January 8, 2010
New manager on board.  
FRANKFORT, IN. - I received word from Mike Cascarano, manager of the Glendale Cougars, that he has resigned as manager of the team due to increasing health issues. Mike, had just returned to SPB for the 1972 season, after a 10 year absence. He was a long time SPB manger though, serving through the first 8 years of Seasons Past history, back in the 1990's. I was very sorry to hear that he will not continue, and I wish him the best, and hope he gets back to the point where he can field another SPB team in the future. Thanks Mike for all your years of being a manager in Seasons Past Baseball. Taking over the franchise will be an eager new manager in Seasons Past. His name is Don Brenner. Don is a 46 year old general contractor, who makes South Carolina his home. He is a huge Phillies fan, and therefore his new team name will be the Piedmont Phillies. He will retain Yankee Stadium for his home park. He is anxious to join our league and establish himself as a solid manager. If you would like to welcome Don to SPB, or to contact him, his email address is roughing56@hotmail.com. Welcome aboard to SPB, Don. May your stay be a long and fruitful one. :-) His full manager bio page will be pasted to the managers page, and he will be added to the SPB - I manager listing on our website

January 1, 2010
1972 Voting booth open.  
FRANKFORT, IN. - The voting booth is now open and ready to accept your votes for the 1972 All Star teams AND the '72 Award Winners. With the New Years holiday weekend coming up, this would be a great opportunity to get you voting done early! So, be sure to vote soon for BOTH Awards & All Stars of 1972. It will be considered your final act of the 1972 season. Thanks for taking care of this.

December 28, 2009
1972 World Series goes 7 games......Spiders top Rats.  
FRANKFORT, IN. - SPB I Commissioner Gary Plunkitt gives his highest congratulations and a hearty hats off salute to Chris Williams, also known as the "Professor", and to his Cleveland Indians, the true surprise team of 1972. The Spiders held of last years championship team, the Flushing Rats, managed by the Italian Stallion, Joe DeZarlo, and beat them in a taut 7 game series, one of our best, and certainly one of the more surprising upset wins in SPB - 1's long 19 year history. 

Plunkitt, the veteran Commish, also announced that with this upset win, a victory that polishes off the 1972 season with a flourish, that the trading lamp for preparing for the 1973 season, our (20th!) is now lit. Please send all confirmations of trades in SPB I to the league office, as you make the trades. Remember, trades must be confirmed by both managers with the Commishes office, before they will become official. Thanks to all for a highly successful SPB I 1972 season!

December 23, 2009
1972 Usage reports
DAYTON, OH. - Just what you have been waiting for......the much-anticipated end of year usage reports. Congrats to everyone who were able to keep their players within their limits.   

December 21, 2009
1972 Final stats posted
DAYTON, OH. - The final stats and power rankings for the 1972 season are now posted. Congratulations to the following managers and teams on their winning these titles: AL East: Flushing Rats (Joe Dezarlo) 105-57 AL West: Dayton Triangles (John Turnbull) 99-63 NL East: Cleveland Spiders (Chris Williams) 95-67 NL West: Rockford Forest Citys (Terry Baxter) 103-59 Usage reports and draft order will be posted soon, as will Playoff coverage.

July 11, 2009
1972 Fearless predictions
DAYTON, OH. - Joe Dezarlo puts himself out on a limb bye making his 1972 predictions.  Good Stuff Joe!

June 18, 2009
Belated 1971 Season recap
DAYTON, OH. - Our crack beat writer, Joe Dezarlo, has provided us some juicy nuggets and a recap of the 1971 season.  Thanks to Joe for putting this together. It's a good read! 

May 18, 2009
Drafts complete
DAYTON, OH. - I will echo Commissioner Plunkitt's comments that the draft weekend was great as usual!  Trading is open until Gary sets a deadline for sometime in late June.  Joe Dezarlo has captured Saturday's draft transcript from this weekend's festivities.  Thanks joe! 

May 8, 2009
Protected player numbers
FRANKFORT, IN. - This is the official call for all protected rosters to be submitted for the 1972 season. The drafts will be held early on May 16th, but I will be starting email picks on Thursday (May 14th). So because of this, you MUST have your protected roster to me by Saturday, May 9th. I will set 8PM as the final due time this coming Saturday. If you do not have your list to me by that time I will have to set the rosters myself, for all missing teams. Of course, I will do this to the best of my ability, but I hope your all able to get you lists in yourselves, to avoid my having to do them. I will then get the 1972 files out on Sunday with all Phase II players (unprotected) showing on each roster.

Here is the number of players each team can protect:

18 Protected Players
Flushing Rats (Joe DeZarlo)
Frankfort Tigers (Gary Plunkitt)
Asheville Tourists (Rich Applegate)
Cleveland Spiders (Chris Williams)
Las Vegas Thunder (Mike See)

19 Protected Players
Schaumburg Saxons (Vin Onstott)
Niskayuna Red Storm (Don Rahn)
Rossville Cubs (Rick Ryan)
Dayton Triangles (John Turnbull)
Baltimore Stallions (Greg Henning)
Lafayette Chiefs (Steve Ehresman)
Kansas City Bombers (Bob Calicchia)
Evanston Black Sox (John Ungashick)
Rockford Forest Cities (Terry Baxter)
Amboy Dukes (Al Schweitzer)
Fairfax Peppers (Ron Peterson)
Hollywood Stars (Don Zminda)

20 Protected Players
Twin City Replacements (Marc Robinson)
Glendale Cougars (Mike Cascarano)
Blue Ridge Mountaineers (Steve Brunner)
Kenosha Eagles (Dave Lauer)
Spirit Mountain Volcanoes (Marc Hollingsworth)

Thanks everyone for meeting this deadline in SPB I.

April 29, 2009
Changes for Rookie Draft day
FRANKFORT, IN. - I am having to change the draft structure and time because Don Zminda notified us a few days ago that he has scored 8 tickets for the Cubs game. :) Since the game has a noon start, we will have to move the draft time for Saturday up from the normal SPB 11AM Eastern start, and in addition begin the rookie draft earlier by email. 

Managers making live picks will come into the auditorium around 8:30AM CENTRAL (Chicago) time on Saturday morning and we will finish it up. ALERT: This would be 6:30 AM on the West Coast! 

We will start the email part of the rookie draft mid Thursday May 14th, say 4PM for the 1st round one pick. We should get at least the first two full rounds (if not more) in during this email draft before Saturday mornings Auditorium start time. Of course managers MUST make their picks as quickly as possible for both the email part, and during Saturdays LIVE draft in the SPB chat room (Auditorium).

The LIVE Auditorium online draft begins Saturday morning at 8:30 AM Central (Chicago) and we will finish it up as early as possible. We will have to be able to complete the remaining rounds in 2 to 2 1/2 hours Saturday morning, or we will have to switch to email to finish it. But since we will only be going 8 picks into round 6, we should be ok. Of course, if managers have plans for that morning, you will have to send me a draft list for your team. I would have to HAVE TO HAVE YOUR LIST by Thursday, May 14th. 

We have 8 managers attending in person at the Chicago draft. They are Chris Williams, Gary Plunkitt, John Turnbull, Joe DeZarlo, Dave Lauer, Don Zminda, John Ungashick, and Rich Applegate. 

Additionally, we do have ONE (1) ticket left for any manager not listed above, as Dave will not be attending the Cubs game. So if anyone wants to change their mind, and join us in Chicago, we can fix you up with a nice ticket for just a small price. Let me know ASAP, if this enticement puts you over the edge, and you would like to go. If I hear from no other SPB I manager by Wednesday (April 29th), we will search among Chicago friends to use it.


March 1, 2009
Draft date set for 1972
FRANKFORT, IN. - All SPB I -1972 Managers, The date is now set in stone. We will have our 1972 rookie and Phase II drafts on Saturday, May 16th. Starting time will be announced later. But the draft is certainly going to be on the weekend of Friday the 15th through Sunday the 17th. 

Right now there are six managers who will be attending for sure. Then there are another 5 who say there is a chance they could be there. If all 5 make it we will have 11 in attendance for this event. The "I will be there guys" are: John Turnbull, John Ungashick, Dave Lauer, Joe DeZarlo, Chris Williams, and myself. The ones still hoping to work out being able to attend are: Steve Brunner, Rich Applegate, Don Zminda, Al "Doc" Schweitzer, and possibly Ron Peterson.

Anyway, for those who say they probably will not be attending, your allowed to change your minds at any time. :) I hope some of you will consider coming to the Windy City after all. Regardless though, I will be there on Friday probably mid afternoon, arriving with John Turnbull, and possibly another. Should be a lot of fun for everyone.

I will announce the starting time for the draft in the near future, once we have a better idea of what is happening and when. For those attending this event, I will be looking forward to seeing you again in May. :-)

February 1, 2009
Team Name change
FRANKFORT, IN. - Marc Robinson has decided to change the name of the Mill City Millers to the Twin City Replacements. All team stationery has now been changed. 

February 1, 2009
Managerial Changes
FRANKFORT, IN. - It is my duty to announce the resignation from SPB I, for two long time managers. Lynn Miller has given up the Elkhart Eels and Mike Boling is dropping the Kansas City Red Streaks. I hate to see these guys go, for both have a long history in this particular league. However, the good news they both will remain in SPB with the other two leagues they belong to. Thanks for your years of faithful service guys!

The good news is John Turnbull came up with a manager from the early years of Seasons Past, as Mike Cascarano will be taking over the Eels team. Welcome back Mike! It has been a while. I hope you enjoy your return to SPB.  *Note*....The Eels Franchise was originally Mark's when he left SPB-1.  It is also my privilege to announce that another long ago manager from the past is joining SPB I. Bob Calicchia is our newest addition, returning to SPB after quite a spell. Welcome back Bobby! He will be taking over for Mike Boling who left the Kansas City Blues recently. Bob will be keeping the team in K.C., but they will have a new nickname. The team will now be known as the Kansas City Bombers. Also our other returning manager Mike Cascarano has decided to pull the Elkhart team name, and they will now be know as the Glendale Cougars. Both managers also decided to keep playing in the same home park as before. No park changes occur this time.

January 18, 2009
1971 World Series Champions!
FRANKFORT, IN. - My very best congrats goes out to hard driving Joe DeZarlo for leading his Flushing Rats to a hard fought and convincing World Series win. He took on the mighty Las Vegas Thunder, led by the boy wonder, Mike See, and took them down in just 5 games. To the entire story and stats of the 1971 World Series, just click on the results highlighted on the LH side of this webpage. There you will not only find stats, but boxscore, game reports from the managers, and other goodies. Also the full story of the '71 A.LCS & NLCS can be found there as well. So check it out! Well worth the read! Way to go Joe, you finally nailed down the SPB I # 1 title.

January 6, 2009
1971 World Series set
DAYTON, OH. - Congratulations to "Mover Mike" See's Las Vegas Thunder for his stirring come from behind win knocking off a very tough Tourists team, led by the hard charging Parson, Rich Appplegate, to win the N.L. crown. Sounds like it was a real rock'em sock'em series guys! So the World Series is set now set to play with the Thunder taking on the Flushing Rats, a constant dominant force in the A.L. over the last few seasons. The Rats have "Jersey Joe" DeZarlo at the helm, so it should be a match of two young and clever managers who get the best from their teams in this years series. The Rats defeated their A.L. opponents, the Frankfort Tigers led by "The Old Curmudgeon" Gary Plunkitt a few days earlier. For those of you who missed it, the entire story of both 1971 LCS series can be found on the SPB I webpage. 

Good luck to both Joe & Mike in this coming series. It should be a real Battle Royale!!

December 22, 2008
1971 Usage reports
DAYTON, OH. - As is customary at the end of each SPB season, we present to you the following:  Overusage and Use or lose reports.  Enjoy!

December 22, 2008
1971 Final Stats posted
DAYTON, OH. - The Final stats and power rankings are now posted for 1971.  Congratulations goes out to our 4 division winner for the just completed season.

In the American League East, the Flushing Rats, led by Mgr. "Super Joe" DeZarlo rolled up 104 wins on the way to outdistancing both the Schaumburg Saxons, and the Niskayuna Red Storm who tied for 2nd place with 91 wins. "Terrific Tim" Johnson managed Schaumburg from April through July before having to resign for health reasons, and "Valuable Vin" Onstott led them down the stretch for August and September games. The Red Storm are managed by "Dandy Don" Rahn. Congratulations Joe on another fine job with this consistently good team

In the National League East, the Asheville Tourists, led by their peerless leader, "Reverend Rich" Applegate also won 104 games, but this was the closest race of all, thanks to another fine job by the astute "Old Professor" Chris Williams, who coaxed 101 win out of his Cleveland Spiders, just missing the title. Congratulations to Rich on another fine job!

In the American League West, the Frankfort Tigers racked up the crown by picking up 108 wins. This team was a constant hodgepodge of lineup changes, with most all players contributing to the "Old Curmudgeon's" (manager Gary Plunkitt) success. Finishing 9 games behind the Tigers, were "Trader Rick" Ryan's charging Rossville Cubs who garnered 99 wins on the year.

Finally, "Marvelous Mike" See led the pitching rich Las Vegas Thunder also to 108 wins in a virtual walk over "Terrible Terry" Baxter's Rockford Forest Cities, who finished 2nd, a distant 19 games behind with 89 wins.

A job well done! Hats off to our winners!! 

November 6, 2008
New manager in place
DAYTON, OH. - I have the new manager taking over the Saxons from Tim Johnson for play of all August series. Vin Onstott, a current SPB manager in two other leagues will be taking the reigns of this team. I told Vin to have his MP's out by the 5th. He will be sending his August MP's to Chris Williams and Steve Brunner. Feel free everyone to welcome Vin as the manager. His email is: vonstott@aol.com.  Be sure and keep Tim and family in your thoughts and prayers.

June 25, 2008
1971 Season Preview
DAYTON, OH. - Our local beat writer, Joe Dezarlo has given us some keen insight into the upcoming campaign.  Available in DOC and PDF format. Thanks Joe!

June 15, 2008
Kenosha Eagles preview
DAYTON, OH. - SPB-1 manager Dave Lauer has released his personal review of his 1971 team for the upcoming season.  

June 15, 2008
Position additions
FRANKFORT, IN. - Here is a list of 12 players who will regain positions for the 1971 season due to the recent passage of the rule reducing the number of games played at a position from 10 to 5 for retaining that rating in SPB. This only concerned players with more than 400 AB's. (See Constitution for complete change.)

PLAYERS WHO HAVE HAD POSITIONS ADDED BACK IN FOR 1971:
Cesar Tovar 3B
Maury Wills 3B
Willile Montenez 1B
Ron Santo LF
Bob Bailey 1B
Joe Rudi 1B
Carlos May LF
Rick Reichardt 1B
Ray Fosse 1B
Dick McCauliffe SS
Dennis Menke 2B
Al Kaline 1B

June 12, 2008
Manager change / Team swap
FRANKFORT, IN. - SPB I, II, and IV Managers, Following a most unusual request from a pair of seasoned SPB managers, I have decided to approve their strange "trade". Bill Lanke is giving up his teams in SPB I & IV in the move. Greg Henning is giving up his SPB II team. 

Greg will take over as manager for the Wabash Ravines in SPB I (1971) immediately. The league is due to start play on July 1st. So if you have any last minute deals involving the Ravines, please contact Greg during the next 10 days, before trading season ends. Greg will rename the Wabash Ravines to the Baltimore Stallions.

May 15, 2008
Stadium Change
FRANKFORT, IN. - The Mountaineers have decided to give KC Municipal Stadium the pink slip, and will move into the Oakland Coliseum as their home park. This makes KC Municipal (soon to be Royals) Stadium and Pittsburgh's 3 Rivers Stadium as the available parks for 1971.

May 11, 2008
Manager replacement
FRANKFORT, IN. - I am happy to announce that we have a new manager just in time for the 1971 season. Don Rahn will be taking over as leader of the former Lincoln Tunnel, due to Greg Stillwagon resigning suddenly from his leagues. Don will rename the team as the Niskayuna Red Storm, and will remain with the Montreal Parc Jarry as his home field. Welcome aboard Don! 

April 20, 2008 
Another  Team name change 
FRANKFORT, IN - Manager Marc Hollingsworth of the former Cascade Glaciers has decided to give his team a new identity for the coming season of 1971. The team has been renamed the Spirit Mountain Volcanoes, and will be dropping 3 Rivers Stadium (Pittsburgh) as their home park. The will now reside is spacious RFK Stadium (Washington), in the coming year. This makes Pittsburgh's 3 Rivers park, and the Oakland Coliseum as the available parks in SPB I.

April 18, 2008 
Slight Team name change 
FRANKFORT, IN - The Elkhart team will no longer be shocking to it's opponents! Manager Lynn Miller has dropped the Electric part of the team name, and will now be known as just the Elkhart Eels.

April 17, 2008 
1971 Call for protected rosters 
FRANKFORT, IN - With the Cooperstown draft now just slightly more than 2 weeks away, I am calling for your protected roster for the coming 1971 Phase II draft. Here is a list of how many players each team can protect:

18 Players
Rossville Cubs (Rick Ryan)
Hollywood Stars (Don Zminda)
Flushing Rats (Joe DeZarlo)
Lincoln Tunnel (Greg Stillwagon)
Fairfax Peppers (Ron Peterson)

19 Players
Asheville Tourists (Rich Applegate)
Las Vegas Thunder (Mike See)
Frankfort Tigers (Gary Plunkitt)
Evanston Black Sox (John Ungashick)
Rockford Forest Cities (Terry Baxter)
Cleveland Spiders (Chris Williams)
Kenosha Eagles (Dave Lauer)
Cascade Glaciers (Marc Hollingsworth)
Elkhart Electric Eels (Lynn Miller)
Wabash Ravines (Bill Lanke)
Amboy Dukes (Albert Schweitzer)
Mill City Millers (Mark Robinson)

20 Players
Blue Ridge Mountaineers (Steve Brunner)
Kansas City Red Streaks (Mike Boling)
Dayton Triangles (John Turnbull)
Lafayette Chiefs (Steve Ehresman)
Schaumburg Saxons (Tim Johnson) 

Deadline for your protected rosters will be Sunday, April 20th at 8PM Eastern time. Be sure to have your roster in by that time, or the League Commissioner will make the picks for your team. :-) Thanks everyone, and I hope to see many of you at the HOF draft!

February 10, 2008 
1970 All-Star winners announced 
FRANKFORT, IN - The news is out and the players have been named to the 1970 edition of our All Star teams for each league! Here are the teams:

AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STARS (Points, 110 Maximum)
C - Johnny Bench, Flushing Rats - 108
1B - Boog Powell, Rossville Cubs - 110*
2B - Felix Millan, Schaumburg Saxons -54**
3B - Tony Perez, Flushing Rats - 106
SS - Leo Cardenas, Lincoln Tunnell - 93
LF - Carl Yastrzemski, Flushing Rats - 110*
CF - Tony Oliva, Schaumburg Saxons - 106
RF - Billy Williams, Dayton Triangles - 102
SP - Tom Seaver, Wabash Ravines - 89
RP - Clay Carroll, Lincoln Tunnell - 88

* unanimous winner!

** Millan won the only close A.L. battle edging out Ted Sizemore of the Dayton Triangles by a mere 3 points, 54-51!

NATIONAL LEAGUE ALL-STARS (Points - 110 Maximum)
C - Tom Haller, Hollywood Stars - 91
1B - Willie McCovey, Fairfax Peppers - 84
2B - Joe Morgan, Rockford Forest Cities - 101
3B - Brooks Robinson, Amboy Dukes - 80**
SS - Denis Menke, Evanston Black Sox - 104
LF - Cito Gaston, Fairfax Peppers - 87
CF - Jimmy Wynn, Rockford Forest Cities - 96
RF - Bobby Bonds, Ashville Tourists - 106
SP - Fergie Jenkins, Ashville Tourists -110*
RP - Ken Tatum, Las Vegas Thunder - 99

* unanimous winner!
** Robinson beat out the Cleveland Spiders Joe Torre by 10 points 80-70 in the only close N.L. decision.

There you have it, guys! A couple of close ones, but most players won by fairly handy margins. Congratulations to our 1970 All-Star players! 
For a total look at all voting, and the chance to see if your players garnered any points, be sure and check out the results in the SPB Voting Booth area. Complete voting results for the Awards and All-Stars can be found there

December 28, 2007 
1971 Draft visits Baseball Mecca 
DAYTON, OH - I am proud to announce that the SPB-1 1971 rookie draft will be held in Cooperstown NY on May 3rd, 2008.  Travel and lodging arrangements are TBD at this time.  If there is one draft that is a must-goto, this is the one!  More details will be posted as they become available.  Contact myself or Mike See if you have any questions.

March 23rd, 2007 
New manager in place 
FRANKFORT, IN - This is just to let you know that we are welcoming a new manager into SPB I just in time for the May 5th drafts for our coming 1970 season.

First off, Marshall Tom has decided to leave SPB I because of several personal reasons, and he wants everyone to know that he wishes he did not have do this, as many of you are trusted friends and managers. But Marshall is pulling up stakes with his Las Vegas Tarantulas. Sorry to see you go Marshall!

The good news of this is that Ron Peterson will be stepping in as the new manager of this team. He will be renaming the team as the Fairfax Peppers. Ron is currently a member of two other SPB leagues; IV and NOW. Ron's email is: RonPeterson1@cox.net for those who would like to welcome him into SPB I. He will be staying in Memorial Stadium.

Thanks for stepping right up and taking this team Ron. Welcome to our original SPB league!

February 8, 2007
1969 Post-Season newsletter by Joe Dezarlo
SOMEWHERE IN NEW JERSEY - The 1969 season could be described as “all or nothing”, as 9 teams won 90 or more games, and 8 teams lost 90 or more games......MORE

January 24, 2007
Further Notes on 1970 Rookies
FRANKFORT, IN - I forgot to mention when I sent out the files that the following 1970 rookies had previous stats from former cups of coffee in MLB added in....more.

January 24, 2007
Ballpark Changes
FRANKFORT, IN - Manager Greg Stillwagon of the World Champion Lincoln Tunnel is abandoning Washington's RFK Stadium and moving north across the border into Montreal's Jarry Park for the '70 season. The open parks in 1970 are now Washington's RFK Stadium and Cincinnati's Crosley Field (last year).

Manager Mike See has decided to pull his team out of the Oakland Colisium and move into Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium for the 1970 season. This move eliminates Crosley Field, Cincy's other home park in '70. This move leaves Washington's RFK Stadium & Oakland's Coliseum as the available parks.

January 24, 2007
Two team name changes.
FRANKFORT, IN - Steve Ehresman has changed the name of his team from the Tennessee Smokies to the Lafayette Chiefs, and Greg Stillwagon has changed his W.S. champions from the Lincoln Grays to the Lincoln Tunnel. These will be effective for 1970

January 21, 2007
Lincoln Grays take series in seven.
FRANKFORT, IN - It is my privilege to announce that Greg Stillwagon's Lincoln Grays have defeated last years champs, Don Zminda's Hollywood Stars, in an exciting 7 game match, where they came from being down 3 games to 2 and managed to whip the Stars, thanks to their longball tactics in the final couple of games. 

I have to say the reports on this years games from Greg and Don really tell the total story of this series. Once again, just as they did in the ALCS against Frankfort, the Grays came back and took it all with their backs to the wall. Greg managed this team for 5 of the 6 months after replacing Paul Kenyon, and he rolled to some rather convincing wins throughout the season as well as the post season. Hats off to Greg on a job well done!

Each game report, boxscore, scoresheet, etcetera has been posted to the SPB I webpage for your enjoyment. Read the game reports on both ALCS & NLCS, and on the World Series, as they are well written and exciting to read. One last time, congratulations to Greg Stillwagon on his 1969 championship team!

January 6, 2007
1969 World Series set
FRANKFORT, IN - It is my privilege to congratulate the Hollywood Stars and their manager Don Zminda, and the Lincoln Grays, led by Greg Stillwagon, as they advance into the 1969 World Series, which should begin tomorrow or Saturday.

The Stars defeated Rich Applegate's Asheville Tourists for the National League championship in 3 straight games. All games were fairly close, but the Tourists were defeated each game. In the American League, the Grays defeated the Frankfort Tigers managed by Gary Plunkitt in a 5 game set. The Grays actually were down 2 games to none in their home park, and turned right around and whipped up on the overconfident Tigers 3 straight games in Tiger Stadium, the Frankfort park. Weird thing about this, if you did not notice was that each home game was lost by the home team!

For a total look at these two exciting LCS series, be sure to review each story and boxscore on the SPB - I webpage. The write ups on each game are all very good accounts of these two exciting series.

The coming World Series should be a real battle, with a couple of very tough teams matching up for all the marbles!

As always, upon completion of the World Series, we will move onto the 1970 off-season. At that time the beginning of the league trading session will commence.

January 7, 2006 *Updated*
SPB-1 loses 3 managers, replacements named
FRANKFORT, IN - I have three managers replacements to name:

Mike Boling will be taking over the helm for the former Chicago Ravens team. Mike will remain in San Diego Stadium for his home park. He is re-naming the team to become the Kansas City Red Streaks. Welcome to SPB - I Mike! If you want to welcome Mike to the league, his email is: mboling@kc.rr.com. Mike will assume command of the former Chicago team once the post season for 1969 is completed in January.

Veteran SPB Manager Marc Hollingsworth will be taking over the former Pocono Pelicans team. He will be renaming the team as the Cascade Glaciers. He will be staying in the friendly confines of Forbes Field for this parks final year, for his home games.

Former SPB manager Albert "Doc" Schweitzer will be taking over the former Cooperstown Legends team from Jerry Cada. Doc will rename the team as the Amboy Dukes. He will leave the friendly confines of Crosley Field, and move into the spacious County Stadium in Milwaukee for his home games. He looks forward to re-establishing all his former SPB contacts and is thrilled to be back in SPB I.

December 23, 2006
SPB-1 loses 3 managers
FRANKFORT, IN - I want to let everyone know that we are loosing three SPB I managers. First Jim Wheeler of the Pelicans is resigning due to the time constraints of his new job. Jim will be remaining in SPB as a manager in SPB II & SPB NOW. Jerry Cada of the Legends has also had to drop his team due to business and family commitments. Like Jim, Jerry will be remaining in SPB, as a manager. He is in SPB III, IV, and V. I have also heard from John Cusack of the Chicago Ravens, and he is having to resign as well due to time constraints. I thank John for his finishing up the year with us, and he will be remaining in SPB as a manager in Classic and IV for now. John had just finished his first year in SPB I as an expansion manager. 
Thanks to all of these guys for outstanding service in SPB I. I will be announcing new managers for these vacancies soon.
 

December 23, 2006
1969 Overusage and Use'em or Lose'em report
DAYTON, OH - Our two favorite reports of the year. Click on the appropriate link for Overusage and Use'em or lose'em. 

December 22, 2006
1969 Final Stats posted
DAYTON, OH - The final stats and power rankings for the 1969 are now posted.  Congratulations to the Lincoln Grays, Frankfort Tigers, Ashville Tourists, and Hollywood Stars for winning their respective divisions. I will have the playoff pages up shortly after the HFA determinations have been made.  Click HERE for more congratulatory words from Commissioner Plunkitt.

July 29, 2006
New Manager for Tennessee Smokies
FRANKFORT, IN - Manager Wade Mitchell has resigned has resigned after April play due to family health issues. His team the Tennessee Smokies will be taken over by veteran managers Steve Ehresman for play beginning in May. So please send all your MP's out to Steve rather than Wade for Mays games. Welcome back Steve!

July 4, 2006
New Manager for Lincoln Grays
FRANKFORT, IN - Effective immediately Greg Stillwagon has returned to SPB I as manager of the Lincoln Grays. Greg has assumed total command of this team for all May 1969 series. Please send your MP's out to Greg if you play the Grays from now on. This change will be posted to the webpage very soon. Welcome back Greg!

July 4, 2006
1969 Season Opening Newsletter from J.D.
DAYTON, OH - SPB-1 beat writer Joe Dezarlo has put together an excellent article encapsulating the 1969 draft and a few snippets on each team for the upcoming season.

May 7, 2006
1969 Draft weekend complete
DAYTON, OH - With the exception of the last phase 2 picks, the SPB-1 1969 draft is just about done. For those of you who were not able to make it to Chicago, it was a great weekend, including the weather, awesome food, plenty of laughs, a few World Series games, and a few Mike See trades to cap it off.  Thanks to everyone who came out!  The rumor mill is stirring about a Garden State draft to usher in 1970.  I will have pictures posted in a few days.

April 21, 2006
1969 Call for protected rosters
FRANKFORT, IN - Now is the time to send me your protected rosters to prepare for the Phase II draft. Have them to me no later than the end of the day on this coming Thursday, April 28th. BUT please send them earlier, if possible. 

Note: During expansion teams first year of existence (1969), they will not submit P2 lists for this draft. But they are listed as the first four teams to select players. This is just another break they receive in SPB. They will have to submit lists in every P2 draft starting in 1970.

Here is the number of protected players each team is allowed:

18 players
Flushing Rats (Joe DeZarlo)
Hollywood Stars (Don Zminda)
Tennessee Smokies (Wade Mitchell)
Frankfort Tigers (Gary Plunkitt)

19 players
Rossville Cubs (Rick Ryan)
Las Vegas Thunder (Mike See)
Pocono Pelicans (Jim Wheeler)
Dayton Triangles (John Turnbull)
Asheville Tourists (Rich Applegate)
Schaumburg Saxons (Tim Johnson)
Rockford Forest Cities (Terry Baxter)
Lincoln Grays (Paul Kenyon)
Evanston Black Sox (John Ungashick)
Wabash Ravines (Bill Lanke)

20 players 
Cleveland Spiders (Chris Williams)
Las Vegas Tarantulas (Marshall Tom)
Cooperstown Legends (Jerry Cada)
Elkhart Electric Eels (Lynn Miller)

Expansion Exempt
Chicago Ravens (John Cusack)
Kenosha Eagles (Dave Lauer)
Blue Ridge Mountaineers (Steve Brunner)
Habana Rubustos (Marc Robinson)

Thanks for being prompt guys!

March 26, 2006
1968 Voting complete
FRANKFORT, IN - The voting is complete! Thanks to all of you for getting your votes in for the 1968 winners!

Frank Howard of the Rossville Cubs was named MVP of the American League.

Willie Horton of the Schaumburg Saxons was named MVP of the National League.

Gaylord Perry won the A.L. Cy Young Award.

Bob Gibson won the N.L. Cy Young Award.

These are just a few of the many winners from our annual season voting!

For the total ballot breakdowns, and to view the other Award winners; be sure to check out the results in the SPB webpage Voting Booth. The A.L. & N.L. All Star teams for 1968 are also listed on this site, along with the total votes cast for each player. Be sure to check these out soon. You may have had one of the top players of the year! 

February 19, 2006
Team name clarifications
DAYTON, OH - Just a few administrative changes to team names that need documented for the time capsule.  Jim Wheeler's team is officially the Pocono Pumas, and Bill Lanke's team name is changed from the Terre Haute Huts to the Wabash Ravines.   

February 13, 2006
1968 Voting booth posted
FRANKFORT, IN - It is my pleasure to announce that the voting booth for both the Awards and All Star team ballots are now up and posted. Please do your voting soon for these two separate ballots soon. I will set up a date of Saturday, February 25th as the deadline. But try to get to this sooner, if you can. If you need any help on how to do this, or have any questions, just let me know.

February 9, 2006
New manager takes over
FRANKFORT, IN - Recent new manager Randy Casebier has resigned due for personal reasons. But the good news is that we are welcoming back an experienced SPB manager from the past to take his place. Marshall Tom is taking over the former Ft. Worth Rifles team from Randy. Marshall will keep the team in Memorial Stadium, but will change the name to the Las Vegas Tarantulas. Marshall has control of this team immediately. Marshall lives in L.V. and that makes him neighbors with Mike See! Please take a minute to welcome Marshall back to SPB! His email is: marshall@idea.lvcoxmail.com. Welcome back!!

February 9, 2006
1969 Draft venue set
FRANKFORT, IN - The Chicago draft idea has became a reality! Thanks to all who have responded so far. The draft will be in Chicago, at John Ungashick's large and comfortable office building on Saturday, May 6th. Draft will start at 11:00 AM CST. That will be noon EST, and 9:00 Pacific time. If you have not yet responded about attending, or not attending this event please do so by this weekend. Be sure to respond to John U., Mike See, and myself . The food in Chicago is great, best pizza and sandwiches around, and very close by draft headquarters.

We need to know no later than February 17th, if you will want tickets to the K.C. Royals-White Sox Saturday evening 6:00 game. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU RESPOND FOR TICKETS BY THE REQUESTED DATE! Mike will be placing the ticket orders from Vegas, so be sure to get the number of tickets you will need to him by the 17th.

Here is some further info in a direct quote from John U. with facts about the area:
"This is the deal. My office is about 20 minutes in non rush hour from O'Hare airport; Midway is the other side of town and I would discourage you from going there unless the fares are much lower and be enough to justify a car rental. Let us know if your coming in Friday or Saturday morning. We could probably work something out to pick you up at the airport, especially if it was Saturday morning but Friday would probably work also. There is a shuttle at O'Hara that comes direct to the Holiday Inn by my workplace. 

The address of my office is 415 West Golf Road, Suite 19, Arlington Heights, IL 6005 and my office phone is 847-228-1800, extension 11. There is a Holiday Inn express just around the corner and the phone number is 847-593-9400. If you stayed downtown and were coming in earlier on Friday you'd have a chance for a lot more sightseeing but the hotel rates are usually outrageous and you'd have to rely on yourself for transportation." 

So far those booked for attending this event in person are:
Mike See
Gary Plunkitt 
John Ungashick
John Turnbull
Joe DeZarlo
Terry Baxter
Don Zminda
Lynn Miller
Dave Lauer

Those for sure using the chatroom, or drafting by list:
Marc Robinson
Paul Kenyon
Rick Ryan 
Tim Johnson
Jerry Cada

This leaves the following managers who have not yet responded:
Jim Wheeler
Rich Applegate
Steve Brunner
Bill Lanke
Wade Mitchell
Chris Williams
John Cusack
Marshall Tom
If you on the bottom list please let us hear from you soon!
Any questions about tickets to game should be sent to Mike See. Further questions about lodging airport, directions, etc. should be sent to John U. Let's make this a main event guys! Sign up to attend, if possible. :-)

January 6, 2006
Realignment
FRANKFORT, IN - All SPB I 1969 Managers, The League is being realigned due to the expansion teams and coming divisional play, starting with the '69 season. Here is how we will shape up for the coming year. I have tried as often as possible to keep divisions of managers who are fairly close together area wise. Of course, this is not always possible. The new realignment can be found on the managers listing page. There are 5 Teams each in the Eastern Divisions, and 6 teams in the Western Divisions. Also each division has only one of the four expansion teams

January 3, 2006
Team name change
FRANKFORT, IN - Randy Casebier has decided to move the Alma Rifles to Ft. Worth, Texas. They will now be known as the Ft. Worth Rifles beginning with the 1969 season.

January 3, 2006
Expansion teams now official
FRANKFORT, IN - With the exciting conclusion of the 1968 World Series it is time to announce the following. At this time I am happy to say that the 4 1969 expansion teams are now recognized for the first time in SPB I. For all expansion info see the SPB I webpage for full rosters of each of these 4 teams. Also a list is provided for all expansion available players who went undrafted and will return in rookie drafts or on their former teams rosters. Look for the expansion info in Draft Central; under "1969 Expansion Info".

December 31, 2005
Stars best Rats for 68 crown
DAYTON, OH - Click on the World Series link on the left for coverage of what may have been one of the best SPB world series ever! Congratulations to Don Zminda on his exciting 7 game victory over Joe Dezarlo's Rats.  

December 27, 2005
1968 Final Stats now posted
DAYTON, OH - The stats and power rankings for the final month of 1968 are now posted. This includes the 3-game playoff results between the Rats and the Straights, which counts as part of the regular season.  Based on the Power Rankings, the Rats should be the odds-on-favorite to win the series. 

December 27, 2005
Rats sweep straights 2-0 for A.L. Pennant
DAYTON, OH - Congratulations to Joe Dezarlo and his Flushing Rats for advancing to the 1968 World Series, where he will face Don Zminda's Hollywood Stars.  The boxscores from the 3-game playoff can be found on the left menu. World Series coverage will be coming soon! 

December 23, 2005
Two team name changes to report
DAYTON, OH - Two managers will have different team monikers come the 1969 season.  Bill Lanke has renamed his Terre Haute Huts to the Wabash Ravines.  Jerry Cada has renamed the Lafayette Blue Sox to the Cooperstown Legends.  These will be reflected on the next season's disk.

December 23, 2005
1968 Use or lose and overusage
DAYTON, OH - At the end of this article, click on the appropriate word to access the webpage to view these two end of year necessities.  Overall we did very well as a league.  Without further adieu, here are the 1968 USE OR LOSE, and OVERUSAGE results. 

December 23, 2005
3-Game playoff needed to decide A.L. Pennant!
FRANKFORT, IN - The A.L. has ended in a tie between the Flushing Rats of Joe DeZarlo, and the Mackinaw Straights, now managed by League President Rick Ryan for the balance of this season. Both teams ended with 97 wins! Congratulations to both the teams and their managers for this exciting finish. Joe D. was in contention all the way, and a late run, got him tied for the top spot at the end. A lot of recognition for the Straights win goes to former manager Greg Stillwagon, who put this team together, and played it through most of the season before resigning recently. A 3 game play-off will soon take place to determine the winning team for the A.L. The Frankfort Tigers made a huge September run, and actually led by a game at the start of their crucial final series with the Straights. They fell flat on their bottoms though and only won one game against Mackinaw, and finished 3 games out of first with 94 wins.

In the N.L., there were no doubts as Don Zminda's Hollywood Stars let most of the time all the way from 2nd month of play. Don's Stars were exactly that finishing with 96 wins. The Terre Haute Huts, managed by Bill Lanke finished a distant 2nd, 8 games off the pace. John Ungashick's Evanston Black Sox ended up in 3rd place just one game behind the Huts, but 9 games out of first. Congratulations again to all the named managers, but mostly to Joe, Don, and Greg for their great seasons in our 1968 SPB league!!

Details on the A.L. playoff games will be announced shortly.
 

December 23, 2005
New manager refills league
DAYTON, OH - Now that the regular season is completed, it is my pleasure to announce that Wade Mitchell of Tennessee will be taking over the leadership of the former Mackinaw Straights team for the coming 1969 season, due to Greg Stillwagons resignation from SPB. He will be renaming this team as the Tennesse Smokies. He will be staying in Fenway Park for now as his home stadium. Please welcome Wade to our Seasons Past Leagues. This is his first go round in SPB, but he is looking forward to it. :) You can reach Wade at this email: mitw9800@yahoo.com. 

December 11, 2005
New League President named
DAYTON, OH - Rick Ryan has accepted my offer to take over the office of League President in SPB I (1968). The reason for this is that Greg had been in this position for the last couple of years. Thanks Rick for stepping up to my offer.

November 6, 2005
Another new manager joins SPB-1
FRANKFORT, IN - I am very happy to announce the appointment of Randy Casebier as our newest manager. He will be taking over the Alma Rifles right away for the play of August 1968. Randy, is brand new to SPB, so it might take him a bit to get into the swim, so I ask that you have patience if you play Alma this month. Please send out your August MP's to Randy. If you had already sent them to Bill, then please resend at this time to our new manager. He will be getting his MP's out to you within the next few days.

My thanks goes out to Randy for taking this team over this late in the year. He will do his best in managing the last two months of 1968. Take a minute or two, if you wish, to welcome Randy to SPB I. His email address is: unrealdemand@yahoo.com. Welcome aboard Randy!

October 27, 2005
New manager on board
FRANKFORT, IN - Welcome aboard goes out to veteran SPB manager Jerry Cada, as he steps right in to take over the Lafayette Blue Sox. Send your MP's out to Jerry in case your scheduled to play this team. His email and info will soon be added to the SPB I webpage. He will handle the Blue Sox for the final two months of 1968, then may change the park and team name if he wishes to do so.

September 18, 2005
New Expansion manager announced
FRANKFORT, IN - I would like to welcome Marc Robinson into the fold as the newest expansion manager for 1969. Marc will be replacing Vin Onstott, and the team name will change from the Minneapolis Millers to the Habana Robustos. Welcome to SPB I Marc!

May 19, 2005
Another new manager takes over
FRANKFORT, IN - I am happy to announce that veteran SPB manager Steve Brunner is taking over one of our recently drafted expansion teams. Steve will be taking over for the former Kennesaw Mountaineers from original manager Richard Pearson. Rich decided that this era was a little to far back for his liking, and that he would rather play in the present day leagues. Thanks goes out to Richard for all his work on putting this team together.
Steve has decided to call the team the Blue Ridge Mountaineers.

May 15, 2005
1968 Draft now over
DAYTON, OH - The 1968 draft season is now closed.  Please send along to me any trade requests you may have.  The draft info and updated rosters are now on the website. 

April 30, 2005
New Manager to start in 1968
FRANKFORT, IN - I am announcing that veteran SPB manager Bill Lanke is our newest member. Bill will be taking over the former Brooklyn Wonders team, and renaming them the Terre Haute Huts. He will take over the team immediately and will be participating in the 1968 rookie draft along with the rest of us, in just a short 2 weeks. Welcome Bill to SPB I! My thanks goes to Peter Reoch for his many years at the helm of this team.

January 8, 2005
1967 Voting booth open
DAYTON, OH - The voting booth for the 1967 season is now open.  Commissioner Plunkitt has announced a deadline of 8PM, Janaury 20th.  Thanks to Lynn Miller as always for compiling and creating the ballots. 

January 5, 2005
1967 World Series....Forest Cities Champs!
FRANKFORT, IN - My congratulations goes to manager Terry Baxter of the Rockford Forest Cities as they have defeated Greg Stillwagon's Mackinaw Straights in the 1967 World Series in six games. Co winners this team for the Series MVP!

For a complete game by game blow, the Series results can be found on the SPB - I web page. So be sure to read each game as it unfolds there. Some solid write ups exist here by both managers. Congrats also goes out once again to Greg for winning the A.L. flag and giving the all powerful Cities a run for the money! Be sure to check these exciting games out, in depth, on the SPB 1967 website page.

December 22, 2004
1967 Over usage report
FRANKFORT, IN - Click HERE for a detailed report for player overusage.  With the new rules in place, we had a much better showing this year.   

December 22, 2004
1967 Use or lose players
FRANKFORT, IN - Click HERE for information pertaining to use or lose players for 1967, and other player happenings for the upcoming season.

October 27, 2004
Expansion managers' Team names and Stadiums
FRANKFORT, IN - I now have heard from all our newest members, the 1969 expansion managers, and here are their team names and ballparks for the expansion teams for 1969:

Dave Lauer- Kenosha Eagles: The Astrodome
Vince Onstott- Minneapolis Millers: Metropolitan Stadium
John Cusack- Chicago Ravens: San Diego Stadium
Richard Pearson- Kennesaw Mountaineers: KC Municipal Stadium

So until 1969 there will be no available ballparks, which means everyone in SPB I will have their same home park in 1968. Then during 1969 the available ballparks will be Jarry Park - Montreal and Sicks Stadium - Seattle. 

I hope to get the expansion player draft set up and finished soon. Will keep you posted.

October 26, 2004
New Expansion managers announced
FRANKFORT, IN - It is with great fanfare, that I announce the following four managers as the new expansion team managers that will come into our league during the 1969 season. A warm welcome goes out to Dave Lauer, John Cusack, Vin Onstott, and Richard Pearson. These managers are all currently involved in at least one other SPB League.

I have asked them for their team names. Next there will be a brief ballpark draft and they can choose from among the parks of the four 1969 expansion teams, as well as the two parks currently available in SPB I. The final step, for now, will be a player draft. As most of you know the available expansion players will be ALL players and pitchers (including rookies of 68 & 69) that appeared, however briefly, on a 1969 real life expansion roster. There are no exceptions on these players. 

Of course, I will keep everyone updated, first as the team names are chosen, then after the ballpark draft, and finally a full list of the players taken in the expansion draft. I hope to have this full process done within 30 days max. 

Doing the drafts now will give plenty of notice to each current manager of exactly who will be lost to them come the 1969 season.

July 19, 2004
1967 Win Share Predictions
DAYTON, OH - Thanks goes out to Tim Johnson for providing us his Win Shares predictions for the 1967 season.  Not sure my third place prediction will hold up! You can see the predictions HERE.

July 1, 2004
1967 Free Agent pickups
FRANKFORT, IN - All SPB 1967 Managers, The following players have been signed as free agents for the 1967 SPB season:

Asheville Tourists (R. Applegate) claim pitchers Johnny Klippstein & John Miller.

Frankfort Tigers (G. Plunkitt) claim firstbaseman Dick Stuart (1969).

Rossville Cubs (R. Ryan) claim catcher Dick Bertell.

Cleveland Spiders (C. Williams) claim outfielder Jimmy Piersall.

There were no other claims on any of the other free agents, so they will be deleted from the 1967 files. These are the "pink slip" players:

Lee Elia
Bill Faul
Jack Kralick
Chris Krug (69 expansion)
Skip Lockwood (69 expansion)
John Orsino
Don Schwall
Dwight Siebler
Wes Stock
Bill Virdon

Both Krug and Lockwood will be elgible for the 1969 expansion team drafting. The others are gone from SPB I for good.

June 29, 2004
1967 Free Agent release list
FRANKFORT, IN - All SPB 1967 Managers, Here is the total list of players that have been released by their teams. If more than one team claims a player, he will be awarded to the team with the worst record in 1966. Here are the players:

Dick Bertell, c
Lee Elia (1968)
Bill Faul (1970)
Johnny Klippstein, mr
Jack Kralick, mr
Chris Krug (1969) expansion player
Skip Lockwood (1969) expansion player
John Miller, mr
John Orsino, ph
Jim Piersall, of
Don Schwall, mr
Dwight Siebler, mr
Wes Stock, mr
Dick Stuart (1969)
Bill Virdon (1968)

Future players Lockwood and Krug are in the expansion draft in '69 and have no value so claims will not be taken for them. Other future players will reappear in the seasons listedif not claimed, and if they have enough to qualify for the rookie drafts.

If you wish to put a claim in on any of these players, please notify me by tomorrow evening (June 30) by 7 P.M. CST. At that time I will make the claims, adjust the rosters, and send out the official files for SPB I play. The trading deadline was last Saturday, and there were no last minute trades made. The season is scheduled to open on July 1st. MP's for the first month (April) of play will be due by July 5th for this opening month, since I am late getting things out. Then for following months MP's will go back to being due on the 1st of each month.

June 25, 2004
1967 Players recommended for release
FRANKFORT, IN - All SPB I 1967 Managers, With the season fast approaching, it is now time to make the call for released players from your rosters. The following players have been recommended to be released (but they certainly are not required to be), due to their little bit of stats left in their M.L. careers. I am listing them by team. IF YOU HAVE ANY PLAYERS OR PITCHERS LISTED HERE, PLEASE REPLY TO ME ASAP IF YOU WANT THEM KEPT ON ROSTER OR RELEASED TO FREE AGENCY.

Also you may release ANY other players or pitchers on your roster that will have no value to you, or is just to terrible to play on your team. I will set a deadline of Saturday, May 27, by 5 P.M. CST. But please send me ALL players or pitchers to release quickly if possible. If your team is not listed that does not mean you cannot release anyone. Those teams can just drop me a line, if they have someone to release.

Here is the recommended personnel for release: (real life stats left in parenthesis)

ALMA
L . ELIA - (68) (17 AB)
DAL. GREEN (9 G 15 IP)
D. SIEBLER (2 G, 3 IP)

ASHEVILLE 
R. MOSCHITTO (9 AB)

BROOKLYN
B. BUHL (3 G 2.2 IP)
B. HEFFNER - (68) (7 G, 8.1 IP)

CLEVELAND
B. BOOKER (68) (5 AB)
A. EARLEY (2G, 1.1 IP)

DAYTON
J. SCHAFFER (67 & 68) (8 AB)
W. BOND (16 AB)

ELKHART
G. ALTMAN (18 AB)
J. AMALFITANO (1 AB)

EVANSTON
J. ORSINO (1 AB)
F. NEWMAN (3 G, 6.1 IP)
S. LOCKWOOD (69) (EXPANSION PLAYER)
D. SCHWALL (1 G 2/3 IP)

HOLLYWOOD
D. BERTELL (6 AB)
R. BARKER (26 AB)
B. VIRDON (68) (3 AB)

LAFAYETTE
C. HARDY (8 AB)
B. DULIBA (7 G, 9.2 IP)

LAS VEGAS 
J. PIERSALL (3 AB)

LINCOLN
J. KLIPPSTEIN (5G, 6.2 IP)

MACKINAW
C. KRUG (69) (17 AB)
B. FAUL (70) (7G, 9.2 IP)
W. STOCK (1G 1 IP)

POCONO
J. KRALICK (2 G, 2 IP)

SCHAUMBURG
J. MILLER (2G, 6 IP)

Remember to reply for ALL the above, and any others getting your "pink slip" ASAP. On Saturday evening, I will send out the total list of all players released so that any claims can be made. There will be a 48 hour window for claims to be made. In the case of any player being claimed by more than one team, the player will be awarded to the team with the worst 1966 W-L record. (A maximum of 2 players can be claimed by any one team, just to prevent others from getting a chance at these beauties! :)

May 20, 2004
1967 Stadium Changes
FRANKFORT, IN - Manager John Turnbull of the Dayton Triangles has decided to abandon Dodger Stadium and is changing his home park to Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Don Zminda, of the Hollywood Stars has claimed Dodger Stadium as his home park.  

May 4, 2004
1967 Call for protected players
FRANKFORT, IN - Please send me your protected rosters for 1967 ASAP. No later than Saturday, May 7th. Deadline time is 5:00 P.M. CST for your list.

Here is the number of players each team may protect:

20 Players

Ashville Tourists (R. Applegate)
Brooklyn Wonders (P. Reoch)
Las Vegas Thunder (M. See)
Pocono Pelicans (J. Wheeler)

19 Players

Alma Rifles (B. Linn)
Flushing Rats (J. DeZarlo)
Rockford Forest Cities (T. Baxter)
Elkhart Electric Eels (L.. Miller)
Lincoln Grays (P. Kenyon)
Hollywood Stars (D. Zminda)
Dayton Triangles (J. Turnbull)
Schaumburg Saxons (T. Johnson)
Frankfort Tigers (G. Plunkitt)
Evanston Black Sox (J. Ungashick)

18 Players

Cleveland Spiders (C. Williams)
Rossville Cubs (R. Ryan)
Lafayette Blue Sox (S. Ehresman)
Mackinaw Straights (G. Stillwagon)

February 25, 2004
1967 Draft info
FRANKFORT, IN - The official date for this draft will be May 15th. It will be held in Chicago, Il. The drafts will take place in the offices of John Ungahick's employment. I plan on arriving on Friday evening, the 14th. Please contact John ASAP if your going to attend this gala event. He will send you phone numbers of hotels that are close by his office. Prices are reasonable, and sharing rooms will make them even more so. Be sure to indicate to John if you want to share a room with another manager.
A White Sox game on Saturday evening is part of the activities for this weekend event. Tickets can easily be purchased at the gate on Saturday evening by each of us wanting to attend the game. John has assured me that there is no reason to book in advance for this game. I'm not sure who the visiting team is at this stage.
John says that he is willing to go to the Sox game on Friday evening too, should any of you wish to attend that one. Just let him know. 
Be sure to let John & I know your plans for draftday 1967 ASAP. If your unable to attend, but will be in the chatroom for this one, let us know that as well. Or finally, if your unable to attend in person, and will participate in the drafts with a list you will need to have the lists to me by Thursday, May 13th.
We hope to hear from each of you soon on what your plans will be. Don't miss this one! I encourage each of you to come to the Windy City for this get together. We have not had a draft for over a year away from the Indiana area, so this is your chance to get together for a really fun weekend in Chicago!

February 13, 2004
Another Stadium change
FRANKFORT, IN - Tim Johnson is making a change of ballparks for his Schaumburg Saxons. He is leaving Metropolitan Stadium (Minn.) and taking up residence in Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium for the 1967 season.

January 10, 2004
Stadium change
FRANKFORT, IN - Hollywood Stars manager Don Zminda has decided that his team will probably fare better in the Astrodome, and so his giving up Atlanta's ballyard, still practically brand new in 1967. The available parks are now Crosley Field Cincinnati, which becomes Riverfront in a few more seasons, and Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium, both of these are good hitting parks if you have that kind of team!

December 31, 2003
66 Voting booth now open
FRANKFORT, IN - Just a quick note to let you know that the voting booth is now open for both the 1966 All-Star & Awards voting. Please go to the league website and click on voting booth on the left hand side of the title page. You will then fill out your name and team name and cast a TWO ballots, one for each category. Please have your voting done by Sunday January 11th. This is your final action to make concerning the 1966 season. Thanks for taking care of this league duty!!

Ex manager Bob Buonaccorsi and new manager Mike See are both asked to vote too. Any time a manager change happens around voting time, both managers are asked to vote. 

December 28, 2003
67 Trading season opens early!
FRANKFORT, IN - All SPB 1966 Managers, Even though the 1966 World Series is just getting underway, there are a lot of managers who have gotten together and are chomping at the bit to have me announce a few trades that they have been working on in preparation for the 1967 season. 

I see no harm in going ahead and announcing that trading season for 1967 is open early. So, let the trade gates open, and feel free to report any trades made to me, if you have not already. Thanks for your attention! :)

Best,
Gary

December 24, 2003
New manager for 67 Season and beyond
FRANKFORT, IN - Veteran manager Bob Bounacorssi has resigned his position as manager of the Smithfield Seniors. Bob has been strictly an SPB I manager since the 1956 season, and we wish him well.

Mike See will be taking over the reigns of this team. He has been our the backup list for SPB I for a long time now, and is very happy to finally land a team. He has announced his new team name for 1967 will be the Las Vegas Thunder. He has also decided to take K.C. Municipal Stadium as his new home park, and give up the Astrodome. So the open parks in SPB I are now: Astrodome (Hou) and Crosley Field (Cin.). He is looking to make many trades, once the '66 W.S. is over and trading season is opened. Good luck to Mike in SPB I. 
 

December 24, 2003
66 50% use or lose players
FRANKFORT, IN - The following players will be lost to their respective teams in the future because they were not used half the time by their 1966 teams. For this list I will only give you the players who actually play in 1967. These players will be back in the '67 rookie draft:

Dick Egan, P (Rifles)
Al Spangler, OF (Triangles)
Curt Simmons, P (Triangles)
Jake Wood, 2B (Rats)
Sam Bowens, OF (Tigers)
Mike Ryan, C (Blue Sox)
John Kennedy, inf (Blue Sox)
Willie Smith, OF (Blue Sox)
Johnny Lewis, OF (Blue Sox)
Vic Roznovsky, C (Grays)
Bo Belinsky, P (Grays)
Ted Savage, OF (Straights)
Aurelio Monteagudo, P (Straights)
Ed Kirkpatrick, utl (Pelicans)
Ray Barker, 1B (Forest Cities)
Al Weis, inf (Forest Cities)
Bob Raudman, OF (Forest Cities)
Manny Jimenez, OF (Forest Cities)
Eddie Bressoud, inf (Cubs)
Ray Oyler, SS (Cubs)
Jim Landis, OF (Cubs)
Tom Egan, C (Cubs)
Ed Spezio, 3B (Seniors)

The following 5 players will be in future rookie drafts, but did not play in 1967:

Mike Ferraro (68) 3B, (Rats)
Garry Roggenburk (68) P, (Grays)
Lou Klimchock, (69) 3B, (Straights)
Jim Hicks, (69) 1B, (Forest Cities)
Julio Navarro (70) P, (Triangles)

The following 1966 players were also not used 50%, but never again play enough to return to SPB:

Dallas Green, p, Darrell Sutherland, p, Joe Cunningham, 1b, Joe Gaines, of,  Frank Kreutzer, p, Ed Roebuck, p, Gene Freese, 3b, Bob Friend, p, Jim Gentile, 1b, Ron Campbell, inf, Wes Covington, of
Jerry Lynch, of, Dan Napoleon, of, Jim Gilliam, inf, Albie Pearson, of
Bob Skinner, of, Ralph Terry, p, Larry Bearnarth, p, Vern Handrahan, p, Gordy Richardson, p, Frank Bolling, 2b, Lou Clinton, of, Dick Rusteck, p, Dick Phillips, 1b, Larry Miller, p, John Tsitouris, p, Choo Choo Coleman, c, Willie Kirkland, of, Marty Keough, of, Don Landrum, of, Frank Thomas, of, Arnie Umbach, p, Terry Fox, p
Ken Hamlin, inf, Gordy Coleman, 1b, Jim Duckworth, p, Buster Narum, p, Ron Piche, p

 July 15, 2003
66 Predictions posted
DAYTON, OH - Thanks goes out to Tim Johnson for putting together this interesting preview for the 1966 season. Tim's predictions can be found by clicking HERE. 

May 7, 2003
66 Draft pictures posted
DAYTON, OH - The much-anticipated pictures from the SPB-66 draft held at John Turnbull's are now posted in the photo album.  You can also access them by clicking HERE. 

May 1, 2003
66 Draft expansion elegible players
DAYTON, OH - Gentlemen...while you are preparing your draft strategies, I have assembled a listing of players who will be expansion-elegible for the 1969 Season that will be in this draft.  That means if you draft them, you own them for 3 seasons, then they are elegible to be taken away from you.  Here is the list:

Batters:  Ollie Brown, Joe Foy, Mike Hegan, Ed Spezio, Jackie Hernandez, John Donaldson, Steve Whitaker, Mike Ferraro

Pitchers:  Gene Brabender, Bucky Brandon, Dooley Womack, Carroll Sembera

Please plan accordingly

May 1, 2003
66 Draft preparations continue
DAYTON, OH - The rosters for the 1966 teams are now updated through the most current trades.  The Phase 2 cuts/available players are also now online under the DRAFT CENTRAL section.  Good luck to everyone on Saturday! 

April 26, 2003
66 Draft protected rosters due soon
FRANKFORT, IN - I am now asking each of you to prepare your protected rosters for the 1966 Phase II draft. The deadline for having these rosters in to me is on Wednesday, April 30 at 8:00 P.M. CST. Every manager must have his protected roster to me by then.

Following are the number of players that each team can protect:

18 Protected Players 
Frankfort Tigers (Plunkitt)
Cleveland Spiders (Williams)
Lafayette Blue Sox (Ehresman)
Alma Rifles (Linn)

19 Protected Players 
Lincoln Grays (Kenyon)
Rossville Cubs (Ryan)
Flushing Rats (DeZarlo)
Hatteras Pelicans (Wheeler)
Mackinaw Straights (Stillwagon)
Elkhart Electric Eels (Miller)
Rockford Forest Cities (Baxter)
Evanston Black Sox (Ungashick)
Brooklyn Wonders (Reoch)

20 Protected Players
Asheville Tourists (Applegate)
Dayton Triangles (Turnbull)
Smithfield Seniors (Bounoccorsi)
Hollywood Stars (Zminda)

March 30, 2003
SPB-1 Yearly Archives unveiled
DAYTON, OH - Since this is the first of all five SPB leagues, I have decided to unveil the first of the five SPB league yearly Archive pages.  It can be found on the left hand menu.  This will combine the stats archive and the Hall of Champions into one section, with everything having to do with a particular season all on one page.  I have yet to load any of the past yearbook pages, but that will be forthcoming in the future.  All five leagues will eventually have the SPB-1 look front page plus the yearly recap pages.  Enjoy! 

March 30, 2003
1966 Rookie list reposted
DAYTON, OH - I have reconfigured the rookie list for this year's draft.  The more useful stats are still posted, but I have added ratings for each position, so you can tell who is qualified at what position. I have also added running ratings at the end for those who want a speedster in the 7th round!  Hopefully the new format will be easier and more useful.  Let me know what you think or if you want anything else on the report. 

January 29, 2003
New owner for Torrerros
FRANKFORT, IN - Yet another manager change for the coming 1966 season has taken place. Former 1st year manager Bob Gibson has resigned due to "being in too many leagues." Veteran SPB manager Rich Applegate takes over the former San Diego Toreros immediately. He is now available to make trades for this team, which he intends to due according to the latest I have from him.

He has renamed the team the Asheville Tourists and will be dropping Crosley Field as his home park and taking on St. Louis Busch Stadium for the 1966 season. By taking over this team, Rich joins a handfull of SPB managers who are in all 5 leagues. Welcome aboard Rich!

So this means that the available parks for SPB I are now K.C. Municipal Stadium (Kansas City), and Crosley Field (Cincinnati).

January 21, 2003
New owner for Saxons
FRANKFORT, IN - All SPB - Veteran SPB manager Tim Johnson will be taking over the control of Tom Falduto's Schaumburg Saxons as of now. His first season as manager will be the 1966 year. Tim will keep the same team name for this team in honor of Tom's memory. 
Tim can be reached at: coleman161@cox.net. 

January 19, 2003
New SPB-1 President announced
FRANKFORT, IN - All SPB - I Managers, Manager Greg Stillwagon will be taking over the office of SPB - 1 President immediately. This is due to the recent death of Tom Falduto who had been President since the 1958 season. This is a sad circumstance which causes the change, but I'm sure Greg will do the same dedicated job that Tom did as one of our officers.

January 19, 2003
Tigers clinch exciting World Series crown!!
FAIRBORN, OH - Congratulations to the Frankfort Tigers...the 1965 SPB-1 champions!  Complete World series coverage can be seen on the WORLD SERIES link under MISC SPB-1 links.

December 28, 2002
65 Pennant Playoff decided in two games
FRANKFORT, IN - The first ever divisional playoff has been played, and the results can be found under MISC SPB-1 links. World Series to start soon. 

December 21, 2002
65 Pennant Playoff an SPB first!
FRANKFORT, IN - All SPB 1965 Managers, The tie between the Cleveland Spiders and the Frankfort Tigers will mean that a 3 game play off will have to be held between the Spiders, led by manager Chris Williams, and Gary Plunkitt's Tigers (yes, they're mine). These 3 games will be an extension of the regular season and the stats will count with the regular season stats just as they did in real life baseball playoffs of 1951, 1959, and 1962. However, all rules for the W.S. will be followed during this series. The games will rotate back and forth between ballparks. Who ever is home team for game one will also be home team if a 3rd game is needed. Of course the first team to take 2 games will have the privilege of advancing to the World Series to take on the Alma Rifles, managed by Bill Linn.

This is certainly a first in the annals of SPB history! Who would have guessed how tight both races were this year! In the American League the Tigers and Spiders each won 95 games giving us the first play off in all of SPB's history. The Lafayette Blue Sox with Steve Ehresman at the helm could have made it really interesting forcing a 3 way play off if they had just managed one more victory. Alas, the best they can do now is a 3rd place finish with their 94 wins. Paul Kenyon's Lincoln Grays only finished 4 games out with their 91 wins, and they get an honorable mention here for that one.

In the American League the race was also very tight with Bill Linn's Alma Rifles (92 wins) edging the Schaumburg Saxons (90 wins), with Tom Falduto at the helm, by a mere two games. Finishing in a tie for 3rd place were Lynn Millers Elkhart Electric Eels and the Nags Head Reefers under the guidance of Rod Witten. Both of these teams won 88 games and finished just 4 games behind. 

Never before have both Leagues, in any given SPB season, had so many teams in the race right down to the wire! Congratulations go out to all of the mentioned managers for the most exciting pennant races ever during an SPB season. Thanks for all the thrills.

Thanks to each of you other managers, and to stat man John Turnbull, for your excellent play during this season. There were no serious delays and everyone just did a great job!!

I will keep all of you informed while Chris and I get down to the business of having SPB's first ever play off!

October 27, 2002
New look to league pages
TUCSON, AZ - Starting with SPB-1 page, each individual page will get an updated look.  The links on the left have been organized into categories with all the links you need underneath them 1 click away.  The idea behind this is to clean the page up some, and reduce the amount of scrolling down as much as possible.  Enjoy!

June 28, 2002
65 free-agent pickups
FRANKFORT, IN - Surprisingly eight players have just been signed in the free agent draft from among the 12 players that were available. Here are the player and the teams that signed them for the 1965 season:

1. Gino Cimoli, of Nags Head Reefers
2. Yogi Berra, c Rossville Cubs
3. Frank Baumann, p Rossville Cubs
4. Tom Butters, p San Diego Toreros
5. Johnny Werhas, 1b San Diego Toreros
6. George Banks, 3b Brooklyn Wonders
7. Steve Boros, 3b Brooklyn Wonders
8. Mike White, 3b Brooklyn Wonders

The 4 unsigned players are released out of existence in SPB. They are Tom Cheney, Dave Roberts, Dick Smith, and Morrie Stevens. 

May 18, 2002
Ballpark changes
TUCSON, AZ - Jim Wheeler has reclaimed his old park Forbes Field and will be moving into it after spending a couple of years in Candlestick Park.  Chris Williams has claimed Candlestick Park, and is giving up Chavez Ravine. Peter Reoch takes Chavez Ravine and gives up Connie Mack Stadium.  C.M.S joins the Cleveland Mun. park as the two parks available.

June 28, 2002
65 free-agent pickups
FRANKFORT, IN - Surprisingly eight players have just been signed in the free agent draft from among the 12 players that were available. Here are the player and the teams that signed them for the 1965 season:

1. Gino Cimoli, of Nags Head Reefers
2. Yogi Berra, c Rossville Cubs
3. Frank Baumann, p Rossville Cubs
4. Tom Butters, p San Diego Toreros
5. Johnny Werhas, 1b San Diego Toreros
6. George Banks, 3b Brooklyn Wonders
7. Steve Boros, 3b Brooklyn Wonders
8. Mike White, 3b Brooklyn Wonders

The 4 unsigned players are released out of existence in SPB. They are Tom Cheney, Dave Roberts, Dick Smith, and Morrie Stevens. 

May 18, 2002
Ballpark changes
TUCSON, AZ - Jim Wheeler has reclaimed his old park Forbes Field and will be moving into it after spending a couple of years in Candlestick Park.  Chris Williams has claimed Candlestick Park, and is giving up Chavez Ravine. Peter Reoch takes Chavez Ravine and gives up Connie Mack Stadium.  C.M.S joins the Cleveland Mun. park as the two parks available.