Days 31-40 - Big Mac Attacks!



Sparky Anderson famously noted that you never really know what you have until the 40 game mark.  Well, most teams are now there and it looks like some teams are staking their claims atop their division.  Several teams are tied for the best record in the last 10 games.  Henderson, PED-Co, John Wisely, and Las Vegas are all 7-3 lately.  Las Vegas in particular has started to separate themselves from their division foes. 


<in Bugs Bunny voice> WAM!  Another home-ah!

Mark McGwire is the Player Of The Block for this set of 10 games.  McGwire hit an astounding. 371 with 7 HRs and 12 RBIs, and now stands alone atop the Home Run chart.  Albert Belle was a close runner up, at .389, 5 HRs and 11 RBIs

 

 

This block's video is a great montage of the power and spectacle of Mark McGwire.  Enjoy!

Day 31  Verona Ridge wins third in a row on Raul Mondesi's three run, 9th inning shot,  Randy Johnson shuts out Jimmy, Nomar leads the Bastards with two extra-base hits, and Pedro Martinez tosses a 2 hitter for Midland.

Day 32  Dante Bichette happens to give Verona another win, Mark McGwire hits two out of the ballpark for Fort Wayne and gave Jon Lieber a league-best 6-1 record, Griffey Jr. belts two homers, Juicers win a wild one over the Bastards (would expect nothing less in a game between those two names!)  One other player had two homers tonight, joining McGwire and Griffey....Bill Marx's Scott Hatteberg, whom astute viewers will recognize as the catcher-turned-first-baseman from Moneyball, as played by Chris Pratt, who is now in every movie made

Day 33  It's the biggest combined run output of the year so far...arch-rivals (and cousins) the Juicers and the Frosted Tips combine for 25 runs and 32 hits!  Juicers win it on a 4 run bottom-of-the-ninth, capping a comeback from being down 12-3 at the 7th inning stretch!!!  Surly slugger Gary Sheffield hits two HRs for the Goombies, and Juan Gonzalez does the same for Backwoods.  John Wisely rallies for 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth to stun Verona Ridge.

Day 34  Brooklyn snaps an eight-game losing streak by besting the Rickeys 5-3.  Juicers beat Fort Wayne again, and Derek Jeter gets Jimmy with it, two HRs and 5 RBIs for Jeets.  Jose Canseco juices one out of the park in the top of the 9th that would lift Las Vegas over Backwoods 4-3.

Day 35  Sterling Hitchcock stopped PED-Co cold, blanking them on just 7 hits allowed.  Fremonts win in 11 innings, and Andres Galaragga, the "Big Cat", gets 4 hits for Andy Willnus in a narrow 5-4 win over Bill Marx (classic battle of teams named after their owners  :-)  )

Day 36  Call me Ismael!  Ismael Valdez, that is, who goes the distance and pitches Las Vegas over Bill Marx.  Chan Ho Park (ideal name for a stadium) shuts out the Juicers, another big outing from Midland's Pedro Martinez (now 6-2, 10 K's against the Rickeys), Big Unit with 14 K's, David Cone and Roger Clemens have a pitchers duel for the ages, a 1-0 game won by Cone and Getting Jimmy With It. A less likely pitcher's duel developed between the Buttheads (Sean Bergman, 0-3 entering the game) and the Bastards (Hideo Nomo 1-3 entering the game). The Buttheads get only 2 hits, but 3 runs somehow, and beat the Bastards, who got 0 runs despite 9 hits.  Strange game indeed! 

Day 37  Vegas wins their fourth in a row as they get a walk-off HR from Shawn Green, Brad Radke comes up big for the Juicers, and everyone on the Rickeys can hit, including Bill Haselman who came a triple away from the cycle.  John Wisely's Matt Lawton gets 4 hits, and Greg Maddux outduels Lima Time in a 3-1 game.

Day 38  Verona Ridge enters the bottom of the ninth down 4-2 to the Juicers, but rallies and ultimately wins on Craig Biggio's single.  Ray Durham gives Andy Willnus 4 hits and 2 RBIs.  Kevin Brown and other Buttheads shut out the Bastards, and win 2-0. 

Day 39  In a scheduling quirk, only one ballgame tonight.  The Fremonts wallop Bill Marx 11-4, and little known Bobby Jones goes the distance for Las Vegas and is now 4-1. Huge Game by Ken Griffey, 2-5 with 2 runs, 1 HR, and 4 RBIs

Day 40  Sammy Sosa seems to be shaking off a slow start and cracks two homers for the Juicers, Jeter homers and drives in 4 for Jimmy at Dueling Banjos Field,  Manny Ramirez hits a grand slam, and in the game of the night, Fort Wayne defeats Andy 13-11, in 12 innings! Mark McGwire started the rally in the top of the 12th with a singe, and actually stole second (Charley Hustle!).  Mike Piazza doubled him home, and then Robin Ventura, once a goat, now is the hero as he singled in the frosted-tip wearing Piazza.