Impossible Dream???

[bigpapi]

American League Championship Series

Game One: Boston would take a 1-0 lead on a solo HR by Rico Petrocelli in the 2nd inning. Chicago would take the lead in the 3rd on a 2 run double by Ossie Blanco. The score would stay like that until the 6th when the Red Sox would tie the game on an RBI groundout by Ted Simmons. Chicago would retake the lead in the bottom of the 7th inning as Tommy Agee would hit a sacrifice fly. Boston would tie the game off closer Dennis Higgins in the top of the 9th inning on an RBI single by Petrocelli. Boston had a chance to win it, but Larry Bowa popped out with the bases loaded to end the 9th. The score would remain tied until the top of the 12th inning when Billy Conigliaro would hit a 2 run double, scoring his older brother Tony and Don Baylor. Rollie Fingers would come in in the bottom of the 12th and set the White Sox down 1-2-3. Red Sox 5-3 (Boston leads Series 1-0)

Game Two: The game would be scoreless until the 4th when Cotton Nash hit a sacrifice fly. The White Sox would extend their lead to 2-0 when Nash would single in Wilbur Wood in the 5th. Boston cut into the lead, in the top of the 6th when Billy Conigliaro hit an RBI single. This was as close as Boston would get, as Chicago tacked on 2 more in the 8th on back to back RBI doubles by Tommy Agee and Cotton Nash, tying the series at 1. White Sox 4-1 (Series tied at 1)

Game Three: Chicago took a 3-0 lead after 1 1/2 innings on a leadoff HR and 2 run double by Carlos May. Boston cut that lead to 3-2 in their half of the 2nd on a 2 run single by pitcher Denny McClain. Jim Pagliaroni had an RBI single in the top of the 3rd, and then Boston blew up for 5 in the bottom of the 3rd, capped by a 3 run HR by Ted Simmons, giving Boston a 7-4 lead thru 3. The White Sox would nip away at the lead, scoring 1 run in the 4th, and 2 in the 5th on a single by Pete Ward. The score stayed 7-7 into the 7th, when Ted Simmons hit his 2nd HR of the game, a solo shot, putting Boston up 8-7. Jim Northrup hit a two out 2 run HR off Rollie Fingers in the top of the 8th inning, giving Chicago a 9-8 lead, a lead they would extend to 10-8 in the 9th on a solo HR by Pete Ward. Boston put 2 on in the bottom of the 9th, but were unable to score. White Sox 10-8 (Chicago leads Series 2-1)

Game Four: Boston scored single runs in the 2nd 3rd and 4th innings to take a 3-0 lead. They extended that to 5-0 after 6 on a single by Ted Simmons and sac fly by Reggie Smith. Chicago made it interesting in the 7th by scoring 3 times on a two run HR by Tommy Agee and singe by Pete Ward. Toby Harrah extended the lead to 3 with an RBI single in the 8th, and Cecil Upshaw would come in and close the door in the 9th to tie the series at 2 games. Dock Ellis was the pitching hero for Boston, pitching 5 2/3 innings of perfect ball before giving up his first hit. Red Sox 5-3 (Series tied at 2)

Game Five: Boston put rookie Roger Moret up against knuckleballer Wilbur Wood in Game Five. The White Sox jumped out early 1-0 on a solo HR by Bill Melton, however, that was the best news of the day for Chicago. Boston took the lead for good in the 4th on a 3 run HR by Tony Conigliaro, and Tony C. was just heating up. He came up again in the 7th with a man on and hit his 2nd HR of the game, a blast over the Green Monster to extend Bostons lead to 7-1. Conigliaro wasn't done just yet as he came up the next inning and hit his 3rd HR of the game, putting Boston up 10-1. Boston would eventually win the game 11-1 and advance to their 3rd straight World Series! Ted Simmons was named ALCS MVP after hitting .350 (7-20) with 2 HR's and 6 RBI. Red Sox 11-1 (Boston wins Series 3-2)

Up next will be the review of the 1972 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets!

[bigpapi]

1972 World Series

Game One: Boston took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd inning on an RBI single by Larry Bowa, driving in Rico Petrocelli, the score stayed that way until the top of the 4th when the Mets tied the game on an RBI single by Ron Swoboda. In the bottom of the 5th inning, Boston scored a pair of runs on an RBI single by Don Baylor and he scored on a double by Petrocelli to give Boston a 3-1 lead after 5. The Mets got one back in the top of the 6th when pinch hitter Mike Jorgensen drove in Swoboda. The score remained 3-2 Boston until the 9th, when closer Sparky Lyle, who hadn't pitched in almost a month came on to close the game out. New York tied it at 3 when Cleon Jones drove home Swoboda with a single and then Sonny Jackson laid down a suicide squeeze to put the Mets up 4-3. It was Danny Frisella's turn to try to end the game, but he loaded the bases with 1 out and Don Baylor's 2 run single gave Boston the win and a 1-0 lead in the Series. Red Sox 5-4 (Boston leads Series 1-0)

Game Two: The Mets jumped out on top 1-0 on a HR by Amos Otis, but that was the last good news of the day for New York as Boston took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning on a 2 run shot by Art Shamsky and never looked back. They tacked on 3 in the bottom of the 3rd, on a RBI double by Rico Petrocelli and back to back bases loaded walks to Larry Bowa and Ted Simmons to take a 5-1 lead. It stayed 5-1 until the 7th, when Boston scored 4 more on a 2 run double by Bowa, a solo HR by Toby Harrah and a sac fly. The Mets put up 2 in the bottom of the 9th, but Roger Moret put the clamps down on New York allowing just 3 runs and 5 hits while throwing a complete game. Red Sox 9-3 (Boston leads Series 2-0)

Game Three: New York took a 1-0 lead for a 2nd straight game, this time on an RBI single by Ed Kranepool. The lead wouldn't last as Boston put up 2 runs on solo HR's by Don Baylor and Art Shamsky in the top of the 2nd inning. Both pitchers, Tom Seaver and Denny McClain settled down from there, until the bottom of the 6th when Kranepool tied the game with another RBI single, and the Mets took the lead in the 7th when pinch hitter Mike Jorgensen hit an RBI double to put New York up 3-2. Boston tied the score in the top of the 9th on an RBI single by Ted Simmons and they left the lead run on 2nd base to end the inning. In the bottom of the frame, Sonny Jackson drove in Tom Haller with an RBI single off Cecil Upshaw to put the Mets right back into the series, down just 2-1. Mets 4-3 (Boston leads Series 2-1)

Game Four: The Mets scored in the first inning for a 3rd straight game, this time taking a 3-0 lead on a 3 run blast by Amos Otis. The lead was extended to 4-0 after 2 on an RBI single by Sonny Jackson, and 6-0 after 3 on an RBI single by Tom Haller and a sac fly by Rocky Colavito. Boston got one back in the 4th on a solo HR by Toby Harrah, and then in the 6th Rico Petrocelli hit a 3 run HR to bring the Sox back to within 2 at 6-4. Danny Frisella was once again called on in the 9th to end the game, and once again he was unable as Boston tied the game at 6 on an RBI single by Larry Bowa and a double play ground out by Art Shamsky. The game went to 11 tied at 6, when the Mets loaded the bases with noone out and against a drawn in infield and outfield, Rocky Colavito hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Ken Poulsen, giving the Mets the win and tying the series at 2. Mets 7-6 (Series tied at 2)

Game Five: It was the Sox turn to get the early lead as Rico Petrocelli hit a solo HR in the 2nd to put Boston up 1-0. The Mets came right back in their half of the inning, scoring 2 on a double by Mike Andrews and a single by pitcher Gary Gentry. It stayed 2-1 until the 5th when Toby Harrah hit a game tying solo HR, making the score 2-2. The Mets retook the lead in the bottom of the inning on a solo HR by Amos Otis. In the bottom of the 6th inning, Ed Kranepool extended the lead to 6-2 when he hit a 3 run blast off reliever Cecil Upshaw. The top of the seventh would show why Boston rattled off 109 wins this year, as they got one back on a solo HR by Don Baylor, and then, with the bases loaded, Reggie Smith, who had been quiet all postseason, hit a grand slam off Gary Gentry to give Boston a 7-6 lead. Boston would extend that lead to 9-6 on an RBI walk by Art Shamsky and a sac fly by Larry Bowa. Ron Guidry would come on in the 8th, and pitch the final 2 innings, putting Boston within one win of their 2nd straight series win. Red Sox 9-6 (Boston leads Series 3-2)

Game Six: Ron Swoboda gave the Mets a 1-0 lead after twon with a sac fly driving in Rocky Colavito, who tripled. Boston tied it in the bottom of the 4th on a RBI single by Art Shamsky. The game remained 1-1 until the top of the 6th when former Sox farmhand Ken Poulsen drove in Sonny Jackson with an RBI single, they extended that lead to 4-1 after their half of the 7th on a 2 run HR by secondbasemen Jerry Buschek. It stayed 4-1 until the bottom of the 8th, when Boston tied the game at 4 on a double play groundout by Don Baylor and a 2 run HR by Rico Petrocelli. Rollie Fingers sent the Mets down in order in the top of the 9th, and in the Sox half of the 9th inning, Larry Bowa started the inning with a double down the right field line. Ted Simmons laid down a perfect sac bunt, moving Bowa to 3rd. Boston sent up rookie Billy Conigliaro to face righthanded pitcher Ed Sprague. Conigliaro hit just .216 against righthanders during the regular season, and on a 1-0 pitch, against a drawn in infield, the younger Conigliaro drove the ball between 3B and SS, scoring Bowa and giving Boston the victory and their 2nd straight World Series Championship!! Don Baylor was named World Series MVP, hitting .458 (11-24) w/ 2 HR 5 RBI and 9 runs scored. Red Sox 5-4 (Boston wins Series 4-2)

Boston Red Sox 1972 World Champions!!!!

Up next will be final League Leaders!

[bigpapi]

Final 1972 Batting Leaders:

AL BAA: Bobby Tolan (TEX) .349, Rod Carew (MIN) .345, Bill Melton (CHI) .344
NL BAA: Pete Rose (CIN) .332, Tom Paciorek (MON) .326, Tim McCarver (STL) .326

AL HR's: Don Baylor (BOS) 43, Reggie Smith (BOS) 36, Bill Melton (CHI) 36
NL HR's: Darrell Evans (ATL) 52, Bobby Bonds (SF) 45, Dave Kingman (SF) 39

AL RBI's: Don Baylor (BOS) 153, Bill Melton (CHI) 140, Rico Petrocelli (BOS) 118
NL RBI's: Darrell Evans (ATL) 129, Steve Garvey (LA) 127, Bobby Bonds (SF) 126

AL Doubles: Dave Robinson (KC) 49, Jose Cruz (MIL) 42, Rod Carew (MIN) 39
NL Doubles: Ed Kranepool (NY) 43, Tom Paciorek (MON) 42, Bobby Etherdige (SF) 39

AL Triples: Rick Monday (OAK) 11, Johnny Callison (CAL) 10, Larry Bowa (BOS) 9
NL Triples: Gene Alley (STL) 10, 3 tied with 9

AL Hits: Manny Sanguillen (BAL) 209, Rod Carew (MIN) 200, Roy White (NY) 199
NL Hits: Tito Fuentes (SF) 199, Curt Flood (STL) 198, Steve Garvey (LA) 190

AL Runs: Reggie Smith (BOS) 137, Roy White (NY) 116, Rod Carew (MIN) 115
NL Runs: Darrell Evans (ATL) 121, Bobby Bonds (SF) 119, Johnny Briggs (PHI) 116

AL OBP: Bill Melton (CHI) .448, Roy White (NY) .444, Rod Carew (MIN) .423
NL OBP: Darrell Evans (ATL) .443, Johnny Briggs (PHI) .418, Pete Rose (CIN) .409

AL SLG: Bill Melton (CHI) .619, Tommy Agee (CHI) .563, Jim Northrup (CHI) .562
NL SLG: Darrell Evans (ATL) .661, Bobby Bonds (SF) .592, Steve Garvey (LA) .567

AL OPS: Bill Melton (CHI) 1.067, Rick Monday (OAK) .973, Roy White (NY) .969
NL OPS: Darrell Evans (ATL) 1.104, Bobby Bonds (SF) .975, Steve Garvey (LA) .947

AL HBP: Bill Melton (CHI) 11, 3 tied with 9
NL HBP: Bobby Etheridge (SF) 10, Gene Tenace (SF) 9, 3 tied with 8

AL Sacrifices: John Knox (MIL) 18, Tim Foli (MIL) 17, Dick Schofield (CLE) 16
NL Sacrifices: Mark Belanger (MON) 19, Don Kessinger (PHI) 18, Marty Martinez (SD) 18

AL Steals: Bert Campaneris (OAK) 37, Mickey Rivers (MIL) 34, Davey Lopes (MIL) 30
NL Steals: Joe Morgan (HOU) 27, Frank Taveras (PIT) 26, Pat Kelly (MON) 23

AL Strikeouts: Frank Howard (NY) 128, 3 tied with 120
NL Strikeouts: Dave Kingman (SF) 142, Bob Chance (CHI) 132, Bobby Bonds (SF) 126

AL Walks: Reggie Smith (BOS) 110, Bobby Grich (NY) 110, Roy White (NY) 101
NL Walks: Johnny Briggs (PHI) 125, Mike Schmidt (CHI) 123, Darrell Evans (ATL) 120

Next will be final pitching leaders!

[bigpapi]

Final 1972 Pitching Leaders:

AL Wins: Dock Ellis (BOS) 21, Mike Caldwell (CHI) 21, Gary Peters (CHI) 20
NL Wins: Gaylord Perry (SF) 24, Juan Marichal (SF) 21, Tom Seaver (NY) 18

AL Losses: John Denny (CLE) 24, Dennis Leonard (MIL) 19, Jerry Koosman (CLE) 18
NL Losses: Marco Margues (SD) 22, Ken Holtzman (CHI) 19, Sam McDowell (SF) 18

AL ERA: Chuck Dobson (OAK) 2.63, Roger Moret (BOS) 2.83, Jonah Stickles (KC) 2.85
NL ERA: Gaylord Perry (SF) 2.38, Claude Osteen (LA) 2.67, Gary Gentry (NY) 2.83

AL IP's: Pat Dobson (DET) 263.1, Mel Stottlemyre (NY) 262.1, Catfish Hunter (CAL) 257.0
NL IP's: Gaylord Perry (SF) 298.2, Juan Marichal (SF) 266.2, Don Sutton (LA) 259.0

AL K's: J.R. Richard (TEX) 208, Mickey Lolich (DET) 203, Gary Peters (CHI) 199
NL K's: Gaylord Perry (SF) 247, Fergie Jenkins (CHI) 205, 3 tied with 202

AL Complete Games: 4 tied with 7
NL Complete Games: Gaylord Perry (SF) 12, Juan Marichal (SF) 11, Claude Osteen (LA) 9

AL Shutouts: Gary Peters (CHI) 5, Jim Palmer (BAL) 4, Jim Bouton (NY) 4
NL Shutouts: Phil Niekro (ATL) 6, Gaylord Perry (SF) 5, Claude Osteen (LA) 4

AL Appearances: Kent Tekulve (TEX) 82, Steve Bailey (CLE) 81, Don Secrist (MIL) 80
NL Appearances: Jerry Cram (MON) 77, Ed Sprague (NY) 74, Bill Wilson (PHI) 74

AL HR's Allowed: Mickey Lolich (DET) 33, Jerry Koosman (CLE) 29, John Denny (CLE) 29
NL HR's Allowed: Ken Holtzman (CHI) 31, Luis Tiant (CHI) 29, Marco Margues (SD) 29

AL Saves: Sparky Lyle (BOS) 48, Jack Aker (NY) 25, Dennis Higgins (CHI) 24
NL Saves: Tom Dukes (HOU) 25, Gary Wagner (PHI) 25, Pedro Borbon (MON) 23

Up next will be the OffSeason Awards, all the Free Agent activity and any Trade News!

[bigpapi]

1972 Off-Season Awards:

AL Gold Gloves:
P-Mel Stottlemyre (NY) 1st
C-Bill Freehan (DET) 5th
1B-Jack Hiatt (OAK) 1st
2B-Ted Kubiak (OAK) 1st
3B-Ron Santo (KC) 4th
SS-Jerry Davanon (NY) 1st
OF-Paul Blair (BAL) 3rd
OF-Carlos May (CHI) 1st
OF-Jim Howarth (MIL) 1st

AL Rookie of the Year:
Roger Moret (BOS) 19-6 2.83

AL Cy Young:
Gary Peters (CHI) 20-9 3.29

AL MVP:
Bill Melton (CHI) .340 36-140

NL Gold Gloves:
P-Phil Niekro (ATL) 1st
C-Joe Torre (ATL) 4th
1B-Wes Parker (MON) 3rd
2B-Don Money (SD) 1st
3B-Phil Linz (PHI) 1st
SS-Dennis Menke (ATL) 1st
OF-Bobby Brooks (NY) 1st
OF-Keith Lampard (SD) 1st
OF-Curt Flood (STL) 8th

NL Rookie of the Year:
Mike Schmidt (CHI) .257 34-102

NL Cy Young:
Gaylord Perry (SF) 24-4 2.38 (5th in a row)

NL MVP:
Darrell Evans (ATL) .322 52-129

The Free Agent List along with Trade News is upcoming!

[bigpapi]

1972 Free Agent Class (Top 3 at each position)

Catcher:
Gene Tenace .239 25-82 (86)
Joe Ferguson .200 8-49 (83/92)
Bruce Look .296 2-45 (79/80)

Firstbase:
Rod Carew .345 8-75 (93)
Mike Epstein .273 8-33 (83)
Dave McDonald .228 2-20 (77/77)

Secondbase:
Joe Foy .282 11-51 (76/77)
Ted Kubiak .229 2-36 (83)
Remy Hermoso .219 0-6 (79/84)

Thirdbase:
Doug Rader .270 22-90 (92/95)
Jim Ray Hart .281 16-75 (84)
Bobby Etheridge .261 2-40 (72/73)

Shortstop:
Steve Huntz .250 18-58 (88/94)
Darrel Chaney .229 0-11 (77/81)
Bobby Floyd .274 0-14 (79)

Left Field:
Hal McRae .349 14-77 (93)
Dave Robinson .257 12-79 (84/85)
Keith Lampard .311 7-42 (79/80)

Centerfield:
Jimmy Wynn .263 27-99 (94)
Al Oliver .289 20-76 (86)
Willie Mays .289 18-59 (81)
Jim Qualls .252 4-41 (89)
Jose Cardenal .278 9-36 (88)

Right Field:
Jim Northrup .310 30-107 (90)
Tom Paciorek .326 12-89 (88)
Bobby Tolan .349 20-91 (87)
Roberto Clemente .301 14-83 (84)
Rusty Staub .255 10-54 (89)

Starting Pitchers:
Carl Morton 10-13 4.96 (87)
Dick Woodson 5-5 3.81 (86/90)
Wayne Simpson 8-16 4.55 (86/89)
Jonah Stickles 13-6 2.85 (86)
Archie Reynolds 4-4 3.69 (85/86)
Tug McGraw 16-10 4.11 (86)

Relief Pitchers:
Pedro Borbon 4-1 3.53 23 saves (85/86)
Phil Hennigan 2-8 4.21 17 saves (85/86)
Ken Reynolds 2-1 3.41 (85/86)
Dan McGinn 6-5 4.37 15 saves (85/86)
Fred Beene 3-2 2.85 (84)
Tom Dukes 1-5 3.19 25 saves (84/85)


The Sox have made a couple of roster moves during the Winter Meetings this year. First they came to terms with arbitration eligible pitcher Ken Brett on a one year deal worth $40,000. Brett was 0-1 with a 5.30 ERA in 12 games last year, but provides insurance in case of injury.

The second move was a larger one as the 2 year experiment with Denny McClain has come to an end. Boston sent McClain to the Milwaukee Brewers for 23 year old SP Doug Rau and defensive specialist Jose Ortiz. McClain went 38-15 in his 2 full years with the Sox, but was extremely inconsistent, posting ERA's over 4 in both seasons. Rau will start the year in AAA for Boston after going 10-2 with a 2.81 ERA in AA last year and 4-4 5.97 with the big club. Ortiz isn't much of a hitter, although he posted a line of .298/.351/.442 last year to go along with 6 HR's and 42 RBI. Ortiz biggest talent is his glove, and acquiring him will allow Boston to move Don Baylor to 1B and move Reggie Smith to the Designated Hitter position, a newly instituted role in the American League in which each team names one player who will only bat, but will not play the field. This player will bat in place of the pitcher and should provide for increased offense in the AL.

Next will be a recap of the Free Agent period. I will paste the above list, along with the teams they signed with and what they signed for.

[bigpapi]

Catcher:
Gene Tenace .239 25-82 (86) San Diego- 3 years/$309,000
Joe Ferguson .200 8-49 (83/92) San Fransisco- 2 years/$258,000
Bruce Look .296 2-45 (79/80) Chicago (NL)- 4 years/$277,000

Firstbase:
Rod Carew .345 8-75 (93) San Diego- 5 years/$380,000
Mike Epstein .273 8-33 (83) St. Louis- 4 years/$178,000
Dave McDonald .228 2-20 (77/77) New York (NL)- 3 years/$177,000

Secondbase:
Joe Foy .282 11-51 (76/77) Detroit- 4 years/$260,000
Ted Kubiak .229 2-36 (83) San Fransisco- 4 years/$225,000
Remy Hermoso .219 0-6 (79/84) Chicago (AL)- 3 years/$128,000

Thirdbase:
Doug Rader .270 22-90 (92/95) St. Louis- 3 years/$319,000
Jim Ray Hart .281 16-75 (84) New York (AL)- 4 years/$278,000
Bobby Etheridge .261 2-40 (72/73) Philadephia- 3 years/$149,000

Shortstop:
Steve Huntz .250 18-58 (88/94) San Diego- 3 years/$281,000
Darrel Chaney .229 0-11 (77/81) Los Angeles- 2 years/$152,000
Bobby Floyd .274 0-14 (79) Houston- 3 years/$161,000

Left Field:
Hal McRae .349 14-77 (93) Montreal 4 years/$345,000
Dave Robinson .257 12-79 (84/85) Oakland 3 years/$340,000
Keith Lampard .311 7-42 (79/80) San Diego- 3 years/$265,000

Centerfield:
Jimmy Wynn .263 27-99 (94) Texas- 5 years/$390,000
Al Oliver .289 20-76 (86) Cincinnati- 3 years/$316,000
Willie Mays .289 18-59 (81) San Diego- 2 years/$272,000
Jim Qualls .252 4-41 (89) Cleveland- 3 years/$265,000
Jose Cardenal .278 9-36 (88) Kansas City- 5 years/$281,000

Right Field:
Jim Northrup .310 30-107 (90) Detroit- 4 years/$370,000
Tom Paciorek .326 12-89 (88) St. Louis- 3 years/$346,000
Bobby Tolan .349 20-91 (87) Houston- 5 years/$350,000
Roberto Clemente .301 14-83 (84) Philadelphia- 2 years/$280,000
Rusty Staub .255 10-54 (89) Texas- 5 years/$326,000

Starting Pitchers:
Carl Morton 10-13 4.96 (87) California- 3 years/$247,000
Dick Woodson 5-5 3.81 (86/90) Houston- 3 years/$179,000
Wayne Simpson 8-16 4.55 (86/89) New York (AL)- 2 years/$214,000
Jonah Stickles 13-6 2.85 (86) Boston- 2 years/$313,000
Archie Reynolds 4-4 3.69 (85/86) Chicago (AL)- 2 years/$184,000
Tug McGraw 16-10 4.11 (86) New York (AL)- 4 years/$280,000

Relief Pitchers:
Pedro Borbon 4-1 3.53 23 saves (85/86) Chicago (AL) 3 years/$159,000
Phil Hennigan 2-8 4.21 17 saves (85/86) Chicago (NL) 2 years/$166,000
Ken Reynolds 2-1 3.41 (85/86) Philadelphia- 2 years/$159,000
Dan McGinn 6-5 4.37 15 saves (85/86) San Fransisco- 3 years/$153,000
Fred Beene 3-2 2.85 (84) Detroit- 3 years/$257,000
Tom Dukes 1-5 3.19 25 saves (84/85) Texas- 2 years/$120,000

Other Re-Signings:
Luis Tiant- Chicago (NL) 4 years/$259,000
Frank Reberger- Chicago (NL) 3 years/$207,000
Tommy John- Chicago (AL) 5 years/$297,900
Steve Hargan- Cleveland 4 years/$206,000
Bill Freehan- Detroit 5 years/$265,000
Mickey Lolich- Detroit 4 years/$275,000
Pat Dobson- Detroit 5 years/$283,000
Larry Dierker- Houston 4 years/$270,000
Jim McAndrew- Minnesota 3 years/$250,000
Steve Arlin- Montreal 3 years/$200,000
Ed Sprague- New York (NL) 3 years/$227,000
Reggie Jackson- Oakland 5 years/$284,000
Bobby Bonds- San Fransisco 5 years/$360,000
Dick Bosman- San Fransisco 4 years/$243,000
Bob Reynolds- San Fransisco 3 years/$238,000
Jerry Reuss- Texas 3 years/$259,300
Joe Coleman- Texas 4 years/$222,000

Other FA Signees:
Mack Jones- San Fransisco 3 years/$289,000
Cleon Jones- Montreal 5 years/$225,000
Merv Rettenmund- Cleveland 3 years/$275,000
Al Ferrara- San Diego 3 years/$277,000
Derek Pritchard- New York (AL) 2 years/$233,000
Chris Nelson- New York (AL) 2 years/$262,000
Bob Miller- Detroit 3 years/$336,000
Jerry Cram- Los Angeles 2 years/$257,000
Milt Pappas- San Diego 3 years/$262,000
Ron Perranoski- Chicago (AL) 2 years/$161,000
Bill Landis- Chicago (NL) 3 years/$209,000
Juan Pizarro- Pittsburgh 2 years/$225,000
Jay Johnstone- Cincinnati 3 years/$234,000
Ron Woods- Houston 2 years/$255,000

[pipstarr86]

Still reading, still loving it. You know I'm a sucker for career stats, individual records, etc. How are your franchise cornerstones doing? Any MLB milestones lately?

[CatKnight]

bigpapi: First wanted to say that I'm still reading, though I've run quiet for awhile. Congrats on the Series! I grew up loving the 'Sox and you'll soon be entering the period where I was able to start really paying attention. (mid-70s)

Have Dwight Evans, Rice and Lynn appeared on scene yet? Are you thinking about getting them? For me nothing really symbolizes the mid/late 70s Red Sox like that outfield!

[bigpapi]

Pip, here are the cornerstones of my franchise currently, age in parentheses:

Reggie Smith (27)- 923 G, 3788 AB's, 1110 H, 760 Runs, 198 2B, 29 3B, 206 HR's, 603 RBI, 585/530 BB/K, 115 steals .293/.389/.524

Tony Conigliaro (28)- 1059 G, 4182 AB's, 1217 H, 708 Runs, 210 2B, 34 3B, 269 HR's, 777 RBI, 402/793 BB/K, .291/.356/.550

Rico Petrocelli (29)- 1121 G, 4326 AB's, 1239 H, 682 Runs, 216 2B, 14 3B, 213 HR's, 692 RBI, 520/738 BB/K, .286/.363/.491

Don Baylor (23)-483 G, 1880 AB's, 489 H, 83 2B, 7 3B, 114 HR, 355 RBI, 196/253 BB/K, .260/.343/.494

Bill Lee (26)- 75-22 3.14, 1020 IP, 972 H, 453/228 K/BB, 20 CG, 4 SO

Sparky Lyle (28)- 20-14 2.35, 337 IP, 270 H, 240/95 K/BB, 244 saves in 270 chances (All Time Saves Leader)

Dock Ellis (28)- 72-50 3.93, 1023.1 IP, 1050 H, 637/346 K/BB, 15 CG, 4 SO

Cat: Here is the history of that Sox outfield so far in my world:

Dwight Evans- Drafted 1st round by Kansas City Royals in 1969. Traded to Boston along with George Brett in exhcnage for 1B John Mayberry. Hit .354 23-104 at 4 stops last season, including an 0-18 stint in September with the big club. Is currently a (78/96) and will start this year in AAA, but will probably make an appearance during the summer.

Fred Lynn-Drafted first round by Kansas City in 1970. Hit .300 8-32 in 1971 in Rookie ball, and followed that up with .366 10-40 in 1972, also in Rookie Ball. Will start this season in A ball for the Royals, and sits at (66/86) right now.

Jim Rice-Drafted 3rd overall by the Cleveland Indians in 1971. Hit .322 7-33 that year in Rookie Ball, and .341 14-53 last season, also in Rookie Ball. He will start his 3rd season in the Rookie Leagues for the Indians and is currently a (66/93).

[bigpapi]

1973 World Champion Boston Red Sox

Lineup:
DH Reggie Smith (94)
2B Toby Harrah (92/93)
RF Tony Conigliaro (94)
1B Don Baylor (94/96)
3B Rico Petrocelli (91)
C Ted Simmons (88/95)
CF Billy Conigliaro (80/95)
RF Art Shamsky (72/73)
SS Larry Bowa (82)

Bench:
IF Billy Grabarkewitz (82/86)
1B Tony Muser (80/81)
C Jim French (66/67)
IF Gary Sutherland (71/72)
OF Jose Ortiz (77/81)

Rotation:
Dock Ellis (93)
Roger Moret (84/93)
Bill Lee (90)
Jonah Stickles (86)
Ron Guidry (83/93)

Bullpen:
Closer- Sparky Lyle (92)
Setup- Rollie Fingers (88)
Short- Cecil Upshaw (85/86)
Short- Jim York (84/85)
Middle- Gene Garber (80/82)
Long- Reggie Cleveland (84/89)

Leading off the '73 campaign will be 3 on the road against the Royals, followed by 3 in Oakland against the A's. (In lieu of team by team previews, prior to each season series, will give the stats for the main threats for each opponents.)

[bigpapi]

April 1,2,3 at Kansas City Royals (0-0)

April 1-In front of 40,613 fans in KC, Ted Simmons went 2-4 with a HR and 3 RBI and Reggie Smith went 3-6 with 3 RBI as Boston outslugged the Royals 9-6. (1-0)
W-Gene Garber (1-0) L-Steve Rogers (0-1) S-Sparky Lyle (1)

April 2-Toby Harrah went 3-4 with a HR and 4 RBI and Rico Petrocelli went 4-5 with a HR and 4 runs knocked in as Boston beat up on Royal pitching, winning 13-3. (2-0)
W-Roger Moret (1-0) L-Vida Blue (0-1)

April 3-Larry Bowa went 4-5 with 2 RBI, and 3 other Sox drove in a pair as Boston continued the domination of Royal pitching, sweeping the series, winning 12-7. (3-0)
W-Bill Lee (1-0) L-Dave McNally (0-1)

April 4,5,6 at Oakland A's (3-0)

April 4-Tony Conigliaro went 2-4 with 3 RBI, and Ron Guidry allowed 1 earned run over 7 innings as Boston beat the A's 6-5. (4-0)
W-Ron Guidry (1-0) L-Jerry Crider (0-1) S-Sparky Lyle (2)

April 5-Rookie Dwight Evans, up because of an injury to Reggie Smith hit a pinch hit, solo HR around the right field pole in the 8th inning, helping Boston to it's 5th straight win, a 3-2 decision over Oakland. (5-0)
W-Reggie Cleveland (1-0) L-Paul Lindblad (1-1) S-Sparky Lyle (3)

April 6-Rick Monday hit a grand slam, and Reggie Jackson hit a 2 run HR as Oakland avoided the sweep, beating up on Dock Ellis and the Sox 8-3. (5-1)
W-Chuck Dobson (1-0) L-Dock Ellis (0-1)

Around the MLB:
Bob Hansen of the New York Yankees hit for the cycle
Richie Zisk of the San Diego Padres became the 10th player in MLB history to hit 4 homeruns in a game, when he blasted 4 on April 5th against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Zisk also drove in 8 runs in the victory.

Up next for the Sox is 3 games at home against the Chicago White Sox who are currently lead by new acquistion Ellie Hendricks (8-12 1 HR 6 RBI), followed by 3 in Fenway against the Twins who have gotten off to a torrid start lead by Andy Kosco .500 (11-22) 4 HR 11 RBI and Jose Morales, who is trying to replace Rod Carew and has put up a line of .407 (11-27) 1 HR 12 RBI.

[bigpapi]

April 7,8,9 v Chicago White Sox (2-1)

April 7-Toby Harrah went 2-4 with 3 RBI at the top of the order, and Jose Ortiz, batting last, went 2-4 with 2 RBI as Boston beat up on Chicago 10-4. (6-1)
W-Roger Moret (2-0) L-Jim O'Toole (0-1)

April 8-Trailing 3-1 entering the bottom of the 8th inning, Dwight Evans, who went 4-4 drove in the game winning run with an RBI single, after Don Baylor had tied it two batters earlier, helping Boston to a 4-3 win. (7-1)
W-Gene Garber (2-0) L-Pedro Borbon (0-1) S-Sparky Lyle (4)

April 9-A 6 run 3rd, capped by a 3 run HR by Don Baylor, along with 3 other Boston HR's on the day, helped the Red Sox sweep the White, winning 9-5. (8-1)
W-Ron Guidry (2-0) L-Gary Peters (0-2)

April 10,11,12 v Minnesota Twins (9-0)

April 10-Held scoreless for 6 innings, Boston exploded for 3 runs in the 7th and 3 more in the 8th, and Reggie Cleveland pitched 7 innings of 1 run ball as Boston beat Minnesota 6-1. (9-1)
W-Reggie Cleveland (2-0) L-Jim McAndrew (2-1) S-Rollie Fingers (1)

April 11-Herman Hill went 3-5 with 4 RBI, and Andy Kosco hit a solo HR as Dock Ellis struggled for a 3rd straight start, as Minnesota beat Boston 7-5. (9-2)
W-Jim Merritt (2-0) L-Dock Ellis (0-2) S-Tom Hall (1)

April 12-Zoilo Versailles went 2-4 with 2 RBI, and Bobby Bolin pitched 8 2/3 of 1 run ball, striking out 8 helping the Twins take two of three from the Sox, winning 3-1. (9-3)
W-Bobby Bolin (3-0) L-Roger Moret (2-1) Tom Hall (2)

MLB Milestones:
Felipe Alou of the Kansas City Royals drove in his 1000th Run
Joe Morgan of the Houston Astros stole his 300th base
Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles picked up his 2500th hit

Up next for Boston is 3 games in Minnesota against the Twins followed by 3 games at home against the KC Royals.

[bigpapi]

April 16,17,18 at Minnesota Twins (11-1)

April 16-Herman Hill singled in Dan Monzon in the the bottom of the 9th inning off Bill Lee, as Minnesota beat the Sox 5-4. (9-4)
W-Jim Strickland (3-0) L-Bill Lee (1-1)

April 17-Tony Oliva hit a solo HR in the 7th off Ron Guidry to tie the game at one, and in the bottom of the 9th inning, hit an RBI triple, giving the Twins back to back wins in their last at-bat, beating Boston 2-1. (9-5)
W-Jim Merritt (3-0) L-Rollie Fingers (0-1)

April 18-Don Baylor homered and drove in 3 and Rico Petrocelli had 2 RBI as Boston avoided the sweep, beating Minnesota 5-1. (10-5)
W-Reggie Cleveland (3-0) L-Dave Goltz (0-1)

April 19,20,21 v Kansas City Royals (6-9)

April 19-Rico Petrocelli drove in 3 and Don Baylor hit a 2 run HR as Boston beat up on the Royals 10-2. (11-5)
W-Dock Ellis (1-2) L-Wilco Rhodes (1-1)

April 20-Former Sox Ron Santo and John Mayberry each hit 3 run homeruns, as KC put ten runs on Boston in its 10-4 win. (11-6)
W-Steve Rogers (3-2) L-Roger Moret (2-2) S-Matt LaKosh (1)

April 21-Lee Lacy and Tommy Davis each had RBI singles to bring the Royals back from a 3-1 defecit to tie the game at 3, Rico Petrocelli hit a game ending, solo HR with no outs in the bottom of the 9th to give Boston a 4-3 win. (12-6)
W-Sparky Lyle (1-0) L-Greg Shanahan (0-1)

MLB Milestones:
Norm Cash of the Atlanta Braves hit his 400th career HR

MLB Injuries:
Tony Conigliaro of the Boston Red Sox will be gone for the year after tearing a ligament in his right knee. This is just another injury in the career of Tony C., who may never live up to all the hype if he cannot stay healthy. Dwight Evans will stay up with the big club now, at least until Reggie Smith comes back from his injury in about 2 weeks.

2B John Knox (SEA) 4 Months--Broken Hip
1B Gomer Hodge (CLE) 2 months--Broken Wrist


Up next for the Sox is 3 games at home vs the Twins followed by a 3 game set in Fenway against the California Angels.

[bigpapi]

April 22,23,24 v Minnesota Twins (14-4)

April 22-Toby Harrah homered and drove in a pair and Billy Grabarkewitz had 2 hits and 2 RBI as Boston nipped Minnesota 5-4. (13-6)
W-Cecil Upshaw (1-0) L-Ray Corbin (0-1) S-Sparky Lyle (5)

April 23-5 different Twins drove in runs, and in doing so, knocked Dock Ellis out of the starting rotation for at least one turn, as the Twins beat up on Ellis and the Sox 7-4. (13-7)
W-Bobby Bolin (5-0) L-Dock Ellis (1-3) S-Mike Marshall (2)

April 24-Toby Harrah hit a grand slam, his 5th HR of the year, and Art Shamsky finally connected on his 1st of the year as Boston hammered Minnesota 11-2. (14-7)
W-Roger Moret (3-2) L-Dean Chance (1-1)

April 25,26,27 v California Angels (13-8)

April 25-Catfish Hunter pitched a complete game shutout, allowing 5 hits, 3 walks, while striking out 8, and Chris Coletta had an RBI double as the Angels blanked Boston 2-0. (14-8)
W-Catfish Hunter (3-1) L-Bill Lee (1-2)
Note: After the game it was discovered that Lee was pitching with a frayed tendon in his elbow. He will undergo surgery and will miss at least 3 months.

April 26-Ron Guidry pitched 7 shutout innings, and Don Baylor supplied all the offense with a 4th inning two run HR, his 8th of the year as Boston shutout the Angels 2-0. (15-8)
W-Ron Guidry (3-0) L-Andy Messersmith (4-2) S-Sparky Lyle (6)

April 27-Reggie Cleveland pitched his first career complete game, and first career shutout, scattering 9 hits, walking none and striking out 2, as the Red Sox shutout California for a 2nd straight day, this time 5-0. (16-8)
W-Reggie Cleveland (4-0 L-Marcelino Lopez (2-3)

MLB Trade News:
With all the injuries to Boston's offense, the Red Sox have gone back in time to pick up one of the all time great sluggers, reacquiring Rocky Colavito from the Kansas City Royals for minor leaguer Larry Herndon. Colavito had been with the Mets since Boston traded him there in 1969. He hit .240 with 11 HR's and 44 RBI last year in just 196 AB's for the Mets. He was hitting a robust .341 2-9 in 41 AB's in his first year with KC. Herndon hit .426 in just 54 AB in rookie ball last season.

Pittsburgh sends P Steve Blass, C Danny Breeden, 1B Larry Fritz
Oakland sends P Steve Mingori
Mingori is the best talent here, but will the Pirates attempt to resign him at seasons end when his contract expires, or will he leave with nothing in return?

MLB Injury News:
P Bill Lee (BOS) 2 months--Torn Elbow Ligament
P Ron Reed (ATL) 3 months--Elbow Tendonitis
OF Keith Lampard (SD) 3 months--Broken Leg

Ending April and into June for the Sox are 6 more at home, the first three against the Oakland A's, followed by the Texas Rangers and new acquistion Jimmy Wynn and his .360 9-28 line coming to town for 3. End of the month stats and standings are next!