Heart of a champion

Hard to see any series being better than this one. Start with the starters – Leon Day and Eppa Rixey for Virginia, and Bob Gibson and “Old Pete” Alexander for Nebraska. All four Hall of Famers.

Day pitched extremely well in two of three starts, but walked away 0-2. Rixey was phenomenal both times out, 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. Except for two Ron Hansen homers, he shut out the Cornhuskers in two games. Alex lost Game 2 despite taking a no-hitter into the seventh, but bounced back to win Game 5 and post a 2.50 ERA. Both were route-going performances.

But Gibson topped them all. Despite control issues in Game 1, he managed to win it, and then he was his usual dominant self in Games 4 and 7. He had a 2.00 ERA, 23 Ks in 27 IP (yes, 3 complete games), and scored the go-ahead run in Game 4 and the winning run in the finale in the last of the ninth. He did it all.

You may ask, why did Gibson start Game 1 and not Alex? A fair question. There are no wrong answers in a project like this, and it’s not exactly a problem for Nebraska. But I could have seen Alex coming out of the bullpen in a seventh game, like in the 1926 World Series, and of course Gibson proved his chops in the ’60s Series for the Cards. Alexander will start the opener against Sandy Koufax and New York, with Gibson returning for Game 3. The bullpen is well rested, having worked just 4 2/3 innings in the entire series.

With all these great pitchers, as one might expect the hitting was somewhat down in this series. Nebraska hit just .232, Virginia .217. Each team was held to three or fewer runs in four of the seven games. Wade Boggs, of course, was immune, pounding out a .429 average (12 for 28) with three doubles, a triple and four RBI. Bob Cerv (.320) and Richie Ashburn (.292) were also solid, with Ashburn driving in the series-winning run.

Virginia, as the cliche goes, can hold its heads high. Johnny Grubb, who appeared in all but one game, hit .444 while Ray Dandridge led the regulars with a .333 average. “Hooks” also tied for the team high with 3 RBI with Jud Wilson and David Wright.

So a great effort from the Virginians, but it is the children of the corn who move on to meet the big boys from New York. Our next series follows the theme of distant opponents as it will match Louisiana against tiny but feisty Maine.

Nebraska vs. Virginia

Game 1 at Nebraska

Virginia........ 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 - 4 7 1
Nebraska........ 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 x - 6 10 1
W: Gibson L: Day

Wade Boggs was 4-for-4, including a double that ignited the winning three-run rally in the eighth, and Bob Gibson went the distance as Nebraska won a back-and-forth opener.

Virginia went ahead 4-3 in the top of the eighth on David Wright’s RBI single, but left the bases loaded as Gibson struck out two in a row to end the inning. Boggs, who had three singles earlier, doubled off Leon Day in the Nebraska eighth. Richie Ashburn walked and Sam Crawford’s single tied the game and knocked out Day. Bob Cerv’s RBI hit off Charlie Ferguson put Nebraska ahead for good and another run scored later on a Granny Hamner error.

Gibson, who got the Game 1 nod over Grover Cleveland Alexander, struggled with his control, walking five. Day doubled in three runs in the fifth for Virginia.

Game 2 at Nebraska

Virginia........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 - 2 5 1
Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 - 1 8 0
W: Phillippe L: Alexander S: Wagner
HR: Wilson, Crawford

Jud Wilson busted up Grover Cleveland Alexander’s no-hit bid and shutout hopes with a two-run homer in the seventh, and Deacon Phillippe made it stand up to give Virginia a split at Nebraska.

Sam Crawford had given the Cornhuskers a lead with a solo shot in the sixth. Jackie Brandt doubled with one out in the eighth to knock out Phillippe, but Al Holland finished the eighth and Billy Wagner pitched a perfect ninth for the save. Phillippe walked one and struck out one.

Alexander went the distance for Nebraska, walking two and striking out three. One of the walks, Paul Hines, scored on the Wilson homer.

Game 3 at Virginia

Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 1
Virginia........ 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 x - 1 4 0
W: Rixey L: Harder

Eppa Rixey, another Hall of Fame starting pitcher, won a great duel with Mel Harder to give Virginia a 2-1 series lead.

Rixey walked two and struck out three. The only Cornhusker to get past first base was pinch hitter Cliff Lee, who batted for Harder in the eighth and tripled with two out. But Rixey retired Richie Ashburn to end the inning.

The game’s only run came on Randy Hundley’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the second. Willie Horton and David Wright singled to start the inning and Gene Alley walked to load the bases. Harder gave up just four hits in seven innings, with one walk and three strikeouts.

Game 4 at Virginia

Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 - 7 11 1
Virginia........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 1 7 0
W: Gibson L: Day

Nebraska tied up the series, breaking up another pitchers’ duel with seven runs in the last two innings.

Bob Gibson struck out nine in a complete-game performance, and started the go-ahead rally in the eighth by drawing a walk from Leon Day. Richie Ashburn singled one out later, and Wade Boggs tripled to put Nebraska ahead and knock out Day. Sam Crawford’s sacrifice fly against Nick Cullop made it 3-0.

Virginia finally scored against Gibson in their half of the eighth on a single, a walk and an infield out, but Nebraska finished it off in the ninth with four more runs. Gibson singled in the first run, Johnny Hopp drove in another with a single, Ashburn hit a sacrifice fly and Crawford’s single made it 7-1.

Day, who took a three-hit shutout into the eighth, struck out five and walked three, but lost for the second time in the series.

Game 5 at Virginia

Nebraska........ 0 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 7 13 1
Virginia........ 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 4 6 0
W: Alexander L: Verlander

Grover Cleveland Alexander survived a shaky beginning for the victory, and contributed a two-run single in the second inning as Nebraska took a 3-2 series lead.

The ‘Husker hitters knocked out Justin Verlander in three-plus innings, shelling him for seven hits and all seven runs. Bob Cerv went 4-for-4 and Johnny Hopp drove in three runs for the winners.

Alexander, like Bob Gibson, completed the game for the second time in the series. He gave up six hits, but just two in the last six innings, and one of the four runs was unearned. He walked four and struck out four.

Game 6 at Nebraska

Virginia........ 0 2 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 - 6 14 1
Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 - 3 4 0
W: Rixey L: Harder
HR: Hansen 2

Eppa Rixey won for the second time in the series and also drove in three runs with a double and single to give Virginia a chance in a seventh game.

Rixey held Nebraska to four hits, walking one and fanning three. The only Nebraska hitter to solve him was Ron Hansen, who hit a solo homer in the seventh and a two-run shot in the ninth.

Johnny Grubb had four hits and scored three runs for the Virginians, and Ray Dandridge had three hits and drove in a pair of runs. Mel Harder, who pitched very well in Game 3, didn’t have it this time. He was pounded for 13 hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Game 7 at Nebraska

Virginia........ 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 0
Nebraska........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 - 2 4 3
W: Gibson L: Wagner
HR: Wilson

Bob Gibson again did it all, striking out 10 and scoring the winning run for his third series victory as Nebraska advanced in a nail-biter.

Gibson and Leon Day hooked up in another great matchup, and Virginia led when Jud Wilson homered in the fifth. Gibson walked six, and Nebraska committed three errors, two by first baseman Johnny Hopp, but Virginia couldn’t take advantage and stranding 12 runners.

Nebraska tied it in the seventh when Richie Ashburn singled and Wade Boggs doubled him in. Day departed for a pinch hitter after the eighth, having given up just three hits and no walks, and closer Billy Wagner took over in the ninth. Gibson, allowed to bat for himself, walked. Hopp sacrificed and Ashburn singled, with Gibson just beating the throw home.

Capitol punishers

This group also could be known as the “Left Outs.” I used the headline – which should be spelled Capital – because that’s what Frank Howard was called, and I always liked the big guy from Ohio.

As for the groups, my problem was that I could make six or seven logical groups out of the nine, but some teams were going to be left out.

New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio are adjacent to each other, but none can be in the same group as the others because they’re too strong. New York has the northeastern states.

Pennsylvania, in the Atlantic group above, has the states along the mid-Eastern seaboard. So where do we go with Ohio?

They get the mish-mosh. They get Michigan, at least partly because of Woody and Bo, and Michigan is kind of left out of the Great Lakes group (which admittedly is dumb, because most of the Great Lakes formed the state). There’s Virginia and West Virginia. D.C. didn’t fit in the Atlantic Group. And Europe; someone has to take them. It makes sense for it to be one of the East Coast groups.

Ohio is the class of this group, pretty easily. It’s one of the unbalanced groups in my opinion. Again, the battle should be to see who stays out of fourth place.

As I see it:

1. Ohio. See above. Too much everything. Cy Young and Roger Clemens head the rotation.

2. Michigan. Kind of a sleeper overall, and will easily make it through to the tournament. Maybe not enough offense to really threaten, but the pitching is strong and deep.

3. West Virginia. A nice “little” team with a strong infield and OK pitching. It’s either them or …

4. Virginia. This team is a little hard to figure, and should be much stronger in 10 years or so. Even now, if they beat up on the bottom two enough, they’ll advance.

5. D.C. Not really that good, but still better than …

6. Europe. Blyleven and Mullane are interesting guys, and would probably be interesting teammates. Not enough help though.

Next: The Central.

Old Dominion, new stars

Virginia is known as the “Mother of Presidents,” having produced eight of them (one more than Ohio), but it’s becoming known for baseball talent too.

Like most of the eastern states, many of the commonwealth’s best ballplayers come from the distant past. But Virginia is also southern enough to have seen a renaissance, with the likes of David Wright, Justin Verlander and the Upton brothers reaching the big leagues in just the last few years.

The manager of this crew was a pretty good player too, Billy Nash. He’s not on the team because he played third base and as you’ll see we have more than enough of those. Including Nash, there have been four managers in the state’s history, and the only one over .500 is Pat Sullivan, who went 2-1 for Columbus of the American Association in 1890. So I’ll go with Nash, who deserves recognition.

There aren’t a lot of Hall of Famers representing the Old Dominion, and the ones who are there aren’t well known. Eppa Rixey pitched for the Phillies and Reds and made it in via the Veterans Committee route. Leon Day was a great pitcher and slugger in the Negro leagues. Third basemen Jud Wilson and Ray Dandridge also starred in the Negro leagues, and in Wilson’s case was only recently named to the Hall, in 2006. Dandridge was one of the first players of the Negro leagues to be recognized, but he didn’t get to play in MLB despite hitting .360 for a New York Giants’ farm club in 1949. He might move over to second on this team, which doesn’t have a “true” second sacker.

Paul Hines is one of the best players not in the Hall of Fame. He won the triple crown in 1878 … the problem was, no one knew it at the time. The category of runs batted in wasn’t even counted back then and home runs were not a big deal in those days. Not until years after his death was Hines actually credited with winning the triple crown. Also in 1878, though accounts differ as to whether this happened or not, Hines is believed to have turned the first unassisted triple play (while playing center field!); he made a difficult catch, then kept running and stepped on one base, which in the rules of the time put both runners out.

Hines was a fine player, and so were quite a few of these other guys.

VIRGINIA CAVALIERS

SS Gene Alley
RH Doc Ayers
OF Steve Brodie
OF Frank Brower
LH Nick Cullop
3B Ray Dandridge
RH Leon Day
RH Charlie Ferguson
OF Johnny Grubb
SS Granny Hamner
OF Paul Hines
LH Al Holland
OF Willie Horton
CA Randy Hundley
CA Todd Hundley
UT Brandon Inge
OF Jim Lemon
1B George McQuinn
RH Deacon Phillippe
RH Bob Porterfield
LH Eppa Rixey
OF B.J. Upton
OF Justin Upton
RH Justin Verlander
LH Billy Wagner
3B Jud Wilson
UT Tony Womack
3B David Wright

Next: We go outside the U.S.