Game 33: Eddie Murray has four hits and Jay Buhner smashes his ninth home run, a three-run shot in the third, as the Spectres survive a rough start from Chuck Finley to beat the 69ers 6-5. Robb Nen and Rick Aguilera combine for 2.1 scoreless innings to preserve the lead. Bret Boone is 0-5 and drops to .190 for the season.

Game 34: Alex Fernandez throws a complete game, striking out 10 and walking none, as the Spectres defeat Frisco 8-1. Brady Anderson and Eddie Murray drive home three runs each.

Game 35: Willie Blair gets rocked, dropping his record to 1-4 and shooting his ERA near 8.00, as the 69ers salvage the finale, 8-7. Montreal manages only one extra base hit and strands two runners in the ninth.

Another interleague set is next, with Seattle and Minnesota on the schedule.

This is a very entertaining thread (I mean that!). Can you give me more of an idea what league this is referencing? I'm not quite understanding what you are doing here.

Thanks.

This is the Centennial League, which is (I believe) the "original" progressive theme league started by seaphil, currently run (and I use the term loosely) by ceez. I joined during the 1976 season (the league started with the 1969 season).

ceez and metallicafan also have threads for their teams (ceez - San Francisco, metallicafan - NY Cosmos).

Game 36: Montreal gets 10 hits off Brad Radke, including two home runs, but not very many come with men on base. Scott Erickson has another rough outing and the Emeralds take the opener, 4-3.

Game 37: Edgardo Alfonzo hits the first home run of his career, driving in three runs, and Scott Sanders throws three scoreless innings in relief to pick up the victory as Montreal evens things up with Seattle, 5-3.

Game 38: Ken Caminiti's seventh-inning grand slam provides sufficient cushion for the bullpen to preserve a win, 6-4 over Minnesota. Chuck Finley throws seven scoreless frames, striking out 10, for his sixth victory.

Game 39: Alex Fernandez has a rough outing, but the Spectres tie the score after he leaves with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Bob Wickman comes in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Bad move. Minnesota rips off six runs in that frame and goes on to win 10-5.

Montreal heads home to face Cincinnati.

Game 40: The Stingers score in each of the first five innings, building a 7-2 lead, but the Spectre bullpen slams the door and Montreal comes back, eventually tying the game at seven on Ken Caminiti's ninth-inning home run. Eddie Guardado walks the leadoff man in the 10th but retires the next three batters. Brett Boone pinch hits for Guardado in the bottom half and leads off with a single. Following a fielder's choice and a walk, Eddie Murray slaps a single to . Brady Anderson races home and slides in just before the tag to win the game, 8-7.

Game 41: Scott Erickson throws eight scoreless innings, dropping his ERA to 5.29, and picks up his second win of the season as the Spectres defeat Cincinnati for the second straight day, 4-0. Erickson contributes two singles and scores a run as well.

Game 42: Jim Abbott dominates the Spectre lineup, tossing a complete game three-hitter. Mark Whiten homers twice for the Stingers, who win 8-0.

Montreal heads to Houston to face the 27-15 Lone Stars.

Game 43: Brady Anderson, Tony Phillips, and Eddie Murray, the 1-2-3 hitters, each has three hits and Chuck Finley has another strong outing as the Spectres surprise the Lone Stars 8-2 in the series opener. The bullpen contributes three scoreless innings and Jay Buhner drives home three runs.

Game 44: The top of the lineup stays hot (Brady Anderson hits three doubles and scores each time) and Alex Fernandez pitches well into the eighth before tiring. Scott Sanders blows up a little in the ninth, but the Spectres hang on for an 8-5 win.

Game 45: Six more hits from the first three batters (including home runs from Brady Anderson and Eddie Murray), but the rest of the team manages only one. Willie Blair gets shelled again and the Lone Stars avoid a sweep with a 9-3 victory. Blair is now 1-5 with an 8.77 ERA.

Montreal returns home to host the Central leader St. Louis (26-19).

Game 46: Montreal trails St. Louis 5-2 after eight and a half innings, and the first two Spectre batters in the ninth ground out to third base. Things look bleak. Rocky Ficek singles as a pinch hitter, then comes around to score on Brady Anderson's triple. Tony Phillips works Tom Henke for a walk, and Eddie Murray comes up with men at the corners. BOOM!!!! Murray homers, his tenth of the season, and Montreal wins 6-5.

Game 47: St. Louis gets plenty of revenge in the second game, scoring eight times off starter Dave Burba and eight more times against the ragged Montreal bullpen. Tom Glavine doesn't need all the support, but he accepts a gift-wrapped 16-3 win.

Game 48: Montreal hits four home runs in the finale, scoring plenty of runs (nine), but Rick Aguilera implodes in the top of the ninth, allowing five runs while retiring only one batter. St. Louis rallies for a 12-9 win.

Montreal has interleague sets with Cleveland and Boston on tap.

BOOM!!!! is right :)

My pitching staff has not lived up to expectations.

Game 49: Cleveland rallies for single runs in the eighth and ninth, ruining Alex Fernandez' shutout in the eighth and giving Rick Aguilera his third blown save in the ninth, to tie the score at two. The game goes into extras and drags on scorelessly until the 12th. Randy Velarde, Eddie Taubensee, and Greg Gagne hit consecutive singles off Brian Keyser to give Montreal a 3-2 win.

Game 50: Willie Blair pitches six decent innings () and the Spectres touch Ramon Martinez for five runs as they complete a sweep of Cleveland with a 5-3 win. Brady Anderson homers for Montreal, which collects 12 hits (and strikes out 14 times).

Game 51: Scott Erickson throws five shutout innings and four relievers contribute one scoreless frame each as the Spectres shut out Boston, 1-0. Bret Boone drives home the game's only run in the eighth.

Game 52: Alex Fernandez outduels undefeated Pete Schourek as the Spectres sweep Boston with a 2-1 victory. Jay Buhner's pinch hit single in the seventh inning proves to be the winner; Bob Wickman and Rick Aguilera each throws a scoreless inning to preserve the win.

Montreal will host Los Angeles next before starting the second round of divisional play.

Game 53: Los Angeles abuses Dave Burba, while the Looters' Randy Johnson is spectacular, throwing a complete game victory in a 12-2 decision. Randy Velarde's error leads to four unearned runs; Burba allows nine total runs in 3.2 innings.

Game 54: Chris Hoiles hits a grand slam, Jamie Navarro hits a double, and Chuck Finley falls to 7-3 as the Looters run away with an 8-1 victory.

Game 55: Scott Erickson gets roughed up; Chris Hoiles blasts another homer, and the Looters complete a three-game sweep with an 8-3 win.

Next round of divisonal play starts with a visit from Pittsburgh.

it's just like rooting for the Mariners!

Game 56: Hideo Nomo scatters seven hits and strikes out 10 batters in eight innings, while Montreal's Willie Blair fails (again) to make it through the fourth. Pittsburgh somehow survives Eddie Murray's solo home run to take the opener 6-1.

Game 57: Pittsburgh puts two runs on the board in the first against Alex Fernandez, and the Spectres' moribund offense is shut down by a AAA prospect as the Melons win again, 5-3.

Game 58: Randy Velarde hits a homer in the first, Dave Burba tosses five scoreless innings, and the Spectres avoid the sweep by beating Sid Fernandez(!!!) 6-3.

Philadelphia will be in town next.

Game 59: Chuck Finley strikes out 10, and Bret Boone hits his first home run of the season (a pinch hit shot) to put the finishing touches on a 7-4 win over the Keystones.

Game 60: Eddie Taubensee and Tony Phillips hit home runs to back Scott Erickson, who produces a quality start as the Spectres win 7-3. Erickson improves his record to 3-5; Eddie Guardado gets his first career save.

Game 61: Tony Phillips homers for the second straight game, and Ken Caminiti adds a longball as well, as the Spectres complete a sweep of Philadelphia with a 7-3 win. Alex Fernandez improves to 7-3. Montreal is within reach of .500 again at 30-31, trailing New York by 11 games and still five games out of wild card position.

After this six-game homestand, we head to New York to try to make a dent in the Cosmos' lead.

Game 62: Montreal gets a respectable performance from Willie Blair, but the bats have trouble against New York's Steve Ontiveros. Nevertheless, Milwaukee heads to the bottom of the eighth nursing a 3-2 lead. The Cosmos get a leadoff single in the eighth, followed by a double, and eventually score the tying run on a sacrifice fly. Greg McMichael retirees the Spectres in order in the top of the ninth. Tony Fossas retires the first two Cosmo batters in the ninth, but then allows a single to Gary Sheffield. Bob Wickman replaces Fossas. Sheffield steals second, and former Spectre Mark Carreon hits a single to . Tony Phillips has trouble coming up with the ball, and Sheffield scores the winner.

Game 63: Montreal gets the bats working, but Chuck Finley has a rough day, walking four and allowing seven hits in only 4.1 innings. New York roughs him up for nine runs and holds on for a 9-7 win.

Game 64: New York scores five in the first, knocking Scott Erickson out of the game, and five more in the fifth, sending Eddie Guardado's ERA shooting up to 7.53. Montreal collects 10 hits, but they score only once against Mark Langston and are swept by the Cosmos.

We have a quick interleague set with Washington before heading to Wrigley Field.