1979 Replay AL End of May Report

Hey fans. My friend Mike ("Get Mikey to try it!!") has convinced me that there is interest in this blog, so here we go. I am re-replaying the 1979 season. It was my first replay, with the then-current set of cards and I played it straight out of the box, no advanced stuff, no tweaks. Also, I used a 1980 schedule. Lo these nearly 40 years later, I am playing it again, but this time with the newest reissue of the cards, the newest boards, advanced options, and my Orsino Board (see top right.) I am curious to see how differently it may come out! Okay, on to AL end of May report, including standings, leaders, team capsules and some info about the original replay at the same point.

Why is this man smiling?

May was a great month for the Orioles and Brewers, not so great for the Twins or Yankees. Standings:

MIL  36-16  ---     TEX  32-18  ---
BAL  31-21  5      KCR  30-21  2.5
BOS  29-20  5.5   CAL  29-22  3.5
NYY  29-22  6.5   MIN  25-25  7
DET  25-24  9.5    CHI  21-28  10.5
CLE  18-31  16.5  OAK  20-32  13
TOR  13-39  23     SEA  17-36  16.5

In my original replay at May's end, the Red Sox led the east at 30-16, 1.5 over the Brewers and 2.5 over NY. The Orioles were 5th, 20-28, 11 games out. Out west, the Royals were 30-16, 3.5 up on MIN and 4.5 up on TEX and CHI. 

Leaders (with original replay leader in [parenthesis)

"Cos I'm better than you, it's the things that I do whoa whoa"

Wins: Caldwell-mil 10-1, Flanagan-bal 10-1, Frost-cal 8-3, Stanley-bos 8-3 (Frost, Splittorff 10-1)

Losses: Huffman-tor 0-8, Buskey-tor 1-8 

CG: John-ny and Wise-cle 7 

Saves: Marshall-min 15, Hrabosky-kc 14, Kern-tex 13, Gossage-ny 12, Lopez-det 11, Castro-mil 10 (Marshall 9) Not sure why I have way more saves this time.

HR: Lynn-bos 26, Singleton-bal 18, Jackson-ny 15, Thomas-mil 15 (Jackson, Lynn, Singleton 17 each)

RBI: Lynn-bos 57, Singleton-bal 53, Washington-chi 43, Brett-kc 42, Thomas-mil 42 (Lynn and Summers 57)

Runs: Lynn-bos 48, Baylor-cal 45, Gamble-tex 41 (Lynn 55)

2B: Lemon-chi 19, Cooper-mil 17, Rice-bos 17 

3B: Brett-kc 6, Molitor-mil 5, Wilson-kc 5

things go better with coke!

Steals: Wilson-kc 31, Leflore-det 27, Dilone-oak 23, Henderson-oak 20 (Cruz 31)

Errors: Cruz-sea 11, Griffin-tor 11 

GIDP: Ford-cal 17, Hobson-bos 11, 3 tied with 10

Team reports:

Beertown Babble: The Brew Crew turned in a fine 21-8 mark in May despite several injuries which shelved the likes of Larry Hisle and Ben Oglivie. Mike "Mister Warmth" Caldwell (10-1) and Jim Slaton (7-3) have given the Brewers a nice right-left combo at the top of their rotation which has yeilded a stingy 192 runs so far, second best in the loop. The Milwaukee club loves to face Toronto, drubbing the third-year Jays 7 times in 8 games. 

Bird Doo: Following a lackluster 9-14 April, the birds exploded, going 22-7 in May and charging to the top of the heap in runs scored with 303, averaging a staggering 7.24 runs a game in May. "Somebody stop me!" they say. Lee May (4 rbi all season) landed on the DH junk heap in favor of Pat Kelly (12 HR, 32 rbi), Terry Crowley (11 runs, 8 rbi splitting time between Lonesome Junction and Baltimore) and Benny Ayala. Lefty hurler Mike Flanagan has gone 10-1 to lead the staff. Inconsistent museum piece Jim Palmer is a humble 2-4, but did win his last start. On the 25th at Detroit, light-hitting Mark Belanger slugged a 2-run inside the park home run!

Hub Hubbub: The Red Sox led the league in runs at the end of April, riding Fred Lynn's insane 19 HR, 39 rbi and .437 ba. Fred had a good but less crazy May, settling in at 26, 57 and .371 by month's end but the team fell all the way to 9th in runs. Lynn isn't getting enough help. Yaz is second on the club with 11 dingers, then Hobson with 8. Rice has just 7 but has 17 doubles and 36 rbi. Fisk has yet to get untracked with just 13 rbi despite staying healthy so far except for a rag arm. Human monument George Scott was felled by an urban renewal project and has been out since mid-month. Jerry Remy also missed time but is back. The Brohamer/Wolfe/Papi replacements weren't nearly the same.

Bronx Cheer: If only the Yanks could keep Ron Guidry (4-2) on the bump! He has been great when he's been able to go out there, but keeps having nagging injuries. Tommy John has 7 CG but is a modest 6-5. Looie Tiant (4-2) recently found himself the victim of an exploding cigar and will miss time. Goose Gossage (12 saves) nails down what can be nailed down but the Yanks were just 14-15 in the month. Reggie Jackson has 15 HR, 28 runs and 30 rbi, but is hitting just .253. Chris Chambliss has been the straw that stirs the Yankee drink, with 11 2B, 3 3B, 10 HR, 28 runs and a team-high 35 rbi. Injuries to him, Munson, Spencer, and Rivers have left the Bronx Bombers a little thin, but Chambliss and Rivers are due back to start June.

Tiger Tales: Detroit is one game above .500 despite a minus-41 run differential. "Too bad we can't get anyone out!" Jack Morris got some Blue Jays out at Toronto on the 28th with a no-hitter! Jack won 6-zip. He's 6-3. Retread Jack Billingham is a surprising 6-1 but it gets thin after that except for closer Aurelio Lopez (11 saves.) The offense has been a real group effort, led by John Wockenfuss (10 HR 24 rbi) and Alan Trammell (akso with 24 rbi.) The ballclub picked up journeyman flyhawk Champ Summers from the Reds on the 25th. he hit 6 HR for Cincy as a reserve, and has belted 2 homers since arriving in the Motor City. Skipper Les Moss likes his power potential.

Tribe Wampum: The Indians don't hit or pitch, and are ordinary defensively, therefore their 6th place standing is about right. Thunder Thornton started out hot but has sagged lately, coming up with 13 HR and 37 rbi altogether. Bobby Bonds, the big off-season acquisition, has just 5 HR, 26 runs, 24 rbi and 14 thefts. The Indians did please the home fans by turning 5 DP's against the Yankees on the 25th, but naturally they lost 2-0 anyway. The Memorial Day doubleheader between the two clubs on the 27th was played in 45 degree rain. Nice!

He made Aunt Bee so proud!

Jay Walking: Toronto followed up a nightmarish 3-19 April with an ordinarily awful 10-20 in May. Whee! The Jays' "attack" is the most anemic in the AL with just 194 runs scored, and a run differential of minus-111. Otto Velez (11 2B, 11 HR, 33 runs, 32 rbi) does what he can, and creaky old Rico Carty has chipped in with 30 rbi, but John Mayberry--beset with injuries in April--has just 5 HR and 16 ribbies. The pitching staff has been a real crapshoot. Short on talent to begin with, they have lost 5 different pitchers to injury already. Phil Huffman has been glowingly healthy, but awful at 0-8. Closer Tom Buskey is 1-8 (ouch!) with just 2 saves. In a recent game, he came in to protect a two-run lead, gave up immediate back to back homers and departed. It hasn't been pretty. However, on the 21st at home against Cleveland, big John Mayberry hit for the cycle.

Waltz Across Texas: The Rangers staff is downright miserly when it comes to giving up runs, with 9 shutouts and a league low (by 26) runs given up of 166. Every starter except Steve Comer (2-7) has been stellar, even the hallucinating Dock Ellis (6-2). Doc Medich came in from long relief to make a start and combined with ace closer Jim Kern (13 saves) for, you guessed it, a shutout. However, it hasn't been just pitching that has the Rangers atop the west. On the 19th they pounded out 24 hits in an 11-1 romp at Seattle. Big-hair Oscar Gamble has been the every day DH and has responded with 13 HR, 41 runs and 35 rbi. Buddy Bell has chipped in with 34 rbi. Ee-haw, they're riding high, hoss!

Royal Tidings: This is not your father's Royals pitching staff. They are striclty average and yet Gura is 6-3 and Splittorff is 7-2, not to mention the crazed "Mad Hungarian" Al Hrabosky with 14 saves already. It can't last, but this team may hit enough to make up for it. George Brett has 14-6-10 xbh's with 36 runs, 42 rbi and ,325. The club has stolen 78 bases in 96 tries, 16 more steals than runner-up Oakland, and 19 more attempts. On the 15th, Pete LaCock, son of game show emcee Peter Marshall, blasted a 2-run inside the park homer at Seattle as part of an 11-0 laugher. 

"Hi! Watch me ruin your chance at being remembered!"

Angel Food: In Anaheim, starters have to pitch until they drop, because the bullpen can't be trusted except for Mark Clear (6 saves.) As a result, Halo hurlers have notched a league-best 25 complete games. Frost is 8-3, Ryan a pedestrian 5-5 though he has 82 K's. The Angel bats are crazy good, though. They bombed 6 homers at the Kingdome (do I sense a pattern here) on the 31st in a 12-1 win. They swept that 3-game set by a combined tally of 29-5. Don Baylor has 13 HR and 36 rbi to go with a whopping 45 runs scored. Carney Lansford tops the team with 38 rbi, but Grich, Ford and Downing all have 33 or more rbi as well. Young Dickie Thon, finding himself at shortstop due to injuries to the first two Angel shortstops, broke up a no-hit bid with 2 out in the home 8th on the 20th. "I think I'll go on to have an injury-marred, frustrating career," he opined to reporters after the game. 

Evil Twins: Jerry Koosman breezed his way to a no-hitter against the Blue Jays at Toronto on May 2nd, winning 11-0. That's the end of the good news for the Twinkies in May. After sprinting out to a 20-10 start, the Minnesotans sagged to 5-15 after that. Ken "It is the will of Landru" Landreaux and Roy Smalley, counted on to provide offense, largely fizzled in the month. The Twins lack power, with only 28 bombs so far, with nobody having more than 6. They don't run, either, with just 11 bags in 21 tries. Here's a weird tidbit: the Twins won it all in my original replay!

Pale Hosed: Rich Wortham, the poor man's Ross Baumgarten, fanned a gaudy 13 Angels on the 20th and was just 4 outs away from no-hit fame when bratty-ass Dickie Thon had to go and ruin it. But Rich won the game anyway, 6-0. The White Sox are a shocking 6-1 against powerful California, but 1-6 against Texas and 1-5 against weak sister Oakland. The Chisox have no bullpen, with their 7 saves spread among 4 no-name relievers. On the other side of the ball, Chet Lemon boasts 37 runs and 33 rbi, while Claudell Washington checks in with 15 doubles, 8 homers, and 43 rbi. The Sox hope that their hole at catcher is now filled with the acquisition of veteran Milt May from Detroit. 

All A's: The double dose of speed at the top of the A's order--rookie Rickey Henderson with 20 steals and unheralded Miguel Dilone with 23--both decided to run with scissors and now a new plan must be drawn up. (And yes I know Henderson did not start the year with the team but I don't go by that.) Tony Armas (11 HR, 29 runs, 33 rbi) has been the big gun for Oakland. Weird stat: Jim Essian has 5 HR and just 6 rbi. "I don't want to overtax myself," he explained. The team was actually not-horrible in May, going 13-16. "So what if we've scored 196 runs and given up 334?" they ask. 

"Wanna see me throw one away?"

Kingdome Dumbfuckery: Here they are, ladies and germs, the league's punching bag. The M's have given up 339 runs, more even than Oakland or Toronto. Mike Parrott (5-4) is okay but after that, ay yi yi. Add to that the fact that their pitchers seem to be made of glass. I even had to give minor league veteran Roy Branch 5 starts. He went 1-3. The team has only 4 saves, all by Shane Rawley. At the plate, Willie Horton has slowed since his torrid April, and checks in with still respectable numbers: 11 HR, 31 rbi. Rupe Jones got hot in May and soared to 39 rbi. "Staring at my bat helps a lot," he told assembled scribes. Second sacker Julio Cruz kicked two ground balls on the last day of the month to surge into the league lead in errors. Larry "Devil" Milbourne is right behind him with 10, despite being shelved with a sprained glove. 

NL report soon.