GOWDY MEMORIAL: REGULAR SEASON ENDS 6 TEAMS ADVANCE TO PLAYOFFS

                 BLASS  ( 5-0  1.99 ERA )  LEADS CY YOUNG VOTING  

THE PROJECT 

Hello baseball fans....

This project is named after Curt Gowdy, my favorite broadcaster.  Gowdy made sure his listeners understood every ballplayer's story of their journey to the majors and their virtues and vices on the field.

PROJECT TOOLS 

Digital Diamond Board Game Companion 
Google Dice Roller 
Liberty IP League Rules ( Modified) 
King of the Hill Schedule Format 
1966 Inside Pitch Game and Cards 

PROCESS 

180 games are in the books and the following 6 teams are in the playoffs: 

1 seed:  Pittsburgh 21-9
2 seed:  Kansas City 17-7
3 seed:  Baltimore  17-10 
4 seed:  Los Angeles 16-10 
5 seed: Houston 14-9 
6 seed:  Minnesota  12-9

Playoff Schedule 

Round 1:  Minnesota at Houston ( 1 game) 
Round 2:  Round 1 winner plays Los Angeles in the best of 3 
Round 3:  Round 2 winner plays Baltimore in the best of 5 
Round 4:  Round 3 winner plays Kansas City in best of 5 
World Series:  Round 4 winner plays Pittsburgh in best of 7 

SCOUTING REPORTS ON PLAYOFF CONTENDERS 

Note:  

Pitcher Stats IP  W-L  ERA  K-BB  WHIP 
Hitter Stats  HR-RBI-AVG  OBP/SLG/OPS 


PIRATES ( 21-9)

Rankings:
OPS  1
ERA  2 
FLD  6 
RDIF 86

Hitting Leaders 
B. Bailey  3-15-375  397/607/1.004
D. Clendenon 5-25-366  405/593/998 
M. Mota  3-18-346   377/551/929 
M. Alou   2-11-369    400/495/895

Pitching Leaders 
B. Veale  57  5-0 2.84  61-17  1.05 
V.  Law   49  4-1  1.99  28-6   1.01 
S.  Blass   45  5-0  1.99  16-15  1.15
B. ODell    14   1-1-3  1.26  6-6  1.26 

Notes: 
Pirates had the best run scoring machine in the regular season and the second best run prevention team in the league so it is hard to see how any of the other playoff teams can derail the Pirates from the 1966 Gowdy title.  The only reasonable possibility would be an opponent's pitching staff just shuts down the Pirate hitters and/or Pittsburgh suffers some unexpected injuries.  
The Pirates have 2 aces in the hole.  First, they have a bye all the way to the World Series.  Second, teams are allowed to use any starter who starts game 1 of the World Series in game 7 of the WS.  Teams are still required to use 4 man rotations in all other playoff games. 


ATHLETICS 17-7

Rankings:
OPS  7 
ERA  1 
FLD  3 
RDIF 51 

Hitting Leaders 
D. Cater  4-16-304   354/554/908 
B. Campaneris 2-7-326  368/472/840  13 SB

Pitching Leaders 
C. Hunter  46  4-1 2.51  39-15 1.01 
L. Krausse 42  3-1 1.29  22-11  1.05 
J.  Nash      40  3-1  1.80  26-11  1.02 
B.M. Odom 36   2-2  2.45  11-16  1.23 
J. Aker    9   2-0  1.00   1-1   0.56   3SV


Notes:  

The As are this year's miracle team.  Kansas City started the project with a 10-3 record but needed to win the last game of the season to secure second place in the playoffs.  The As beat the Angels 2-1 in 10 innings thanks to a walk off HR by Danny Cater.  The Angels loss also eliminated California from the playoffs and handed the 6th seed to the Minnesota Twins.  The game was just an example of how the whole season has gone for the upstart As. 

Quality pitching depth is the key to Kansas City's chances in the playoffs.  As nation hopes the best 4 man rotation in the project can take them all the way. 


BALTIMORE  17-10

Rankings 
OPS 4 
ERA  7 
FLD   9 
RDIF  23 

Hitting Leaders 
B. Powell   8-27-355   403/627/1031 
B. Robinson 7-24-279   314/577/890 
P.  Blair  2-11-315     383/507/890 

Pitching Leaders 
S. Barber  37  4-0  2.19  23-10  1.05  
S. Miller    9    0-2   0.96  8-2     0.96 

Notes: 
This is the most under achieving team in the project which is a double edge sword when trying to determine how far they will go in the playoffs.  Frank Robinson (700), Luis Aparicio ( 652) and Davey Johnson ( 620) could all wake up in the playoffs.  Jim Palmer (3.59), Dave McNally (3.47) and Eddie Watt (3.69) all have room for improvement.  This is the most unpredictable team in the playoffs. 


LOS ANGELES  16-10

Rankings 
OPS 12
ERA  3 
FLD   4 
RDIF  14 

Hitting Leaders 
J. Lefebvre   7-22-290  309/570/879 

Pitching Leaders 
S. Koufax  52  3-2  2.42  47-14  1.13 
D. Drysdale 50  3-3 2.52   32-5  1.20 
D. Sutton   43    5-1  2.28   38-7  0.88 
P. Regan    12    1-0   2.92   6-0    0.73  3 SV

Notes:  

This is the last year of Sandy Koufax's career so the Koufax-Drysdale duo could be the last chance the Dodgers have to win a Gowdy title for a long time.  If Koufax and Drysdale catch fire, the Dodgers could surprise the rest of the playoff contenders.  



HOUSTON  14-9 

Rankings 
OPS  2 
ERA  14 
FLD   18 
RDIF  9 

Hitting Leaders 
J. Wynn   7-19-295   365/628/993  
R. Staub   6-13-309   343/557/900 

Pitching Leaders 
M. Cuellar  46  3-2  1.93  32-8  1.03 
T.  Farrell    35  4-0  2.31  19-4  0.83 

Notes: 
Mike Cuellar and his 1.93 ERA should give the Astros a slight advantage in the first playoff round against the Twins but after that Houston must hope they can outhit any playoff opponent since they have the lowest ranked pitching staff in the playoffs. 


MINNESOTA 12-9

Rankings 
OPS 3 
ERA  10 
FLD   7 
RDIF  11 

Hitting Leaders 
T. Oliva  4-12-333  370/552/921 
H. Killebrew  5-19-296   367/556/922 

Pitching Leaders  
M. Grant  39   3-1  2.29  13-7  1.04 
J. Perry     35   4-0  2.78   27-8   1.09 

Notes:

The Twins have a puncher's chance of beating the Astros in round 1 but I do not see how they get pass the Dodgers in round 2.  Minnesota's offense will need to offset any pitching deficiencies for any success in this year's playoffs. 

League Notes 

CY  Young Voting Leaders 

Steve Blass 70 
Don Sutton 65 
Bob Veale 65 
Steve Barber 55 
Turk Farrell  55 

MVP Voting Leaders 

Boog Powell  67 
Donn Clendenon 67 
Roberto Clemente 64 
Brooks Robinson 63 
Jim Lefebvre  59 


LEAGUE STATS 

Digital Diamond Baseball Report: 1966-Standings

Standings - (AL-AL) [All Season]

Year	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	RDIFF	L10	STRK	HOME	AWAY
1966	1966-KCA	17	7	0.708	0	+51	7-3	W1	7-1	10-6
1966	1966-BAL	17	10	0.630	1.5	+23	4-6	L2	6-4	11-6
1966	1966-MIN	12	9	0.571	3.5	+11	6-4	L2	5-4	7-5
1966	1966-CAL	11	9	0.550	4	+3	5-5	L1	7-2	4-7
1966	1966-BOS	10	11	0.476	5.5	-36	5-5	L3	5-6	5-5
1966	1966-DET	8	9	0.471	5.5	-9	4-6	L1	5-4	3-5
1966	1966-CHA	6	9	0.400	6.5	-11	3-7	L1	5-4	1-5
1966	1966-NYA	6	9	0.400	6.5	-18	3-7	L1	3-7	3-2
1966	1966-WSA	4	9	0.308	7.5	-14	4-6	L1	4-5	0-4
1966	1966-CLE	2	9	0.182	8.5	-29	1-9	L7	2-7	0-2

Standings - (NL-NL) [All Season]

Year	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	RDIFF	L10	STRK	HOME	AWAY
1966	1966-PIT	21	9	0.700	0	+86	6-4	L1	7-2	14-7
1966	1966-LAN	16	10	0.615	3	+14	6-4	L1	6-2	10-8
1966	1966-HOU	14	9	0.609	3.5	+19	6-4	L3	5-4	9-5
1966	1966-PHI	10	9	0.526	5.5	+1	7-3	L1	5-4	5-5
1966	1966-CHN	7	9	0.438	7	+3	6-4	L1	3-6	4-3
1966	1966-SLN	7	9	0.438	7	-4	6-4	L1	4-5	3-4
1966	1966-CIN	6	9	0.400	7.5	-11	3-7	L4	5-4	1-5
1966	1966-SFN	4	9	0.308	8.5	-26	4-6	L3	2-7	2-2
1966	1966-ATL	4	9	0.308	8.5	-27	2-8	L5	3-6	1-3
1966	1966-NYN	0	9	0.000	10.5	-26	0-9	L9	0-9	0-0

Digital Diamond Baseball Report: 1966-League-Leaders-Batting

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [AVE] (Combined PA>=55)

Name	AVE
Tim McCarver (1966-SLN)	.383
Bob Bailey (1966-PIT)	.375
Willie Horton (1966-DET)	.369
Matty Alou (1966-PIT)	.369
Donn Clendenon (1966-PIT)	.366

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [OBP] (Combined PA>=55)

Name	OBP
Norm Cash (1966-DET)	.431
Paul Schaal (1966-CAL)	.419
Don Kessinger (1966-CHN)	.411
Tim McCarver (1966-SLN)	.406
Willie Horton (1966-DET)	.406

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [SLG] (Combined PA>=55)

Name	SLG
Adolfo Phillips (1966-CHN)	.631
Jim Wynn (1966-HOU)	.628
Boog Powell (1966-BAL)	.627
Willie Mays (1966-SFN)	.614
Bob Bailey (1966-PIT)	.607

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [OPS] (Combined PA>=55)

Name	OPS
Boog Powell (1966-BAL)	1.031
Adolfo Phillips (1966-CHN)	1.011
Bob Bailey (1966-PIT)	1.004
Donn Clendenon (1966-PIT)	.998
Jim Wynn (1966-HOU)	.993

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [RISP] (PA With Runners In Scoring Position>=50)

Name	RISP

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [LOADED] (PA When Bases Are Loaded>=5)

Name	LOADED

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [HR]

Name	HR
Boog Powell (1966-BAL)	8
Jim Lefebvre (1966-LAN)	7
Brooks Robinson (1966-BAL)	7
Jim Wynn (1966-HOU)	7
Rusty Staub (1966-HOU)	6

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [R]

Name	R
Willie Stargell (1966-PIT)	23
Matty Alou (1966-PIT)	22
Roberto Clemente (1966-PIT)	22
Donn Clendenon (1966-PIT)	22
Boog Powell (1966-BAL)	20

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [RBI]

Name	RBI
Boog Powell (1966-BAL)	27
Roberto Clemente (1966-PIT)	25
Donn Clendenon (1966-PIT)	25
Brooks Robinson (1966-BAL)	24
Gene Alley (1966-PIT)	22

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [SB]

Name	SB
Lou Brock (1966-SLN)	13
Bert Campaneris (1966-KCA)	13
Sonny Jackson (1966-HOU)	10
Maury Wills (1966-LAN)	6
Tommie Agee (1966-CHA)	3

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [H]

Name	H
Donn Clendenon (1966-PIT)	45
Boog Powell (1966-BAL)	39
Matty Alou (1966-PIT)	38
Manny Mota (1966-PIT)	37
Roberto Clemente (1966-PIT)	35

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [SO]

Name	Doubles

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [Doubles]

Name	Triples
Jim Pagliaroni (1966-PIT)	9
Brooks Robinson (1966-BAL)	8
Jim Wynn (1966-HOU)	8
Donn Clendenon (1966-PIT)	7
Paul Blair (1966-BAL)	6

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [Triples]

Name	BB
Glenn Beckert (1966-CHN)	4
Tony Conigliaro (1966-BOS)	4
Manny Mota (1966-PIT)	4
Bob Aspromonte (1966-HOU)	3
Danny Cater (1966-CHA)	3

Digital Diamond Baseball Report: 1966-League-Leaders-Batting

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [AVE] (Combined PA>=55)

Name	AVE
Tim McCarver (1966-SLN)	.383
Bob Bailey (1966-PIT)	.375
Willie Horton (1966-DET)	.369
Matty Alou (1966-PIT)	.369
Donn Clendenon (1966-PIT)	.366

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [OBP] (Combined PA>=55)

Name	OBP
Norm Cash (1966-DET)	.431
Paul Schaal (1966-CAL)	.419
Don Kessinger (1966-CHN)	.411
Tim McCarver (1966-SLN)	.406
Willie Horton (1966-DET)	.406

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [SLG] (Combined PA>=55)

Name	SLG
Adolfo Phillips (1966-CHN)	.631
Jim Wynn (1966-HOU)	.628
Boog Powell (1966-BAL)	.627
Willie Mays (1966-SFN)	.614
Bob Bailey (1966-PIT)	.607

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [OPS] (Combined PA>=55)

Name	OPS
Boog Powell (1966-BAL)	1.031
Adolfo Phillips (1966-CHN)	1.011
Bob Bailey (1966-PIT)	1.004
Donn Clendenon (1966-PIT)	.998
Jim Wynn (1966-HOU)	.993

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [RISP] (PA With Runners In Scoring Position>=50)

Name	RISP

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [LOADED] (PA When Bases Are Loaded>=5)

Name	LOADED

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [HR]

Name	HR
Boog Powell (1966-BAL)	8
Jim Lefebvre (1966-LAN)	7
Brooks Robinson (1966-BAL)	7
Jim Wynn (1966-HOU)	7
Rusty Staub (1966-HOU)	6

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [R]

Name	R
Willie Stargell (1966-PIT)	23
Matty Alou (1966-PIT)	22
Roberto Clemente (1966-PIT)	22
Donn Clendenon (1966-PIT)	22
Boog Powell (1966-BAL)	20

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [RBI]

Name	RBI
Boog Powell (1966-BAL)	27
Roberto Clemente (1966-PIT)	25
Donn Clendenon (1966-PIT)	25
Brooks Robinson (1966-BAL)	24
Gene Alley (1966-PIT)	22

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [SB]

Name	SB
Lou Brock (1966-SLN)	13
Bert Campaneris (1966-KCA)	13
Sonny Jackson (1966-HOU)	10
Maury Wills (1966-LAN)	6
Tommie Agee (1966-CHA)	3

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [H]

Name	H
Donn Clendenon (1966-PIT)	45
Boog Powell (1966-BAL)	39
Matty Alou (1966-PIT)	38
Manny Mota (1966-PIT)	37
Roberto Clemente (1966-PIT)	35

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [SO]

Name	Doubles

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [Doubles]

Name	Triples
Jim Pagliaroni (1966-PIT)	9
Brooks Robinson (1966-BAL)	8
Jim Wynn (1966-HOU)	8
Donn Clendenon (1966-PIT)	7
Paul Blair (1966-BAL)	6

League Batting Leaders All Leagues - [Triples]

Name	BB
Glenn Beckert (1966-CHN)	4
Tony Conigliaro (1966-BOS)	4
Manny Mota (1966-PIT)	4
Bob Aspromonte (1966-HOU)	3
Danny Cater (1966-CHA)	3