80.) Die Saison 1905

Die 1905-Saison

Das Jahr 1905 brachte die beste Mannschaft in der Liga-Geschichte des Ballspiels in Neu-Amerika hervor. Die Roten aus Liberty City gewannen die unglaubliche Zahl von 130 Spielen! Nur 32 Spiele gingen verloren. Damit brachen sie ihren eigenen Rekord von 121 Siegen aus dem Vorjahr. Alle Werfer waren vorzüglich. Heraus stach wieder einmal Tom Saunders (27-3, 2.31), der zum vierten Mal hintereinander zum wertvollsten Werfer der Roten Liga gewählt wurde. Aber auch Lou Ellis (10-6, 2.97), Ken Bitner(19-6, 3.47) und Gary Bentley (21-5, 3.45) waren nicht weit dahinter. Outfielder Matt Snavely war bester Schlagmann der Liga mit .366.  Infielder Rick Hunt und Tom Andrus waren die Leistungsträger einer Mannschaft, die selbst etablierte Stars wie Ray Hitt und Bradley Monteith in die Reds-Junior Mannschaft schicken konnte. In dieser Mannschaft war Werfer Gary Jone mit 23-1, 2.24 der beste in der Geschichte der Junior-Liga und ein Kandidat für die Roten in der Senior Liga im Jahr 1906.

46 Spiele hinter den Roten beendeten die Weisssocken aus Liberty City die Rote Liga an zweiter Stelle mit 84-78. Tum ersten Mal seit 1894 landeten sie wieder auf einen besseren Platz als den fünften (von acht). Ihr bester Spieler war 3rd baseman Dan Schneider. Die meisten Homeruns schlug Jason Boyd von den Morant Bay 59ers mit 38.

In der Blauen Liga gewannen die Blauen aus Liberty City mit zehn Siegen Vorsprung über die Lucea Maroons die Meisterschaft. Ihr Werfer David Alkire war der überragende Spieler mit 25-5, 3.01. 1B Martin Radke, OF Zane McGrath und OF Neville 'Swan' Fults waren die beste Schlagmänner. Die zweite Saison mit mehr als 20 Siegen in einer schwachen Mannschaft verzeichnete Bradley Duckworth mit 21-10, 2.97, für die fünft-platzierten Halfway Tree Leafs.

Im Oktober trafen sich also die Roten und die Blauen zu dem klassischen Con Cup Finale. Zum dreizehnten Mal seit Ligagründung in 1890 stehen sich die Rivalen gegenüber und selten waren die Rotn größere Favoriten als dieses Jahr. Von den 12 vorigen Con Cup matchups der Roten und Blauen, gewannen die Roten neun Mal.
In the first game of this year's series the two premier starting pitcher of each side locked their horns. David Alkire of the Blues and Red Tom Saunders struggled heroically and fought to a scoreless draw after nine innings after which the Blues let that single, deciding run slip through in the bottom of the ninth. The next day saw another close encounter that went to 12 innings and was won by the Blues 7-4 with two Red homeruns by David Lowry went for aught.
In game 3 the Blues scored early and held onto their lead to win 4-2 eventually. So it's 2-1 Blues.
David Alkire started game 4 on short rest and faced Gary Bentley, who kept the Blues hitless through 6 innings. His teammates had already opened up a 4-0 lead against a tiring Alkire, when Don Schrader hit a HR to foil Bentley no-hit bid in the 7th. The score now 4-1 Reds and so it remained The Con Cup is tied at 2 each.
To the Red's dismay Saunders had to skip his start in game 5 because of injury, instead Lou Ellis was slated to oppose the Blues' Lloyd Outlaw, 26-year-old, big (6-3, 235) rookie, who had a good, but not a great season. Outlaw was rocked and rattled by 8 runs in the 3rd inning, enough for an 8-5 Reds win. Reds lead 3 games to 2.
Tom Saunders started game & for the Reds, but he obviously was not in top form giving up 4 runs in 5 innings. That hardly mattered though, as leftfielder Terry James hit a grand slam and a lot of other Blue pitches were hit hard . The result was a 10-5 Red win and another Con Cup championship for the Liberty City Reds.

1. Oktober, 1905

Die Roten gewannen das siebte Spiel.

Dann gewannen sie auch den Con Cup im Jahr 1903

Und im Jahr 1904.

Und im Jahr 1905 gewannen sie 132 Spiele in der regulären Saison. Eine Leistung, die New America den Atem raubte.

Meine Karriere war auf Sparflamme, eine Serie von 1-Jahresvertragen in Mandevelle oder Port Antonio. Ich war ein Reisender geworden, In der Ballspiel-Sprache " a journeyman". mit bescheidenem Gehalt. Ich bin 33. In diesem Alter wird man nicht mehr besser. Man versucht sich einzureden, daß Erfahrung wichtiger ist als junge Beine. Oder ist Erfahrung der Beginn der Fäulniss?

78.) Liberty City, Oct 6th, Between Six and Seven

Drei zu drei.

3 Siege für die Roten, 3 Siege für die Blauen.

Bis zu diesem Punkt sind wir also gekommen, jetzt im Oktober 1902.

Sechs Ballspiele in acht Tagen, eine Woche und ein Tag herrscht das Con Cup-Fieber in Liberty City und in ganz Neu-Amerika. Vor uns, morgen, liegt das Siebte Spiel. Das ist eine sportliche Veranstaltung, aber noch mehr ist es eine Legende, eine vielbesungene, ein jedes Jahr von neuem ersehntes Geschenk.

Welch unglaubliche Stimmung, gestern, nach dem Ende des sechsten Spiels herrschte! Die Blauen hatten gesiegt. Ein wenig ereignisreiches Spiel eigentlich, aber nach dem letzten Out legte sich ein Raunen über den Ballpark, kein Jubel, kein Jauchzen der Sieger. Ein Raunen, das von einer unheimlichen Stille abgelöst wurde. Die Stille währte während sich die Zuschauer langsam aus dem Stadion hinausdrängten und sie verlor sich dann irgendwo draußen in den Straßen der Stadt.
Es war eine Stille des Staunens, es war die Gewißheit gewordene Hoffnung auf ein Siebtes Spiel. Es war das betäubene Gefühl an einem außerordentlichen Geschehen teilgenommen zu haben, das was in alten Zeiten ein Walten genannt wurde.
Die Blauen hatten die Roten wieder an den Rand des Abgrunds gedrängt und damit die Welt in Staunen versetzt.
Those mighty Reds! Their legendary swagger has disappeared. The over-overwhelming favorites of this or any year's Conciliation Cup are left at the edge of the cliffs clinging on with cramping fingers, staring down to the anger, the oblivion, the endless taunts that are lurking beneath them.
Through the regular season they strode proudly, a team unmatched and essentially untested. Too powerful, too arrogant, too rightfully arrogant I might add, they were set up to win big and unbeknowst to them in the end to fail grandly. Ten, fifteen, twenty games ahead, they made themselves the sitting duck at which resentment and ill-will could so easily be aimed.
Not one soul would have been surprised had they swept away the Blues four games to none. No sane mind would have blamed the Blues for this kind of result.
Those Blues, that won the Blue League championship on the season's last day. Their starting rotation in disarray because of this. They had to be on their toes all season long, at their heels the hound dogs of the "land"-clubs. Those methodical, serious Blues had  no time for boasting or early celebrations like their Red brothers. They had to work hard every single day, every game and every pitch. Forever tinkering with that Old Blue Machine, that sometimes was sputtering and in danger of blowing up. But the engineers of the ballgame, Matt Olson, Wes Tate and the others labored dilligently to have the Old Blue Machine churn out that one single win more than what their competitors could manage. They succeeded and found themselves to be the underst-dog against the gleamingly-armored Red team in the Con-Cup.

Game one pitted the Reds' ace David Alkire against Jon Palmer, a 24-year old kid with one complete season and a couple of coffees under his belt. Palmer smoothly shifted from the coffee table to the dinner table, grabbed everything within reach and left the Red predators starving. The final bill showed a 6-3 Blues win.
Game two stuck at 2-2 after 6 innings and remained so for the next some 15 innings. During that 21 inning odessy through nothingness, the Blues let the Reds run against the wall numerous times. The final tally of stranded red baserunners stood at 60, when they pushed one of their own home from 3rd at last.
The next six games were a series of strikes and counterstrikes as if both teams had secretly agreed to resolve the matter in game number seven. Of course each contest was fiercely contested, an assortment of Red knights struggling to keep a band of journeyman in check with halfway success only.

77.) June 17th, 1902, Liberty City, Reds bleached 2-1

Tuesday, 17th game: Our starter Keith Harvey was fabulous! Hes always had decent stuff, but a lack of control used to be his undoing and helped him to a over 6 ERA. Today he surprised us with an 8-inning 1-tun performance. After 9 innings the score was 1-1, I led off the 10th with a single and evetually scored  whar proofed to be the winning run, as Robison held thr Reds scoreless in the bottom of the 10th. Great stuff!!

76.) June 16th, Liberty City, 15-5 loss

We arrived here in Liberty City from Old Harbor at noon. In the afternoon the Reds beat us good 15-5, I came in in the 8th and got a hit. Otherwise a game to forget. Looking forward to tomorrows game!

Mitteilung des Herausgebers

Zu diesem Zeitpunkt bricht der Bericht Ucheks ab, um dann ca 2,5 Jahre später erneut einzusetzen. Aus anderen Quellen kann ich diese Geschehnisse rund um Uchek aus dieser Zeit rekonstruieren:


Kurze Zeit nach der letzten Nachricht erfährt er von seinem trade zu den Liberty City Reds. Er unterschreibt einen hoch dotierten Vertrag.

In seinen zwei Jahren mit den Reds erreicht er beide Male den Con Cup. Im Jahr 1900 gewinnt er das Finale, allerdings ist er während der gesamten Zeit nur der back-up catcher.

Im November 1898 wird sein zweiter Sohn Joseph geboren.

Im Jahr 1901 spielt er bei den Mandevelle Railroaders als starting catcher. Ebenso beginnt er das Jahr 1902 mir den Railroaders. Im Juni 1902 setzen seine Nachrichten wieder ein.

75.) October, 15, 1898, Montego Bay, A letter from Ran (part 2)

His letter continues thusly:


Let me talk to you now about a matter that matters. No beating about the bush: I bought a majority stake in the St Andrew Brothers ballclub! Thats right Im an owner now, so behave, you pall-playing peasant! The academic crowd of St Andrews that had been running the team got tired of it. All those engineers, schoolmasters and dermatologists noticed at last that a team without patrons inhales a lot of money and exhales hot air only. You saw it yourself the weekday crowds were usually weak (my apologies for all stupid puns youre encoutering here!) and downright puny. And thats affordable to a certain point only.

I didnt get the club for a song exactly, but lets say, for a garland of songs. My old man loaned the dough, at market rates, my friend. But thats alright. You know big daddy and his brilliant offspring Ran were sometimes at odds in the past , regarding my aptitude for the business way of life. So I go it on my own now running this little sweat-shop of a ballclub.
Lets hope Im not the one sweating blood or money in the futere, because the first challenge thats to be met is finding a place to play for the 1900 season. The University of St Andrew chose to terminate the lease of the Brothers ballpark!
This cozy little field of play with the Girls Dorms walls as the left field fence will stay in my heart, if not in my wallet. The Regents are convinced they need the space to expand the campus facility, so be it.
Whence now, youll ask. I got at least two options: stay in North Liberty City, ask the city council for a suitable lot and money to build a new ballpark (in the Half Way Tree section possibly) or move the ballclub to another lovely town like Falmouth, the gentry there is said to be keen for a ballclub. That ahs to be decided before the 1899 starts, what would you prefer?
Beside this I wanted to ask you to join in this enterprise as a bench coach (or should I rather say Assistant Manager?) for this club and take over the rein in two yearss time. I need someone that I have complete trust in. I understand that you  were lucky that quite a lot of pitches hit your bat last season, so youre probably not in the mood to retire. If youre after all, let me know at once!
Not to forget the most important news: Rachel and I decided to marry. Each other, in case you wonder! Youll get an invitation for the festivities shortly.

My best kisses to Anne-Mary and little Jacob and regards to you

Ran

74.) 15.Oktober 1898, Montego Bay, A letter from Ran (part 1)

Today I got this letter from my old friend Ran Bramble:


C.D., you little bastard!


How come I havnt heard from you for a long time? I understand youre a family man now, but does that mean you have to kick old friends like me in the ass? Rachel and the guys, even Monty and Margret ask whats the matter with you and if you still exist and I say I only meet him in the papers ballgame boxscores and that means he still plays ball and therefore he seems to exist after all.
I expected you would come down here to LC for the Con Cup watching your in-law Monty play, but who was the no-show?
I know, it sounds like a cliche, but you missed something. You would think the Con Cup cant get any bigger. It can! But describe it, I cant. There have always been wild crowds, but they became even wilder and denser this year. Finally a Reds-Blues Con Cup again, after a three year interlude with teams from the land. That aint no real Con, boys!
 At 9 am the Lib was so full of people that you couldnt see your own feet, and then it became worse by the hour. All the way from the Old Port up to the Stadium, a giant mass of people on the Lib like a huge beehive, no like a thousand beehives. The sound and the sights were tremendous! And people got crazier than ever before.
For instance, there was a band of six old ladies, Blue ladies. I mean real old ladies, their hubbies are certainly six-feet-under for twenty years already. And these gray gals were chanting Blue fight songs with their chirpy voices on the top of their lungs, even those with the dirty words, and they enjoyed themselves to no end. Or this group of girls, real girls this time, in their mid-teens perhaps, some ten of them, all in Red, scarves, hair beads, wrist bands and all, during the parade to the stadium, when the Reds players passed them, they would cry and scream, or shriek incessantly, Im not exaggerating here, CD, for the full ten minutes, all ten of them, with their mouths and their eyes wide open. Occasionally catching a breath of course and immediately pressing out the air in an ear-piercing way. I couldnt make out which of the Reds was their main object of adulation, maybe Irwin Carter or Johnny Gamble, he seems to have a way with the ladies, maybe someone else. Certainly not Paul Clarke, this old vulture, with a hunchback. This guy remains a riddle I wont ever solve. He looks like the middle-aged man, to whom the doc would sternly suggest to have some  physical exercise. Despite of this hes the best ballgame pitcher of our times. I recall that you also have a deep dislike for him as a person (and a opposing pitcher naturally). I also loathe him, he has this bookish look, thats not bad youd say, we both, CD, are bookish people too, but his face is different, it is a dirty-bookish face and from what is rumored its a perfect reflection of his character.
Talking of crazy people, you could see hundreds of them during the Con Cup week. One situation comes to mind now: its after the sixth game, the Blues been beaten for good, the patrons streaming out of the stadium, filling the streets around the ballpark. Half of them, the Reds fans, boisterous, excited and jubilating. The other half, the Blue fans, as youd expect saddened and beaten down, heading home as quickly as possible. Among them these youths , maybe twenty of them, not exactly the nice, polite, good-family boys, but more the rough sort, the struggling ones. Theyre clad all blue, from their caps down to their shoestrings. Teir heads down, gazing on the asphalt, shoulders dropped, all silent, absent-minded it seemed. I followed them awhile with my eyes, sadness seemed to have a cultivating effect on them, I even noticed them mumbling apologies after bumping into someone. As they were heading down the Lib, at once this group stopped still and and suddenly they shouted in unison "Bluuuuuues wiiinnnn!!!" , their heads were raised, they looked up to the evening sky and howled to heaven again: "Bluuuuuues wiiiiinnnnn", like orphaned wolves, they repeated this five times, then they dispersed and I lost them.

73.) Oct 1st, Montego Bay, The End of Season

Diese Spiel brach uns das Genick. Wir gewannen das nächste in extra innings und verloren das folgende in extra innings. aber dieses Spiel war das Ende der Saison für uns. Wir spielten die letzten 20 Spiele ordentlich zu Ende. Der Vorsrung der Reds blieb, wurde nicht größer, aber auch nicht kleiner. Dabei war es die beste Pirate Saison in der Geschichte. Die Fans, der Manager, der Besitzer waren zufrieden. Ich war es nicht und viele meiner Mannschaftskameraden auch nicht. So ist es.
Ich selbst hatte die beste Saison meiner Karriere, ber jetzt unmittelbar nach der Saison war es die Enttäuschung der Verlierer, die Stärker war. Und der Zweite ist doch der erste Verlierer, nicht wahr?

72.) Sept, 10 Pirates Park, Montego Bay, The Crucialest Game

A key game today, the crucialest one imaginable!

Reds at Pirates:

1st inning : no score

Top of 2nd inning: Red's Tedder singles. Tedder started the season in college ballgame, was drafted, played exactly one game in the juniors, was called up and plays the middle infield positions.
Single by Monteith, no out, runners on 1 and 2.
Davis grounds out, 1 out, runners 1 and 3
Pitcher Saunders bunts, 2 out, runners 2 and 3
Hinant triples, 2 out, runner on 3, Reds 2-0
Millard grounds out

Bottom of 2nd:
Miller flies out.
I strike out, umpire missed call, 2 out
Giles grounds out 3 out.


Top of 3rd:
Carter, the elephant, singles. 0 out
Catcher Meader singles to left, 0 out, runners 1 and 2
Radtke grounds into double play, 2 out runner 3
Infield pop-up by Tedder, 3 out
Score 2-0 Reds


Bottom of 3d
Gardner has a weak at-bat, SO, 1 out
Holmes strikes out, 2out
Pitcher Herold sports an incrediblely bad BA of.022 and all he does is hit a fast ball to the fence for a double, 2 out, runner on 2nd
Starbuck doubles inton RF, can you believe it? Saunders laughs at the first two hitters with easy strikeouts, then gives up two doubles to minor batters. Only in the ballgame.... 2 out, runner 2, score Reds 2-1
Jones grounds out
Score Reds 2-1

Top of 4th
Monteith flies out, 1 out
Davis singles, 1 out, runner 1, score 2-1 Reds
Bunt by Saunders, 2 out, runner 2
Great play by Holmes takes hit away frim Hinant, 3 out
Score Reds 2-1

Bottom of 4th
Snavely singles, raises BA to .400, 0 out, runner 1
Fly out Miller, 1 out, runner 1
Uchek walks, 1 out, runners 1 and 2
Giles pops-up, 2 out, runners 1 and 2
Gardner walks, 2 out, bases loaded
Holmes fly out to left
Score 2-1 Reds

Top of 5th
Millard flies out, 1 out
Carter walks, 1 out, runner 1
Double by Meader, 1 out, runner 2 and 3
Radtke singles, 1 out, runner1 and 3, score Reds 3-1
Tedder force out at 2nd, 2 out, runner 1, score Reds 4-1
Monteith fly out, 3 out
Score Reds 4-1

Bottom of the 5th
Herold stays in the game, bats, strikes out, 1 out
Starbuck grounds out, 2 out
Jones doubles, 2 out, runner 2
Snavely walks, 2 out, runner 1 and 2
Miller line out to right, 3 out
Score Reds 4-1

Top of the 6th
Davis gets infield single
Saunders bunts, 1 out, runner 2
Hinnant doubles, 1 out, runner 2, score Reds 5-1
Millard grounds out, 2 out, runner 2
Hinnant tries to steal 3rd, I throw him out in a close play , 3 out
Score Reds 5-1

Bottom of the 6th
I, Uchek, fly out, 1 out
Giles strikes out. 2 out
Blooper base-hit by Gardner, 2 out, runner 1
The Reds bring in reliever Jay Fish
Holmes strikes out, 3 out
Score Reds 5-1

Top of the 7th
Carter hits a home run, 0 outs, score Reds 6-1
New Pirate pitcher: Trent Oster
Meader grounds out, 1 out
Single by Radtke, 1 out, runner 1
Tedder singles, 1 out, runner 1and 2
Monteith flies out, 2 out, runner 1 and 2
Davis walks, 2 out, bases loaded
PH Palmer strikes out, 3 out
Score Reds 6-1

Bottom of the 7th
Tim Smith is the new Red pitcher
Lee as a PH flies out, 1 out
Starbuck singles, 1 out, runner 1
Jones doubles, 1 out, runner 2 and 3, is ther still hope?
Snavely doubles, 1 out, score Reds 6-3
Miller flies out, 2 out, runner 2
I get a single, 2 out runer 1 and 3
This is getting insane ! Giles singles, 2 out, runner 1 and 3, score Reds 6-4
The Reds send in pitcher B. Lewis, a starter.
I scored on a wild pitch duing Gardner's at-bat, 2 out, runner 2, score Reds 6-5
Gardner finally walks, 2 out, runner 1 and 2
PH Maynard just misses a hit, 3out,
Score Reds 6-5

Top of the 8th
Luke Hughes comes in to pitch for us
Hinnant walks. 0 out, runner 1
Hinnant steals, 0 out, runner 2
Millard grounds out, 1 out, runner 3
Carter doubles, 1 out, runner 2, score Reds 7-5
Meader doubles, 1 out, runner 2, score Reds 8-5
Radtke grounds out, 2 out, runner 3,
Tedder doubles, 2 out, runner 2, score Reds 9-5
Perry Garner comes in to pitch
Monteith grounds out
Score Reds 9-5

Bottom of the 8th
Crum singles, 0 out, runner 1
Starbuck force out, 1 out, runner 1
Jones fly out, 2 out, runner 1
Snavely doubles, 2 out, runner 2 and 3
New pitcher for the Reds: Dave Currey
Miller grounds out
Score Reds 9-5

Top of the 9th
Davis strikes out, 1 out
Gamble strikes out, 1 out
Infield hit by Hinnant, 2 out, runner 1
Millard grounds out
Score Reds 9-5


Bottom of the 9th
Uchek, myself, strikes out, against Baxter who came in to mop it up for the Reds, 1 out
Murdock ground out, 2 out
Single by Jefferson, 2 out, runner 1
Maynard singles, 2 out, runner 1 and 3
Reds bring in O'Toole and Crum hits a long out to deep CF

Final score Reds 9 Pirates 5

71.) Sept 1st Montego Bay, Lead cut by 1

We won 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th and Reds Lost. Reds ahead by 8,5.

Now coming the big weekend series against the Reds here at home. The whole city is buzzing!

70.) August, 31st, Montego Bay , A Day in a Pennant Race, sort of...

The date:  August 31st

The situation: we, the Pirates, are 8,5 games behind the Reds

Today`s games: Blue Sox at Pirates, Calico Jacks at Reds

Blue Sox vs Pirates means a Montego Bay derby. The Blue Sox generally regarded as the minor Montego club. their current record is 61-71 in the Red League, this is a inter-league game.

After top of 2nd we're down 7-0. Our starter Armstrong has been rattled thoroughly. The Reds are down 4-0 after 2.

We manage a run in the bottom of the 2nd. Score is 7-1 Blue Sox

I just struck out in the 3rd. 7-1 Blue Sox, Reds scored big, 6-4 Reds in the 3rd still batting.

4th inning: both clubs scored once: 8-2 Blue Sox, a Miller HR did the job for us. Reds ahead 6-4.

5th inning: no change in either game. Blue Sox' starter Dave Clontz pitches a great game. He's an old friend of mine. We were teammates in my first pro season in the juniors.

6th inning, they tagged on another run now 9-2, no change elsewhere

7th inning still 9-3 Blue Sox , but the Calico Jacks tied the Reds at 6!

8th inning, no change in either game

9th inning final Blue Sox 9 Pirates 3 and the Reds win 7-6 after the 10th! That means we're 9,5 games back now. 29 games to play.