“More Than Just A Lark” - 1974 CFL for SOM Football

1974 CFL for SOM FB

“More than just a Lark” 1974 CFL for SOM FB

Pdf of 1974_CFL Cards

Ejections_Chart for Game Misconduct Fouls (CFL Specific)

Fumble returns, Int returns, Rouges

1974CFL-Counters-Colour-LeafOutline.pdf

1974CFL-Counters-B-W-LeafOutline.pdf

SOM PRO FOOTBALL LINKS

1981 CFL Retro Cards

Modern Format CFL Cards for SOM Football

The years 1967 to 1977 were a heyday for Eastern Canadian Professional football.  During this period, the CFL’s Eastern teams won 9 out of 11 Grey Cups, with Ottawa (4 wins) and Montreal (three wins) pacing the way.  Hamilton won two, and Toronto fans were in the middle of a very tough stretch for the Argos. The team went from 1952 to 1983 without a Grey Cup win.  

In a lot of that stretch the determining factor was the Conference’s personnel.  Montreal and Ottawa had fine defences; defences travel well in the CFL in October and November.  Montreal had a fine trio on offense in FB Steve Ferrughelli, QB Jimmy Jones, and swing man Johnny Rodgers, and they were dominant enough to win the East in both 1974 and 1975.  Once in the Grey Cup back up QB Sonny Wade would don a cape and carry the team to a win in 1974 and he nearly repeated the effort in 1975. In all Montreal made it to six Grey Cups in the Seventies, but cracks were showing in ownership financing. By 1982 the team would fold and re-emerge as the Montreal Concordes under new ownership.  

Ottawa was annually led by their defence, the Capital Punishers. and QBs Russ Jackson (in the Sixties) and Jerry Keeling (in the Seventies.). This 1974 version of the Rough Riders had Rhome Nixon as their premier receiver; later they would pick up TE Tony Gabriel from Hamilton for their 1976 Title run. Change was afoot in 1974 in Hamilton as they traded their young star signal caller, Chuck Ealey.  Ealey had won the 1972 Grey Cup. In return they received Don Jonas, a more polished downfield thrower but a player with not much left in the tank.  However, Hamilton picked up a brilliant Hall of Famer in former Notre Dame QB Tom Clements in 1975. 

The East had the cachet and played tough during this period.  Here in the US, you could catch their games on CBC, and they were very entertaining. The Canadians ran the ball about half the time and offered a wide open passing game to boot; they also relied on exciting kicking and return games. 

Montreal (9-5-2)

The Alouettes were the class of the East, with a deep and talented lineup including runners Ferrughelli and Jones and The Everyday Superstar, former Husker Johnny Rodgers.  Their real edge this year was a nasty defence that contested every run even on short yardage, which is tougher in Canada because the defensive line there lines up a yard back of the line of scrimmage. All- Canada defenders LB Mike Widger and DB Dickie Harris led a deep and talented lineup that allowed the lest yards and tied Ottawa for second least points allowed in the 1974 CFL. 

Johnny Rodgers

Finishing 9-5-2, Montreal earned the home field for the Eastern Conference Finals where they bludgeoned the Rough Riders 14-4.  The 62nd Grey Cup was played in a wet and cold Empire Stadium in Vancouver, and the defence knocked the Eskimo’s MOP quarterback, Tom Wilkerson out of the game with the score tied at 7-7, and from there the ALs ground out a 20-7 win for the championship behind Ferrughelli and the clutch quarterbacking of Sonny Wade.  

Play well in the Grey Cup and you get one of these. 

Ottawa (7-9)

The defending 1973 Grey Cup champs still had the great defense, but injuries to starting QB Jerry Keeling and FB Jim Evenson and an off year for backup QB Rick Cassata doomed the offense.  Cassata threw for only 1254 yards, roughly half of his 1972 output; after the season he left for Hawaii of the World Football League.  Ottawa scored only sixteen points per game and only receiver Rhome Nixon (54 catches, 950 yards) had a great year among the skill position players. Ottawa moved several players in and out at fullback alongside emerging HB Art Green, who gained almost 1200 yards combined from scrimmage, but the Rough Riders still ranked down near Calgary in rushing prowess. 

The defense, however, had All-Canadian performances at every level, with defensive lineman Wayne Smith, linebacker Jerry Campbell, and defensive backs Al Marcelin and Dick Adams leading  the team to a 7-9 season.  That ledger record was good enough for a third place finish in the East.  The Riders then engineered a surprise 21-19 Semi-Final win over Hamilton on the road at Ivor-Wynne Stadium before dropping the Eastern Final to the Alouettes at Montreal’s Autostade in a hard-fought 14-4 rematch of the regular season’s final series. 

Hamilton (7-9)

Hamilton did something unusual for a team contending for a playoff berth- they traded their young quarterback, Chuck Ealey to Winnipeg for another, older starter, Don Jonas. Ealey famously is one of the two undefeated QBs in college football history, leading Toledo to 35 consecutive victories and three straight Tangerine Bowl wins.  He was the CFL’s first Black QB starter and he led the Tiger-Cats to the 1972 Grey Cup, ending with a 13-10 win over  Saskatchewan.  But the word was out on Ealey’s playing tendencies, especially his tendency to hold the ball and look for big plays on the ground.  By 1974 teams had adjusted to playing against him.  So Hamilton moved him in the prime of his career for the 33 year-old Jonas, who had thrown for 4,000 yards as recently as 1971, the year he was the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player.  

The trade seemed to work; after a 2-4 start the team had won 4 in a row to stand at 6-4 and fully in contention. After a close loss to Edmonton, though, the wheels came off; the team lost five in a row to set up a last game showdown with the rival Argonauts for an Eastern playoff spot. This match they did win, 26-24, but Ottawa ended the run 21-19 the next week in Hamilton and Jonas left the team afterward to join CBC as a CFL broadcaster in the offseason.  Fullback Andy Hopkins stood out as an Eastern All Star with 943 rushing yards, and TE Tony Gabriel made All-Canada tying for second in catches with 61 and 795 yards receiving. 

Toronto 6-9-1

The Argos lost seven of their first ten, and while they improved down the stretch they missed the post season again. But this was nothing new during this era.  The 1970s were a notoriously difficult decade for the Toronto Argonauts, often referred to as a "lean decade" for the franchise. Despite high attendance in the latter part of the decade, the team missed the playoffs in five of the seven years from 1972 through 1978.  Future Raider Mike Rae produced 2501 passing yards and 15 major scores, and Ed Shuttlesworth and Doyle Orange tag teamed as competent  runners, but Toronto only mustered 281 points. Former Ohio State lineman Jim Stillwagon held down the fort up front but the Argonauts were undermanned on defence, too. Kicker Zenon Andruzyshyn produced 134 points on 32 FGs and 23 booming singles, though. 

Edmonton 10-5-1

The Eskimos were on the verge of breaking out into one of the CFL’s great dynasties.  Led by MOP Tom Wilkinson, the Edmonton offence scored the most points in the 1974 CFL (345) while their defence allowed the fewest (247).  New signee Ronnie Estay anchored a fearsome pass rush that led the CFL in tackles for a loss, and two way player Larry Highbaugh made the All Canada team as a cornerback and part-time receiver. Halfback Roy Bell tallied over 1300 yards and running mate Calvin Harrell had ten major scores, leading the league with nine on the ground. Bookend offensive tackle All Stars in Charlie Turner and Larry Watkins, and Dave Cutler at kicker rounded out a tremendous supporting cast. 

Tom Wilkinson, 1974 CFL MOP

If the team had a weakness it was Wilkinson’s health.  While the Edmonton backup QB, Bruce Lemmerman, was a decent player he could not match Wilkinson’s efficiency (66 pct completions) or ball security (2.7 pct interceptions).  Really, no one in the 1974 CFL could, but when it mattered and both men faced each other in the Grey Cup Montreal backup Sonny Wade came close enough in a 20-7 win. But the next year Edmonton would have their revenge, winning the Grey Cup rematch by a mere point, 9-8 in the championship game in Calgary.

Saskatchewan (9-7)

The “Ronnie and George” show was still potent but coming to a close, as FB George Reed would retire at the end of the next year.  The Little General, Rider HOF QB Ron Lancaster, of course was still going strong.  But from 1963 to 1975 these two franchise foundational players (and best friends) would set a very high standard for the Roughriders.  They still had enough in the tank to lead the league in rushing (Reed, 1447 yards) and touchdown passes (Lancaster, 20).  Lancaster added 2873 yards through the air, and Saskatchewan led the CFL in total offence, with 359 yards per game. 

The Little General

Their defense was also pretty solid, holding opponents in the wide open West to 289 points, or 18 points per game. So how did this team win only nine games?  After starting 3-1, they went through a stretch where they won only two of eight, and only a closing run of three wins against BC and Montreal saved their season. New coach John Payne saw Lancaster’s age, 35 and he sought to find a replacement, and he was enamored with an off-season new signing, ex- Cleveland Browns QB Randy Mattingly (Don’s brother.). During the middle of the season Payne sought to give Mattingly game experience whenever Lancaster struggled and in blowouts, a situation that did not sit well with the veteran. Once they returned Lancaster to the helm full time he engineered a Roughriders run all the way to the Western Finals, where, after beating BC in Regina in the West Semis they dropped a tough 31-27 loss in Edmonton. 

In 1974 Mattingly threw 4 TDs and 6 ints in limited work, was later traded to Hamilton and left the CFL inside two years. Meanwhile Lancaster played until he was forty.

BC (8-8)

For two thirds of the season the Lions looked like genuine contenders, with a pair of thousand yard rushers in FB Lou Harris and HB Monroe Eley, a solid helmsman in former Michigan QB Don Moorehead, and an excellent receiver in slot back Jim Young. The dual achievement by Harris and Eley was a first in CFL history, and it helped lead them to an 8-4 start and a shot at a Western regular season title. But Moorehead suffered injuries to his throwing hand and knee, and neither reserve QB Karl Douglas nor trade acquisition Pete Liske could move the team in ensuing weeks.  As Moorehead missed time, the team lost its last four to finish at only 8-8.  The losses forced the Lions to travel to Regina for their first game in the playoffs, where they had not won since 1965.  (Some things never change!) Saskatchewan ended BC’s season unceremoniously in the Western Semifinals 24-14. 

Chuck Ealey

Winnipeg (8-8)

Chuck Ealey came over from the Tiger Cats and he engineered a Blue Bomber 4-3 closing stretch to just miss the post-season on tie breakers with BC.  The Winnipeg defence allowed the most points in the CFL but they still won games on blocked kicks and returns.  (Some things never change!). Tom Scott made the Western All Star team with his runs and clutch catches and the team posted a top rushing season on big plays from an ensemble cast. FB John Bledsoe, HB Jim Washington and FB Dave Buchanan tallied over 1500 rushing yards and the combination of Scott and Ealey added 500 more. But three losses to open the season doomed the team before the Ealy trade. 

Back when Brock was known as “Ralph”

Calgary 6-10

As in past years the Stampeders used a ball control passing attack with Pete Liske as the trigger man; with Receivers Rudy Linterman and second year man Tom Forzani manning the passing lanes. But for the second straight year the team also featured an anemic rushing attack.  The Stamps finished with the same record as in 1973, 6-10, and in the deep cellar of the Western Conference. 

Pete Liske was a fixture in Calgary until he was traded in 1974

“The Twilight of the Gods” the 1964 AL for Statis-Pro Baseball

 

Mickey Mantle connects during the 1964 WS

“The Twilight of the Gods” the 1964 AL for Statis-Pro Baseball 

Other Links to Statis-Pro Baseball content

1964 American League cards as a pdf

The Premise of Merely Good Pennant Races

For this set I’ve changed tack- I love my 1964 NL and 1967 AL cards from the Avalon Hill Great Pennant Races Game so much that I’ve decided to make my own companion mirror leagues, in this case the 1964 American League. The hook is I am making these in the exact same style Jim Barnes did, the same quantitation.  I’m using the same way he did pitcher’s cards, base running and clutch defense, and in particular the same way he hand adjusted batting cards after creation to match batting average, on base percentage, and slugging average after they were initially created. He also grouped fielding ratings in a way to save card space, and I’ve kept that format, too. 

What I found replaying the 1967 American League from Great Pennant races is while this style is not as accurate as the 1980s pitcher cards style for stronger offensive seasons, it works very very well for leagues with lower than average total offense. The 1964 American League has an ERA of 3.63, which is lower than the AL 4.08 ERA average from 1960-2025.  Teams averaged only 4.1 runs per game, about the same as the 1964 National League and just higher than the 1967 American League. The teams are perfect for this style of Statis-Pro carding. 

The Best Use of Technology

How did I mimic Jim Barnes? I built a database from his prior work, 1961, 1977 and Great Pennant Races and allowed AI to crack how the actual cards were created. (It’s probably the best use of technology I’ve made this year, other than messing with my dog.)  The “tongue in cheek” term a Statis-Pro playing friend coined for this methodology is “Merely Good Pennant Races”.  I liked this, and so this is the the term I will use for teams carded to match this “old school” design approach. 

The downside is the same as it was when I did this kind of stuff when I was young- they are time-consuming handmade layouts that are different from my other, automated, spreadsheet based teamsets. Making the cards by hand took forever, weeks for just ten teams. But the product is fantastic. I ran the numbers and this set is going to work very well:  

analysis-picture.JPG

TL; DR - they’re low by less than two percent. 

Two Leagues Of Their Own

Not only that but this new league is designed to work in concert with the 1964 National League. It’s as if that set, and mine, were made at the same time. 

A few unique elements:

*Similar to Barnes I created the base teams to be ten pitchers and 14, 15 or 16 batters all from just the stats with the teams themselves. He did not place the player with the last team they were on or use their complete seasonal stats the way later Avalon-Hill sets would (or they do in SOM).  This is why teams almost immediately tend to play the way they should early in his simulations.  

*I did include, on the last pitching sheet and after Ron Kline of Washington eight fringe pitchers.  These could be characterized as spot starters or failed closers but in some cases they did have significant innings or meaningful effect on their teams. They tend to strike out or walk a lot of batters and so their inclusion is optional, at the replayers discretion. 

Note that Pedro Ramos is originally carded with the Cleveland Indians as a journeyman starter, but I made a special card for just his stats as a Yankee after a season-ending trade (13 appearances, 8 saves).  This is highly irregular - but Barnes might have done it.  

Some replayers might want to use him down the stretch and also use him against the Cardinals or another NL team in a what-if World Series scenario.  Ramos was acquired a few days after the 1964 post-season deadline and was thus ineligible for World Series  play. Steve Hamilton, though, who is in the fringe group for the Yankees made the World Series roster and pitched against St Louis.  Frank Bertaina of Baltimore and George Brunet of the Angels filled in during a doubleheader stretches for their respective teams. Ted Abernathy lost his top slot in the Indians’ bullpen when Cleveland purchased Don McMahon as a closer for the 1964 season, but he still picked up eight decisions and 11 saves. 

Introducing The 1964 American League 

(A Merely Good Pennant Race)

New York Yankees (99-63) 

The Twilight of The Gods

After the fact and the final World Series outcome, where NY lost to St. Louis in seven games, people have dismissed the 1964 Yankees and what they accomplished as an aging roster with a rookie manager (Yogi Berra) who was in over his head. The Yankee hierarchy, after all, was looking to replace Berra even before the series started. But this analysis emphasizes The Harmonica Incident and ignores the fact that they somehow won 30 of their last 41 games to win the pennant by a game on the season’s final day over the White Sox. They had to be doing a lot right to do that, even in a splintered clubhouse. 

And if you look at the Yankees lineup they scored the second most runs in the league while getting production from only positions 3 through 7 in the lineup: Roger Maris, who had an excellent all-around year, Mickey Mantle, who had his last great year, batted .300, drove in 100 runs with 35 home runs and finished second in MVP balloting, Tom Tresh, Elston Howard, who lead the team at .313 in batting average, and finally Joe Pepitone, who hit 28 home runs and drove in 100 runs.  Tony Kubek (first), Bobby Richardson (second) and Clete Boyer (eight) were stellar glove men who did not hit for much power or get on base well, and of course there’s the pitchers batting ninth.  The 1964 AL is a tough offensive season, but I’m hard pressed to remember any team I’ve carded who won 99 games and finished near the top of the league in scoring with only five functioning positions in the batting order, although maybe the 1978 Red Sox come close. It’s a testament to the skills of the M and M boys, who carry this team by both setting up the men later in the lineup and consistently cashing in the meager efforts of the players at the top. 

Maris would injure his wrist in 1965 and lose his power, while Mantle declined with age and became a first baseman.  Both finished up their great careers in 1968.  

Where New York gets help is from their bench. They have four useful players there who really pitch in- infielder Phil Linz who took over for the injured Kubek and actually got on base as the new leadoff man, Pedro Gonzalez, a useful utility man with a glove, Hector López in the outfield, and Johnny Blanchard as the reserve catcher, outfielder and first baseman as well as pinch hitter. These men are all useful with the wand in positions of need, and they add in some very useful at bats for coach Berra in almost every appearance. 

Yankee pitching is somewhat similar - they get 48 starts and a combined 26-9 record from Whitey Ford and newcomer Mel Stottlemeyer pitching at the “ace” level of 2-8.  That is 17 of their 36 games over .500; add in Jim Bouton’s 5 over at 18-15 and some help from relievers Pete Mikkleson, Steve Hamilton and Hal Reniff and you have some excellent pitchers. The Yankees are the one team without a third line 2-5 type hurler, even the mighy White Sox have Frank Baumann. The Yanks have second like pitchers like Rollie Sheldon and Ralph Terry and an emerging star in Al Downing, who led the AL in strikeouts with 217, but it’s Ford and Stottlemeyer who hold up a staff that lacks its usual depth in starting pitching. 

Mel Stottlemyre won 2 games in the 64 WS

Still 99 wins and losing to Bob Gibson in the World Series after such a tough season- they had trailed Chicago by 5.5 games going into September- is nothing to be ashamed of. I think Berra did a great job, and he fell short of another Bronx Championship by only three runs. The Yankees fell to the second division in 1965 and would not win another pennant until the Munson / Chambliss / Catfish Hunter team of 1976. They had appeared in 15 World Series and won ten Championships in the eighteen years between 1947 and 1964.

Chicago White Sox (98-64)

Go-Go and No-No

Speaking of starting pitching- the White Sox were dead last in home runs and extra base hits and seventh in batting average but still won 98 games due to their rotation of Gary Peters (20-8), Juan Pizarro (19-9), Joe Horlen (13-9), and John Buzhardt (10-8) all 2-7 or better, with Horlen second in the American League at 1.88 for good measure. Add in an unhittable bullpen combination of Eddie Fisher and Hoyt Wilhelm and Chicago boasts a Who’s Who of the best pitchers in baseball. The White Sox tallied a team ERA of 2.72 and led all of baseball in pitching, allowing only 3.1 ins per game.  

Joe Horlen and Gary Peters

Their lineup features a very solid Ron Hansen at short, Floyd Robinson (the only Chicago .300 hitter) in right field, and Pete Ward at third, who smacked 23 homers.  But there are a few starting players who are flirting with the Mendoza Line out in the field on a daily basis. Veteran first baseman Bill Skowron eventually makes it to the team from the Senators midway through the season to stabilize the middle of the lineup.  Their ability to place a starting pitcher out there on the bump almost every day who can dominate sets this team apart.  

Baltimore Orioles 

Not Quite Baby Birds

The Orioles led the American League through much of the summer.  They might have won the pennant if Boog Powell had not missed sixteen key games after colliding with the wall in Fenway Park and breaking his wrist on August 20. He was leading The Birds with 31 homers and 80 RBI and he had emerged as a premier power threat. Brooks Robinson won the Gold Glove at third, batted .317, led the AL with 118 RBI and won the 1964 MVP award. Luis Aparicio and Jerry Adair held down the middle infield, and Norm Seiburn played an excellent first base and led the league in walks drawn.  The real revelation was right fielder Sam Bowens, who nailed down both right field and the fifth spot in the lineup by hitting 22 home runs and driving in 71 runs. 

The Oriole staff featured Milt Pappas, Wally Bunker, and the venerable Robin Roberts, who won 13 games at the age of 37. The bullpen was held down by Stu Miller, Harvey Haddox, and Dick Hall, who would be as steady a performer out of the Oriole pen as crab cakes in Maryland. Baltimore’s pitching and lineup were good enough to win it two years earlier than they did had Powell been healthier. 

Detroit Tigers (85-77) 

Building Towards a Pennant

Bring a Detroit fan, it seems to me the Tigers are always in the middle of a five year plan.  Not unlike the USSR, it never quite clicks, but you do at least get another plan to think about. In 1964 the Tigers were in the middle of a five year plan that would culminate in the 1968 pennant winners and World Series champions.  They were already building the lineup - first sacker Norm Cash had been in Detroit since the late Fifties, and Hall of Fame right fielder Al Kaline was in the prime of his long career. Dick McAuliffe played 160 games at short, Gates Brown started in left field, Don Wert was recognized as a great third baseman, and catcher Bill Freehan won the Gold Glove. All would play key roles on the 1968 Champions. 

The Tigers finished 85-77 because (as is true in most years) they were just shy of possessing enough pitching to give their burgeoning lineup some breathing room day to day. Dave Wickersham won 19 games and Mickey Lolich won 18 games, establishing himself as the pitcher who would win 207 games in Detroit. But after that you had to hope for Larry Sherry and Terry Fox, holdovers from the 1961 team in the bullpen. But help was on the way as both Denny McLain and Joe Sparma made their way to the rotation this year, and future slugger Willie Horton had a brief cup of coffee late in the season. Mickey Stanley and Jim Northrup were a year away, and then a trade fior Earl Wilson would complete most of the key pieces of the 1968 roster. 

Los Angeles Angels (82-80)

“ Every time I see his name on a lineup card, I feel like throwing up.”  

-Mickey Mantle, on Dean Chance 

The Angels emerged from expansion status to a winning team thanks to the second best pitching in the American League.  Much of the firepower on the mound came from the right arm of 23 year old Dean Chance, who had a record of 20-9 with a league leading 1.65 ERA, 15 complete games and 11 shutouts.  Chance became the youngest man (at the time) to win the combined Cy Young Award, but he wasn’t the only Angels starter enjoying success.  Fred Newman and Bo Belinsky all logged quality innings, and Bob Duliba and Bob Lee saved 28 games between them.  

Dean Chance 

The roster featured 1B Joe Adcock and SS Jim Fregosi on the infield, while C Buck Rodgers and 2B Bobby Knoop were quality glove men.  But the Angel roster went backwards in 1965, both scoring fewer and allowing more runs, leading to eventual friction between the team and a frustrated Chance.  He was traded to the Twins in December 1967. 

Minnesota Twins (79-83)

All They Do Is Hit Homeruns

Anybody wondering how the Twins won 102 games the next year need only look closely at this team. They hit 221 home runs, and they underperformed by 8 full games (vs projection) in spite of having a batting champion and Rookie of the Year in Tony Oliva join what was already an imposing lineup.  The Twins has three good starters in Jim Kaat, Muscat Grant and Camilo Pascual, but Dick Stigman and Lee Stange finished a combined 9-21.  The issue was occasionally spectacular but uneven fielding, as Minnesota finished second (to the Senators, 95) with 91 unearned runs allowed.  

Mercurial Zoilo Versalles won GG in 63 & 65

Still 221 home runs is a great start, and  1B Don Mincher (23), SS Zoilo Versalles (20), CF Jimmy Hall (25), Oliva (32) and utility man Bob Allison (32) all surrounded the American League leader, Harmon Killebrew (49) in the lineup.  Killebrew, playing an iffy LF, also drove in 111 runs and joined Oliva in the top ten on the MVP list. The Twins got some help the next year from Jim Merritt and Jim Perry and cut down on their mistakes and easily ran away with the gonfalon in 1965. 

Cleveland Indians (79-83) 

Sudden

Sixties rotation backbones for the Tribe “Sudden” Sam McDowell, Luis Tiant, and Sonny Siebert all showed up to play a part in the 1964 effort, mixing in with established veterans like Jack Kralick and reliever Don McMahon.  Cleveland pitching held the keys to a winning season, and OF Leon Wagner, IF Woodie Held and C John Romano held up their end, but injuries to star thirdbaseman Max Alvis pulled Cleveland up short of the first division. 

Boston Red Sox (72-80)

Fenway or the Highway

Bill Monbuquette had the lowest ERA as a starter at 4.04, and their top five starters finished with a combined record of 45-65 in spite of 186 home runs in support. Young outfielders Carl Yastrzemski and Tony Conigliaro showed promise in the field and Dick Stuart bashed 33 home runs and drove in 114 runs. The real star was Dick “The Monster” Radatz out if the pen.  He was something to watch in his greatest season at The Fens,,with a 16-9 record out of the pen and a league-leading 29 saves. While not an official statistic this was the MLB record at the time. 

Dick Radatz 

Washington Senators (62-100)

First in War, Almost Last in the American League

Once the Nats traded Bill Skowron, their one veteran compliment to CF Don Lock to the White Sox on July 13 their season was over. They stumbled to the second worst run total and the second worst win total in the league.  Claude Ostern won 15 as the staff ace and Ron Kline won 10 and lost 7 and saved 14 as the closer, but the team dropped 100 games and they were only saved from the cellar by the hapless Athletics. But the Athletics were headed to a World Championship in 1972, by 1972, this team would reside in Texas. 

Kansas City Athletics (57-105) 

At Least They Had Good Barbecue

SS Wayne Causey, 23 year old Dick Green and late season call up Bert Campaneris at SS were the lineups main draws, while John Wyatt appeared in a league leading 80 games and saved 20 of them.  Those are the bright spots in a year where the pitching in particular was awful.  Kansas Coty allowed a team ERA of 4.71, more than a run higher than average and Diego Segui led the league with 17 losses. 

Enjoy the Cards! Replay them against The Cards! 

-Fred J Bobberts 

Initial Date of Publication June 17, 2026