Pacific power

Almost a week without a post. Hey, if you haven’t noticed, it’s a busy time of the year.

We’re almost there, really … a couple more group previews, some last-minute adjustments and we’ll be able to play ball at last. In fact, there will be some exhibition games taking place this weekend.

I think it will be well worth the wait, as we will have basically every significant player, at least the ones who qualified for their teams. The Strat-O-Matic Negro leagues set has surpassed even the very high expectations, and so our timing has been most fortuitous.

OK. As Lewis and Clark may have said, on to the Pacific. California is alone at the top here, but Japan is clearly an outstanding team, and certainly one to watch for in the tournament portion. Japan is in here because there aren’t that many Western states, with some combining to form teams, and as we mentioned last time, the international group had no vacancies.

Because of pitching, I think the smaller combo teams here are better than most and this group might not be as one-sided as it appears. I don’t think there’s a ton of upset potential, but the teams at the top of this crew will have to work harder for their wins.

1. California. Can’t wait to play the outfield of Bonds, DiMaggio and Williams. I think if we were playing a full season with the best teams, they’d win. I’m not so sure about the tournament, however.

2. Japan. Not really a sleeper because they won the 2006 and 2009 WBC tournaments. But just to remind everyone, they’re real good.

3. Oregon. The battle for third is going to be interesting. In time, Washington may nudge ahead on their young pitchers. But for now I like the Oregonians.

4. Washington. Probably will get in the tournament anyway, and really it’s a coin flip for third.

5. Yellowstone. Killebrew and some solid pitching could help the Bison sneak up on the previous two in the short-season format.

6. Alaska/Hawaii. Great rotation, but lack of offense will keep the 59ers from being more than a pain-in-the-neck factor in the Pacific.

Next: The South rises again.

Evergreen giants

We finish our tour of the Great Northwest in the Evergreen State.

Only two guys from Washingto are in the Hall of Fame – Ryne Sandberg and Earl Averill. Sandberg is of course a modern player, and there has been a lot of talk about Ron Santo getting into the Hall. It seems unlikely at this point, as there have been several votes on the matter and he hasn’t come particularly close, however deserving he is.

I’m going to focus on the Earl of Snohomish. Averill was part of the Indians’ great history of center fielders, roaming the “pasture” for the 1930s. He didn’t get to the majors until he was 27, so he began quickly, becoming the first American Leaguer to hit a home run in his first time at the plate.

Averill was picked for the first six All-Star games and hit .318 for his career. At the end of it, he went to the Tigers, who beat out the Indians for the pennant in 1940 and he got to play in a World Series. Then he returned to Snohomish and awaited his Hall selection, which finally happened in 1975.

One thing that jumps out about the Evergreens is that you have two guys named Ron who played a pretty good third base – Santo and Cey. Santo will probably play third so what do you do with Cey? His only other position (one game) was first base, but John Olerud and a lot of other guys are there. Sandberg’s at second and Kevin Stocker is at shortstop. Could Santo play shortstop? Possibly. More likely, Cey will be the top pinch hitter.

Joining Averill in the outfield could be the current member of that Cleveland center field club, Grady Sizemore, and perhaps Bill North or Geoff Jenkins. Or maybe Santo goes there. It’s hard to imagine Cey running in the outfield. Red Sox 1950s All-Star Sammy White is behind the plate.

The staff lacks a long-career ace, but not for long. Vean Gregg had a great rookie year for Cleveland in 1911, but never hit those heights again. Bruce Kison had a solid career for the Pirates though he was never really a star either. That brings us to the twosome of Tim Lincecum and Jon Lester. If they continue to pitch as they have so far, the Evergreens will have a pair of aces in pretty short order.

Another pitcher, Fred Hutchinson, will manage the Evergreens. Hutchinson was almost good enough to make the club, but he really made his mark in the dugout. Just 32 when he managed for the first time in Detroit, he went on to St. Louis, just missing a pennant in 1957, and then Cincinnati where he did win the flag in 1961 with the surprising Reds. The Reds just missed in 1962 and were in the chase in 1964 when Hutch could no longer continue. Just 45, he was ravaged by lung cancer. He missed the last two months and the Reds, trying to win it for their manager, finished a game out in the wild NL race.

About a month later, Hutchinson died. But his legacy lives on in Seattle, where his brother started the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. One of the persons treated there was Jon Lester, who was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2006 and recovered well enough to become the Red Sox ace. He won the Hutch Award in 2008, given by baseball to one person each year to reward a “fighting spirit” … which was, by all accounts, what Fred Hutchinson was.

WASHINGTON EVERGREENS

OF Earl Averill
LH Ed Brandt
RH Wally Bunker
3B Ron Cey
1B Jeff Conine
LH Vean Gregg
OF Geoff Jenkins
UT Mick Kelleher
UT Ed Kirkpatrick
RH Bruce Kison
RH Steve Kline
LH Jon Lester
RH Tim Lincecum
LH Randy Myers
OF Bill North
1B John Olerud
1B Ken Phelps
CA Mike Redmond
OF Roger Repoz
RH David Riske
2B Ryne Sandberg
3B Ron Santo
OF Grady Sizemore
RH Gerry Staley
SS Kevin Stocker
RH Todd Stottlemyre
1B Earl Torgeson
CA Sammy White

Next: Oklahoma.