A good group of position players on today's Birthday Team. Nobody's going to run on the right fielder.

And why run anywhere when Delta Airlines can get you where you need to go?

C: Walker Cooper
1B: Jason Giambi
2B: Randy Ready
3B: Gene Freese
SS: Reno Bertoia
LF: Jim Busby
CF: Mike Cameron
RF: Jeff Francoeur

SP: Carl Pavano
SP: Jeff Francis
SP: Geremi Gonzalez
SP: Dick Kelley
SP: Brian Boehringer
RP: Bruce Sutter

Manager: Chuck Cottier
Fun Name: Bud Weiser

An almost entirely post-WWII birthday team (Cooper had about 1/3 of his career pre-1946)... that's gotta be a rarity...

Fun Name: Bud Weiser

Heh, the Dean of our College of Liberal Arts is also named "Bud" Weiser. I got a chuckle, however, that they didn't introduce him as such at a recent big gathering of donors.

Birthday League Update:

Top of the standings:

January 23          29  16  .644 ----  
January 5           28  18  .609  1.5 
January 28          27  19  .587  2.5        
January 14          26  21  .553  4.0    
January 13          26  21  .553  4.0

News and Notes:
* Johnny Frederick (January 26) leads the league with a .389 batting average.
* Otis Nixon (January 9) still leads the league with 61 hits and 44 stolen bases. Max Carey (January 11) is tied for the league SB lead.
* Jason Giambi (January 8) and Tony Solaita (January 15) are tied for the home run lead with 11 dingers.
* Willie McCovey (January 10) leads the league with 43 walks. Giambi and Bobby Grich (January 15) are tied for second with 31.
* Johnny Mize (January 7) is fourth in SLG, first in OBP, first in RC/27, and second in batting average.
* Ralph Terry (January 9) leads the league with nine wins.
* Tim Stoddard (January 24) is the hard-luck pitcher of the season so far, with an 0-7 record despite a 3.48 ERA and only two unearned runs. Stoddard leads the league with 20 games finished. His team is 24-16 when Stoddard doesn't figure in the decision.
* Jeff Suppan (January 2) has allowed 19% more total runs scored than any other pitcher in the league.

Rosters, standings, stats, and leaderboards are here, for today only. I forgot to upload the file from home and don't have FTP access at work.

salvo, all the players on the team plus the manager played in my lifetime. As a kid, I had baseball cards of Cooper, Freese, Bertoia (way too many of his BTW) and Cottier. I never had a Busby card.

An almost entirely post-WWII birthday team (Cooper had about 1/3 of his career pre-1946)... that's gotta be a rarity...

Back in the olden days nobody was conceiving children in March, they were too busy planting the crops.

Back in the olden days nobody was conceiving children in March, they were too busy planting the crops.


I didn't know that human gestation was 10 months pre-WWII. :)

In case you missed it, Richard Ben Cramer, the author of "Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life," died Monday. (obituary). He had contracted to write a similarly in-depth biography of Alex Rodriguez before putting the project on hold last summer -- and now we can guess that his cancer may have been the reason for halting. His publisher had sued just a few days ago to get the advance on the Rodriguez book returned.

The January 5 X-Rays continue to be the class of the New Years Division (Jan. 1-10). Thanks to a 7-1 and 13-3 start, the X-Rays have led at every interval so far this season. The X-Rays overwhelm their peers with one of the deepest rosters in the league. They have 6 players with a batting average over .300, 6 with 10 or more walks and 8 with at least 10 RBI. Ron Kittle leads the way with .330/8/19 in the Triple Crown stats while third baseman Bill Dahlen has 12 walks and 21 RBI. Their pitching is just as deep. They have 6 pitchers with an ERA of 3.10 or better and 3 below 2.50. Every one of their 11 pitchers has won at least one game already. Danny Jackson has been their best starter with a 2.15 ERA in 62 innings while Nabholz has been devastating out of the bullpen with 19 strikeouts to only 9 walks. Although they aren't among the league leaders in either runs scored or runs allowed, their +20 run differential is second best in the division.

The vast majority of the New Years Division is clustered around .500 with 7 teams sitting from 4 to 5.5 games back. At 26-24, the January 8 Fourteen Points may be the most dangerous foe for the X-Rays. They have a division leading run differential of +44 thanks to an outstanding offense with 260 runs scored. Jason Giambi and Walker Cooper make for a devastating 3-4 combo: Giambi has 11 home runs and 41 RBI while Cooper has 10 and 35. Unfortunately for the Fourteen Points, they have one of the worst pitching staffs in the league, having surrendered 216 runs so far. They have 2 starters with an ERA over 4.75 (Fisher and Pavano) and will need better results from the mound if they're going to make a charge. The January 1 New Years are another team to watch out for, despite their 21-20. They have the third best run differential in the division (+19), a deep line-up headed by Hank Greenberg and Earl Torgeson and one of the best pitching staffs in the league (their 168 runs allowed is only one off of January 12's league-leading 167).

The January 2 Robots and the January 4 Colts are the division's cellar dwellers despite some impressive individual performances. George Selkirk (Jan. 4) has been one of the best players in the league with a .356 average, 15 doubles, 33 RBI and 23 walks. Expect the Colts to improve in the standings before too long as their even run differential (195 for/195 against) is much better than their 18-28 record would lead you to believe. The Robots, however, are as bad as they appear. Their -43 run differential pairs well with their 18-30 record. They've given up a putrid 248 runs against to date. They only have one pitcher with an ERA under 3.00 (Martin) while they have 6 with an ERA over 4.00 including Suppan at 6.11 and Neagle at 9.37.

The Capricorn Division (Jan. 11-19) has been the tightest of the three January divisions. The January 12 Jets, January 13 Folsom Prisoners and January 14 Asses have all been in first place, either alone or shared, at one of the intervals. Currently, Jan. 13 and 14 are tied for first at 26-21 but every other team but one is within 2 games of the lead.

The Folsom Prisoners rely on a deep bench and bullpen. They have 11 players with at least 10 RBI, and their pitchers have combined for 10 more. The bullpen is anchored by Otsuka and Comer with a 2.64 and 2.75 ERA respectively. However, a weak rotation and a lack of power may doom the Prisoners before too long. 4 of their 5 starters have an ERA over 4.00 and no hitter has more than 3 home runs. Altogether, their -11 run differential suggests that their current status is a mirage. The Asses aren't much better as their run differential sits at -10. They similarly rely on a deep bench (12 players with 10 or more RBI). They do, however, have a better rotation as Mike Pelfrey is among the league leaders with a 2.32 ERA and Terry Forster makes for a strong number two with a 3.03 ERA.

Surprisingly, the Jan. 12 Jets have fallen back in the standings despite the division's best run differential (+27). The Jets have the best pitching staff in the league. They've allowed a league low of 167 Runs Against. Two relievers have an ERA under 2.00 and Randy Jones leads the starters with a 2.70. A weak offense that has scored a middle-of-the-pack 194 runs has held them back. Their awful running game (43 stolen bases to 28 caught stealing) hasn't helped.

The one team that lags behind is the January 16 Teetotalers. They've spent the entire season in last place and their current record is a poor 20-26. However, the 'Totalers have been the victims of some bad luck. They actually have a positive run differential (+3). Dizzy Dean, a 2.28 ERA, 4 complete games and 65 strikeouts in 71 innings, is the ace of the staff. Albert Pujols is recovering from his slow start, having brought his average up to .286 and added 9 extra base hits (6 doubles, 1 triple and 2 home runs). If Pujols continues to heat up, the 'Totalers may soon climb into contention.

LaRoche re-signs with the Nats for two years.

The January 23 Frisbees may be the best team in the month. They're certainly the class of the Presidents Day Division (Jan. 20-28) so far. They have the most wins and the fewest losses in the league for a 29-16 record and an astonishing +74 run differential. They have a monster offense with 248 runs scored (2nd overall) and a pitching staff that's nearly as good with 174 runs against (4th overall). The Frisbees have 4 starters with an average of .330 or better: Bill Regan, Sam Jethroe, Joey Amalfitano and Jack Saltzgaver. Several of those players are hitting well above their career averages so the Frisbees could be due for a drop.

The January 28 Challengers are in position to catch the Frisbees if they falter. Their 27-19 record is third overall and they stand only 2.5 games back. The Challengers also have the second best run differential in the league with +56. Their offense can keep up with anyone. Their 246 runs scored are third best. Their line-up is six strong with Dick Lowe, Jose Cruz, Bill White, Pete Runnels, Magglio Ordonez and Junior Spivey all hitting for .328 or better. They also have room to improve as several significant players are hitting below their career numbers, such as Hall of Famer George Wright.

The Presidents Day Division may have two of the best teams but they also have some of the worst. The January 27 Apollos have a winning percentage of .404 (19-28) and a league worst run differential of -57. The January 25 Graham Bells have a run differential of -32 a league worst winning percentage of .367 (18-31). The Apollos and Graham Bells are held down by putrid offense that have scored a paltry 174 runs and 176 runs respectively.

Great writeups, Chris. Thanks!

January 14 Asses

FWIW, January 14 was the "Feast of the Ass" in medieval Christianity. And I have the sense of humor of a 12-year-old.

You're welcome, Dan. I had fun doing it.

In "bullet dodged" news, Liriano seems to be following Napoli's example in not actually signing with the Pirates despite all those news stories 2 weeks ago.

well, i tried to submit the article but since it kept telling me tags like 'brewers' don't work i said to h8ll with it

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/bonds-clemens-sosa-piazza--the-thinking-behind-one-baseball-writers-hall-of-fame-ballot-cs89dor-186052761.html

jim, love the site. big supporter.

the not so new submittal process stunk when it debuted, it still stinks, and i do not understand why anyone has hitched their wagon to this pile of crud. this makes no sense.

Hard to believe a team with Dizzy Dean and Albert Pujols is in last place.

Just goes to show you how tough it is to win the coveted title.

youse guys are missing the point of the story

HELENE HATHAWAY BRITTON!!!!!

a woman baseball team owner - and couldn't nobody kick her out!!!!! she couldn't vote or open her own bank account or do pretty much anything without some male doing it for her, but couldn't nobody stop her from INHERITING property.

a REAL baseball fan!!!!!

i had no idea that any White woman owned a team before the widows of men owners like joan kroc. just KEWL!!!!!

there were others pre-kroc, like jean yawkey and the comiskeys, but joan payson is the woman to highlight, i think ... original owner of the mets (and not thru inheritance), tried to buy the giants at one point,