Milwaukee Riders Fan Club Topic

kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
Game 155: Nate Colbert's two-run single is all Tommy John needs to win his 19th game, but the Riders add an insurance run late for a 3-1 victory. Ramon Hernandez saves his 44th game.
Game 156: Milwaukee takes an early 2-0 lead on homers by Bill Robinson and Eddie Leon, but they can't hold on. Anaheim ties it in the seventh off Fred Norman and scores the winner in the eighth off Darold Knowles.
Game 157: Ted Ford hits a two-run homer in the eighth inning off Anaheim starter Joe Coleman to lift the Riders to a 3-2 win.
Game 158: Milwaukee clinches the division title with a 1-0 win over the Angels; Skip Lockwood throws eight shutout innings and Ramon Hernandez earns his 46th save.
The final series of the season against Kansas City is now meaningless.
11/29/2007 1:33 PM
kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
Game 159: Jerry Grote drives in five runs for the Blue Sox and Tommy John's bid for win #20 is foiled as the Riders fall 7-3. John would probably be available to pitch the season finale but the Riders will likely save him for the playoffs.
Game 160: Nate Colbert hits his 47th home run and drives home four as the Riders beat KC, 5-3. Fred Norman evens his record at 14-14, and Ramon Hernandez gets his 47th save.
Game 161: Down 4-0, the Riders rally for four runs in the bottom of the ninth, getting things started with a Ted Ford home run, and then win it in the 10th, loading the bases after two were out and getting the winner on a walk to Justin Krueger.
Game 162: Milwaukee finishes the season with 89 wins, taking the division by seven games, after scoring six in the first off 20-game winner Steve Blass and holding on to take the regular season finale, 7-6. Ramon Hernandez saves his 48th game (tops in the league) in 51 opportunities. Nate Colbert drives in his 130th run. Colbert's 47 homers lead the league, and he finishes seventh in slugging percentage at .563 and ninth in RBI.
We will face the wild card Minnesota Mooseheads in the first round of the playoffs.
11/30/2007 9:25 PM
kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
As division champ, Milwaukee gets home field advantage over the 103-game winning Mooseheads. Series starts with two in Milwaukee, then two in Minneapolis, with game 5 at County Stadium.
Game 1: Milwaukee gets to Minnesota starter Mickey Lolich for three runs in the first. The Mooseheads tie it with a run in the third and two in the fifth, but Richie Hebner leads off the sixth inning with a home run to give the Riders the lead back. Dave LaRoche throws two scoreless innings, and also singles and scores in the seventh. Protecting a three-run lead, Ramon Hernandez is perfect in the ninth and the Riders take the opener 6-3.
Game 2: Richie Hebner continues to be the one Rider who is producing at the plate; his two-run homer in the eighth ties the score at two, and the game eventually goes to extra innings. Unfortunately, Minnesota's bullpen proves deeper than Milwaukee's; the Mooseheads score in the 11th off Fred Norman (on Rennie Stennet's fourth hit of the game) and the Riders go quietly in the bottom half. Minnesota evens the series and assumes homefield advantage with a 3-2 win.
Game 3: Richie Hebner breaks a 3-3 tie with a seventh inning double and then scores on Ted Ford's single, but the Rider bullpen collapses in the eighth, allowing four Minnesota runs, and the Riders lose 7-5. Things look bleak.
Game 4: Milwaukee's season ends with a humiliating 8-0 loss in Minneapolis. Tommy John gets shelled, allowing all eight Moosehead runs, and the Riders muster only seven singles and a double off Rich Hand and Casey Cox. Richie Hebner is the Rider "star" of the postseason, if such a thing can be claimed, hitting .400 with three doubles and a home run.
12/3/2007 1:10 PM
kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
Meanwhile, the 1973 draft is under way. Milwaukee has the 14th pick in the first round. With the marquee pitchers gone (and already reasonably stocked with arms for next season), the Riders focus on offense for a change. While seemingly set at third base with Richie Hebner, the club decides that Bill Madlock is too good to pass up and adds him to the mix. This is the first time in franchise history that the Riders have selected a hitter in the first round.
Previous first round choices were Tommy John, Fred Norman, Jon Matlack, and Rich Gossage.
In the second round, Milwaukee goes back to the arms race, selecting relief pitcher Elias Sosa. He may not be needed immediately but the club feels that a surplus of pitchers may help facilitate a trade for a bat down the line... none of the hitters available were particularly attractive at this spot.
Concerned about a looming hole at shortstop, Milwaukee selects Craig Robinson in the third round.
In the fourth round, Milwaukee finalizes their roster with OF Charlie Spikes, a youngster who may provide a little pop this season. If he can replace Ted Ford's production it will be a good pickup.
12/4/2007 5:33 AM
kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
This post could not be converted. To view the original post's thread, click here.
12/8/2007 6:44 AM
kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
1972 in Review:
HITTING
Catcher: Thurman Munson (.300/.367/.369) didn't show much power (23 extra base hits) but provided a steady influence behind the plate and showed he can hit in this league. He walked 54 times while striking out 59 times, a pretty decent BB/K ratio. The club expects more production out of him in the future (54 R and 57 RBI in '72)
First Base: Nate Colbert (.278/.382/.563) had his best year yet, leading the league in home runs with 47 and adding 29 doubles and two triples. He drove home 130, walked 102 times, and scored 122 runs. Simply amazing.
Second Base: Ted Sizemore (.269/.336/.368) had 28 doubles, 65 runs scored, and 56 runs driven in. He drew 50 walks while striking out only 41 times. Not a fearsome presence at the plate but not an easy out either.
Shortstop: Gene Michael (.295/.338/.363) got most of the playing time here. With only 23 extra base hits, he was not very productive (41 RBI) but he did score 56 times. Eddie Leon (.211/.302/.289) filled in at times, showing a good eye but not much else.
Third base: Richie Hebner (.271/.362/.445) showed flashes of greatness but could not sustain them. Still, he hit 29 doubles, six triples, and 14 home runs while finishing second on the team to Colbert in both runs scored (72) and runs driven in (79). Another good batting eye, he drew 68 walks with 66 strikeouts. Rookie Timothy Rehberg (.209 BA) filled in at times, mostly to the team's detriment.
Outfield: Without Larry Hisle available this season, Ted Ford (.256/.313/.413) became the most productive outfielder. Ford hit 27 doubles, 17 homers, and drove home 69 runs. He also finished second on the team to Colbert in strikeouts (85 - Colbert had 136).
Mike Lum (.215/.310/.304) had a miserable season at the plate. He had only 22 extra base hits and failed to reach 50 in either runs or RBI. His 22 extra base hits were not what we expect from our outfielders. He needs to rebound in '73.
Larry Biittner (.279/.329/.361) had a lot of multiple-hit games towards the end of the season but was still pretty weak for a corner outfield spot. He had 22 doubles but only two home runs and drove in only 38 runs.
Angel Mangual (.270/.319/.380) showed little more pop with 11 doubles and five homers.
Terry Crowley (.224/.343/.415) didn't get a lot of hits but showed a good eye (47 walks, 30 strikeouts) and some power (14 doubles, 12 homers)
Bill Robinson (.260/.290/.460) didn't show much patience but did have 23 extra base hits in 200 at bats, driving in 27.
12/8/2007 7:03 AM
kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
PITCHING
Tommy John (19-6, 1.21 WHIP, 3.08 ERA) finally fulfilled the promise he carried as the franchise's first ever draft choice. He walked only 60 batters in 230 innings, limiting opponents to a .299 OBP and allowed only 12 home runs, lowest among the starters.
Jon Matlack (15-12, 1.29, 3.02) was a bit of a tough luck pitcher, at least compared to John. While Matlack walked more batters (.315 OBP), he limited opponents to a .337 SLG, bettering John's .342 mark. He led the team with eight complete games, including two shutouts.
Skip Lockwood (12-10, 1.15, 3.19) entered the rotation late in the season but eventually displaced Ron Reed. Lockwood allowed only 159 hits in 200 innings (.216 AVG), bettered John's .299 OBP at .289, and allowed only a .326 SLG.
Ron Reed (9-14, 1.61, 5.01) was ineffective all season, allowing 253 hits in 196 innings (.315/.365/.439 marks against him) and allowed 17 homers, second only to Fred Norman. He did throw the team's only other shutout, however.
Fred Norman (14-14, 1.57, 4.52) allowed 25 homers and 126 walks, both marks tops on the team by far, but somehow managed a .500 record.
In the pen, Ramon Hernandez (0-2, 48/51, 1.12, 1.68) was unbelievable. He allowed no home runs and a .258 SLG.
Ted Abernathy (2-1, 0.80 WHIP, 1.73 ERA) was just as effective, posting (.156/.227/.188) numbers in 36 innings.
Dave LaRoche (8-4, 1.10, 2.60) was a workhorse, appearing in 74 games for 103.2 innings.
Darold Knowles (7-3, 1.26, 2.63) was also effective while Bill Lee (2-3, 1.68, 4.48) served mainly as mopup man.
Overall the staff allowed .251/.321/.350 which compares well to the offense's .252/.324/.375 marks. The Riders had 50 saves in 58 opportunities, an amazing percentage.
12/8/2007 7:16 AM
kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
1973 Season Preview:
The Riders are in the Patriot League's West Division with the following teams:
Oakland Zoo (billingsby; $41.8M payroll, 24th in league)
Anaheim Angels (shawbigred; $78.6M payroll, 7th in league)
Kansas City Blue Sox (cccp1014; $56.6M payroll, 22nd in league)
The Riders have a $81.0M payroll for 1973, 3rd in the league.
12/10/2007 10:22 AM
kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
The Riders return basically the same pitching staff, which was a top five staff in the league. Bill Lee looks like he might be ready to challenge for a spot in the rotation. Tommy John and Jon Matlack look to continue building on their success in 1972. The bullpen is still strong... there is no worry at this point about the Riders' pitching staff.
On offense, the return of Larry Hisle and the addition of Charlie Spikes looks to add some protection for Nate Colbert. In fact, if spring training results are to be trusted, it appears that Thurman Munson and Richie Hebner might add a little pop to their games this season. The middle infield situation remains a concern but the other six starters should provide more offense than the team got last season.
The Riders have every expectation of contending for the PL West title again.
12/19/2007 4:34 PM
kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
Game 1: Milwaukee opens at home, hosting the New York Mammoths. The Mammoths look REALLY good this year. They score three in the first, one in the second, three more in the third, and once more in the fourth to take an 8-0 lead off Bill Lee (only four of the eight runs were earned). Sacrifical lamb Goose Gossage "takes one for the team" and throws 149 pitches over the final five innings. New York scores 15 more runs off him and walks away with an impressive 25-4 win. Vida Blue throws a complete game for New York, allowing only five hits. Richie Hebner hits the Riders' first home run of the season.
Game 2: This on is better than the opener, but the Mammoths still embarrass the Riders, getting eight shutout innings from Bill Greif in an 8-0 win.
Game 3: Milwaukee is the only 0-3 team in the Patriot League after dropping another one to New York, 6-4. Ken Singleton's three-run homer, one of three long balls surrendered by Fred Norman, is the deciding blow. Richie Hebner hits a home run for the Riders.
Milwaukee's first road trip takes them to Boston to face the 1-2 Stranglers.
12/23/2007 5:34 AM
kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
Game 4: Milwaukee finally gets in the win column, as Nate Colbert's first home run of the season breaks a 3-3 tie in the 10th inning. Ramon Hernandez throws a scoreless frame in his first outing of the season and the Stranglers become the Riders' first victim, 4-3.
Game 5: The Milwaukee offense finally shows up, scoring a lot of runs late off a tired Boston bullpen to take the second game, 10-4. Thurman Munson hits his first home run of the season and Bill Lee wins with seven strong innings.
Game 6: Nate Colbert blasts two homers, including a grand slam, and drives home eight runs as the Riders blow out the Stranglers 17-2. Charlie Spikes has four hits, all singles, and scores four times. Jon Matlack evens his record at 1-1.
The Riders return home to face Washington.
12/24/2007 6:08 AM
kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
Game 7: If the Riders expect to repeat as division champions, they will need to win some games at home eventually. That still hasn't happened yet as the Commandos blast rookie Elias Sosa for five runs in the seventh on the way to a 10-6 win.
Game 8: Tommy John throws seven shutout innings and the Riders get three RBI from Mike Lum as they defeat Washington 6-0 to even the series.
Game 9: Ramon Hernandez discovers that this isn't like last year.. he blows a 4-3 lead in the ninth and Washington takes the series with a 5-4 decision. After nine games, Milwaukee has two players with 13 RBI apiece (Nate Colbert and Richie Hebner) but has a losing record.
Somehow, the rest of the division is off to an even worse start, so the Riders are in first place. We head to Baltimore to take on the IronBirds.
12/25/2007 5:43 AM
kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
Game 10: After Jon Matlack and Bob Gibson lock horns for seven innings, the bullpens take over. Baltimore's is more successful; Rider Elias Sosa has yet another meltdown. Baltimore scores four in the eighth and wins 4-1.
Game 11: AAA catcher Hobie Olkowski and Ted Sizemore, batting leadoff for the first time this season, each drives in their first two runs of the season to back Fred Norman, who gets his first win, 9-1 over Baltimore.
Game 12: Larry Biittner's knack for multiple hit games carries over at least one time to this season; he has five hits and the Riders explode for five runs in the ninth as Milwaukee evens their record at 6-6 with a 6-1 win over Baltimore. Elias Sosa throws two scoreless innings.
The club will host Oakland to start divisional play.
12/26/2007 5:48 AM
kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
Game 13: Oakland's Rick Reuschel pitches brilliantly, but is victimized by a Gene Locklear error in the sixth, which precedes a three-run home run by Thurman Munson. That blast is the difference as the Riders win 4-2 behind Bill Lee.
Game 14: Nate Colbert blasts his fourth home run and reaches 18 RBI for the season as the Riders win, 7-2, behind Jon Matlack. Matlack allows only two unearned runs in six innings of work.
Game 15: Eddie Leon's first home run of the season, a two-run blast, reverses a 6-5 deficit and Elias Sosa combines with Ramon Hernandez for three scoreless innings as the Riders win 7-6.
Game 16: Larry Hisle hits his first homer of the season, Nate Colbert hits his fifth, and Tommy John throws seven scoreless frames as the Riders reach double digits in the win column with a 7-0 decision.
We take this show on the road to Kansas City to face the Blue Sox, who are now in second place at 7-9.
12/27/2007 5:50 AM
kermit
Posts: 11185 (0)
Hall of Famer
564 517 137
Rookie
Game 17: Nate Colbert blasts his sixth home run, and two doubles, spearheading a 17-hit Rider attack as Milwaukee scores a big win over Kansas City, 17-1. Bill Lee walks nobody in eight innings and wins his third game.
Game 18: Milwaukee apparently used too much of their offense in game 1; game 2 is another affair entirely as the Riders manage only two solo home runs off the Blue Sox. Jon Matlack is roughed up in the fifth and KC evens the series with a 7-2 win.
Game 19: Bill Robinson hits two home runs and a double, driving home five runs, and Fred Norman keeps the ball in the park for a change, as the Riders take a 2-1 advantage in the series with a 6-3 win. Norman evens his record at 2-2 while Ramon Hernandez gets his fourth save.
Game 20: Richie Hebner and Charlie Spikes each commit an error, leading to three unearned Blue Sox runs, as KC's Ken Wright bests Tommy John, 5-1.
Milwaukee gets its first taste of interleague play next, with sets against New York and San Francisco.
12/28/2007 1:49 PM
◂ Prev 1...16|17|18|19|20...69 Next ▸
Milwaukee Riders Fan Club Topic
△Top△Bottom

Search Criteria

Terms of Use Customer Support Privacy Statement

© 1999-2025 WhatIfSports.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WhatIfSports is a trademark of WhatIfSports.com, Inc. SimLeague, SimMatchup and iSimNow are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts, Inc. Used under license. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.