“Basketball in the Bubble” – the 2019-2020 Season for Statis-Pro NBA Basketball (Featuring New Rules for the Modern "3 & D" Game)

 

“Basketball in the Bubble” – Cards for the 2019-2020 Season for Statis-Pro NBA Basketball

Link: Statis-Pro Basketball Cards for the 2019-2020 NBA Eastern Conference

Link: Stats-Pro Basketball Cards for the 2019-2020 NBA Western Conference

Other Statis-Pro Basketball Links

I love Statis-Pro Basketball, in part because it successfully modeled an era of late Seventies hoops that I admired; offense in the paint, and the apex of the Big Men.  Growing up in Detroit, the Seventies teams I followed may not have won much, but we had Bob Lanier, and big time assist guys like Kevin Porter.  “Big Bob” could play defense, block shots, rebound and score, and he was fun to watch during the time when centers like Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Robert Parish were rare and desirable players.  You could obtain Greatest Teams for SPBB, including the 1969-1970 playoffs, and great centers like Wilt Chamberlain and Willis Reed would plug right in.

Put simply the game was modeled to reward teams that could pound the ball inside, score off the dribble, steal and rebound.  The ideal team would have a point guard who could play defense and pile up great assist numbers, like Walt Frazier, a Center who could rebound, defend, defend the rim, and score like Kareem or pass, like Walton, and at least one scorer with a lot of stamina and no secondary results, like George Gervin, or Julius Erving.  You could surround such a team with more scorers, a defender who had a high steal rating, and another ball handler, but nothing helped these teams like another rebounder.  Hence a Walton also had a Maurice Lucas, Kareem would have a Kurt Rambis, and Reed had Dave DeBusschere.  In a game where two point Field Goals were the only outcome, high pct FG shooters in the front court were the premiere weapon, and when they failed you wanted to clear the boards.  It’s a simplistic model, but it did generally reward the best teams in the NBA, who followed mostly the same regimen.

This mostly flowed forward to the Eighties, where the Celtics were built around Parish, Bird, and McHale, and the Lakers had Kareem and the great assist man in Magic Johnson.  Teams had three-point shooting but it was more of a secondary option.   Basketball was a war of attrition played in the paint, where rim attackers like Michael Jordan could overcome the increasingly suffocating defenses played by teams like Detroit.   Jordan was a career .510 shooter in the paint, but his 0.327 shooting from beyond the arc meant his career eFG% was only 0.509 – great for then, but far behind Steph Curry now (0.583 eFG%).  Note that Jordan averaged 37ppg in 1986-87 in a league where the teams averaged 109ppg.  He was able to maintain a very high level of productivity in a league where you had to try almost 27 2pt FGs a game to accomplish what he did. 

Because the 3 pointer was almost an afterthought in 1987 (teams hit about 30 pct of about 4.7 tries per game) the SPBB game didn’t need to change much to accommodate shooting beyond the arc.  They tacked on a 3 point range and a rule with a shot limit and for years this was satisfactory.  You could play the 3 pointer as a gadget play and the typical game flow would not be affected.  But at some point after 2000, the 3 pointer doubled in team per game tries, from 14 attempts per game to its current level of 29 attempts per game, and teams featured specialists just for this purpose.  Mid range jumpers that weren’t threes started to disappear from the game, because these averaged less than 50% success, and points per try at this range were well under 0.9ppa, while triples made at better than 33% could create greater than 1.0 points per try.  Teams realized that they could improve their offense by simply changing their shot selection to avoid these longer mid-range two point attempts.  The change was gradual at first, but by the early 2000s, teams were drastically reducing their mid-range attempts in favor of the more efficient 3-pointer. In 2014-15, NBA teams, for the first time, were more likely to shoot a 3 pointer than a mid-range jump shot. Today, 1 in 3 Field goal attempts is a 3 point field goal attempt.   Teams found that they could take more threes and score more points.

 

Why does this matter?

It matters because the way players were traditionally carded, and the rules were written, the cards for the current best shooting teams would not be the best shooting teams anymore. You traditionally carded a player based on their overall FG percentage and scoring.  For Steph Curry in 2017-2018, he would normally be rated as a primary range 11-48 with no secondary field goal range, and an 11-43 range on threes.  But Steph made almost 60% of his two pointers; on offensive rebounds he would underperform.  In the old model, assists could ‘counter’ the loss of 2pt field goal efficiency because you would never try enough threes for it to really matter.  But in 2017-2018 Steph tried almost ten three pointers a game and had an eFG% of 0.618.  You would never get that eFG% in a simulation that featured that 11-48 primary shooting range with that 11-43 three point range as well.  You would never try many threes at all with his card; instead you would try to use his assist rating to attack the hoop as much as you could with his stamina.  But that’s not Steph – I mean, he can do this, but his game is long range shooting.  The whole NBA now is based on high efficiency long range shooting.

If you look at 2019-2020 Houston as a team, they finished second in the NBA in scoring while shooting only 0.451, ninth from the bottom.  But they shot as many threes as they did two pointers, at 45 per game each, and their 2pt FG% was second only to Milwaukee at 0.557.  2019-2020 Houston shot an eFG% of 0.531, fifth in the NBA, they are tremendous shooting team.  As a small-ball team, if you card them to the old system and play by that rule set their primary FG ranges are low while other teams will have role players who can shoot 11-58 at the rim; these teams will kill them on put backs and they will be lucky to win games, but in reality they won their division.  So that means the cardings and rules have to change to accommodate the current reality – efficient three point shooting and two-way wing talent wins games in the modern NBA, and player versatility matters.  The NBA is a different game than it was on 1978, and Statis-Pro Basketball needs a different way to card and a different set of rules.           

The old carding and rule set no longer works. I’ve tested a new carding and a new rule set, and here is the gist:

Three and D Rule Set

Carding changes:

Players are now carded to position, point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center.  No more just guard, forward, center.  No more off guards playing defense on the ball at the point unless they are carded to do this. I’ve checked the depth charts and lineups for these.

Some players have the center position as their last position, and that position is the third position or greater.  An example is 2019-2020 Robert Covington, a PF-SF-C.  They can play center in Small Ball lineups, more on this later. Small Ball can compel an opponent to make changes to counter it.  

The biggest carding change – the Primary is now carded for the player’s 2pt FGA attempt pct.  This would normally create a real problem for some low attempt forward or guard types who normally score off rebounds, have high Primary ranges such as 11-58, and would become deadly on the advance with that second pass.  These guys (thinking Artis Gilmore or Dave Twardzik types, twisting corkscrew layup shooters) would be unsung highly valuable players in the old game, but I have another rule to deal with them, and to place them properly with their real values offensively. Simply put, you won’t always be able to advance the ball in to get that high percentage Primary two point shot.

Timing:  

The pace of the game will be much faster, so in order to stay in line with team’s usage, you remove five cards from the deck, i.e. 40 cards instead of 45.  This means 160 sides per quarter, or 4.5 seconds per card.  The easiest way to accommodate this is to shuffle the 45 cards (normally 180 sides per 12 min quarter) and remove 5 each quarter completely.  The remaining 40 cards are now 160 sides in a quarter.  I tested this somewhat empirically, and I encourage anyone else testing this ruleset to chime in. 

Rules Changes:

On the play coming up the court (Action:) if player is rated for the three, you can either shoot the triple, adjusted by the defender, or shoot a two pointer off the secondary range (if the player has one, usually not a great choice), adjusted by the defender, or the primary range (if the player does not have a secondary range) adjusted by the defender, or pass the ball (advance).  Under these new rules a two point shot from the primary range is no longer guaranteed past this point. On the first pass, you can choose the triple (if target is rated) or the double. 

The one exception is fouled in the act of shooting from Action.  Fouled in the act of shooting here is considered a 2 point FG attempt, resolved from the primary attempt column, and a miss results in two attempts.  A make results in the “and one”.  Three-point attempt fouling will be handled later, below. 

On each Advance, assuming that first player does not shoot the ball, you have several outcomes:

a) Pass To (position)… i.e. Pass To F1, for the player who receives the pass, this attempt cannot be shot as a two point shot.  The player must either pass it again or shoot it as a triple, adjusted by the player’s defender.  This now tremendously diminishes the value of players who cannot shoot threes or pass.  Pass To (Positions) results with their variants (like steal chances) come up more than half the time off the Advance column;

b) Pass To Choice…the player who is chosen to receive this has the choice of either a 2 point attempt off of his primary range, adjusted by his defender, or a 3 point attempt, adjusted by his defender.  Here a “And Fouled in the Act of Shooting” on the Shot Number… will result in a potential two, three, or four point play depending on that prior shot choice.  If this shot result comes from a three point choice, it’s three free throws or a three point made basket and one free throw.  Pass to Choice results come up in the Advance column only about one seventh of the time, so if you get one and the game situation allows for it, this is your chance to pound it inside to someone who otherwise cannot shoot, or find someone with a bad defender on him for a good three point chance.

c) Pass to Choice (Use Passer Assist Rating)… the player who is chosen to receive this has the choice of either a 2 point attempt off of the passer’ assist rating, or a 3 point attempt, NOT adjusted by his defender.  Here an “And Fouled in the Act of Shooting” on the Shot Number… will result in a potential two, three, or four point play depending on that prior shot choice.  If this shot result comes from a three point choice, it is three free throws or a three point made field goal and one free throw.  Pass to Choice (Use Passer Assist Rating) results only come up in the Advance column about one chance in five, so a great passer should try to pass it inside, and a poor passer should aim for the best three point shooting chance.  Too many poor passers, however, and you wind up unable to attack the rim. Having a good passer in the front court becomes very useful in the modern NBA.

d) You may advance the ball twice, just as before, in the original ruleset.  

e) On Offensive Rebounds, the rebounding player may attempt an adjusted 2 point shot attempt using his Primary column.  They may also choose to advance the ball in a normal manner.  

f) If someone shoots and makes a three on an initial pass to the forecourt after a defensive rebound, it counts as an assist for whoever had the ball before the shot. 

   

g) If on the last allowable Advance passes the ball to a player who cannot shoot threes and the game situation requires a three point attempt, i.e. a Pass To…(position) then that player must shoot using his secondary column, if he has one. If he does have a three point column, no matter how bad it is, he must shoot it; this means you, Russ.  This is the one situation where 2019-2020 Russell Westbrook will kill you if he gets the ball last.  I love Russ, but just like in real life his shot selection can be frustrating!

h) You are allowed the choice to fast break on any steal. This has implications under Small Ball Rules.

“Small Ball” Rules

Some players have the center position as their last position, and that position is the third position or greater.  An example is 2019-2020 Robert Covington, a PF-SF-C.  If you play a player like this in the center position, you can declare a small ball lineup. Small ball lineups pay a price for rebounding but gain an advantage in fast breaking unless they are countered. A player rated as a PF-C alone is not a small ball center (although he is still useful against such a lineup, see below). The player must have three positions and the last position be designated a C.

If a team goes to small ball and their opponent keeps a player in the center position (the 5) who is rated as a Center ONLY (C) or a Center FIRST (C-PF) then that opposing team will pay the small ball penalty.  The penalty is, after all adjustments are made, the small ball team moves up one fast break rating from the normal placement (i.e., from B to A) on offense and the opponent moves down one rating (i.e., from C to D) on offense.  The Small Ball team is thus quicker on both fast break offense and defense.   

The small ball lineup may be successfully countered by placing a player at the Center position (the 5) who is rated at more than one position and the C rating is last, i.e. a PF-C.  If such a player is subbed in no fast break penalties are assigned.  The opposing team might choose also to place small ball pressure by also playing a player where the center position is their last position, and that position is the third position or greater.  This means both teams have true small ball lineups playing and if either should attempt to bring in a true C or C-PF type player they will pay the fast break penalty.  So a team has a choice to either counter a small ball lineup, or to also assume one, and some teams are carded to be better at this than others.

Small Ball Example:  2019-2020 Houston and 2019-2020 Los Angeles

Los Angeles has a nifty front court with dangerous (5) substitute candidates in Dwight Howard (rated as a C-PF) and JaVale McGee (rated as a C only), who are great rebounders, put-back artists off the offensive boards and rim protectors.  In theory the ‘19-‘20 Rockets have Clint Capela carded; but in practice they traded Capela to Atlanta in mid-season and he got hurt.  He’s not really a Rocket; the Rockets at the end of the year don’t have a true (5) on their roster.  LA is rated a “B” on their FB offensively, the Rockets are a “C” defensively, which resolves to a “B” final rating for LA.  Houston is rated an “A” offensively and LA an “A” defensively which resolves to a “C” final rating for Houston. 

It is very much in Houston’s game plan to limit LA’s use of Howard or McGee, and they really don’t have a choice, so they would use one of their five “three position, center last” players at the (5), House, Carroll, Caboclo, Sefolosha, or Covington, who now holds a very key spot in their lineup. They can play a more standard lineup with Jeff Green at the (5) and P.J. Tucker at the (4) but this is an unlikely rotation against LA.  

Placing one of those three position Centers at the (5) – we’ll say Covington now forces the Lakers coach to make a choice- leave Howard or McGee in at the (5) to clear the boards and dominate inside to a point, but now Houston’s Small Ball lineup moves UP to the “B” fast break chart while LA moves DOWN to the “C” fast break chart.  Remember steals can be fast breaks in this new ruleset, so what you gain on the boards you can lose in transition.  The Lakers could move Anthony “Street Clothes” Davis (who is rated at PF-C) to the (5) which is exactly what they did in most cases in these situations.  This move counters the Small Ball lineup and negates the FB penalties, but does not put small ball pressure on Houston.  For that, the Lakers could use Kyle Kuzma, a PF-SF-C at the (5) and now if Houston did move to a standard lineup it would be LA with the “A” fastbreak and Houston with the “D” fastbreak, something Houston would want to avoid at almost any cost.       

An Example of the 3 and D ruleset using the Rockets and Lakers    

 The Rockets have just made a Defensive Rebound against the Lakers.  We’ll give it to Tucker for argument’s sake.  The Pass comes up court to Harden at G2 against LeBron James.   This is an interesting moment because Harden can shoot 11-47 as a 2 pointer or 11-32 as a 3 pointer and he has all the stamina in the world as a shooter.  If he does shoot and makes give the assist to Tucker. But Harden is also an excellent passer at 11-62 so he’ll kick it (advance one).  The result is Pass To: F1 in this case the small forward, we’ll say that’s McLemore.  In the old rules Ben could shoot it at 11-62 on his Primary, but in this ruleset if the result is not an “Assist Rating Pass” or “Pass to Choice” McLemore has to shoot a guarded 3 pointer. Whether it’s Kuzma (a 0 defender) or Green (a minus 3 defender) this is likely as good a chance as any; the first is a 39% chance at three points and the second is still 34%, which is better than a point per attempt. McLemore can shoot up to 12 3 pointers a game and is useless in almost every other way, so you shoot it, but we’ll assume he passes.  A “Pass to…” G1 (Westbrook) would be bad, because Russ has to put up the 11-28 three pointer adjusted by his defender (we’ll say Caldwell-Pope, a minus 1);  in the case of a “Pass to Choice” however the same pass to Westbrook could now use his Primary at 11-48 (minus 1) or 11-47. An “Assist rating” pass allows for an 11-41 two point shot (which is a terrible idea) or an unguarded 3 pointer, which will be a very good outcome for everybody except Westbrook.  A fouled in the act of shooting here would be a three point attempt, 3 points plus one or three free throws.  If that pass had gone to a player like Capela, he would have had to shoot off his secondary (11-44, adjusted) on a Pass To… , his Primary (11-58) on a Pass to Choice, and 11-41 on an assist rating shot.  His inability to shoot threes is very limiting in this ruleset.                

One look at these rules in action and you realize that wing players now have to be able to Shoot Threes and Play Defense, or Shoot Threes and Pass, or have no Secondary and drive the ball and be able to pass at least reasonably proficiently.  You can’t just throw players like Sikma, Silas and Shelton out there at the same time any more in today’s game.   

I'll post a Season Review Later - for now, enjoy the Cards and try the Rules!

Fred Bobberts, Albuquerque, NM 8/21/2022

"Going Back to Houston, Houston, Houston" - Cards for the 1977 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl for Strat-O-Matic College Football (Texas A&M and USC)

Chris Stewarts' SOM College Football Cards for the ASTRO-BLUEBONNET BOWL 

Played December 31,1977 in the Houston Astrodome

Cards for 1977 Texas A&M Aggies

Cards for 1977 USC

Link to Other SOM CFB Content on this Blog

Texas A&M (8-3) vs. USC (7-4)

The Bluebonnet Bowl was not where USC and Texas A&M were supposed to wind up. The preseason pollsters figured that USC would win its 23rd Pac-8 championship and Texas A&M its 13th Southwest Conference title. But the Trojans' conference losses to California and Washington and the Aggies' inability to handle Arkansas or Texas precluded trips to Pasadena and Dallas and diverted both teams to Houston. Much the same thing happened in 1975, when the Aggies and the Trojans got the late-season lazies and ended up playing each other in the Liberty Bowl.  USC won that one, 20-0.

Both teams had offenses that were brilliant on occasion, but USC was better defensively and had a definite edge in passing. Rob Hertel's 15 touchdown throws and 1,897 yards broke Trojan records, and Randy Simmrin tied Lynn Swan's career reception mark of 95. Tailback Charles White was a 1,291-yard back, giving the Trojans balance. The defense, featuring Clay Matthews and Dennis Thurman, was the stingiest in the Pac-8 against the run. USC's losses, especially at California and Washington, were a result of offensive lapses; one gets the feeling of a significant opportunity missed with this team.

Part of the inconsistency was due to the fact USC lost 15 men to pro football from the 11-1 1976 team that beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl, including Ricky Bell, Vince Evans, Gary Jeter and Marvin Powell.  Hertel, a second baseman who hit .329 on the Trojan baseball team, stuck around for his senior season at quarterback instead of trying his luck in pro baseball.  Hertel was the best backup signal-caller in the Pac-8; Sophomore Tailback White was “one of the best breakaway threats I’ve ever seen,” according to second-year Trojan Coach John Robinson.  

Complementing white at fullback was Mosi Tatupu, who Robinson says, “is about as easy to tackle as a Coke machine.”  Paving their way was a young, powerful offensive line led by Sophomore Tackle Anthony Munoz and Guard Pat Howell, who Robinson said, “(was)...the best lineman on our team and a potential All-American.”  The coach also rated Wide Receiver Randy Simmrin and Tight End William Gay as All-America candidates.  

Although not overpowering, the Trojan defense led by 4 All-Americans can hold its own against most offenses.  DE Walt Underwood, LB Clay Matthews, CB Ricky Odom and SS Dennis Thurman (all “6” rated defenders) restrict opponents to 3.2 yds/carry (4.0 after sack adjustments) vs. the run and a 48.1% pass completion percentage.   The defense’s biggest strength is they don’t give up a lot of big pass plays—the Trojans limit opponents to 11 yds/completion with only one play over 50 yards all season.

Texas A&M's biggest problem was catching up when it fell behind. The Aggie wishbone was not well suited for passing. Quarterback David Walker threw 107 times for only 749 yards. With more balance, A&M might have lived up to expectations. Certainly, with giant Fullback George Woodard and flashy Halfback Curtis Dickey, its running game was potent. The two backs rushed for 1,107 and 978 yards, respectively. A&M's 3,304 yards left the Aggies only 5.9 yards a game behind Texas as the SWC's top rushing team.

                                 Curtis Dickey gets ready to break one

The key to the Aggie Wishbone was “super-sized” FB Woodard who averaged 4.5 yds/carry (14 TDs) and could keep the chains moving by routinely blasting up the middle and off-tackle for 5-6 yards a clip.  If defenses focused on the inside runs, A&M could pressure the edges by running the option to RHB David Brothers (5.2 yds/carry) and LHB Dickey (5.5 yds/carry, 6 TDs) who was a threat to take it “all the way” on any play.  QB David Walker pulled the trigger for the Wishbone and averaged 3.7 yds/carry (4.5 after sack adjustments).  Although not a strength, the Aggies were able to throw the ball effectively for a Wishbone team, completing 48% of their passes for a healthy 14.8-yard average.  

The Aggies were solid group on defense.  While they had no All-American selections, they did boast 4 All-Southwest Conference (SWC) Team players in DE Phil Bennett, DT Johnnie Donahue, LB Kevin Monk and SS Carl Grulich (all “5” rated).  Although you could occasionally run on the Aggie defense that yielded 3.6 yds per carry (4.3 after sack adjustments), throwing on them could be quite challenging.  A&M only allowed a mere 42.6% completion rate and picked off 17 passes in 1977, averaging 12.4 yds/return.   PK Tony Franklin rivaled Russell Erxleben and Steve Little as one of the best kickers in the SWC and the nation. 

The problem was when the Aggies lost, they lost big: 41-3 to Michigan and 57-28 to Texas. And after the Texas game the Aggies were lackluster in a 27-7 victory over Houston. As for USC, the Trojans closed out their season with an uplifting last-minute 29-27 win over UCLA, which was playing at home for a Rose Bowl bid. 

Both Bluebonnet Bowl teams had momentum, but USC was the more likely to keep it; and they did, Rob Hertel threw for four touchdown passes for the Trojans, while Charles White and Dwight Ford both had 100 yards rushing. The Aggies turned it over five times in a 47-28 USC win.

Enjoy the teams!

Fred Bobberts, Albuquerque, NM, 8/20/2022 (Reprinted with Permission)

Bo's Bowl Blues - (Cards from the 1977-78 Rose Bowl for Strat-O-Matic College Football)

Bo's Bowl Blues - (Cards from the 1977-78 Rose Bowl for Strat-O-Matic College Football)

Dropbox link for Cards for the 1977 Washington Huskies

Dropbox link for Cards for the 1977 Michigan Wolverines

Link to Other SOM CFB Content on this Blog

Oooh this one hurts.  Michigan has had great quarterbacks, guys like Denard Robinson, Tom Brady, and Elvis Grbac, but "Mr. Michigan" was Rick Leach, an All-American four-year starter who even after all of these years is still 11th for the Wolverines in total yardage, 3rd in TDs, and tops in wins with 38. This game was probably Leach's best chance to win a Championship or at least a Rose Bowl. But it was not to be, as Washington rolled them in the first half in Pasadena, and then hung on in the second half. 

Led by Leach, who was a junior in 1977, Michigan began the season ranked second, and were first after four of the first six weeks. However, a stunning 16–0 loss on October 22 at Minnesota dropped them to sixth. A 14–6 win over fourth-ranked rival Ohio State gave the Wolverines the Big Ten title and they came into the Rose Bowl ranked fourth. (Ohio State may have been the better team, actually, but they played the game in Ann Arbor and the Buckeyes just could not hang onto the ball.)

The offensive line, led by three All-Americans (C Walt Downing, LG Mark Donahue and LT Mike Kenn), contributed greatly to Michigan’s three-headed rushing attack which bludgeoned opponents for 4.6 yds/carry.  TB Harlan Huckleby averaged 4.8 yards per carry, FB Russell Davis averaged 4.9 yards per carry, and QB Rick Leach averaged 3.8 yds/carry.  Although the Wolverines didn’t throw a lot, when they did, Leach, completed a respectable 51% of his passes with 13 TDs.  

The Wolverine defense led by All-Americans LB John Anderson and FS Dwight Hicks (both “6” rated players) are a tough group that only allow 2.6 yds/carry.  The Michigan 3-4 alignment created ferocious pressure on opponent passers, which resulted in 39 QB sacks on the year.  However, as we found out in Pasadena, the defense was susceptible to short and intermediate passes, allowing opponents to complete almost 55% of their attempts. 

In their third season under head coach Don James and quarterback Warren Moon, Washington stumbled out of the gate, losing three of their first four games, all out of conference. On Saturday night, Oct. 1, the Washington Huskies were sadly flying home with a 1-3 record. Minnesota had just beaten them on a last-minute field goal, and it appeared that once again their season would be ruinous. They then won six of seven, only losing 20–12 at UCLA on October 29. But with the Rose Bowl on the line at home, UCLA lost to USC in the sort of wild game that keeps traditional rivalries memorable. The Trojans did it when Frank Jordan's 36‐yard field goal with two seconds to play produced a 29‐27 victory.

Warren Moon led the explosive Husky attack that can move the ball effectively on the ground or through the air.  Moon completed an efficient 56%+ of his passes and could throw deep to his speedy target, Spider Gaines (22 yds/catch, 6 TDs) or pick defenses apart with short, surgical strikes.  Washington had a balanced running game with Ron Gibson (4.7 yds/carry) running between the tackles and Joe Steele (4.4 yds/carry and 14 TDs) going outside.  Steele was also an effective receiver out of the backfield (31 catches from the TB position).  The Huskies only had one star (“6” rated defender) on the other side of the ball, All-American LB Michael Jackson, but had a host of role-players that all contributed to create a solid team defense.  Their secondary was adept in picking off enemy passes (16 INTs), which gave their offense a chance to win every game.

The Huskies thus won the Pac-8 title and earned the Rose Bowl berth when UCLA lost that final game. Washington entered the game ranked thirteenth in the AP poll, and they finished tied for fourteenth in the UPI coach's poll.

The astounding climax of this remarkable comeback came January 2, 1978 in the Rose Bowl, where the Huskies upended the heavily favored Wolverines Michigan 27-20. It was the Pacific Eight's eighth win over the Big Ten in the last nine Rose Bowls. And it was Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler's fifth bowl loss in five tries.  Michigan trailed 17-0 at halftime, but they might have been able to make it all the way back in the second half except for Washington's determined defense, which complemented its wide-open offense. On the third play of the second half Wolverine Defensive Back Michael Jolly intercepted a Warren Moon pass on the Washington 36 and took it back to the 11. It seemed Michigan would bull it in and be back in contention.

But with fourth and two on the three, Michigan's Roosevelt Smith gained zero against the left side of the Washington line. The Huskies took over and moved 97 yards in 12 plays, mainly on Moon's passing and Joe Steele's running. Moon, who had been derided by Husky fans for three years, capped the drive by throwing to his favorite target, world-class hurdler Spider Gaines, for a 28-yard touchdown. The extra point made it 24-0, and the Huskies seemed out of reach.  Michigan made a run, but they were intercepted in Husky territory twice late in the game.

With Notre Dame beating top-ranked and undefeated Texas in the Cotton Bowl, Michigan had hopes that a dominant win over Washington would boost the Wolverines to the national title. The Huskies' dramatic upset ended those hopes, and Notre Dame was voted first in the polls among five one-loss teams; Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, and Penn State were the others. Michigan dropped to ninth in the final AP poll and Washington climbed to tenth; both were a spot higher in the UPI coach's poll.

Enjoy the teams - 

Fred Bobberts, Albuquerque, NM (August 2022) Reprinted with Permission

The "Do Right Rule" - (Cards from the 1977-78 Orange Bowl for Strat-O-Matic College Football)

 

The #6 Razorbacks scored early and often against the mighty #2 Sooners in the 1978 Orange Bowl

Cards from the 1977-78 Orange Bowl (Arkansas - Oklahoma) for Strat-O-Matic College Football 

Dropbox Link for Cards for the 1977 Arkansas Razorbacks

Dropbox Link for Cards for the 1977 Oklahoma Sooners

Link to Other SOM CFB Content on this Blog

The 44th edition of the Orange Bowl was played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Monday, January 2. Part of the 1977–78 bowl game season, it matched the sixth-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks of the Southwest Conference (SWC) against the heavily-favored #2 Oklahoma Sooners of the Big Eight Conference.  Both teams had lost in back-to-back weekends earlier in the season to #1 Texas, the NCAA first division's last undefeated team, who was playing earlier in the day, in the Cotton Bowl.  The Longhorns unexpected upset loss at the hands of the Fighting Irish in their own backyard meant that this game would settle the National Championship, and so it did - but not in the manner anyone had anticipated. With everything to play for, Oklahoma was stuffed by the undermanned Razorbacks, who had suspended three key offensive players (leading rusher Ben Cowins, fullback Michael Forrest, and top WR Donny Bobo) and lost their best offensive lineman (All-American Leotis Harris) to injury.  Arkansas was an 18-point underdog but won 31-6 behind 205 yards from sub tailback Roland Sales and a standout performance from the country's best defense.

    

Oklahoma was a juggernaut.  The Sooners had four All-Americans—NT Reggie Kinlaw, LBs George Cumby and Darryl Hunt, and FS Zac Henderson and they led a strong defense that shut down both the run and the pass equally well.  The offense was led by Thomas Lott, one of the best Wishbone quarterbacks of all-time, and he averaged 4.9 yds/carry and scored 17 TDs.   As a team, the Sooners averaged over 5.1 yds/carry; future Ram Elvis Peacock was featured at the LHB position, while the Billy Sims/David Overstreet combination at RHB averaged 5.2 yds/carry and 9 TDs.  Both men played in the NFL; Sims was the #1 pick of the Detroit Lions in 1980.  and Overstreet came to the Dolphins from the CFL in 1983.  Fleet-footed future Raider Kenny King averaged a healthy 5.0 yds/carry at FB.  The only Kryptonite for this high-powered offense was their penchant for putting the ball on the carpet, as they fumbled 52 times on the season and lost 30 of those to their opponents.  

You've got a good backfield when Billy Sims is running by committee!

Fumble-itis would be the Sooners undoing in this game -that- and some masterful preparation, coaching, and motivating from first year Razorback coach Lou Holtz.  Holtz was a strict disciplinarian, and he ran the team by one rule - the "Do Right Rule."  Arkansas football was not going to allow any breaches of conduct, and so when Cowins, Forrest, and Bobo were involved in a Campus Dorm incident over the Christmas Holiday Holtz suspended them.  This could have torn the team apart - the players in question had accounted for about 80 percent of the team's scoring.  The remaining players, once landed in Miami, spent a lot of time talking about who was NOT there rather than who WAS.  Holtz gathered them together and asked them as a team to point out the good things they still had:

The Arkansas defense, led by All-American DT Jimmy Walker, included 6 other All-SWC standouts—DT Dan Hampton, LBs Larry Jackson and William Hampton, CBs Patrick Martin and Vaughn Lusby and FS Howard Sampson.  They were particularly good at rushing the quarterback, with 32 sacks, and they did not allow many big plays, with a 31 yard longest pass play and 30 yard longest rushing play;

Kicker Steve Little, 19 of 30 on the year but this was misleading - he was 13/15 inside 40 yards on the year and kicked the NCAA record 67 yarder.  Little spent the season sending long range messages back and forth with Texas kicker Russell Erxleben, and both were drafted in the first round of the 1978 NFL draft;

Arkansas signal caller Ron Calcagni was not a freight train Wishbone quarterback in the Lott mode, but he did complete 51.6% of his passes for almost 16 yards/completion.  He also had deep threats at wide receiver who could take any pass “all the way.”  Even without Bobo, Gary Stiggers averaged over 19 yds/catch while SEs Robert Farrell and Bruce Hay averaged 20 yds/catch.

The other thing Holtz pointed out was that the Sooners were predictable - they were so good that they did not try to fool you on either side of the ball.  You could read and react to the Sonner running game; the secret was to contain them and force mistakes.  On defense, Oklahoma rarely ran stunts or loops, they would pick up on opponent's offensive line movement, usually the guards, and flow to the ball with extra safeties or linebackers to stuff the enemy ground game. 

Holtz had a young Pete Carroll on his staff, and they devised a series of misdirection "false keys" and reverses that would force Oklahoma's tackles to jump outside when they released outside - and then the Razorbacks would hand the ball off inside to their speedy fullback, Sales or on breakaway reverses to Stiggers.  It was the kind of gameplan that Holtz freely admitted would only work once, as eventually the defense would figure it out.  But once was all they needed.  Monte Kiffin, leading the Razorbacks as defense coordinator, conceived a devastating, penetrating ball hawking run defense.  This preparation turned the team around; the Hogs were immensely confident coming into the Game.

With Sales doing most of the running of the ball, Arkansas out-rushed Oklahoma 126 yards to 116 yards in the first half, with Sims fumbling the ball early in the first quarter causing the Razorbacks to recover on the Oklahoma 9-yard line. That resulted in a Sales touchdown (followed by a PAT kicker Steve Little). Another Oklahoma fumble by Kenny King resulted in another Arkansas touchdown rushed in by Hog quarterback Ron Calcagni in the first quarter. In the third quarter Sales rushed for another touchdown and Little kicked a field goal and Oklahoma was staring down a 24-0 deficit they never overcame.  

Arkansas finished the season at 11-1, but they could not make the jump to #1 in spite of beating the second ranked team handily while at half strength.  They did finish at #3.  Sale's 205 yards stood as the Orange Bowl record until Ahman Green broke it in 1998 (206 yards).  Nore Dame and Alabama finished ahead of the Razorbacks, but a case could be made no team was truly better than Arkansas in 1977.

Enjoy the Cards- Special Thanks Again to Chris Stewart!

Fred Bobberts, Albuquerque, NM. 7/9/2022

(Used With Permission)

Bear Bryant and 'Bama Cast Their Ballot - (Cards from the 1977-78 Sugar Bowl for Strat-O-Matic College Football)

 

Cards from the 1977-78 Sugar Bowl (Alabama -OSU) for Strat-O-Matic College Football

Dropbox Link for the 1977 Alabama Crimson Tide

Dropbox Link for the 1977 Ohio State Buckeyes

Link to Other SOM CFB Content on this Blog

This is the first of a series of posts featuring teams from the Forum's BigStew11, Chris Stewart, a West Point grad who hails from the great State of Texas.  He is running an Eighties College Football Replay that caught my attention, as he made his own cards, enough for 26 teams from the 1977 season.  I contacted him and as one would well expect, he's a dedicated guy.  Collecting the data by box scores took him a total of ten years, and he wrote programs to call offensive and defensive plays so he could test the teams against the best representations of their schedules.  Looking at the teams I loved them, and so he gave me the okay to start posting them.  SOM CFB content is easily the most popular material I can post, so I am very much in his debt.     

New Year's Day was on Sunday in 1978, and so the major college bowl games were played the following day.  The 44th 1978 Sugar Bowl was thus played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Monday, January 2. It matched the third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the #9 Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference.  The teams were led by their respective hall of fame head coaches, Bear Bryant and Woody Hayes, who at the time were the winningest active coaches. 

Slightly favored, Alabama won in a rout 35–6, and finished second in the nation on a wild weekend where both teams that had been ahead of theme were bested, but the team behind them, Notre Dame, beat Texas who had been ranked #1.  Notre Dame took home the title in both polls. 

Bear Bryant entered his 20^th year at Alabama in 1977 riding a streak of 18 consecutive winning seasons and bowl bids. In 1976, Alabama started 14 underclassmen and after a 2-2 opening, the Tide won seven of eight including the Liberty Bowl, where they destroyed favored UCLA 36-6. The momentum carried over as Alabama had finished the regular season as SEC champions with a record of 10–1; the only loss was at Nebraska (31–24) in week two.  Ohio State finished the regular season as co-champions of the Big Ten with a record of 9–2. Their only defeats were to Oklahoma by a point (29–28) on a disputed late field goal in week three and at rival Michigan Wolverines (14–6) to close the regular season. 

The Tide was led by a star-studded lineup - future NFLers Tony Nathan, Dwight Stephenson, Ozzie Newsome, E, J. Junior, Barry Krauss, Marty Lyons, Curtis McGriff, Don McNeal and Rich Wingo were all on this roster, and they were led by junior QB Jeff Rutledge, while Buddy Aydelette found stardom in the USFL.  After their loss to the Huskers, the Tide regained their footing three weeks later with a major upset of then #1 USC at the Coliseum (21-20) and later shut down #18 LSU 24-3 in Baton Rouge.    

The Buckeyes featured future NFLers (and Cowboys) Doug Donley and Ron Springs, Browns Tom DeLeone and Tom Cousineau, Ray Ellis, Mike Guess, and punter Tom Orosz. Woodie Hayes started his fastest backfield in memory; they were led by junior QB Rod Gerald, averaged 4.8 yards per carry and scored 39 TDs.  After the shocker in week three at The Shoe they held six of their next eight opponents to less than 10 points (three by shutout), and powerful Michigan to only 14 points playing in Ann Arbor.  

After a scoreless first quarter, Alabama scored on a one-yard Tony Nathan touchdown run to cap a 10-play, 76-yard drive.  On their next offensive possession, 'Bama scored again on a 27-yard Jeff Rutledge touchdown pass to Bruce Bolton to take a 13–0 lead at the half.  In the third quarter, Rutledge had his second touchdown on a 3-yard pass to Rick Neal. Following a successful two-point conversion pass to Nathan, Alabama led 21–0, the score at the quarter's end. The Buckeyes scored their only points of the game early in the fourth when Rod Gerald threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jim Harrell, but failed on the two-point try and the score was 21–6.  The Tide closed the game with a pair of touchdown runs, the first from one yard by Major Ogilvie, and the second by Johnny Davis on a seven-yard run to make the final score 35–6.

Notes on The Cards:

1) Chris carded his teams based on total fumbles rather than fumbles lost or recovered. This method is recommended by no less than NFL Ed, so I can't argue with it. The cards I produced earlier were done on lost and recovered, so for those who prefer this method I would substitute the offensive and defensive splits below.  

2) He also has Penalties for these teams:

3) Lastly, he has a brilliant way to bring offensive blocking into the game - his teams have ratings for offensive lines.  You roll the Big Black Die already for penalties- if it come up with a D on a defensive split result, you roll the small white die again, and use the chart below. If, say a 2 -rated Center faces a 4 rated middle guard, on a D you roll a white die again, and on a 3-6 the offensive player would win the challenge and you would use the higher of the two results. If the BBD result was not a D you would resolve versus the defender's rating, i.e. a 4 would mean the lower of the two results, a 5 or 6 the higher of the two results. 

Enjoy the Cards - he has seven more complete '77-78 Bowl Games and I will get to them as soon as I can!

Fred Bobberts, Albuquerque, NM, 7/4/2022 (Used with Permission)

"El Birdos" - Cards for the 1967 World Series (Normalized for Statis-Pro Baseball)

 

Normalized Cards for the American League Champion Red Sox and World Champion St. Louis Cardinals for Statis-Pro Baseball, done (as all of the other teams have been done) in the original c. 1987 format, i.e personalized clutch hitting and 1-4 clutch fielding. (Note that both Leagues are coming; this is a teaser for what is going to be two excellent sets). 

Dropbox zip file with Team PDFs

Other Links to Statis-Pro Baseball Content:

In researching this set, I found out something I wasn't aware of - these two teams really did not like each other, before the Series, and especially after it was over.  (One Boston paper wrote after the Series, "The Red Sox looked better in defeat than the Cardinals did in victory...take Gibson out of the lineup and you have a loser.")   I thought the general headhunting was just normal Sixties shenanigans, but the Red Sox did a lot of talking even before the Series began.  They seemed to hold the proud Cardinals in disdain.  The end of the regular season was not kind to the St. Louis, with MVP first baseman Orlando Cepeda slumping from a .349 high in late August; catcher Tim McCarver batting only .222 in the last three weeks, and right fielder Roger Maris batting only .229 in the last week after leading the team with 18 game winning RBI.  What was not widely reported was left fielder and lead-off man Lou Brock managed to get hot, hitting .370 in his final 23 games, with 20 runs scored and 15 batted in.  This was always an ominous omen for Cardinal opponents in the post season, as he swung the Series over to St. Louis, beating out a bunt, getting base hits to all fields, two doubles, a triple and huge home run.  Brock was on first base ten times, stole seven bases and came around to score on six of these occasions.  Bob Gibson gets deserved acclaim for three complete game wins, but he was matched by this period of productivity from the era's toughest World Series table-setter.   For his part, Maris hit .385 in the Series.   

The Sox had been led by two very talented ball players, American League MVP and Triple Crown Winner Carl Yastrzemski and Cy Young Award winner Jim Lonborg, who led the American League in wins, strikeouts, and hit batsmen, the latter of which had been given much credit for his development into a staff ace.   Yaz hit .400 with three homeruns in the Series, and it did not take long for St. Louis to try to shake him up, with both teams getting a warning after Nelson Briles threw successfully at his legs in Game 3.   Lonborg won Games 2 and 5 before facing Gibson in Game 7.  Characteristically, when asked what his Game 7 lineup would be Boston skipper Dick Williams replied, "Lonborg and Champagne," while first baseman George Scott had claimed that Bob Gibson would not last 5 innings.  This did not have the desired effect; Dal Maxvill, the normally pleasant St. Louis shortstop, indicated "...We never wanted to beat anybody all year as much as we wanted to beat them in the seventh game."

From a carding perspective, both teams benefit from the low run era in normalization, with the Red Sox in particular fielding a strong starting seven (other than the catcher).  Had they been able to play injured right fielder Tony Conigliaro they would have had a very strong edge in power in the outfield.  But the Cardinals were able to win 101 games with 2/3ds of a season of Bob Gibson precisely because they had strengths in all areas- a deep and talented batting lineup, both speed and power, and sneaky good pitching coming from Dick Hughes and Nelson Briles.  Starting Lonborg three times gives the Sox a chance, and I would expect this Series to be eminently replayable. 

A sampling of Boston hitters (Click and they should expand):

    

      And a sampling of Red Sox pitchers:

Enjoy the Series!

Fred Bobberts, Chandler, AZ

Date of Initial Publication: 6-19-2022

"The Bronx is Burning" - Cards for the 1977 American League for Statis-Pro Baseball

 

"The Bronx is Burning" - The Complete 1977 American League Card Set for Statis-Pro Baseball

Note: if you are reading these posts on the Web, there are links to content in the right navigation pane, and a “previous posts” link way at the bottom of this page on the right. It may take time to find content you like, but there’s quite a bit in here.  I have nine posts for Statis-Pro Baseball alone.

Other Links to Statis-Pro Baseball Content:

1977AL_Comb_For_Print_02_27_2022

On October 18, 1977, 56,407 fans filled Yankee Stadium in hopes of seeing the Yankees close out the series.  The Dodgers didn't go down without a fight. Steve Garvey put the Dodgers on the board first with a two-out, two-run triple in the first off Mike Torrez. The Yankees came back and tied it in the second on a Chris Chambliss two-run homer after Reggie Jackson walked on four pitches. Reggie Smith put the Dodgers up 3–2 with his third homer of the Series, a solo shot in the third.

But Jackson hit a two-run homer in the fourth on the first pitch he saw from starter Burt Hooton to give the Yankees the lead. Lou Piniella made it 5–3 by adding a sacrifice fly.  Once again, in the fifth with a man on, Jackson connected on the first pitch off Elias Sosa to make the score 7–3. Jackson set an unequalled World Series and post-season records of home runs in 4 consecutive at-bats. The regular season record is 4 consecutive home runs by more than 25 players. (Nobody has ever hit 5 consecutive major league home runs). Jackson earned the nickname of "Mr. October." Reggie thus joined the handful of players to hit home runs while representing teams in both leagues.  Finally, in the eighth, Jackson strode to the plate, amid the chants of "REG-GIE, REG-GIE, REG-GIE!", and drove the first Charlie Hough knuckleball he saw 475 feet into the stands. The score was now 8–3.  With his Game 5 first-pitch homer and his four-pitch walk in the second inning of Game 6, Jackson would homer on his last four swings of the bat in the Series, each off a different Dodger pitcher.  The Yankees, for the first time since 1962, were World Champions.

Reggie's blows signaled the beginning of the end of small-market baseball, as he had been the 1976 off-season's biggest free agent acquisition, and he had joined the previous season's AL pennant winner. It would take a while for the realities of baseball roster budgeting to set in, but nowadays it is very rare for a team to contend if it is not placed in the top eight or ten salaried clubs. This means teams will tank to build a core, and then add the key players needed to push their teams over the top.  The Yankees had done exactly that, adding Reggie, Mike Torrez, Don Gullett, Bucky Dent, and Paul Blair in the 1977 offseason (or in Torrez's case, the first week of the season) to a strong core of holdovers from their 1976 AL Pennant winners, Thurman Munson, Graig Nettles, Catfish Hunter, Mickey Rivers, Chris Chambliss, Sparky Lyle, and Ed Figueroa.  The Yankees would win consecutive World Series in 1977 and 1978, added pennants in 1976 and 1981, and possessed the best record in baseball in 1980, a formidable six year run of accomplishment. Free Agency had arrived in a big way, and baseball would never be the same. 

Preseason predictions placed the Yankee's pitching hopes in the hands of Hunter, Figueroa, Torrez, Ken Holtzman, and Gullett, but when the dust cleared a young left-handed pitcher named Ron Guidry had stabilized the rotation.  Guidry came out of the bullpen and into the rotation to finish 16-7 with a nifty 2.82 ERA.  "Louisiana Lightning" would be even more impressive the next year, of course, but his first breakout year was something special, as he had up to that point only 31 innings in the majors and no wins prior to 1977.

Ron Guidry uncorks one. 

Guidry had spent a lot of time shuttling back and forth between West Haven, Syracuse, and the Yankees and was thinking of quitting.  He stayed, and once he was established, he turned into the best left-handed pitcher in the American League; between 1977 and 1985 he would win twenty games three times, win five Gold Gloves, win a Cy Young Award, and finish in the top seven of AL pitchers in that Award's voting six times, and finish 154-67 with a 3.15 ERA and 26 shutouts. He was also 5-2 in the post season, picking up a win in both the ALCS and WS in both 1977 and 1978.  The Yankees had a fiery Captain in Munson and a big bat in Jackson, smooth fielding bangers at the corners in Nettles and Chambliss, and the speedy Mickey Rivers in Centerfield, all plenty of proven talent but it was often guys like Guidry - Willie Randolph, the second baseman was another such competitor- who could cut opponent's hearts out in key situations. 

There were a lot of challengers, tough teams.  The National League has been covered before; but one should not overlook the Dodgers, Phillies, or Pirates as contenders. In the American League the Royals had what many of their fans consider to be their franchise's best season, winning 102 games behind the hitting of George Brett (.312,.373,.532, 22 HRs, 105 R, 88 RBI) Hal McRae (.298,.366,.515, 21 HRs, 104 R, 92 RBI) and Al Cowens, who added to a .312 BA and 112 RBI season with 14 assists, a Gold Glove in right field and a second place finish in the league's MVP race.  The pitching staff featured stoppers in 20 game winner Dennis Leonard, Jim Colburn, and Paul Splittorf, while the bull pen featured three men with at least ten saves in Larry Gura, Mark Littell, and Doug Bird.  The lack of a true closer would prove to be their undoing in the ALCS, as the Royals carried a 3-1 lead into the 8th inning of Game 5 only to see Reggie single in Wille Randolph in the 8th for one run, and the first three runners reach in the 9th with a clinching sacrifice fly against three different pitchers in the 9th.  It could be forgiven if Kansas City fans felt they deserved more from this era, and in particular this 1977 team.  They won three Division Titles in a row and lost to the Yankees each time; a perceptive Howard Cosell aptly noted at the conclusion of the ALCS, "The Yankees seem to just know how to win."

They had challengers in their division.  The ever-dangerous Red Sox rebounded from 83 wins in 1976 to win 97, and to take the New Yorkers to the last weekend.  The Sox batted .281 and hit 213 Homeruns, with Jim Rice (.320 39 HR 206 H, 104 R, 114 RBI), George Scott (33 HR 103 R, 95 RBI), Butch Hobson (30 HR, 112 RBI), Carl Yaztrzemski (28 HR 99 R 102 RBI), and Carlton Fisk (.315 26 HR, 106 R, 102 RBI) pounded lumps on enemy hurlers.  Dwight Evans and Bernie Carbo drove in 80 more runs in right field as a platoon; so effective was the lineup at turning over that Hobson actually drove in his 112 RBI while batting ninth.  The Sox got good work from long relievers Mike Paxton and Bob Stanley, who combined won 18 and lost only 12, and a great year from Bill Cambpell, who won 13 more games and saved 31 with a 2.96 ERA.  But the rotation, aside from Fergie Jenkins and part timer Don Aase all had ERAs of 4.26 or above.  This lack of depth prevented the Sox from stopping losing streaks; twice leading the Eastern Division they suffered long streaks, once in late June when they lost nine in a row to move from four games up to down by a game, and far more damaging streak in mid-August, losing seven in a row to move from 2 games up to trailing by two games - a deficit they never again were able to close, despite playing well in September (22-8).

Their competition on the last weekend, an ill-fated piece of chance that doomed both teams, was the Baltimore Orioles, who tied the Red Sox at 97-64 and 2.5 games back of the Yankees (100-62). The O's were led by their starting rotation - Jim Palmer who finished 20-11 with a 2.91 ERA, 18 wins from Rudy May, 15 wins from Mike Flanagan, 14 wins from Ross Grimsley, and another 14 wins from swingman Dennis Martinez.  On offense, newcomer Eddie Murray mostly played DH in his rookie year, and hit .283 with 27 HR and 88 RBI.  Right fielder Ken Singleton (.328, 107 BB, 90 R, 99 RBI, 24 HR) and first baseman Lee May (27 HR, 99 RBI) drove in runners while centerfielder Al Bumbry (.317, 19 SB) put pressure on the basepaths.  The O's were building the 1979 Pennant winners; while Grimsley and May would be banished to Montreal Scott Macgregor was lurking in the bullpen and Gary Roenicke and John Lowenstein were just a year away. 

Elsewhere in the East, a year made a big difference in the fortunes of the Tigers and Mark "the Bird" Fidrych.  Fidrych tore knee cartilage in the outfield in the Spring Training of 1977 fooling around in the outfield, and he missed the opener.  He came back to start the season 6-2 before his arm went dead.  Fidrych was never the same after that and finished up his career 29-19 after his brilliant 19-9 season in 1976.  Outfielder Mickey Stanley and reliever John Hiller were the last old hands left on the roster from the glory years, but 1B Jason Thompson (31 HR 105 RBI), Steve Kemp (18 HR 88 RBI), Ron Leflore (.325, 212 H, 100 R, 39 S) and Rusty Staub (22 HR, 101 RBI) were the bright spots, while Dave Rozema won 15 to lead AL rookie moundsmen.  

The Tribe managed only 100 HRs and 900k spectators in cavernous Cleveland Stadium, led by Andre Thornton's 28 HR and Rico Carty's 80 RBI.  Three pitchers at the top of the rotation were sound - Wayne Garland, in spite of his 13-19 record, Dennis Eckersley, and Jim Bibby, while fireballer Jim Kern and lefty Don Hood held down the fort in the bullpen.  Cleveland would lose Eckersley to Boston and Bibby to Pittsburgh in the 1977-78 offseason, where they would prove eminently helpful to their new teams. 

The Brewers finished 11th in the AL in both scoring runs and ERA, but the names in the lineup - Bando, Yount, Monty, Moore, Lezcano foretold better days.  Help, in the form of 1977 Twins All-Star Larry Hisle, Tigers cast-off Ben Oglivie, Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, and centerfielder Gorman Thomas would appear in 1978, turning this lineup into a feared group and an eventual pennant winner in 1982. On the mound, Jim Slaton pitched better than his 10-14 record would suggest, and he was traded to Detroit for Oglivie after the season - only to return in free agency a year later, a form of front office buffonery that Tigers fans remember to this day. 

Toronto lost 107 games in their inaugural campaign, with 38 year old DH Ron Fairly their lone representative in the All-Star Game.  Fairly batted .279 and hit 19 HR to lead the team in his 20th season, while youngsters Roy Howell (.316 BA) and Jim Clancy (4-9, 5.05 ERA) would eventually make decent careers.       

In the West, Kansas City had finished 8 games ahead of the 94-68 Texas Rangers.  The Rangers had five excellent pitchers who all won 10 or more games - starters Doyle Alexander (17-11), Gaylord Perry (15-12), Bert Blyleven (14-12, 2.72 ERA), and mid-season pickup Dock Ellis (10-6), with along with Swiss Army knife reliever Adrian Devine (11-6, 15 SV).  The Rangers tried Roger Moret and Paul Lindblad before settling on Darold Knowles as a lefty finisher, but their lack of depth in the bullpen in spite of a second-place team ERA finish would be a recurring problem in the next few years.  On offense the Rangers made up for middling batting and power by finishing fourth in the AL in base stealing, led by 2B Bump Wills (28 steals), 3B Toby Harrah (27 Steals, 109 BB 87 RBI and 27 HR), 35 year old SS Bert Campaneris (27 steals), CF Juan Beniquez (26 steals) and LF Claudell Washington (21 steals).  Campaneris experienced a career resurgence in 1977 and made his sixth and last All Star game, where he backed up Rick Burleson, drew a walk and scored a run.  IB Mike Hargrove hit .305, drew 103 BB, scored 98 R, and hit 18 HR, while a reasonably healthy Wille Horton batted .289, spanked 15 HR and drove in 75 R in limited duty at DH.

Finishing just behind the Rangers at 90-72 were the South Side Hitmen, the Chicago White Sox, and I'm not going to lie, they are my favorite team in the set. The White Sox scored 844 runs (3rd in the AL) on 192 HRs (2nd to Boston) and at their best they could pound lumps on the opposition. They were in first place in July and September until their weaker pitching started to take a toll.  Owner Bill Veeck and General Manager Roland Hemond wisely figured out that players in their last year of their contracts might be singularly motivated to perform well for one year as a form of rental - and they were right. They also scoured the waiver wire to build a formidable lineup - OFs Richie Zisk (.290, 30 HR, 101 RBI), and Oscar Gamble (.297, 31 HR, 83 RBI), 3B Eric Soderholm (.280, 25 HR 60 RBI) CF Chet Lemon (.273, 19 HR, 67 RBI), 1B Jim Spencer (18 HR, 69 RBI), OF Ralph Garr (.300) and DH Lamar Johnson (18 HR).  Manager Bob Lemon handed the ball to Francisco Barrios, Ken Kravec, Chris Knapp, and Steve Stone, even if as youngsters they had some growing pains; the one great pitching performance was from Lerrin LaGrow out of the bullpen (2.46 ERA, 25 saves).  The Sox looked set to make noise for quite some time - but Zisk had cost them Goose Gossage, and Gamble Bucky Dent, and in the long run these rentals proved costly. Still most White Sox fans rate this among the franchise's top teams; having tested them against the Red Sox I can say - they can hit.

                                           Oscar Gamble was deadly in 1977 (.297/.386/.588)

Leading the AL in runs scored while finishing only ahead of the expansion Blue Jays and Mariners in ERA, the Twins appropriately finished just over .500 at 84-78 in spite of having the league's leading hitter and MVP, Rod Carew (.388, 239 H, 38 2B, 16 3B, 14 HR, 128 R, 100 RBI, 23 Steals). Carew flirted with .400 for most of the year and finished with the highest BA in the American League since Ted Williams hit .388 in 1957.  Left fielder Larry Hisle (.302, 28 HR, 95R, 119 RBI, 21 Steals) and centerfielder Lyman Bostock (.339, 104 R) rounded out the Lumber Company, while Dave Goltz won 20 and Tom Johnson won 16 and saved 15 out of the bullpen, but SP Geoff Zahn and RP Tom Burgmeier suffered through off years.  

California had two of the league's best (and most feared) starters, the righty-lefty tandem of Nolan Ryan (19-16, 2.77 ERA, 341 K) and Frank Tanana (15-9, 254 ERA, 205 K).  Together they threw 29 WP and hit 21 batters, presumably not once with a changeup. A decent year out of swingman Paul Hartzell and some good work by the righty-lefty bullpen tandem of Dyar Miller and Dave Laroche allowed the Angels to finish fourth in American League ERA - but there were holes.  Ken Brett, Wayne Simpson and Gary Ross finished a combined 15-26 at the bottom end of the rotation, and Mike Barlow and Don Kirkwood had off years in the bullpen. 2B Jerry Remy stole 41 bases; CF Bobby Bonds hit 37 HR, drove in 117 R, and stole another 41 bases, and Don Baylor smacked 25 HR but Joe Rudi slumped to .264 and 13 HR while playing only 64 games.  

The Mariners finished out of the cellar in their first year, led by the trio of 1B Danny Meyer (.273, 22 HR, 90 RBI), RF Leroy Stanton (.275, 27 HR, 90 RBI) and the irrepressible Ruppert Jones (.263, 24 HR, 85 R, 76 RBI) who covered vast expanses of the Kingdome's artificial surface to hunt down flyball's to ecstatic cries of, "Roop! Roop!".  Jones was the first pick of the 1976 Expansion Draft and the first Mariner to make the All-Star team. The pitchers had no such representative, with only closer Enrique Romo (2.83 ERA, 16 SV) having a good year. 

The As finished in the cellar thanks to twin 19 game losing seasons by Rick Langford (8-19) and Vida Blue (14-19).  A good bullpen featuring Doug Bair, Pable Torrealba, Dave Giusti, Joe Coleman and Bob Lacey combined for 25 saves, but only 3B Wayne Gross (22 HR, 86 BB) and LF Mitchell Page (.307, 21 HR, 85 R, 75 RBI 42 ST) were bright spots at the plate.  For the future, though, SP Langford and Mike Norris saw steady action in 1977, and they would soon be joined full-time by Steve McCatty, Matt Keough - and Billy Martin, in better days ahead. 

The 1977 American League, like the 1977 NL before it, actually resides in the dead middle offensively of the seasons I am normalizing for, so like the 1977 NL, the standard cards are also the normalized cards. Enjoy the set!  My next set is likely to contain "A Fold For All Seasons."

Fred Bobberts 

Albuquerque, NM, Original Publication Date 2/27/2022