The pre-season preparations for the upcoming 1967 BBW
replay are completed, and it is (almost) time to play. My previous BBW replays
(1901, 1911, 1920, 1930, 1941, 1949, and 1957) were all pre-expansion seasons,
so 1967 will be my first post-expansion season. There is no division play -
that won't happen for two more years - so there are no rounds of play-offs yet,
and the designated hitter is still six years away. Twenty teams instead of sixteen, but still
good old-fashioned baseball.
The 1967 set is a revised set, and
every player is carded (disked?), 718 total players in all. As a curiosity, 65 players have zero 31s on their cards. I have encountered this
in other sets, but only in a very limited fashion. I am not saying it is wrong,
I am just saying I was surprised. There are a total of sixteen players with
three 31s.
The number of stolen bases and the
number of stolen base attempts between 1966 and 1967 is relatively unchanged,
but batting averages in both leagues did drop: .241 -> .236 in the AL, and .256
-> .249 in the NL. 1968 is referred to as the "Year of the
Pitcher," but this was certainly a trend that was seen in the 1967 season.
The 1967 NL pennant race was exciting,
at least it was to me. In the summer of 1967, I was a ten-year-old living in
the wilds of western Illinois listening to Jack Buck and Harry Caray doing
Cardinals broadcasts on my tiny Radio Shack transistor radio. St. Louis won the
NL rather handily, but I suspect it won’t be so easy in the replay.
The 1967 AL pennant race is one of the
most famous in baseball. Four teams each took a turn in first place over the
final few weeks of the season, but none were able to expand their lead beyond
1.0 games. This madness extended on through the final weekend of the season
before Boston, a team that finished in ninth place the previous season, was
able to clinch the pennant on the final day of the season. This book does a
fine job of detailing the 1967 AL pennant race, including day-by-day coverage
over that hectic final month of the season:
I remember many of these particular
cards from back in the day and will be using these pictures as part of my
weekly write-ups. I am sure there are similar sites for other seasons, but I
was just happy to have found this one.
The Charlton site is not laid out
particularly well and could use some sort of redesign, but if you are willing
to slug it out there is a lot of good baseball history here.
After having handily won the 1966 AL
pennant by 9.0 games and then storming through the World Series with four
consecutive wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers the formerly woebegone St. Louis
Browns have now risen to the top team in Major League Baseball. Baltimore is
led by Triple Crown winner and AL MVP
and the team features a solid and powerful offense. The Orioles'
defense is anchored by
r. Everyone expects the AL Pennant race to be a real barnburner in
1977 and everyone expects to find the Orioles right in the middle of it.
Minnesota (1966: 89-73, Manager: Sam Mele)
After having gone to the World Series
in 1965 the Twins were disappointed with their second-place finish in 1966 and
are looking to return to the big dance in 1967. To that end, they went out and
acquired
Dean
Chance to add to their starting rotation and fully expect that Chance,
Jim Kaat,
Mudcat
Grant, and
Jim Perry
will guide the way. After previously having been moved from left field to third
base,
Harmon
Killebrew will start the upcoming season at a new position, first base, but
all expect that Killebrew's bat will remain potent regardless of where he is
stationed. All-Star regular and 1964 Rookie-of-the-Year winner
Tony Oliva
will lead from the outfield, and a young
Rod Carew
will make his debut as the starting second baseman for the Twins crew.
Detroit (1966: 88-74, Manager: Mayo
Smith)
The Tigers had an awkward season in
1966. Opening Day manager
Chuck
Dressen had to step down early in the season when he fell ill, and Dressen
then died before the end of the season. His replacement,
Bob Swift,
also fell ill, was replaced, and then Swift died soon after the season was
over. The Tigers were a veteran crew and through it all remained competitive
and finished in third place and are looking forward to a title run in 1967. The
offense was led by veteran outfielder
Al Kaline
but was ably abetted by a veteran lineup that included first baseman
Norm Cash,
and outfielders
Willie
Horton and
Jim
Northrup.
Bill
Freehan was regarded as one of the best catchers in the AL, but Detroit
fans were looking for Freehan to regain his bat from earlier seasons.
Denny
McLain,
Earl Wilson,
and
Mickey
Lolich anchored the starting pitchers, with youngster
Joe Sparma
likely to take the fourth spot in the rotations.
Chicago (1966: 83-79, Manager: Eddie
Stanky)
The White Sox had the best ERA in 1966
and it wasn't close, but they finished last in the league in hitting and in
slugging, and next-to-last in fielding percentage.
Eddie
Stanky's will to win and his constant driving and manipulation of the team
to gain every advantage they could keep them at the top of the standings in
1966 and will be needed again in 1967. 1966 Rookie-of-the-Year
Tommie Agee
will have to repeat his 1966 season, but veterans like
Tommy
McCraw,
Ken Berry,
and
Pete
Ward are going to have to bring their hitting shoes to help out the
offense. Shortstop
Ron Hansen
injured his back and missed much of the 1966 season, but is returning in 1967
and Stanky is looking for Hansen to help settle down his shaky infield defense.
The White Sox real strength is their pitching, and
Gary Peters,
Joe
Horlen, and
Tommy John
will lead the starters, with
Bob Locker,
Wilbur
Wood, and forty-four-year-old
Hoyt
Wilhelm in the bullpen.
Cleveland (1966: 81-81, Manager: Joe
Adcock)
Cleveland advanced to the World Series
in 1920, 1948, and 1954, but mostly found their way blocked by the
ubiquitous presence of the New York Yankees. On the other hand, the Indians
haven’t finished last place since 1915, their path being otherwise blocked by
the Browns and the Senators. Look for a repeat in 1967 - they finished at .500
in 1966, but new manager
Joe Adcock
hopes to improve on that, but it will be difficult to slide past any of the
team ahead of them.
Sonny Siebert,
Sam
McDowell,
Gary Bell,
and
Steve
Hargan will anchor the starting staff, with
Luis Tiant
serving as a swingman. The offense is led by
Leon Wagner
and
Rocky
Colavito, but both are on the wrong side of thirty and there doesn't appear
to be much help in the Indians pipeline.
California (1966: 80-82, Manager: Bill
Rigney)
The Angels are a mix of experience and
youth and manager
Bill Rigney
successfully drove them to the middle of the pack in 1966, but Rigney has eyes
for moving up the ranks even more. To that end pitching ace
Dean Chance
in the off-season was sent to Minnesota in return for
Don Mincher
and
Jimmie
Hall, with the hope that the power supplied by these two would offset the
loss of Chance and provide the team some much-needed pop.
Bobby Knoop
will be handed the second base job and the team is confident that Knoop and
shortstop
Jim
Fregosi will provide maybe the best middle infield duo in the league.
Jack
Hamilton,
George
Brunet, and
Jim
McGlothlin will lead the charge from the mound, while
Minnie
Rojas will lead the bullpen.
Kansas City (1966: 74-86, Manager: Al Dark)
Similar in temperament and managerial
style to both
Eddie Stanky
and
Bill
Rigney,
Al
Dark pushed and pulled and did everything he could to get Kansas City to a
seventh-place finish in 1966, and with a pipeline of young players arriving
shortly, the team and the fans are looking forward on a positive note. They
feature young starters:, including
Jim
"Catfish" Hunter,
Blue Moon
Odom,
Lew
Krausse, and
Chuck
Dobson while the bullpen is anchored by Jack Aker.
Bert
Campaneris holds down the key shortstop position, and players like
Rick Monday
and
Sal
Bando have already made an appearance, while
Reggie
Jackson,
Joe Rudi,
and
Dave
Duncan are on the horizon.
Washington (1966: 71-88, Manager: Gil
Hodges)
The Senators finished in eighth place
in 1966, although their move up in the standings could more likely be
attributed to traditional AL powers in Boston and New York working their way down
to the bottom of the pile.
Frank
Howard is still the powerful big man in the middle of the Washington
lineup, and third baseman
Ken
McMullen should be able to provide some firepower as well. Veterans
Phil Ortega,
Camilo
Pascual, and
Pete
Richert will be joined by
Joe Coleman
in the rotation.
Boston (1966: 72-90, Manager: Dick
Williams)
Manager
Dick
Williams was hired to light a fire under the lethargic Red Sox for the
upcoming season, and with good reason. The team featured outfielders
Carl
Yastrzemski,
Tony
Conigliaro, and
Reggie
Smith (moved from second base),
George
Scott at first base, and
Rico
Petrocelli at shortstop … the consensus among fans and writers was that
this team was just too good to find itself languishing in ninth place. Starters
Jim
Lonborg,
Lee Stange,
Darrell
Brandon, and
Jose
Santiago should benefit from a more concerted offensive attack.
New York (1966: 70-89, Manager: Ralph Houk)
The Yankees were in the World Series
in 1964, but by the end of 1966, they finished in last place. 38-year-old
Whitey Ford
missed plenty of time in 1966 but is scheduled to be on the opening day roster
in 1967, and 35-year-old
Mickey
Mantle is to be penciled in at first base to save his legs from the
pounding he would take in the outfield. Oft-injured
Roger Maris
was traded in the off-season to St. Louis. The Yankees are otherwise plagued by
repeated injuries and personnel choices that just haven't performed as
expected. Manager
Ralph Houk
will have his hands full as he tries to restore the glory.
National
League
Los Angeles (1966: 95-67, Manager: Walter
Alston)
Los Angeles' year ran into a
late-season speed bump when they lost all four games of the 1966 World Series
to Baltimore. Manager
Walter
Alston expects the Dodgers to be back on top. Shortstop
Maury Wills
was shipped to Pittsburgh,
Tommy Davis
was sent to the Mets, and, most importantly,
Sandy
Koufax opted to retire. Koufax will be missed, but pitching is the Dodgers'
strength and
Don
Drysdale,
Claude
Osteen,
Don Sutton,
and young
Bill
Singer are expected to be able to bridge the gap. Scoring runs may be the
Dodgers' weakness, but the Los Angeles offense features a group of veterans who
know how to win.
San Francisco (1966: 93-68, Manager: Herman
Franks)
The Giants had a wonderful season in
1966, but much to their frustration they were unable to catch and pass their
downstate neighbors from LA. With the M's -
Willie Mays,
Willie
McCovey, and
Juan
Marichal - all having good seasons. Hurler
Mike
McCormick was a key off-season acquisition to help bolster the starting
staff that already includes
Gaylord
Perry,
Bobby Bolin,
and
Ray
Sadecki. The feeling is that 1966 should have been their season and they look
forward to asserting themselves in 1967.
Pittsburgh (1966: 93-70, Manager: Harry
Walker)
The 1966 Pirates hit .279 as a team,
16 points higher than second-place Atlanta, as Pittsburgh powered their way to
third place in the NL.
Roberto
Clemente (and his 40 arm),
Donn
Clendenon,
Willie
Stargell, and
Matty Alou
(who led the league with a .342 batting average) led the Pirates offense, and
second baseman
Bill
Mazeroski and shortstop
Gene Alley
provided solid up the middle infield defense. The rotation will be staffed by
veteran hurlers
Bob Veale,
Vern Law,
and
Woodie
Fryman, and long-time reliever
Roy Face
will be working out of the bullpen again. If San Francisco or Los Angeles should
blink in 1967, Pittsburgh will be right there to take advantage.
Philadelphia (1966: 87-75, Manager: Gene
Mauch)
Gene Mauch
and the Phillies finished in a strong fourth place in 1966.
Dick Allen
provided a solid punch with his potent bat and he was ably abetted by
outfielder
Johnny
Callison and first baseman
Bill White.
The starting three some of
Jim Bunning,
Chris
Short, and
Larry
Jackson are solid but Philadelphia will need someone additional bodies to
come forward amongst both the starters
and the relievers if they hope to repeat their fine finish in 1967.
Atlanta (1966: 85-77, Manager: Billy
Hitchcock)
The Braves finished their first season
in Atlanta in fifth place, despite a slow start to their 1966 season. They were
floundering around .500 after the first two-thirds of the season, but then
Billy
Hitchcock replaced
Bobby Bragan
as manager and the Braves went 33-18 down the stretch. Third baseman Eddie
Mathews was traded to Houston in the off-season, but
Hank Aaron
will lead the offense along with catcher
Joe Torre,
first baseman
Felipe Alou,
and left fielder
Rico Carty.
Tony
Cloninger,
Ken Johnson,
and
Denny
Lemaster are looked upon to be the key starters in 1967, but Atlanta is
looking for considerable assistance this season from young lefty
Wade
Blasingame and knuckleballer
Phil Niekro.
St. Louis (1966: 83-79, Manager: Red
Schoendienst)
The Cardinals moved into the new Busch
Stadium in 1966 but all they had to show for it in the end was a winning record
but a second-division sixth-place finish. They expect to do better in 1967
though. They will have a full season of
Orlando
Cepeda at first, plus they acquired
Roger Maris
to play right field and to provide some slugging. To accommodate Maris,
Mike
Shannon will move to third base.
Lou Brock
and
Curt
Flood provide one of the best lead-off 1-2 punches in the National League.
Bob Gibson
is the star of the pitching staff, with
Al Jackson
and
Ray
Washburn behind him. Youngsters like
Steve
Carlton,
Nelson
Briles, and
Larry
Jaster will fill out the rotation.
Cincinnati (1966: 76-84, Manager: Dave
Bristol)
In their first year without
Frank Robinson, Cincinnati had a disappointing 1966 season. To rectify this they are
planning to shuffle their 1967 lineup by moving
Pete Rose
from second to left field,
Tommy Helms
from third base to second,
Tony Perez
from first to third, and then place left fielder
Deron
Johnson at first.
Vada Pinson
and
Tommy
Harper had good years in 1966 and will need to do it again in 1967.
Jim Maloney,
Sammy
Ellis, and
Milt Pappas
anchored the starting rotation and young
Gary Nolan
will be a welcome addition to the staff.
Houston (1966: 72-90, Manager: Grady
Hatton)
The Astrodome opened in 1965, so 1966
was the Astros' second full season in their new home. Teams are still trying to
figure out the new park, but all agree it was a better place to play than the old
Colt's 45 stadium. As an expansion team, the Astros have focused on younger
players with a few key veterans, but it has been a rough start for them so far.
Joe
Morgan is solid at second base and outfielders
Jim Wynn
and
Rusty
Staub have established themselves as stars of the future. The dimensions of
the Astrodome tend to favor pitchers and
Mike
Cuellar,
Dave Giusti,
and 20-year-old
Larry
Dierker are at the front of the rotation, while 22-year-old
Don Wilson
will be given a chance to start in the upcoming season.
New York (1966: 66-95, Manager: Wes
Westrum)
As an expansion team, the Mets have
been a curious case of has-beens and ne'er-do-wells.
Bing
Devine was brought over from the Cardinals to serve as the General Manager
of the team and to shake things up a bit. New York does have a few good young
players with
Jerry Grote
behind the plate,
Ed
Kranepool at first,
Cleon Jones
in the outfield, and young
Bud
Harrelson will be given his opportunity at shortstop.
Tom Seaver,
Tug
McGraw, and
Jerry
Koosman will be given their chance with the big team as well in 1967, but
the team is preaching patience as they try to work their youngsters into the
lineup.
Chicago (1966: 59-103, Manager: Leo
Durocher)
After a ten-year absence from the
dugout
Leo
Durocher took over the reins in Wrigley Field and started to sort out the
mess that was the Chicago Cubs.
Ernie Banks
will be there for veteran leadership, third baseman
Ron Santo
and left fielder
Billy
Williams are expected to repeat their fine 1966 seasons, and young
infielders
Glenn
Beckert and
Don
Kessinger will provide solid up-the-middle defense at second base and
shortstop. Young catcher
Randy
Hundley, in his second full season with the Cubs, is going to have to
manage a whole crew of young pitchers, with
Fergie
Jenkins,
Ken
Holtzman,
Bill Hands,
Rich Nye,
and
Joe
Niekro all expected to improve Chicago's pitching fortunes.
Conclusion
In Memoriam: My desktop PC of twelve
years is now in its death throes, and after seven successfully completed BBW
replays it has become apparent that it is now time to move on. The start of the
1967 replay has been delayed because I have been migrating to a new device
which I now believe is complete, so gameplay will begin shortly. In the upcoming spring, we will take the old PC out back, shoot it to put it out of its misery, and
then give it a proper burial.
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