Spirit of '69

Another two weeks of game time have passed in Baltimore, and we're past the quarter pole. The 1969 Orioles have ripped off 9 wins in a row to roar into first place, leading the 1979 team by 1.5 and 1970 by 3. My team, the 1966 Orioles, have been more or less treading water and sit at 20-22 (8 games behind).

Milt Pappas (who could forget Milt Pappas for Frank Robinson?) from the '64 edition is at a sparkling 8-2, with a surprising 1.17 ERA. My boys from '66 are making a good show of the hitting leader boards, however, with folk hero Russ Snyder batting .375 and Frank Robinson (see, you how could you forget?) leading the league with 15 home runs and 41 RBI.

Up in the Twin Cities, we're over halfway home. And here, too, the 1969ers are putting on a run. However, they have not (yet?) pulled ahead, finding themselves 1 game behind the 2004 team (with 2006 another 1.5 games back). Joe Mauer of the 2006 Twins paces the league with a very impressive .392 average, also leading in RBI. Meanwhile, Harmon Killebrew is tied with himself for the home run lead, and is also sitting a little bit further behind in third. Rafael Santana (2006) is at 14-2 with an ERA just under 2.00.

Looking ahead somewhat, the Boston Beaneaters/Braves or the San Francisco Giants will probably be the next team up after the Twinkies finish.