Earl Weaver Baseball League

Philadelphia Quakers: A Look Back Fact Sheet

January 19th, 2009 by Banditos GM

Like the two previous All Star Sites, here is the Philadelphia Fact Sheet.

SEASONS/BROAD HISTORY

- True to their Quaker name and mascot, Philadelphia has been one of the more quiet and under the radar franchises around.  The franchise came together in the late '60's and was owned by the Quaker Society of Pennsylvania as the league's only non-profit organization.  The years that the Quaker Society owned the Quakers were considered the glory years, from the span of 1970-1978.  It was this period of time that the Quakers made the playoffs 5 of their 6 total appearances and won the 1971 World Series.

-  In addition to being a competitive team under the Quaker Society, the Philadelphia Quakers also had the renowned Quaker Field.  The most beautiful baseball stadium in the entire EWB, or for that matter anywhere.  The members of the Quakers (real Quakers not the players), cultivated the infield and outfield to perfection.  There was no finer field anywhere and it was light years ahead of the times and technology of modern field maintenance.  The difference between Philly's field and San Antonio's all dirt IF (until 1976) was staggering.  In addition to the beautiful field, beyond the center field and right field walls were extravagant gardens, flowers, and fountains all maintained on a daily basis.  Beyond left field was a garden of herbs, vegetables, fruits, corn etc.  This was grown in part to feed the players who were kept on a nutritious diet of oats and vegetables.  Once again years ahead of modern nutrition science.

- Unfortunately for Philadelphia, all good things eventually come to an end.  The Quaker Society saw their numbers drop drastically from a confluence of modern day secularism, commerce, technology, and basically the world outgrowing them.  They were no longer able to maintain the club and the stadium and it was sold to the Quaker Oats Company, who felt it was a great opportunity to market their massive food conglomerate.  In 1979 their was a sense of sadness throughout EWB as corporatism once again triumphed over what seemed good and right.

- The Quaker Oats company took a much different approach to running the team.  Payroll was cut, the park amenities slashed and profit became the number one motive.  Philadelphia went into a funk for years, until finally reaching the playoffs last year in 1993.

-  Their 1971 World Series team defeated the Denver Amigos.  Philadelphia won the Colonial Division but had the worst record of the playoff teams, and really was a feel good story.  None of their players was really great, they had a good SP Juan Gallo and Eliot Arrington was their main force on offense.  They were in the upper half of team pitching and team hitting (ranked by R/G) but still not elite.

- After reaching the 1978 playoffs they went into a funk finishing 5th or 4th every year until 1986.  However, their horrible 59-103 1983 allowed them to be in position to draft star, Henry Winman, in 1984.

- The last couple of years it has looked like the Quakers may have a great young team to compete again.  However, injuries and poor player development has shocked the system.

MANAGERS

Billy Martin, 1970-73 - The inaugural Quaker manager couldn't have been a better one than Billy Martin.  Martin recently voted into the Hall of Fame is considered one of the top managers ever, and is well respected by everyone.  Having played and managed in the New York State League, Martin was considered a top managing prospect.  He was drawn to Philly as he wanted an organization that he felt he would have less conflict and tension with ownership and upper management.  What better than to work for Quakers then?  Martin immediately took the team to the playoffs in 1970, rallied them to a World Series in 1971 and then took them to a 2nd consecutive Colonial Pennant and another playoff in 1972.  After a hugely disappointing 1973 season, Martin went on a raging bender and destroyed 33 cornstalks and 10 squash plants in left field.  The Quaker management finally felt that Martin was not a logical choice as he does not quite reflect their values.  Martin was ready to move on as well, he went to Denver after taking a year off.  He rattled off 3 consecutive playoff appearances in Denver.  Martin's history is well known so I won't repeat it.

Ramon Deleon, 1974-1975 - Ramon Deleon was a perfect antidote to the high intensity Martin.  The players felt much more relaxed under their easy going Dominincan manager and he took them to the playoffs in 1974.  Deleon came to Philly after managing the LA Gargoyles and taking them to the playoffs.  Unfortunately in 1975 the Quakers dropped off again and Deleon took the fall.

Vicente Flores, 1976 - Flores was profiled on the Cincinnati Look Back as he was their first coach, taking them to one playoff.  He had a dismal year in Philly in 1976 and was canned immediately after the season.  He went to coach as an assistant and never became a manager again.

Ray James, 1977-1979 - Ray James was brought out of the Northwest League (R) after 2 years experience to head the helm of the Philly team. Many believe that because he was from Zelienople (Pennsylvania) and was rumoured to have a Quaker family background was the reason he was given the job.  James had some success, never guiding the team below a .500 record and making the playoffs in 1978.  Unfortunately when his contract expired the new owners, Quaker Oats Company wanted to go in a new direction.  James got a job in Salt Lake City and the Bluefield.  He is currently deceased.

Chris Guy, 1980-1985 - The corporate Quaker Oats Company wanting to slash payroll, brought in Chris Guy, who prior to taking over the Quakers was a Single A hitting coach with no manager experience at any level.  It showed, the Quakers went on a 5 year slide where they only reached 70+ (74) wins once.  In addition, they suffered their worst season ever, 59-103 in 1983.  Guy was fired in 1985 after attendance dropped so much the the owners had to do something.  Chris Guy got a 2nd chance in NY, for God only knows what reason, but only lasted 2 years.  Since then he's dropped off the face of the earth.

Calvin Allen, 1986-1989 - The somewhat experience minor league manager Calvin Allen took over, and continued to lead Philly to very mediocre records.  Allen had no success before Philly, nor since.  He can be credited a little degree for the organization cultivating the young stars that were soon to come.

Luis Romero, 1990-1992 - Romero was a wily veteran who had been scouting for Philadelphia when he took over the reigns.  Wiley's last managing job was a stint in 1970-71 in the Southern League when he took the 1970 Huntsville team to the Championship.  Romero was unable to do better than 3rd in a tough Colonial Division with Boston and NY.

Armando Ortiz, 1993- Present - Philly, once again, decided to go with veteran experience.  Ortiz won his 1st Championship in 1970 as the manager of the PCL Sacramento Sea Devils.  He won another minor league championship in 1983.  Taking over the 1993 Quakers he showed great promise, taking the Quakers to their first playoffs since 1978!  However, 1994 has been racked with injuries and Philly is struggling.  We'll see, but most have a lot of confidence in Ortiz.

TROPHY ROOM

- The Quakers have 5 Colonial Division Pennants :  1971, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1993

- 2 NL Pennants : 1971 and 1978

- One World Series Trophy : 1971

- The only piece of hardware belongs to Jose Morales who won the 1991 Angel Rosa Award.

HALL OF FAME

-  ******** NO Hall of Famers ever played in Philadelphia.

Memphis Razorback's History: A Fact Sheet

November 4th, 2008 by Banditos GM

MANAGERS

Jose Machado (1970-1978) - Machado is one of the more well known managers of EWB.  In 1970 Machado was appointed to manage the Razorbacks.  Only 35 years old at the time, Machado was one of the youngest managers but very well respected.  Machado had torn his knee so bad as a Catcher in the Ohio Valley Independent League that he could no longer function on the baseball field.  He took his knowledge of the game and calm demeanor to the bench of the Razorbacks.  Machado struggled in Memphis, his best record was in 1975 going 85-77.  After 3 bad years from '76-'78, Memphis let him go.  Memphis was loyal to Machado giving him ample time, finally at their split they also gave him a glowing recommendation to other clubs.  Since his part with Memphis, Machado has been employed as a Manager in EWB every year, including this year, except for '90-'91.  He is now currently the Manager of the Carolina Colonials.

Gabriel Barrios (1979-1982) - Replacing Machado was Gabriel Barrios.  Barrios had an undistinguished minor league managing career in the early '70's and had spent most of the '70's as a hitting coach in the minors.  Barrios had a reputation as a player's manager although his baseball acumen was sometimes challenged.  Barrios kept the chain of mediocrity continuing in Memphis, never winning more than 80 or losing more than 88.  After he was let go by Memphis in 1982, St. Louis hired him.  It was as the Savage's manager that Barrios made a name for himself.  He led the Savages to 3 straight 90+ win seasons and 3 playoff appearances from 1983 to 1985.  He was let go in 1986 and returned to the minors where he coached on and off.  He retired at the end of last year.

Esteban Diaz (1983-1984) - Diaz came to Memphis fresh off managing 3 years in Miami and 2 in Dallas.  Prior to that Diaz had 8 years experience in the minors, winning a Southern League Championship in 1975.  In his first season Diaz took Memphis to a 96-66 record and more importantly, their first Sunbelt Division Pennant.  The next year, with expectations set so high, the team fell back into reality.  The high expectations Diaz created also cost him his job.  Diaz never got another EWB job and headed back to the minors, he won his 2nd Championship in 1988 with the Fort Myers Killers of the Florida State League.

Sparky Anderson (1985-1988) - Memphis knew that they had a talented group of youngsters in their organization, now it was a matter of finding the right manager to cultivate them and create a winner.  They settled on Sparky Anderson.  Prior to 1985 Anderson had managed the pitiful Aztecas and the sorry Cleveland Rockers.  However, in 1983 he took the Rockers to a 90 win season, their best season since the start of the league.  Anderson's reputation grew and by 1985 Memphis was able to lure him away from Cleveland.  Anderson had two mediocre years, but during that time he was able to implement his systems and baseball ideology and garner the respect of the young Razorbacks.  1987 was the year of the Razorback and Anderson was immortalized.  Greener pastures called him in 1989, unable to turn down the large dollars and the allure of a big market team, Sparky Anderson went to Boston where he currently manages.

Domingo Salas (1989-mid 1990) - Salas was appointed to replace Anderson, a near impossible task.  Salas has a reputation among the league as one of the top hitting coaches around.  He spent 1972-1975 managing the NY 5 Points and doing quite bad, never finishing above 4th.  Salas went back to the role he excelled, hitting coach.  In 1989 with the '87 fresh in everyone's mind, the Razorbacks appointed Salas.  Salas was under pressure from the moment he took the job.  Used to the anonymity of hitting coach, Salas developed a confrontational relationship with the Memphis media, which heaped constant criticism on Salas.  Salas still managed to guide the Razorbacks to an 88 win season and a 2nd place finish, however, 1990 saw a 8-24 start and Salas was canned.  Today Salas serves as the hitting coach of the Cincinnati Rebels.

Pete Rose (mid 1990-Present) - It's always better to "be the guy after THE guy."  Rose is a former star in the Great Lakes League and his charisma made his hire an instant hit.  Gritty and hard assed was what he was to bring to Memphis.  Rose has had a tough go so far.  He's had 3 straight last place finishes and is loaded with veterans.  Many think 1993 is do or die for Rose.

MINORS

AAA Syracuse Chimpanzees (IL) - Syracuse is perenially bad, their .467% is the worst in the International League.  They've had 3 playoff appearances and 0 championships over the course of their history.

AA New Hampshire Envoys (EL) - On the other hand, AA affiliate New Hampshire has really been a great franchise.  They have the highest W% in the Eastern League at .523, 12 playoff appearances and 3 Championships.  They made the playoffs every year from 1981 to 1989 and won 3 Championships.  Not surpisingly this run corresponds with Memphis' 1987 success.

A Dunedin Sandtigers (FSL) - They have the 3rd highest W% in the FSL however they have the most Championships (5).  11 playoff appearances and they too have a great streak from 1980-1986.

A Elkhorn Antlers (NEB) - Elvis made sure to secure a Nebraska League spot as well.  The Elkhorn Antlers are one of the better organizations in the league.  They had most of their success in the mid-late '80's.  They have a .521%, 5 playoffs and 3 championships which is tied with several others for most in league history.

SA Auburn Zebras (NYPENN) - 3rd winningest organization in the New York Penn League with a .554%, 9 playoffs, 3 Championships.  From '84 to '89 made the playoffs every year but one.  Won the Championship last year, 1992.

R Pulaski Copperheads (APP) - Extremely mediocre, but not necessarily horrible.  .481%, only 1 playoff appearance ever (1991), and one pennant (1991).  Burlington (R KC) dominates the league.

R Dunedin Tempest (GCL) - 2nd Dunedin affiliate in the organization.  .541%, 7 playoffs, 2 championships.  Most notable is their first to worst years, in 1988 they went 112-50 and in 1989 60-102.  That has to rank up there among most dramatic drop offs.

HALL OF FAME

**** Memphis is not represented by any member of the Hall of Fame.  No HOF member ever played in Memphis.

TROPHY ROOM

1983 Sunbelt Division Pennant
1987 Sunbelt Division Pennant
1987 WORLD SERIES
1972 Angel Rosa Award, Bob Smith - Smith had a great 1972 and then slipped into mediocrity.
1987 MVP, Martin Diaz

MISCELLANEOUS

- Memphis has never had a 20 game winner in its history.  However, they have had two 20 game losers.

- Thomas Richmond is the all time best Razorback pitcher but still had a below .500 record at 174-179.  His 149 CG's ranks 5th All Time.

Re: 1987: The Year of the Razorback

November 3rd, 2008 by Banditos GM

Elvis sure as hell made a lot of waves in the formation of EWB, if you remember in the Cincinnati history post he was a factor in that organization as well.  Living up to his larger than life personality.

1987: The Year of the Razorback

November 2nd, 2008 by Admirals GM

Looking back, 1987 was one of the most remarkable seasons in EWB history.  It's fitting that the World Series that year was won by the Memphis Razorbacks, a truly remarkable team.

 

Back in 1970 when EWB was forming, Memphis was not on anyone's short list to land a franchise.  Rather, the original plan was for there to be a 2nd team in California -- probably San Francisco, although San Diego was also mentioned as a possibility -- and leave the Sunbelt as the 4 team division, giving the Mountain West 5 teams instead.  The problem with this plan was that the old California Baseball League, unlike other regional leagues, was trying to put up a fight.  They refused to bow down to the upstart EWB; they wanted to compete instead.  They had a ton of resources, a huge media market all to themselves, and a storied history -- you'll remember that back in the 1940s, Joe DiMaggio of the San Francisco Seals was the face of baseball.  Anyway, through a series of lawsuits and clever maneuvering involving stadium leases, the California League was able to make things extremely difficult for the Los Angeles Gargoyles franchise, and to completely block a 2nd California team from being added to the EWB.  Now, in the long run the EWB would win this competition: the California League was poorly managed in the early 1970s, and was forced to shut down prior to the 1974 season.  But, their efforts explain why there is no 2nd California team in EWB to this day.

 

Forced to alter their plans at the last minute, EWB was scrambling in late 1969 to figure out where their 30th team was going to play ball the following spring.  Always looking to make a splash in P.R., league executives put in a number of calls to various entertainers and celebrities to see if they would want to head some team of financiers to bring a team to their city.  They landed a coup when on a lark, none other than Elvis Pressley agreed not just to head such a team, but to put all his own money in and buy a franchise outright.  The league wasn't overly thrilled that this would require the franchise to be set up in Memphis, a smallish market, but the publicity which would be attached to having The King as an owner was impossible to resist, and so they gave in.  Looking to get over racial tensions during the tumultuous 1960s, the city of Memphis immediately took to their Razorbacks, and there continues to be an especially close link between these fans and their team.

 

The Razorbacks have made only two playoff appearances in franchise history: 1983 (when they made it to the ALCS) and the 1987 Championship year.  Don't let this fool you, though.  The Razorbacks are a proud franchise, not an Azteca-like laughing stock.  They have generally played around .500 in their history -- except for the last few years (1990-1992), which have been an abomination -- and have a remarkable number of second place finishes.  Specifically, they've finished 2nd 6 separate times, including a 4 year stretch from 1979-1982, and the 1987 season itself, when they got into the playoffs via the Wild Card.  This long run of 2nd place finishes shaped a tragic sensibility in their fan base.  If you were a Razorback supporter at the time, you were convinced that you were doomed to be always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

 

To understand the 1987 Razorbacks, you need to get your mind back into the framework of the 1987 season.  And to do this, you need to get a sense for the ways in which 1987 is continuous with the EWB of today, and the ways in which it's wholly different.  Start with some of the continuities.  For one thing thing, the top 3 batters in the AL that year were faces that are still familiar: at the top was Mike Robinson (then for Portland) at .356, then Luis Carranza at .344, and then Vincent Carter at .343.  The ERA leader list included Carlos Pena, George Banks (just 21, in his first All Star year), Jamie Rees, and Shawn Price.  The NL MVP was Don Kelly while the HR leader was Joe Warren, who socked an EWB record of 62 for Austin (while his teammate Will Lund added another 51 for the last place (!) Marshalls).  The Angel Rosa in the NL went to newcomer Rafeal Valentin, who put up triple-crown-like numbers for Boston; and the Gibson Award winner was Luis Altagracia, who had just signed a free agent deal with St. Louis out of the Mexican League and won the honor without pitching a single game in the minors (he was already 26).  These are all familiar names; 1987 wasn't so long ago.

 

But now, consider the discontinuities.  First, and most significantly, 1987 was the year of the "juiced ball," and offense was way, way up.  The AL league ERA was 4.87, the highest it's ever been.  4 different players reached 50 home runs: Warren with 62, Carlos Perez of Denver with 54, Will Lund with 51, and Michael Long (then with Cleveland) with 50.  Only one starter in the whole AL had an ERA below 3.00 (Carlos Pena), and only 4 had an ERA below 3.60: Pena, George Banks, Shawn Price, and Wolverine Scott Allddritt.  Speaking of Alldritt, this was his Gibson Award winning year for Omaha, going 22-9 with a 3.14 ERA.  There were, though, some worrisome signs in his season: he had a remarkable 17 Complete Games, well more than anyone else in the league, and threw an astonishing 286.1 IP, when no one else had over 260.  So, he worked a lot for a 23-year-old, and it doesn't seem especially surprising in retrospect that he broke down shortly thereafter.

 

In this year of the long ball, two offenses stood out above all others: the Denver Amigos, who averaged 6.4 runs per game and won an EWB-high 103 games, and the Memphis Razorbacks, who averaged 6.2 and made it to the playoffs as a Wild Card.  Here's a run down of the Amigos offensive leaders, together with their stat lines: Vincent Carter .343/30/108 (still slugging away in 1993); Carlos Perez .298/54/154 (now with Carolina, and all washed up); Ben Barnard .327/33/98 (now all washed up and getting paid a ton by Detroit); Len McGinnis .333/21/76 (in just 384 AB, presently an un-signed free agent after spending 1992 with D. C.); Jesus Reyes .326/23/93 (Angel Rosa Award winner in 1987, now with Kansas City and continuing to have success); and Roberto Reyes .291/21/93 (the "quadriplegic" who played sparingly with Washington back in 1990, due to injury problems).  That's a lot of players putting up some gaudy numbers.

 

Memphis was almost as good.  To start off, you had league MVP Martin Diaz patrolling LF and going .314/44/139.  Diaz is a legend in Memphis, a Razorback from his rookie year back in 1982 all the way to today.  Diaz, now 35 (29 back in 1987), is out for all of 1993 with a fractured skull, and there's a lot of discussion among Razorback fans about whether he will be re-signed after the season (at much less than his present $8M price tag) -- their hearts say Yes but their heads say No.

 

If Diaz isn't the greatest Razorback of all time, then that honor must go to second baseman Ivan Quinones.  Quinones was a monster in 1987, going .333/39/139/22 and winning a gold glove, one of 10 in his career, the most all time.  Like Diaz, Quinones was a lifetime Razorback: from his debut in 1976 all the way up to 1992.  Presently sitting out as an un-signed free agent, the best way to get Razorback fans' blood boiling is by even raising the question of whether Quinones deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame once he officially retires.  Of course he does, they'll insist.

 

The Razorbacks had another solid bat in veteran 1B Richie Farrell.  After first making a name for himself with Austin in the early 1980s, Farrell came over to the Razorbacks in a one-sided trade prior to the 1984 season.  In the magical year of 1987, he would his .290/23/75 for the Razorbacks, and give the team a big boost in the playoffs with 5 HR and 18 RBI.  Later in his career, Farrell is known for playing with Kansas City (back in 1990-1991), and then heading over to the Washington Admirals for the end of the 1991 campaign (at which point he retired).

 

At DH, Memphis had the notorious slugger Jose Rodriguez.  Known as much for his strikeouts and low average as for his prolific home runs, Rodriguez batted .245/23/93 in just 469 AB for the team. However, despite being just 26 years of age, 1987 would turn out to be Rodriguez' last productive year, and he never got more than 187 AB a season from then until his retirement just a few months ago (1/1/1993).  Also known for spending time with the Banditos in 1991, Rodriguez never lived up to his extraordinary minor league hype: he hit 74 HR and and 205 RBIs in 1981, in time split between A and AA in the Razorbacks system.  I mean, he had some nice ML years -- 41 HR in 1984, 38 HR in 1985 -- but he never managed to be the second coming of Angel Rosa that fans anticipated.

 

Finally, at SS the Razorbacks had the ever-dependable Kyle Gregg, who went .286/7/63/16.  Ofering substance over style, the Razorbacks loved the gritty Gregg.  To this day, they have a hard time seeing how this could be the same guy who today is living the high life in Detroit, with the 2nd biggest salary in all of baseball.

 

Go back through the Razorbacks' Record Books, and these are the names you'll see.  For instance, the top 4 all time VORP leaders are Diaz, Quinones, Gregg, and Farrell, in that order.  As a franchise, Memphis had the good fortune to have its greatest players in team history all peak around the same time: the mid 1980s.  On the other hand, this largely contributed to the franchise's demise in the early 1990s, as all these players either aged or moved on.

 

On the mound, the 1987 Razorbacks were notable for having probably the worst pitching staff for a World Series winner in EWB history.  Their staff ERA was 5.00, which was high even for the time.  Their nominal ace was Rich Jones, a member of the 1978 Washington Admirals Championship team and a 4th or 5th starter for the Admirals in the early 1980s.  In his first year with Memphis in 1987, Jones posted a 4.08 ERA, which was able to get him a 17-10 record behind the powerful Memphis offense.  No other starter had an ERA below 5.00 (well, that's not quite right: Brandon Hutchins had one of 4.99).  Closing out games, the Razorbacks had Antonio Cruz, still in his prime then (29 years old) but having a comparatively down year (4.09 ERA).  Today, you might know Cruz from his time in the Chicago Samurai bullpen as a set up man.  He had a pretty good career as a closer though with Mempmhis, putting up 387 Saves.  One more notable thing about the Memphis staff: a young rookie named Adam Hamilton made a couple of starts for them during the year, before moving on to Omaha and then Houston.

 

Finally, let's talk playoffs.  It was an interesting field, especially in the AL.  In the Sunbelt Division, Miami won the pennant for the first time in the decade (and what would be the first of 4 straight pennant titles).  The Banditos were filled with very, very young stars with lots of potential: 23-year-old Luis Carranza, 26-year-old Ken Hamilton, 25-year-old Jose Ortiz catching, 21-year-old George Banks, 22-year-old Julio "Punk" Perez, 22-year-old Joe Murphy, and 25-year-old Mauro Medina.  You will rarely ever see a team filled with so much talent in their early and mid 20s.  This made Miami an especially popular team across the country -- think Devil Rays -- and their 96 Wins made them a serious contender.  Not far behind Miami was Memphis, whose 91 wins assured them the Wild Card.  In the Plains Division you had Denver (already described above), whose 103 wins gave them the title by a whopping 24 games over 2nd place Chicago.  (Omaha finished in 3rd at 77-85.)  And finally, in the Mountain West division you had a great 4-way race, where all 4 teams were within 3 games of one another.  After the final day of the season Washington and Las Vegas had identical 85-78 records, and so a one-game play-in game was scheduled, which Washington won.

 

The first round of the AL playoffs were fascinating.  In one series, you had Memphis pitted against Denver, two of the greatest offenses in all of EWB history.  The Razorbacks pulled off the upset, 4-1.  In the other series, you had the youthful, up-and-coming Miami Banditos pitted against the veteran Washington Admirals, who were still being led by 40-year-old Luis Delgado, 38-year-old Forest Thomas, and 33-year-old Brad Robertson.  (At the plate, the Admirals were led by Dave Tyle, Reggie Phillips, George McFarland, and Oliver Cole.)  Age triumphed over youth, and the Admirals took the series in 6 games.

 

.In the ALCS, you had pretty much all of American rooting on the Razorbacks -- everyone was sick of Washington.  Despite falling behind 3 games to 2, Memphis was able to pull of the come back, taking the series in 7.  Memphis, and not Washington, was going to the World Series.  Razorback fans couldn't quite believe it.

 

Once there, the Razorbacks would face the Boston Irish, probably the most talented NL team of the late 1980s.  On their roster they had players like Valentin, Gerald Lewis, and Jordan Tamblyn.  They had a bullpen which included Hall of Famer Mal Collier, Jovan Simic, and Frank "Mounds" Hearn.  Oddsmakers regarded them as the favorites over the Wild Card Razorbacks.  The city of Memphis ended up willing their Razorbacks to the Championship though, and they toppled the Irish in 6 games.

 

In some sense, Memphis has been paying for it ever since.  On the one hand, Memphis seems to be an especially loyal franchise -- as noted above, both Quinones and Diaz have spent their entire careers with the team.  On the other hand, given how good the players on this team were, loyalty was bound to cost money, and it took big contracts to keep Quinones and Diaz.  This made it impossible to keep some of the other key members of the 1987 team, and they eventually had to trade off Richie Farrell and let Kyle Gregg depart via free agency (where, again, he landed an astronomical contract).  After trailing off to 86 wins in 1988 and 88 wins in 1989 -- both years, narrowly failing to miss the playoffs -- the bottom really fell out in 1990, and the Razorbacks could manage just 58 wins against 104 losses.  With their aging nucleus and bloated contracts, things haven't improved much in 1991 or 1992, when they won 69 and 68 games respectively.

 

The Razorbacks have one of the smallest budgets in all of baseball.  Despite having a player payroll of just $25M in 1993, they're still $1.1M over budget.  They should have some money this offseason, as the contract for legend Martin Diaz expires.  But they will need to use their money wisely.  Even if the team isn't playing all that well this year-- they're 28-38 -- the horrible state of the Sunbelt Division leaves them just 4 GB.  Razorback fans will surely take it, given how bleak things had been the last few years.

Cincinnati Rebels: A Look Back

September 5th, 2008 by Banditos GM

Cincinnati Rebels History:

Seasons
-  The Rebels have mostly been mired in mediocrity for their history, however, have made the playoffs five times and 0 World Series.  1971, 1978,1979,1986 and 1989 were they playoff years.  In all 5 years the team was decent but only in 1978 could they lay a legitimate claim to best team in the NL.  In 1978 they won 100 games and dominated the rest of the league.  They were led by Mooney, Rivera and Kim on offense.  And Willie Thomas, Barry Brown and Roberto Valdez in Pitching.  Of note:  In the team leaderboard for wins the pitchers rank 2,3,4 in wins in a season all in 1978.

- Justin discussed the 79,86 and 89 Seasons.  Of interest, the main core of the 1989 playoff team is mostly intact.  With the exception of Emilio Romano.  Church and Dawson were both 1st or 2nd year players in 1989.  Dan Johnson and Steve Johnson form one of the most well recognized double play combos in EWB.  LF Ben Springer started with the Rebels in 1980 and has been a mainstay to this day.  SP Hee Seop-Pak was also part of the rotation in 1989 and today.  This year Cincinnati is playing well and may contend for a wildcard.  These guys want another shot as a more experienced and grizzled core.

MANAGERS
Cincinnati has had 6 managers over the course of their history. 

- Vicente Flores took the helm from 1970-75.  Flores led the pitching heavy, talented 1971 team to the playoffs.  Many thought the team underperformed though.  After 1971 Flores for the most part maintained a level of mediocrity but steadily declining.  Going from 89 wins in 1972 to 72 in his final year in 1976.  After Schott let Flores go he was offered the Philadelphia Quaker job in 1976 and was let go after a dismal 68-94 year.  Flores went on to become a coach with the Houston Black Gold before he retired.

- Joel Daniel managed the Rebels from 1976-1979.  After releasing Flores, Schott wanted to give the team a kick in the ass.  Joel Daniel was a well known name in EWB in the last 3 years he was the manager for the KC Wheat Kings.  Daniel took them to a 92 win season in his first year ever as a manager, 1973, and made the playoffs.  After KC and Daniel parted ways in 1976 Schott hired him to take over the sinking Rebels.  Daniel was a player's manager and did well with the young team.  In 1976 he rallied them to an 84-78 record, a 12 game improvement.  1977 was a disappointment and 1978 was a great year.  After another heartbreaking disappointment in 1979, Daniel resigned to take some time away.  He returned to baseball with the Chicago Samurai in 1983 and coached them to 1989, making the playoffs twice.  Daniel took over the Cleveland Rockers in 1990 and is presently the coach there.  Daniel has struggled greatly in Cleveland, much to the delight of Cincy fans.  Overall Daniel has made the playoffs 4 times, made it to the World Series once in 1986 with Chicago, and has zero championships.

- Tom Kelly managed Cincinnati from 1980 to mid 1985.  After Joel Daniel's resignation the ownership looked to young Tom Kelly to take over.  Tom Kelly was a story in himself.  At age 29 he became one of the youngest professional managers ever, taking over the Rookie League Viera Railcats late into the season.  When that happened Kelly became a news sensation and was hailed as a young baseball manager prodigy.  A reputation that still precedes him to this day, whether it is deserving or not.  Schott immediately took him from Viera straight to the big leagues to Cincy.  Kelly disappointed, not making the playoffs once.  His best year was 1983 when the Rebels won 91 games but finished 3rd.  Kelly was fired midway through the 1985 season after starting out 31-58.  Kelly went from coaching job to coaching job in the majors and minors before he was offered another manager position.  This time with the Chicago Samurai.  Taking over in 1990, Kelly has led the team to two straight playoffs and is once again the prodigy.

- Gary Knight took over in mid 1985-1987.  Schott needed an interim replacement for Kelly.  Knight was a lifetime minor league manager and had managed Cincy's AAA affiliate and A affiliate in the 1970's.  He was at the time managing the Lowell Hussars in the NYP League when shot offered him the interim position.  Knight actually had a winning record the rest of the way in 1985 and was awarded an extension.  In 1986 Knight guided the team to only their 4th playoff appearance and 92 wins.  Knight stayed on board until after the 1987 season when he retired, citing health problems.

- Richard Mathews managed in 1988.  The Knight retirement came as a disappointment to the fans, players and management.  Schott decided to go young this time again, not learning the lessons of Tom Kelly.  Mathews only experience was managing in the minors, but he had quite the record.  Mathews was a legend in the Gulf Coast League, guiding the Kissimmee Glory from 1975 to 1981.  In those years the Glory won first 6 times in a row, won over 100 5 times, and made the playoffs 6 years.  However, no Championships.  After being dumped by an ingrate owner in 1981, Mathews went to rival Fort Myers Steelers and won 119 games in 1982, making the playoffs.  He worked his way up the chain throughout the years as a coach and was offered the Rebel position.  In his sole year he guided the team to a 5th place finish and was let go.  He is currently the Bench Coach for Portland Fog Devils.

- Salvador Villalobos managed the team from 1989 to present.  Villalobos had an uspectacular minor league resume and some experience as a coach in EWB.  He was given the opportunity to manage a young but talented Rebels team in 1989.  Villalobos made the best of it, directing the team to the playoffs.  Since 1989 the Rebels have been around .500 and a non factor.  Now that Romano has left the team has fallen even farther of the national radar.

TROPHY ROOM

- The Rebels have 3 Ohio Valley Division Pennants: 1978, 1986 and 1989. 

-  The 1973 Angel Rosa Award was awarded to Dong-kyoon Kim.  The 23 yr.old 1B had a spectacular year, batting .293/23/110.  Kim followed it up with an even better 1974.  After that he tailed off quite a bit.  Kim continued to have productive years but no where near his first two.  After becoming a Free Agent in 1979, Kim was unable to latch onto to another roster and retired.  Little known fact:  Kim, due to his reknowned crowding of the plate, is one of the top Hit by Pitch batters of all time and by far the top in the Cincinnati Records.

- The 1978 Angel Rosa Award was awarded to Ciro Ciampi.  After a cup of coffee in 1977, Ciampi was brought up to play regularly at the age of 24 in 1978.  Ciampi did not disappoint.  The LF hit .328/16/85.  That was to be Ciampi's only glory.  In the second week of 1978 Ciampi fractured his cheekbone when hit by a pitch.  He was out 7 months.  Ciampi had severe damgage to his sight and never came back the same.  The Rebels gave him opportunities in EWB and AAA but finally they had to be rid of him.  Ciampi was traded to Miami where he made no impact in the EWB but became a solid player for 4 years in Little Rock before he retired at age 29.

- The 1978 Bob Gibson Award was awarded to Willie Thomas.  After Thomas' 1978 season it was never really in doubt, although the playoff game against Philly gave some hesitation.  Thomas had a career year in a Hall of Fame Career, going 23-9 2.92 ERA.  Thomas pitched for 3 Teams but spent the most time and is remembered as a Cincinnati Rebel.

HALL OF FAME
The following Hall of Famers spent time in Cincinnati:

- Willie Thomas: see above.

- Francisco Mendoza.  Mendoza wrapped his career in Cincinnati in 1985 and 1986.  Mendoza was a strong veteran presence for the 1986 Rebel playoff team.  Although his production in Cincinnati was never much, his leadership was never questioned.

- Ramiro Sandoval.  Sandoval began his career in Cincinnati, playing from 1970-73 before moving on to Houston where he spent the rest of his days.  Known as a Black Gold player, Sandoval developed as a Rebel.  In fact his 1972 season may have been his best ever, pitching 244 innings with a 1.95 ERA and a .97 WHIP.

NOTABLE REBELS

- Rick "Cincinnati Kid" Mooney.  Playing from 1970 to 1986, nobody has played more in a Rebel uniform than Mooney.  Mooney is all over the offensive franchise leaderboard.  One interesting stat:  Only 5 times has a Rebel player scored over 100 runs.  The top 4 seasons belong to Mooney, with Chad Church garnering 5th with 101 runs in 1990.  Mooney has 1000 more hits in a Rebel uniform than the following player, Ben Springer.  Mooney is the career HR leader with 231 but will most likely be surpassed by Steve Johnson who has 215.  Mooney won 3 Gold Gloves and attended 4 All Star Games in his career.

- Steve Johnson.  Steve Johnson has been a Rebel since his rookie 1983 season.  Only Robert Guevara may be a more productive 2nd Baseman.  Johnson has flown under the radar of many though, silently deadly.  Johnson has great power for a 2B, and hits for mediocre average, career .254.

- Dan Johnson.  Dan Johnson began his career in Houston in 1982 and played there until coming to Cincy in 1988.  It was then that the tandem of Johnson & Johnson was formed.  One of the top middle infields in the game.  Dan Johnson's 1989 season ties the single season batting average .345 with Rick Mooney and is tops ever in Rebel history for single season VORP at 68.4.  Johnson will make his marks on Cincy record books for several more years, though he is determined to win another pennant.

- Ben Springer.  Cincy has a lot of lifetime Rebels.  Springer is another one.  A LF mainstay since 1980, the 34 year old has had a steady career.  Springer is definitely a contact hitter with little power.  As he ages his production is slowing, it will be interesting to see how much loyalty is afforded to him.

- Enrique Ferreira.  Ferrereira, SP, had some great years as a Rebel from 1970 to 1975.  He shows up quite a bit on the single season records:  posting the lowest ERA in Rebel history, 1.67, top 2 CG records, top in Shutouts, IP and top two in VORP.  When he left Cincy he became a mercenary and his production went down.  However, he was able to win a World Series with the 1976 Colonials, something never accomplished in Cincinnati.

- Cincy pitchers.  The Rebels in general have a strong history of pitchers.  Ferreira, Romano, Willie Thomas, Ramiro Sandoval, Barry Brown, Jonathan Randall, Pepe Salazar, Rafael Navarro.  Their leaderboards are littered with these names.  The Cincy pitching leaderboard would most likely compare well to most any franchise.

MINORS

- AAA Louisville Icecaps.  Like the Rebels have never won a championship and have only 4 playoff appearances.

- AA Chattanooga Hill Cats.  Have a number of 5th place finishes.  Once again only 4 playoffs ever, however One Championship in 1985.  That team had the young 19 year old Emilio Romano on it.

- A Gretna Dragons.  Just like Schott was able to bully her way into the EWB, she was also able to secure a coveted Nebraska League spot.  Gretna has usually been bad.  3 playoff appearances, 0 championships.

- A Sarasota Bisons.  Only 2 times have the Bisons finished above 3rd place. 1971 and 1991 and both years they made the playoffs.  0 Championships.

- R Sarasota Honeybees.  The Honeybees are by far the most successful of the Affiliates.  6 times over 100 wins, 7 playoffs and 4 Florida State League Championships.

- R Billings Dynamite.  Billing has been above average, never horrible.  3 playoffs and 1 Championship.

1978 Rebels

September 5th, 2008 by Admirals GM

The memoir was pretty engaging, one of the best EWB posts of all time, so well worth the time.  Here are a few follow-up notes, just so I do a little of the work as well...

 

Following up on that 1978 team, the 1979 Rebels were pretty good as well, going 87-75 over the 162 game season, 2nd place behind Indianapolis and tied with Boston for the Wildcard.  The difference between the 1978 team and the 1979 version appears to be that just about every Rebel had a slightly worse year in 1979 -- except Mooney, who was better -- leading to a worse overall result.

 

The Rebels didn't make the playoffs again until 1986.  That year, Cincinnati was pretty talented.  They had 3 20+ HR hitters, led by second baseman Steve Johnson, who belted an astonishing 29 dingers in just 86 games!  That projects to 55+ over a full season.  Johnson, who's still one of the best 2B today, tore an abdominal muscle on July 15th, knocking him out for the remainder of the regular season.  His replacement at second, Nick Dickerson, was pretty good as well, hitting 26 home runs in 115 games as a utility man/2B replacement.  Oh, and 40-year-old Rick Mooney was still around, going .275/3/22 primarily in pinch hitting duty.  (Mooney retired after the season.)  On the mound, Cincinnati was led by veterans Rich Jones and Carlos Rubio, and 20-year-old phenom Emilio Romano.  Limited by injuries to just 18 starts, Romano went 10-5 with a 2.26 ERA and an excellent 0.89 WHIP.  Closing out games was Rafael Navarro, presently of the Chicago Samurai, who had 45 saves.  Despite the injuries to Romano, Johnson, and others, Cincinnati ran away with their division: their 92-70 record gave them a 9 game lead over runner up and bitter rivalry Indianapolis.  Come playoff time, though, Cincinnati was outclassed by El Paso and their 23 year old RF, Don Kelly.  In the first round, El Paso topped Cincinnati 4-1, en route to winning their one and only World Championship.

 

After posting sub-.500 years in 1987 and 1988, Cincinnati was back in the playoffs in 1989, winning a play-in game versus bitter rival Indianapolis to capture the Ohio Valley penant.  Let's be clear: the Indianapolis/Cincinnati rivalry is one of the best in baseball.  Admittedly, it's not up there with Washington/Los Angeles, nor does it have the same recent significance as New York/Boston, but it has a certain Midwestern intensity.  For that 1989 team, the offense wasn't anything special, but they were led again by Steve Johnson -- who had an okay year, but subpar for his own standards -- and rookie sensation Chad Church in centerfield.  Church, an All Star at 23, went .307/17/103/37, but was edged for rookie of the year honors by Marv Cartwright -- first baseman of the hated Indianapolis Black Jacks.  Pitching-wise, Rafael Navarro had another solid season as a closer, while Emilio Romano had the best full season of his career, going 19-10 and 3.13, while leading the league in wins.  Romano was among the top starting contenders for the Bob Gibson award, but voters decided to go in a different direction, rewarding closer Frank Mounds Hearn with the honor.  Come playoff time, Cincinnati again didn't last long, losing 4-1 to Boston in the first round.

Rebels 1978: A Memoir

September 4th, 2008 by Banditos GM

Cincinnati Enquirer

June 21, 1992

by Jay O'Donnelly

The All Star Game hype and galantry has been bombarding Cincinnati for days now.  The Ballpark of Cincinnati is being primped and preened for the annual exhibition of Earl Weaver Baseball League's finest.  This is my fifth year as a beat writer and columnist, 8th year working at the Enquirer and 22nd year as a bonafide, die hard Rebel fan.

Some times the grind and pressure of covering and writing about the team everyday can take away from the awe and wonder that one feels as a fan.  With the All Star Game coming to Cincinnati I want to take an opportunity to reminisce about the magical year of 1978, when I was only a 14 year old fan.

The Rebels and EWB were still in their infancy in 1978, only eight years old.  It helps to know the factors that lead up to the 1978 Rebel Season.  Especially that the Rebels were almost the team that never was.  In 1969, when EWB was still in planning, there was only one Ohio team, the despised Cleveland Rockers.  In fact Cincinnati was shut out of a coveted EWB slot.  The sixth team in the Ohio Valley was to be in Nashville, Kentucky led by a conglomerate which included 40% stake by Elvis.  This rankled many Cincinnatians, since many consider it a historical home of baseball and the fact that Cleveland had a franchise fueled the fire. 

When many in Cincinnati were writing letters to the editor and sulking about what could have been, one entrepreneurial spirit started rallying to find a way.  Marge Schott was a well known and somewhat disliked member of Cincinnati's business elite.  Known for being outspoken and misspoken, known for her racist leanings, and but also known as someone not be messed with.  Schott liquidated most of her assets and businesses in order to become a White Knight and rescue the Cincinnati populace from a nihilistic existence without their favourite past time.  Schott raised enough to propose an offer to the Kentucky congomerate which would double their initial investment.  The Kentucky group, including Elvis, was pleased to sell, considering the success of EWB was still highly in doubt.  In December of 1969 Ballpark of Cincinnati was finished and in April the first pitch was tossed.  In honor of Schott's moxy against the EWB brass the team was nicknamed the Rebels.

In 1971 the Rebels won 93 games and made the playoffs.  This would be their only postseason appearance until 1978.  In the 1970's Cincinnati was very mediocre, of course this didn't stop the fans from piling in.  Cincinnati populace love their baseball and chili.  Growing up a Rebel fan from the infancy of the organization I collected all their baseball cards, listened to their radio broadcasts, and savoured the few Saturday afternoons when they were broadcast on NBC's Game of the Week.  It was usually a game against rival Cleveland.  I remember getting the Rick "Cincinnati Kid" Mooney uniform on Christmas morning on my tenth birthday.  The following summer I wore my #16 uniform every day, literally!  Family trips to Ballpark of Cincinnati were a delight, it was a tradition to get some Cincinnati Rebel Chili every time we went, even in the searing dog days of August.

1978 was a watershed year in many respects for me.  I was now 14 about to enter high school, things were changing.  It was the year of Ted Bundy, The Hillside Strangler, Israel invading Lebanon, and the peak of Jimmy Carter's presidency.  The Soviets were evil and bomb drills were still held regularly.  Throughout all the changes in my pubescent life and in world affairs there was still one constant, EWB Baseball and the Cincy Rebs.

1977 was a bad year for Cincy.  In 1976 new manager Joel Daniel had turned around the 5th place club of 1975 into a winner, going 84-78 and claiming 3rd in the Ohio Valley.  1977 was a let down going 71-91.  Daniel was on the ropes as Schott was known for meddling quite often in the affairs of the team.  There were also several question marks.  Cincy acquired young catcher Pedro Rivera who was high on promise but short on production.  Dong-kyoon Kim, a lifetime Rebel, was to return at 1B after a horrible year in '77.  Old standy by Rick "Cincinnati Kid' Mooney was the only constant.  Mooney to this day owns most of the franchise records and was the face of the organization.

Star pitcher Willie Thomas was trying to recover from an injury plagued '77 where he went 13-11, 3.34.  SP Barry Brown was brought in from San Antonio to fill a much needed #2 role.  Finally, CL Pepe Salazar also was questionable.  After several excellent years as the Rebel closer Salazar was trying to recover from a 4.26 ERA in 1977.

Many outside of Cincinnati considered the Rebels an afterthought and who was to blame them.  The Washington Admirals were America's team, winning 3 of the last 4 World Series.  Within the Ohio Valley Division, the Blackjacks, Crusaders and Savages were dominating year in and out.  Only the firm, or fanatical, Rebel fans saw a chance.  "Mooney was done for," they'd whisper, "his legs are shot."  "You think ol' Willie Thomas can pitch?  Maybe, but him and who else?  Brown's a bum."  These were the conversations floating through my classrooms in March, and I assume in the Cincinnati taverns too.

I never doubted the Rebels and Mooney.  What 14 year old fan does?  This was the year, I would proclaim loudly to anyone who would listen.  What began as unabashed faith started to become reality.  The Rebels shot out of the gate in April and never looked back.  Sure, Indianapolis was playing well and trying to parry with the powerful Rebels.  In fact the Blackjacks were the only true threat to the Rebels that year in the whole NL.  Cincinnati kept chugging though, with the powerful 1-2-3 combo of Thomas, Brown and Valdez in the rotation.  All 3 won 20 games or more.  Both Thomas and Brown made the All Star team.

Thomas finished 23-9, 2.92 and 207 K's.  Brown finished 21-8 3.02 and Valdez 20-8 3.42.  Ace Closer Salazar had a career year with 41 saves and a 1.43 ERA.  On the offensive side Mooney was Mooney and had a good year .277/10/73.  Kim recovered from his poor 1977 going .279/12/105.  Pedro Rivera the 25 year old catcher coming from the Iron Horses finally broke out going .292/6/57.

The Rebels finish 100-62 the best record in the AL and only surpassed by the 113 win Admirals.  This was the year!  Who was going to stop a front 3 like Thomas, Brown and Valdez?  Indianapolis?  The Blackjacks finished 2nd going 92-70 to claim the Wildcard.  Philadelphia won the Colonial going 87-75 and El Paso won the weak Texas Division beatin Houston in a play in game and finishing 82-81.

Cincinnati was to host El Paso in the first round.  In those days the EWB playoffs were almost always day games.  My first month of high school was racked with anxiety, baseball anxiety that is.  The Rebels played tough and defeated the Iron Horses 4-2.  Better yet, Philly somehow managed to knock off the strongest threat to a Rebel AL pennant by beating Indianapolis in 7 games.  It was ours for the taking.

With the off days the Rebel rotation was set to go 1-2-3 with the Three Aces.  They did not let us down.  Cincinnati won the first 3 games handily, Philadelphia was on the ropes.  The Quakers were finished for!  They had no stars, no offense and no pitching.  Ron Day was the only player on the team that qualified as notable.  Their top starter had won only 17 games.  They had burnt through their best pitchers and now down 0-3 were floundering.

The next game in Philly we lost 4-2.  Perhaps it was a weak moment, the team looked off.  Mental errors occured, they looked lackadaisical.  They looked like it was already in the bag and the game was a formality.  Even Rick Mooney appeared more ready to pop champagne bottles than to catch a pop up.

Game 5 was abominable.  Philly, playing with a nothing to lose, hard nosed style destroyed the Rebels 18-4.  Panic crept into the hearts of all Cincinnati fans.  Manager Joel Daniel kept the players from the media and reassured everyone that they will wrap up the series.  Thomas was to start Game 6.  He would have the team ready mentally.  This team is too good to fold now he kept comforting us.  His words were what we wanted to hear.  This team was too good to lose.

Thomas started.  Thomas crumbled.  After giving up four runs in the 3rd, Thomas left the game complaining of a sore wrist.  Was this an excuse to get off the mound?  Could he not handle the pressure?  Our hero, the main candidate for the 1978 Bob Gibson Award leaving the mound when we needed him the most?  Mooney, to his credit, played on and hard.  Rallying the Rebs back to within one with his 3 run HR blast to CF.  I still had one hero to count on.  In the 9th the Quakers brought on Eric "E" Gibson, one of the most dominating AL closers of 1978.  Gibson was sporting a 1.76 ERA with 39 saves that year and had a slider that was nearly unhittable.  My heart bounced with every inflection in Rebel play by play man Al Michael's voice.  Finally Michael's shrugged, "...and he struck him out..."  Gibson had struck out the side, ending Game 6.

This was too much to take.  I could not attend school the next day, there was no way.  Somehow I knew that if I could cheer on my beloved Reds on TV I could coax them to victory.  This Philadelphia team was nothing, they were not worthy.

Game 7 arrived in Cincinnati.  The heart and soul of the city was at Ballpark of Cincinnati that day.  The city literally shut down.  I was not the only kid in high school to miss that day, apparently over 2/3 of the high school had a touch of the flu.  I invited my friends over to watch the game with my family.  The Rebels and Quakers kept it close all game, finally in the 8th Kim hit a 2 out double to drive in a run and take the lead by one.  Quakers got out of the inning and we went to the bottom of the ninth.  CL Pepe Salazar was brought into the game to close it out.  I felt it, 3 outs from the AL Pennant and a trip to the World Series, nothing could stop us.  Salazar quickly retired the first two batters before walking Raul Acosta.  Oh No, big mistake!  Acosta was a baserunning fiend, stealing 52 for the Quakers.  Of course Joel Daniel had to know that and be prepared.  The problem is the Rebs were too prepared.  The nervous young C Rivera was so ready for Acosta to steal that once Acosta jumped Rivera bobbled the pitch and made no throw.  Shit!  I yelled as my dad glared at the TV, apparently so pissed himself that he felt that he forgot to reprimand my epithet.

Now Salazar had Acosta at 2nd and the most dangerous Philly hitter up, Ron Day.  Joel Daniel decided to walk Day and put him on 1st and face Jimmy Clear instead.  This is a decision that still is avidly discussed this day.  In my favourite local pub, Leroy's, you can find Artie and Lenny argue every night after they get 3 shots of Jim Beam in them.  Jimmy Clear was no slouch, he hit .311 in '78 but had significantly less power than Day, only hitting 5 HR's.  Salazar and Clear battled to a 2-2 count when SMACK I heard the ball hit the bat as vividly as if I were there.  Clear had sent a shot back into center where Rick Mooney was chasing it down on a mission.  Mooney's excellent defense and Gold Gloves assured me he would get to it and in a snap second Mooney dove laying his body out like a hawk diving for prey.  The ball careened on the outside of his closing, coned glove....in and out.....FUCK.  With Mooney laid out in deep CF the ball kept going, the LF and RF racing towards it... Acosta scored, Day rounding third heading home.....the throw.......SAFE!

That game ended the most wonderful, magical baseball season ever for me.  Philly went on to lose the World Series to the Washington Admirals.  The Cincinnati Rebels went on to mediocrity, not reaching the playoffs again until 1986.  Joel Daniel eventually left the Rebels in 1979 and is now managing the hated Rockers.  Willie Thomas is in the Hall of Fame, a Rebel Legend.

Rick "Cincinnati Kid" Mooney, my hero, finished out a great career.  Mooney after missing that catch got up, walked to the clubhouse, addressed the press and stated  "I gave it my all, I came up short, I will return."  Mooney was my hero before the game in a juvenile admiration fashion, after that game, after his worst career moment, he became a hero in a different way.  I respected his dedication to his profession and his love for the game.  Mooney became an inspiration to how I want to work and live.  That season, 1978, is what inspired me to become a sports writer.  I made it my goal to watch the Rebels for a living and relate what I see and feel to my audience.

With the All Star Game coming, the Cincinnati Rebel fans should reflect on the history and impact this franchise has made.  My memories of the 1978 season is one part of this collective celebration of The Cincinnati Rebels.  GO REBS!!!