March 31, 2004
September 18, 2003
March 17, 2003
March 12, 2003
March 9, 2003
February 24, 2003
February 18, 2003
February 10, 2003
Bug Nut League - Paris defeated Tombstone in the Bug Nut Championship Playoffs for the second consecutive season by a 4 games to 1 margin. Paris finished the regular season with 108 wins and dominated the playoff series. In only one game, the game they won, did Tombstone even hold a lead. Paris scored in the first inning of all five games. Geronimo came away with the Series MVP Award. Paris will move on to defend their title and face the champion of the Blood Nut League in the Mission on Thunderhead.
Scoring recaps for each game:
Game 1, Tombstone (Phooey) at Paris (Geronimo)
Bottom 1st:
Pissarro, 3 run home run with 2 out scores Rockwell and Matisse, off Phooey,
3-0 Paris
Bottom 3rd:
Matisse triple scores Rockwell, off Phooey, 4-0 Paris
Bierstadt sacrifice fly scores Matisse, off Phooey, 5-0 Paris
Bottom 6th:
Geronimo sacrifice fly scores De La Tour, off Stallings, 6-0 Paris
Warhol double scores Rembrandt, off Stallings, 7-0 Paris
Top 7th:
Holiday 2 run home run scores Cash, off Geronimo, 7-2 Paris
Final 7-2 Paris
Geronimo (W, 1-0) 8 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 K, 2 BB
Phooey (L, 0-1) 5 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 K, 3 BB
Game 2, Tombstone (Coe) at Paris (Rodin)
Bottom 1st:
Matisse single scores Warhol, off Coe, 1-0 Paris
Top 4th:
Masterson double scores P. Clanton, off Rodin, 1-1 Tie
Bottom 4th:
Matisse solo home run, off Coe, 2-1 Paris
Top 5th:
Cash single scores Zapata, off Rodin, 2-2 Tie
Bottom 5th:
Rockwell solo home run, off Coe, 3-2 Paris
Final 3-2 Paris
Rodin (W, 1-0) 8 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 K, 2 BB
Rousseau (Save, 1) 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Coe (L, 0-1) 8 IP, CG, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 K, 2 BB
Game 3, Paris (Tiepolo) at Tombstone (Bryant)
Top 1st:
Bierstadt triple scores Magellan and Rockwell, off Bryant, 2-0 Paris
Pissarro triple (back to back) scores Bierstadt, off Bryant, 3-0 Paris
Bear single scores Pissarro, off Bryant, 4-0 Paris
Bottom, 1st:
Earp double scores Hardin, off Tiepolo, 4-1 Paris
Top 4th:
Bierstadt double scores L. Simpson and Magellan, off Bryant, 6-1 Paris
Pissarro single scores Bierstadt, off Olinger, 7-1 Paris
Final 7-1 Paris
Tiepolo (W, 1-0) 8.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 K, 3 BB
Bryant (L, 0-1) 3.1 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 K, 0 BB
Game 4, Paris (Roosevelt) at Tombstone (Phooey)
Top 1st:
Matisse double scores Ed, off Phooey, 1-0 Paris
Bottom 4th:
Horn solo home run, off Roosevelt, 1-1 Tie
P. Clanton solo home run (back to back), off Roosevelt, 2-1 Tombstone
Bottom 7th:
Dalton solo home run, off Roosevelt, 3-1 Tombstone
Top 9th:
L. Simpson sacrifice fly scores Bierstadt, off Miller, 3-2 Tombstone
Final 3-2 Tombstone
Phooey (W, 1-1) 8.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 K, 1 BB
Miller (Save, 1) .2 IP, 2 BB
Roosevelt (L, 0-1) 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 K, 1 BB
Game 5, Paris (Geronimo) at Tombstone (Coe)
Top 1st:
Warhol lead off solo home run, off Coe, 1-0 Paris
Top 3rd:
Matisse home run scores Magellan, off Coe, 3-0 Paris
Top 8th:
Matisse double scores Rockwell, off Hoy, 4-0 Paris
Top 9th:
Warhol single scores De La Tour, off Stubing, 5-0 Paris
Matisse home run scores Geronimo and Warhol, off Stubing, 8-0 Paris
Bierstadt solo home run (back to back), off Will, 9-0 Paris
Final 9-0 Paris, Paris wins series 4 games to 1
Geronimo (W, 2-0) 9 IP, CG, SHO, 2 H, 5 K, 5 BB
Coe (L, 0-2) 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 K
MVP of Series
Geronimo (2-0, 1.06, 17 IP, 2 R)
Bug Nut League - At the all star break Paris has taken a commanding lead in the East, while Tombstone is ahead of Berkeley by 5.5 games in the West.
The day of the announcement of the all stars, Frederick Evans went out an pitched as if he were on a mission to show he belongs on the team. Missing six starts due to injury, Evans, who won the Don Knotts award in the last two full seasons, was left of the all star roster in favor of up and coming Domenico Scarlatti of Vienna. In what was a strange ball game, Evans threw a commanding two hit shutout of Stockholm, striking out seven. The shutout lowered Evans' ERA to 2.25 and improved his record to 5 and 2 with 73 strikeouts in 80 innings pitched. Many fans were already upset that Evans did not make the all star team, and his latest outing just added fuel to the fire. Almost as good in the Stockholm loss was Klas Arnoldson, who went the full game and gave up only one hit. That one hit, however, was a grand slam that accounted for all four unearned runs. Oliver Gagliani, who hit the grand slam, seemed to me making a statement of his own after missing the all star team as well. Gagliani is batting .297 with 27 doubles and 5 home runs. Gagliani's fielding has been called into question as he has comitted 21 errors already. Scarlatti has an ERA of 2.07 with 7 wins against 1 loss.
Bug
Nut League - Last season's division winners, Paris and Tombstone, squared
off in a four games series. Wyatt Earp hit his first two home runs of the
season in the opener as Tombstone won 6 to 3. Paris came back to win the second
game 12 to 4. Tombstone was back on top for game 3 winning 8 to 1. Paris evened
up the series by taking game four in an 18 to 3 blow out. Of the 18 runs on
19 hits, there were 7 unearned runs. Pitcher Auguste Rodin, last season's
Mission on Thunderhead MVP, hit a grand slam for his first hit of the season
and as part of a 9 run second inning. Rodin hit a 2 run home run in the next
inning.
Mayberry
wrapped up their long road trip with a three game series in Berkeley and won
the first game 5 to 4 in 10 innings. Marion Cunningham, who tied for the lead
in relief pitchers ERA last season, pitched 8 strong innings (4 runs, 0 earned
runs), but did not get a decision. Alice the Housekeeper pitched two scoreless
innings, after giving up a leadoff triple in the 9th, to get the win. Mayberry
won the second game 7 to 3, as John Boy Walton, Mike Brady, and Andrea Mantegna
connected for back to back to back home runs in the 3rd inning. Brady hit
another home run his next time up. Berkeley's Ken Bullwinkle continues to
struggle, batting 1 for 28 in 10 games. Mayberry completed the improbable
sweep behind a 5 hit shutout by June Cleaver, who pitched her second complete
game. Mike Brady hit his 9th home run in the 4 to 0 victory.
Vienna
continued their homestand, this time taking on Sioux City for four games.
Vienna won the first two games by scores of 5 to 1 and 3 to 1. Sioux City
jumped out to a 5 to 0 lead in the 3rd game and Vienna almost came back behind
an 8th inning grand slam by Sergei Prokofiev, but it wasn't enough as Sioux
City held on for a 6 to 4 win. Prokofiev began the season 0 for 19, and was
1 for 24 at the time of his grand slam. Sioux City evened up the series by
winning the 4th game 5 to 2. Bruce Barboncito got the start on short rest
as Steamboat Frank was a gametime scratch for unexplained reasons. Barboncito
managed 5 innings and got the win, while former Sioux City pitcher Billy Bowlegs
took his 4th loss in his 4th start (6 IP, 3 runs). Frank is expected to start
Sioux City's next game.
Up
and down Moscow took to the road taking on first place Stockholm for three
games. Stockholm cruised through the first two games winning 1 to 0 and 2
to 1. In the first game, Stockholm managed only 1 run on 3 hits, but the 1
run was enough as William Cremer through a five hit shutout for his first
win of the season. Albert Einstein won his third in the second game. Moscow
avoided the sweep by winning game three 7 to 5.
Bug
Nut League - Moscow came limping into a three game series in Sioux City,
while the Savages were fresh off a convincing sweep of Mayberry. It was Moscow,
however, who shined by sweeping all three games. Moscow took the first game
7 to 6, then won the second game 5 to 3 behind a 2 run home run by Henry Mitchell
in the top of the 9th inning to break a 3-3 tie. Helmut Kohl earned his 4th
save, while Rudolph Giuliani got his first career win in 2 innings of relief.
General Bustamante got his first win of the season by throwing a complete
game in the final game of the series for a 4 to 1 victory.
Tombstone continued their road trip, travelling from Moscow to take on Vienna. Vienna, after losing 3 out of 4 to Paris, won the first game 4 to 3, as Turkey Creek Jack Johnson's 13 game hitting streak came to an end. Tombstone won the second game 8 to 5 as Vienna pitcher Billy Bowlegs lasted only three innings and lost for the 3rd time in as many starts. The final game also went to Tombstone 6 to 4. Tombstone scored five runs in the 7th inning.
Berkeley continued their European road trip, this time for three games in Paris. The teams split the first two games, Berkeley winning the opener 4 to 3, while Paris won the next game 3 to 2 after 10 innings, as Henri Matisse hit his 5th home run leading off the bottom of the 10th to win the game. Andy Warhol stole 4 bases in the game, stealing 2nd and 3rd twice, giving him 9 on the season without being caught. Game three was a wild one which saw Berkeley jump out to a 10 to 0 lead. Geronimo lasted only 3 2/3 innings, giving up 7 runs (3 earned). Geronimo's error with 2 outs in the 4th led to a 7 run inning for Berkeley, followed by 3 runs in the 5th. Berkeley looked to put the game on cruise control, but Frederick Evans was ejected in the bottom of the 5th after hitting Gerardo Catena with a pitch. Rookie Mathew Brady entered the game in relief and promptly gave up 5 runs in 2 innings, including a 3 run double by Norman Rockwell. Bone Daddy relieved Brady and gave up 4 more runs before Man Ray ended the game with his 4th save. The final score was 10 to 9, with Brady getting the win and Daddy getting the hold after combining for 3 2/3 innings and 9 runs allowed (8 earned).
Road
weary Mayberry continued their road trip, this time playing in Stockholm.
Mayberry managed only 5 runs in 3 games against Sioux City (and only 2 of
those runs were earned). Game one went to Stockholm 3 to 2 after 10 innings.
Johann Deisenhofer, in just his second game back from injury, hurt himself
while slamming into the center field wall. He is expected to be out 2 weeks.
Stockholm closer Cordell Hull got the win and improved his record to 3 and
0. Game two saw more anemic Mayberry offense as Klas Arnoldson threw a 3 hit
shutout for his 3rd win as Thurston Howell was charged with his 3rd loss.
Stockholm won the game 3 to 0. Mayberry snapped their seven game losing streak
with a 4 to 1 win in the series finale, as Huckleberry Finn threw his 2nd
complete game and allowed only 4 hits. The Monster of Springfield, Mike Brady,
hit his 5th home run in the win. Through 28 innings, Mayberry managed only
6 runs, giving them a total of 11 runs scored in their last 55 innings.
Bug
Nut League - Mayberry continued their road trip, travelling to Sioux
City to take on the Savages in a three game set. In game one, Sioux City's
rookie phenom outfielder Dull Knife collided with shortstop Napolean Bonaparte
in the 6th inning while leading 2 to 1. While Knife was able to return the
next day, Bonaparte is expected to miss about three weeks. The collision led
to a bases loaded situation with no out, but Steamboat Frank pitched out of
it with two big strikeouts and a fly ball to the track. Frank continued to
impress when he hit for himself in the 7th with two on and two out and knocked
in an insurance run with a single to make the score 3 to 1. Mike Brady hit
a solo home run in the 8th to pull within one run, but it wasn't enough as
Frank got the complete game win in his first start. Of note was the batting
performance of the opposing pitchers. Frank went 2 for 3 with a double, run
scored, and run batted in, while Mayberry's Huckleberry Finn hit his 2nd home
run of the season. Game two featured another complete game by Sioux City,
this time a 6 to 0 shutout from Bruce Barboncito, as he scattered 7 hits and
Mayberry left 10 on base. Sioux City completed the sweep with a 4 to 3 victory.
Roger Kiskekosh had a shutout through 8 innings until he gave up two home
runs in the 9th. Grizzly Adams got the final out for his 3rd save. During
the series, Mayberry managed only 5 runs in 27 innings, and only 2 of those
runs were earned.
Tombstone finally hit the road, taking on Moscow for three games. Tombstone won the first 6 to 3 behind a complete game from ace Hong Kong Phooey. General Bustamante, Moscow's ace, lost for the 3rd time in as many starts. Moscow came back to win the 2nd game as Francois Mitterand won his 2nd game, giving him half of Moscow's win total. Tombstone took the final game 8 to 6 as Turkey Creek Jack Johnson extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Everything went wrong for Moscow as it was discovered that Benjamin Netanyahu would be unavailable for the next five days due to a mysterious injury, then Vitus Bering was hurt running into the outfield wall, and Deng Xiaoping was hit by a pitch while pinch hitting. Bering's injury was minor and only kept him out of the remainer of the game, but Xiaoping is expected to miss about a week.
Paris took on Vienna for a four game series that was Vienna's home opener. Paris won the first game 4 to 2 as Norman Rockwell hit a two run home run in the 8th inning to break a 2-2 tie. Vienna bounced back and won the second game 5 to 1 as pitcher Carl Orf continued to dominate, allowing 1 run on 3 hits. He already has 3 wins in 3 starts and an ERA of 1.61 in 22 1/3 innings. Faye Bailey hit her first home run in the Bug Nut League in the bottom of the 8th to break the game open. Game three belonged to Paris, as pitcher Giovanni Tiepolo went the distance in guiding the Exhibitionists to a 6 to 1 victory. Paris went on to take the final game of the series 9 to 4.
Stockholm's home opener was against Berkeley, who took the first two games. The first game was 5 to 4 in 11 innings, and the second game was 6 to 2, as William Cremer lost his 3rd game. Stockholm avoided the sweep and won game three 3 to 2 in 10 innings. Johann Deisenhofer returned from injury and got the game winning hit in the bottom of the 10th with 2 out.
Bug
Nut League - Stockholm continues to be the suprise team early in the
season. Stockholm swept all three games in their series against Sioux City,
featuring a 4 hit shutout thrown by Dag Hammarskjold in the opener, followed
by blow out wins of 10 to 5 and 10 to 6. Stockholm scored 10 runs and had
16 hits in each of those two games. In the final game of the series, Stockholm's
number 2, 3, 4, and 5 batters combined to go 11 for 18 (.611 average). Tobias
Asser continues to roll with at least one hit in each of the team's first
ten games and a league leading average over .500. For Sioux City, One-Eyed
Dixie is re-claiming his starting job at second base. Heading into the season,
rookie Red Armed Panther had taken over the duty in favor of his superior
defense. Dixie, however, is making the case for himself with his ability to
disrupt the other team's defense with his speed and base stealing. Dixie,
who led the league last season with 117 stolen bases in 123 attempts, already
has 12 stolen bases this season and has yet to be caught.
Tombstone
continues its homestand, this time hosting Mayberry. Freddie Mercury got his
second win of the season as Mayberry took the opener 9 to 5. Tombstone came
back to even the series in game two with a 6 to 3 victory that saw rookie
shortstop Tom Horn continue his strong start, going 3 for 4 with a home run,
2 runs scored, and 3 runs batted in. He is batting .355 on the season. Rain
has been a factor in all three Tombstone homestands thus far this season as
the start of game three was delayed. When the game finally did start, Tombstone
came out on top 12 to 4, including 7 runs in the 7th inning, as Gomer Pyle
gave up 6 runs, while recording only 1 out.
Vienna
traveled to Berkeley for a three game series and took the first game in an
8 to 6 17-inning marathon. Tied at 4 to go into extra innings, both teams
scored two runs in the 13th. Vienna's two runs in the 17th were both unearned.
Berkeley came back to defeat Vienna 3 to 1 in game two. Game three went back
to extra frames as Vienna won 4 to 3 in 10 innings. In that game, Cole Weston's
replacement at third base, Victor Hasselblad, hit 2 home runs, his second
being in the bottom of the 8th inning to tie the game. For Vienna, Gioacchino
Rossini earned his second win in relief and Antonio Vivaldi, a starter last
season, got his first save.
Paris
and Moscow also split the first two games of their series, with Paris winning
the first 6 to 2, and Moscow getting the second 7 to 2. Moscow took the third
game with a 6 to 0 three-hit shutout by Marie Antoinette. Antoinette had almost
as many hits as the entire Paris lineup, going 2 for 4 with a double and run
scored. For Paris, Rocco Destefano gave up all 6 runs in just 3 and 2/3 innings
of work.
Bug
Nut League - Some suprise performances are dominating the early season
thus far, namely Stockholm and Sioux City. After dropping their first three
against Tombstone, Sioux City faced another powerhouse team, the Berkeley
Dreamers. Sioux City took the first game 1 to 0 behind Contraction Draft pick
Vasco Da Gamma's 3 hit shutout. The only run in the game came from a home
run by rookie Dull Knife. Game 2 of the Sioux City-Berkeley series came on
the day of the most severe sanctions in B-Nut Leagues history. With Billy
Bowlegs and Kicking Bear stripped from the team, starter Marvin Babich was
injured in the third inning and third baseman Curley Headed Doctor was injured
in the fourth when he was nailed by a George Eastman fastball. Babich is expected
to miss about three weeks, while Doctor should be out about 10 days. Despite
the sanctions and injuries, Sioux City went on to defeat Berkeley 3 to 2.
Game 3 also went to Sioux City by a score of 4 to 3 after 10 innings. Bruce
Barboncito, the Savages' ace, went a full 9 innings, giving up the tying run
in the bottom of the ninth. Sioux City re-took the lead in the top of the
tenth, and Grizzly Adams saved it in the bottom of the inning, giving Barboncito
the win. Two time Don Knotts winner Frederick Evans went 9 innings, striking
out 10 and getting a no decision. Sioux City finished the four game sweep
with a 5 to 4 victory. Mary Bagby went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and a home run,
while One-Eyed Dixie stole 3 bases. Rookie Shot in the Eye pitched 2 innings
and got his first career win and fellow rookie Shot in the Head also pitched
2 innings for his first career save. Five of Sioux City's first seven games
have been decided by 1 run, including 2 extra inning games. The first three
losses against Tombstone were 11 to 4, 3 to 2 (11 innings), and 2-0. The sweep
against Berkeley was 1 to 0, 3 to 2, 4 to 3 (10 innings), and 5 to 4.
Meanwhile,
Stockholm faced Tombstone in a four game set. Stockholm, coming off of the
opening series where they took two of three games against Paris, shocked Tombstone
by scoring 9 runs in the first game. The 9 to 2 victory saw outfielder Tobias
Asser go 4 for 5 after going 4 for 4 in his previous game. After a day off
due to rain, Stockholm continued their domination in the doubleheader that
followed. Both games had rain delays, but the normally docile Stockholm offense
continued to roll with victories of 8 to 4 and 7 to 4. In the first game of
the doubleheader, leadoff hitting rookie Johann Deisenhofer went 3 for 5 with
2 home runs and 4 runs batted in. Tombstone avoided the sweep by coming back
in a big way with a 16 to 3 victory. That game, also delayed by rain, saw
Johnny Cash hit his first home run of the season, while Jesse James knocked
in 5 runs and went 3 for 5 with a double and home run, while Frank Cully smacked
a pinch hit 3 run home run. After seven games against the two division winners
from last season, Stockholm stands with an impressive 5 and 2 record. William
Cremer, Stockholm's number two starter, has been charged with both losses.
In the Paris-Mayberry series, the two teams came out with a split of the four games. One of the Mayberry wins was a rain-shortened game where June Cleaver got the 6 inning complete game win and Eleanor Roosevelt got the 6 inning complete game loss. In that game Mike Brady, the Monster of Springfield, hit his first home run of the season. In the other Mayberry win Marion Cunningham, one of the top relievers in Season #4, got her first win as a starter, going 8 innings and giving up only 1 run.
In the Vienna-Moscow series, Vienna swept the three games while Moscow continues to struggle. Game two of the series was a 15 to 1 pounding in rookie Domenico Scarlatti's pitching debut. Scarlatti struck out 8 batters in his 7 innings of work, while Butch Plato entered the game late and went 2 for 2, hitting a triple and a home run. Plato is now 4 for 4 on the season with 2 triples and a home run. Scarlatti is expected to move to the bullpen with the recent addition of Billy Bowlegs.
Bug Nut League - Season #5 is under way in the Bug Nut League. Tombstone opened the season with an 11-4 victory over Sioux City, while the Berkeley opener against Moscow was rained out. Tombstone went on to sweep the three game set against the Savages, but the final two games were very close. In game two, Sioux City's Roger Kiskekosh entered the ninth inning with a two run lead and a shutout, until Jesse James hit a two run home run with two outs to tie the game. Tombstone ended up winning the game in the 11th inning after Sioux City's George Coe came in and allowed the winning run without even recording one out. Coe started his career with Tombstone and spent some time in the Blood Nut League before coming to the Savages in the Chump Draft prior to the season. Coe is trying to become the Savage's closer. Game three was a pitching duel between Tombstone's Blackface Charley Bryant and Sioux City's rookie Billy Bowlegs. The veteran Bryant got the victory in a close, hard fought game that saw both starters go the distance.
After being rained out in game one, two-time Don Knotts winner Frederick Evans took the mound for the Berkeley Dreamers to open the season against the Moscow Tyrants. Evans went five innings and was taken out while leading after the second rain delay of the game. Berkeley cruised on for the win.
In the Mayberry-Vienna series, game two featured another great pitching performance. Vienna's Peter Tchaikovsky took a perfect game into the seventh inning. He walked the leadoff batter and his no hit bid ended with two outs in the seventh. Tchaikovsky finished with a two-hit shutout against the Miracle Workers, as Vienna won the game 3 to 0.
Defending
B-Nut Champion Paris found themselves against a very competitive Stockholm
team to open the season. After splitting the first two games, game three was
the wildest one of the series. Delayed from the beginning by rain, the starting
pitchers were thrown off enough that both only lasted into the fourth inning.
After that the fireworks started, including a grand slam by Stockholm first
baseman Otto Diels, and culminating in dramatic 9th and 10th innings. In the
bottom of the ninth, with the score tied at 8, Stockholm was down to its last
available pitcher, closer Cordell Hull. Paris led off the inning with a walk
and stolen base by Albert Bierstadt. Rockwell followed with a single, sending
Bierstadt to third with no outs. Rockwell was promptly picked off of first
base by Hull, which led to an intentional walk to Henri Matisse, setting up
the double play. Henri de Touluse-Lautrec then proceeded to fly out and Bierstadt
tried to score the winning run but missed the plate and was tagged out, completing
the unconventional double play. In the top of the 10th, rookie Enrico Fermi
led off with a single and stolen base. Fellow rookie Johann Deisenhofer lined
out, keeping Fermi at second. Next came another rookie, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov,
who got a hit, giving the speedster Fermi a chance to score from second. Fermi
plowed into Touluse-Lautrec at the plate, Touluse-Lautrec dropped the ball
and was charged with an error, and Fermi scored the go-ahead run. Hull went
on to shut down Paris in the bottom of the 10th to secure the victory. Notable
Stockholm performances in the game were Hull, who went three innings for the
win; Tobias Asser, who went 4 for 4 with 2 intentional walks; and Otto Diels
who hit 2 home runs, one a solo shot and the other a grand slam. Paris rookie
pitcher Marcel Duchamp made his debut in relief and promptly gave up five
runs in just two thirds of an inning.