18 5-1 14-9 W1 8-2 Spring Lions 42 40 .512 9.0 46-36 -4 21-18 21-22 1-4 8-15 W3 7-3 Virginia Beach Surf 41 41 .500 10.0 39-43 2 22-20 19-21 1-3 11-15 L3 2-8 Cleveland Naps 34 48 .415 17.0 38-44 -4 24-19 10-29 4-4 10-12 W2 6-4 New York Legends 30 52 .366 21.0 27-55 3 14-26 16-26 2-4 12-12 L3 3-7

[Alan T]

League Leaders AVG J. Pegán - ANN .341 2 B. Carney VIR .340 3 C. Estrada ANN .337 4 I. Pérez NY .332 5 V. Barber LON .330	League Leaders HR 2 tied with 31 1 C. Estrada ANN 31 1 J. Pegán ANN 31 3 G. Wiegel MEX 25 4 R. Demers POR 23	League Leaders RBI J. Pegán - ANN 94 2 R. Flores BAL 86 3 R. Cook ANN 78 4 C. Ríos WAS 70 5 2 tied with 69
League Leaders W Y. Bujold - LON 15 2 J. Ríos ANN 11 3 Ú. Moiteiro SPG 10 3 T. O'Reilly CLE 10 3 I. Ordóñez NY 10	League Leaders ERA Y. Bujold - LON 1.57 2 Á. Reyes POR 2.81 3 C. Butler WAS 3.04 3 H. Arai MEX 3.04 5 M. Porter MEX 3.08	League Leaders K J. Ríos - ANN 179 2 Y. Bujold LON 158 3 M. Morales SPG 136 4 I. Ordóñez NY 127 5 T. White LON 101

[gstelmack]

Too much up-and-down in the CL this year. Ugh.

[Alan T]

Tizzard's 35-Game Hitting Streak Ends
Thursday, July 5th, 1973: Ann Arbor triumphed over Spring today 9-4. However, that was not the whole story. Wolverines right fielder Tommy Tizzard failed to get a hit for the first time in 35 games. Tizzard went hitless in 4 at-bats and had his streak broken.

Commenting to reporters at his press conference, he said, "Some days the past few weeks I carried the club, today they carried me. No matter what, it is always good to win a ballgame."

Batting .315 to date, Tizzard has 17 home runs and 65 RBIs.

[Alan T]

The FOOL-X all time wins leader hits another milestone:

250 Wins for Lions Morales
Sunday, July 8th, 1973: What would you do after you had just won your 250th game? Run around Lions Ballpark doing cartwheels, jumping for joy and waving to the crowd? Well, maybe you and I would do that, but not Mauro Morales -- that's not his way.

After he notched number 250, the 32-year-old Spring hurler spoke to the press like he always has -- in a soft, quiet voice. He wasn't doing any cartwheels or even anything resembling a jump for joy. "Obviously it feels very good," Morales commented. "To win this many games, you've got to have a lot of help."

Morales got his milestone victory by beating the Cleveland Naps 4-1. He held them to 4 hits in 8 innings and rung up 8 strikeouts with 1 walk.

After sharing his thoughts with the press, he went to the clubhouse. There he was greeted by the guys who had helped him get #250. His teammates showered him with champagne and then gave him a rousing round of applause. That got to him -- for the first time today, Morales's face broke into a big smile.

The 32-year-old Morales has a career record of 250-108 and has fanned 3154 batters in 3299.1 innings with a 2.98 ERA.

[Alan T]

Boulanger Bashes 3 HR for New York
Sunday, July 22nd, 1973: Every now and then, the right things happen at the right time. Michel Boulanger discovered that when he smashed three homers at Legends Ballpark during today's 8-7 win over the Virginia Beach Surf.

The New York first baseman said in the postgame interview, "I got three balls to hit and nailed all three of them. The first was a hanging curve, the second was right down the middle and the last one was a good pitch, but I guessed right and put the wood to it."

Boulanger finished the day with 3 hits in 6 at-bats and 3 RBIs.

M. Boulanger grounded out in the 1st, hit a solo-shot off E. McGuire in the 3rd, grounded out in the 5th, hit a solo-shot off R. Guerra in the 7th, flied out in the 9th and hit a solo-shot off F. Hernández in the 11th.

For the season Boulanger is batting .313 with 121 hits and 26 home runs. He has scored 62 times and batted in 84.

[Alan T]

Lions Starter Wins RL Pitching Award
Wednesday, August 1st, 1973: July's best hurler was Mauro Morales of Spring. He overwhelmed RL hitters all month long and captured the Pitcher of the Month award as he collected a 6-1 record in 7 starts.

The 32-year-old Morales added 37 strikeouts in 52.1 innings and 5 walks to his season record and compiled a 2.24 ERA. Other clubs hit .223 against him.

This season to date, Morales has fashioned a 15-9 mark and 3.05 ERA in 209.2 innings. Opposing clubs are batting .243 against him and he has logged 173 strikeouts.

[Alan T]

Arai Best CL Starter
Wednesday, August 1st, 1973: July's premier pitcher was Hirohisa Arai of Mexico City Aztecs. He pulverized Continental League hitters all month long and picked up the Pitcher of the Month award. The Aztecs star hurler fashioned a 5-0 en route to the honor.

He had 43 strikeouts in 40.2 innings and compiled a 1.11 ERA. Other clubs hit .184 against him.

This year Arai has posted a 14-5 mark in 23 starts and has a 2.52 ERA.

[Alan T]

New York's Boulanger Bags RL Batting Award
Wednesday, August 1st, 1973: Hot-hitting first baseman Michel Boulanger of the Legends really pounded Republic League pitchers in July, winning the Batter of the Month award.

He hit .348 with 12 home runs, 31 RBIs, 21 runs scored and 11 walks to finish with a .402 on-base percentage.

Currently Boulanger is batting .317 with 29 home runs and 97 RBIs.